Festival raises glasses to Manchester’s heritage
3rd November 2016
For immediate release:
Festival raises glasses to Manchester’s heritage
Manchester Beer & Cider Festival reveal logo celebrating the city’s past and future
The team behind Manchester Beer & Cider Festival have revealed the logo which will feature on publicity, glassware and clothing when the festival returns to Manchester Central in January. The logo features four of the pillars on which the city built its national and international reputation while celebrating that the city is now equally recognised around the world for its brewing and beer scene. The fourth incarnation of the Campaign For Real Ale’s premier northern beer festival are represented by four pint glasses, each containing an icon representing the city’s rich heritage in the fields of science, industry, music and sport.
The man behind the design is Andy Heggs who has recently combined years of experience as a graphic designer with his passion for real ale to create branding for some of the best of the region’s new crop of brewers such as Ramsbottom’s Brewsmith and bars including Manchester’s The Brink. Co-director of Manchester based agency Drumbeat, he also pioneered the #Tryanuary social media campaign which seeks to inspire people to experiment with new beers, visit local breweries, bars and bottle shops during January – a month which is traditionally a quiet period for pubs and brewers. With the first Tryanuary in January 2014 taking place in the same month as the first Manchester Beer & Cider Festival, Andy has collaborated with the festival organisers from the start, but this is the first time he has contributed his design skills.
Festival organiser Graham Donning said “For three years, the festivals logo has reflected our host venue. Our brief to Andy was to come up with something which reflected that the event is much more than the venue, that it is part of a modern beer scene which the whole city can and should be proud of. The way that he did that, mixing beer with the aspects of the city’s past in a clean and modern image is striking, but thought provoking.”
The city’s growth during the industrial revolution is represented by the gears which transmitted power around the mighty cotton mills. An atom represents the scientific breakthroughs which the city’s universities continue to lead the world with – from Ernest Rutherford’s ground-breaking work in nuclear physics to the pioneering Graphene institute. The city’s long and varied musical heritage – from the Hollies and Herman’s Hermits in the 1960s, punk pioneers The Buzzcocks, the heady days of the Madchester era through Oasis to Elbow and The Blossoms – are represented by a turntable. The final glass holds just one of the many trophies which the city’s sporting teams have won – from the packed cabinets at City & United to the new powerhouse of British Cycling at the Velodrome – the festival’s home for the first two years of its existence.
Graham continued “Manchester has such a rich history in so many fields but the region’s beer revolution is perhaps better celebrated outside the city than in it. Greater Manchester now boasts around 80 breweries many of whom, from the oldest to the newest are exporting around the world. Robinsons now export over a million pints a year of their Trooper ale to over 50 counties and JW Lees’ annual Harvest Ale is eagerly awaited by beer fans in the USA. However, they are not alone – beers from the new breed of Manchester brewers such as Marble Beers & Cloudwater are in demand from craft beer bars and shops across Scandinavia and mainland Europe while many of our other brewers like Runaway and Track can’t brew enough to supply demand from across the UK.”
The three-day festival which opens on 19th January will feature around 700 beers, ciders and perries ranging from traditional bitters to the very latest bold flavoured beers from the very best of the world’s new breed of brewers. Almost 15,000 thirsty drinkers attended the 2016 event and organisers report that advance ticket sales indicate they are on track to welcome even more people to Manchester Central’s magnificent Central Hall. Tickets can be purchased online at www.mancbeerfest.uk
ENDS
Further information:
Graham Donning
organiser (at) mancbeerfest.uk
David Rigby
press (at) mancbeerfest.uk
Picture editors:
Logo can be downloaded at : https://mancbeerfest.uk/MBCF17-logo.pdf
Further photos available from www.flickr.com/MancBeerFest
Notes to editors:
- Manchester Beer & Cider Festival opening times:
- Thursday 19th January: 12pm – 10.30pm;
- Friday 20th January: 12pm – 10.30pm
- Saturday 21st January: 12pm – 7pm.
- The Manchester Beer & Cider Festival is organised by the Greater Manchester branches of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).
- The 2016 festival attracted 14,804 customers to Manchester Central from 20th – 23rd January 2016.
- Andy Heggs is co-director of Drumbeat Creative – drumbeaters.co.uk Tel. 0161 817 3410
- There will be a trade/CAMRA members only preview evening between 5pm and 9pm on Wednesday 18th January. This will incorporate a press reception. Media organisations can be added to the invitation list by contacting press@mancbeerfest.uk
- Follow us for all the latest news: facebook.com/manchesterbeerfestival and @MancBeerFest.