Drink & Learn at MBCF

Tutored Tastings and beer appreciation course give visitors an educational experience

Manchester Beer & Cider Festival has confirmed its range of special tasting events allowing visitors to learn more about their favourite drinks. In a first for the festival, visitors will also be able to gain a recognised qualification in the love of beer!

Visitors on Thursday 19th January can book to train for their Certificate in Beer Appreciation, fully accredited qualification from People 1st, a part of the Hospitality Guild. The three and a half hour course will be led by Master Trainer, European Beer Consumer Union accredited judge and Member of the Guild of Beer Writers Christine Cryne.

Other events in the programme will give an insight into the history of what is an often mis-construed and mislabelled beer style – the India Pale Ale. In Whatever Happened to IPA will discuss the origins of this style, its fall from popularity to its current American inspired status as the must have beer style – fuelled by a wide selection of examples of the style.

Cider and perry fans won’t miss out with Thursday evening seeing local expert Charlotte Bulmer (no relation) lead a session exploring the massive variety of flavours which can arise from the fermented juices of humble apples and pears.

Two events explore different aspects of continental brewing. In Going Dutch, beer traveller and writer John Clarke will show his audience that the Netherlands has so much more to offer the moden beer drinker than Heinekin as he discusses six craft brewed Dutch beers of varied and contrasting styles. Meanwhile, some of the heritage of Dutch and Belgian brewing will be discussed in “Holy Orders” – a tasting event which will look at the history of Monastic brewing before leading drinkers through six different beers, all brewed by the Trappist Order of monks in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Tickets for all sessions are now on sale at mancbeerfest.uk/about/events2017

The tasting events will be complemented by a number of pop-up Meet The Brewer sessions throughout the festival – visitors should keep an eye of Facebook & Twitter for details.

The final day of the festival will conclude with the Great Manchester Beer Debate where a panel of industry experts will give their opinions on a controversial subject before the floor is thrown open to you, the festival visitor. Organisers are being tight lipped about the subject to be debated and who will be on the panel, but all will be revealed in December.

Three weeks ago, MBCF’s partnership with Barcelona Beer Festival saw a range of beers from five Spanish Breweries arrive at Manchester Central. We were also pleased to welcome brewers from Dougall’s, Bidassoa and Quer breweries to the festival.

While they were here, Carlos Arrecubieta of Bidassoa Basque Brewery headed to Runaway Brewery to brew with head brewer Mark Welsby while Quer Brewery’s Agus Fabregat collaborated with Blackjack Beers

These two beers will shortly be travelling out to Barcelona Beer Festival which opens on 4th March, but you can taste them first when they are launched at The Smithfield Market Tavern (Swan Street, Manchester) on Tuesday 16th February.

Also on the bar will be the third MBCF / BBF collaboration beer, Blackjack’s collaboration with Barcelona’s Garage Brew Co which was brewed in Manchester on 3rd January and thus far has only been available at MBCF16.

You, our visitors were asked to choose your favourite beers & ciders from our range. The results of the Real Radio XS Beer, Cider & Perry Of The Festival Votes were:

Beer Of The Festival

Cider Of The Festival

Perry Of The Festival

Relive the festival from start to finish with our time lapse video.

From the first container load of equipment at 8am on Saturday 16th to Runaway Brewery’s bar leaving at 5pm on Sunday 25th, 9 days of hard work, 15,000 amazing customers and supping of 50,000 pints compressed into 5 and a half minutes.