MBCF has teamed up with the Society For the Preservation of Beers From The Wood (SPBW) again to bring you an entire bar of beer matured in wooden casks. Click here to learn more about SPBW.
Almost all of the casks on the bar have been specially filled for this years festival – you won’t find these beers in this form in any other place.
Maturation in wooden cask brings complex flavours from the interaction between the beer and the wood infused with the microscopic remains of the previous contents of the cask.
Click on column headings to sort.
Brewery | Beer | Style | ABV | Town | Notes (Long) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abbeydale | Black Mass | Dark ruby ale | 6.7 | Sheffield | Very dark ruby ale with a rich creamy head. Aromas of dark chocolate, coffee and burnt toast. Full bodied and warming with strong flavours of bitter chocolate, fruitcake, raisins and hints of cherries. A lingering bitter finish. |
| Abbeydale | Gooseberry Saison | Fruit saison | 7.5 | Sheffield | Light, refreshing,tart saison, hopped with Eldorado hops and infused with gooseberries |
| Bad Co | Bilberry Milshake IPA | Yorkshire foraged bilberry IPA | 5.8 | Dishforth | At this time of year if you know where to look, Yorkshire is awash with the utterly delicious Bilberry - the wild variant of blueberries that pack much more flavour and have a deliciously tart aftertaste - and we thought we would harness these almighty be |
| Bad Seed / Black Storm | Dark Forest Theory | Chocolate Cherry Stout | 5.5 | Malton | Chocolate Cherry Stout. Rich dark chocolate meets sour cherry in a decadent grown up dessert. Black malts combine with Cacao nibs and sour cherry puree to make a perfect winter warmer! |
| Beer Nouveau | Barrel-Aged West Coast IPA | IPA | 6.8 | Manchester | An original 80's Californian IPA recipe aged for 9 months in a Bourbon barrel |
| Beer Nouveau | Brown Porter | Porter | 4.0 | Manchester | A traditional porter brewed with diastatic brown malt. |
| Beer Nouveau | Brown Stout | Stout Porter | 5.0 | Manchester | A thicker bodied porter using oats and wheat to increase the mouthfeel. |
| Beer Nouveau | Heritage Barrel-Aged East India Pale Ale | IPA | 5.9 | Manchester | 18 month barrel-aged East India Pale Ale, part of heritage barrel-ageing programme |
| Beer Nouveau | Heritage Barrel-Aged East India Porter | Porter | 6.9 | Manchester | 12 month barrel-aged East India Porter made with specially kilned heritage malt |
| Beer Nouveau | Manchester Hop Project : Manchester Green Hop | Pale ale | 4.3 | Manchester | |
| Beer Nouveau | Manchester Hop Project : Ordsall Old Ale | Old Ale | 6.3 | Manchester | Heritage 18th century malts brewed with hops grown at Ordsall Hall used to recreate a historic beer style |
| Beer Nouveau | Surplus : Chocolate Orange Stout | Chococate orange stout | 8.0 | Manchester | ################ |
| Blackedge | Dark Rum | Porter | 4.6 | Horwich | A dark rum porter with rich chocolate & roasted coffee. Finished wirh liquorice and mellow sweet dark rum. |
| Blackjack | Ace Of Spades (Barrel aged) | Imperial stout | 10.0 | Collyhurst, Manchester | Three year barrel aged imperial stout |
| Blackjack | Barley Wine | Barley Wine | 11.0 | Collyhurst, Manchester | Our first Barleywine coming in at a nice warming 9.6%, lots of malt and mainly hopped with goldings and admiral |
| Brass Castle | Annexation | Russian Imperial Stout | 8.3 | Malton | In a time of renewed Russian imperialism, we bring you an 8.3% traditional aged Russian Imperial Stout. Smooth like the Volga and as bonkers as Putin. |
| Brass Castle | Hazelnut Mild | Mild | 4.2 | Malton | 5-malt nut brown mild with a delicate hazelnut aroma. |
| Brass Castle | Malton Amber | Light amber | 4.0 | Malton | Light amber ale brewed in collaboration with Malton's Woodhams Stone historical society, which houses the breweriana of the towns earlier breweries and the last barrel coopered in Malton |
| Brew York | Cherry Tonkoko | Cherry & coconut stout | 9.5 | York | Still as luxuriously decadent as before, we now bring you Cherry Tonkoko. Now with silly amounts of Morello Cherries added to compliment the lingering spice and almond of the Tonka Beans and Madagascan Vanilla. |
| Carnival | Transformer | Porter | 6.2 | Liverpool | Bold roasty flavours with a creamy head, silky mouthfeel and lasting dark chocolate bitterness. |
| Carnival | Transformer Vanilla Edition | Vanilla porter | 6.2 | Liverpool | Robust porter with hints of chocolate, spicy rye and candied fruits with a dark chocolate bitterness finished with lasting, decadent vanilla. |
| Cheshire Brewhouse | Gibralter Porter | Porter | 8.1 | Congleton | Porter originally brewed by a brewery on the Isle of Wight in 1864 and recreated by Cheshire Brewhouse and Rising Tide Brewing Company in Portland, Maine in Nov 18. Brewed with heritage Chevallier Barley |
| Cheshire Brewhouse | Govinda Chevallier Edition | Heritage IPA | 6.8 | Congleton | Brewed faithfully to a heritage Burton-Upon-Trent IPA recipe. The recipe dates from the early 1800’s |
| Cheshire Brewhouse | Lord Flame | Best bitter | 4.2 | Congleton | Best Bitter brewed with Challenger & Bramling Cross |
| Cheshire Brewhouse | Smokehouse Porter | Smoked salted caramel porter | 8.1 | Congleton | Smokhouse Porter is a slightly smoked, salted caramel, chocolate, sticky-toffee pudding, porter, with a bourbon vanilla flip. Speciality Malts are married with an abundance of Dates, Cacao, Black Treacle & Bourbon Vanilla pods, creating a delicious, smoo |
| Clun | Citadel | English IPA | 5.9 | Clun | Brewed in our own microbrewery. It is a formidable strong ale which will appeal to the real hop lover. Perhaps more accurately described as an original style IPA, the beer is produced with Marris Otter pale malt and deploys the mighty Green Bullet hop to |
| Darwin | Beagle Blonde | Blonde ale | 4.1 | Sunderland | A golden coloured pale ale with refreshing citrus hops leading to a dry, bitter finish |
| Darwin | Rolling Hitch IPA | IPA | 5.2 | Sunderland | Amarillo hopped IPA, with British Heritage Malts. Flowers and Citrus aroma |
| Elland | 1872 Porter | Porter | 6.5 | Elland | Rich, complex and dark Porter from an original 1872 recipe, with an old port nose, and coffee and bitter chocolate flavours on the palate. Champion Beer Of Britain 2013. |
| Fernandes | Black Voodoo | Chocolate Orange Stout | 5.1 | Wakefield | Black moreish beer with a chocolate, orangey, vanilla flavour coming through. |
| Fernandes | Malt Easy | Light brown ale | 4.0 | Wakefield | Light Brown beer with a malty biscuit flavour with a hint of honey from the malt. Medium hopped with American Centennial. |
| Fernandes | Redneck | Red ale | 4.4 | Wakefield | Pale red ale hopped generously with American Centennial hops to give a nice fruity hoppy kick with hints of toffee |
| Five Towns | Always Crashing In the Same Car | Belgian Tripel | 8.4 | Wakefield | Rhubarb infused tripel using orval yeast |
| Five Towns | Baby Blue | NZ Pale ale | 4.5 | Wakefield | Pale ale single hopped with Nelson Sauvin. |
| Five Towns | Lost Hope | Golden ale | 4.4 | Wakefield | Golden ale brewed with Chinook and Mosaic hops giving a pine and citrus finish |
| Five Towns / North Riding Brewpub | Mad Monk | Russian Imperial Stout | 8.0 | Wakefield | Russian Imperial stout |
| Hadrian Border | Farne Island | Amber bitter | 4.0 | Newcastle upon Tyne | Amber coloured bitter, blended malt & hops makes this well-rounded beer balanced & refreshing |
| Hadrian Border | Grainger Ale | Pale ale | 4.6 | Newcastle upon Tyne | Brewed using a single malt, and hopped with a selection of three varieties giving a well-balanced finish. Very pale in appearance because of the Pale Ale Malt used. |
| Hadrian Border | Secret Kingdom | English bitter | 4.3 | Newcastle upon Tyne | Dark, rich and full-bodied slightly roasted with a malty palate ending with a pleasant bitterness. |
| Half Moon | Chinook IPA | Golden IPA | 5.4 | Ellerton, York | Golden IPA, double dry hopped with Chinook for big fruity flavours |
| Half Moon | Dark Masquerade | Mild | 3.6 | Ellerton, York | A rich ruby/brown ale which is packed with dark chocolate and liquorice flavours. |
| Half Moon | Old Forge | Amber bitter | 3.8 | Ellerton, York | Bright amber coloured ale with a soft spiced lemon and honeyed flavour |
| Half Moon | Port Out | Porter | 4.6 | Ellerton, York | A classic English porter, dark in colour and soft on the palate |
| Kirkstall | Black Band Porter | Porter | 5.5 | Kirkstall | A full bodied yet beautifully smooth dark porter. Perfectly balanced. |
| Marble | Rioja Barrel Aged Old Ale | Funky old ale | 10.8 | Collyhurst, Manchester | 3 year old Rioja barrel aged English Old Ale inoculated with a blend of wild yeast and souring bacteria. A multi-layered malt profile provides rich dried fruit flavours with a subtle spicy, cherry, and oak character. Gentle balsamic acidity helps to cut |
| Neptune | Hear the Sirens | Imperial stout | 10.0 | Maghull | Luscious, viscous Imperial Stout brewed by Neptune's Julie with writer Katie Mather |
| Neptune / Brass Castle | Camulos | Cherry Dubbel | 6.9 | Maghull | A rich slightly sweet malt forward beer with dark fruit and raison flavours leading to cherry notes on the finish |
| North Riding | Sticky Toffee Porter | Porter | 7.4 | Snainton | Big robust porter using a double mash technique and demerara sugar. Full bodied and infused with toffee post fermentation. High level deserterati status! |
| North Riding | Vanilla Bourbon Stout | Stout | 6.0 | Snainton | Robust stout hopped with English Bramling hops & infused with vanilla & bourbon |
| Origami | Folding by the Fire | Light stout | 6.0 | Manchester | Light stout with winter spice aroma |
| Ossett | Yorkshire Black | Fruity Porter | 4.6 | Ossett | Black fruity porter. A tasty blackberry porter brewed with deep roasted malts giving a chocolate taste with a hint of coffee and hopped with traditional English hops & American Cascade hops. Hints of blackberry in the finish. |
| Phipps | Black Star | Black IPA | 4.8 | Northampton | The perfect marriage of our Ratliffe Stout malts to give deep dark colour and a smooth mellow chocolate flavour, allied to the hop selection from our vest selling Phipps IPA to give the classic pale ale hop nose and bite |
| Phipps | Gold Star | Golden Ale | 5.2 | Northampton | A strong export pale ale. This was the last new recipe developed by Phipps in the late ‘50s and the first local brew to be axed by Watneys as being far too good to go up against their keg varieties. We revived this beer to mark our return to brewing in No |
| Pomona Island / Elusive | It's dangerous to go alone, take this with you | Saison | 6.8 | Salford | #MBCF20 Collaboration Brew. Fresh saison full of pink peppercorns & coriander seeds |
| Rat | Rat In Black | Strong Mild | 4.5 | Huddersfield | 4 different malts combine to give a beer with burnt, coffee & chocolate malt character. Slightly sweet on the palate, but moderate bitterness & fruity/spicy aroma come from English grown Bramling Cross hops. |
| Riverhead | Redbrook Premium | Red brown ale | 5.5 | Marsden | Red brown strong ale. Mellow yet robust, slightly sweet. |
| Runaway | Farmhouse Pale | Saison | 3.9 | Manchester | Farmhouse style table beer fermented with classic saison and Beaujolais yeasts for a refreshing, dry, mouthfeel with a fruity citrus flavour. Origianlly brewed with Beermoth for their 5th Birthday. |
| Steam Machine | Kolkata | Export stout | 7.0 | Newton Aycliffe | East India Export Stout |
| Steam Machine | Voyager | Old ale | 6.5 | Newton Aycliffe | True Old Ale: a dark beer inspired by authentic historic recipes, matured for over a year on a mix of wild English yeasts, then blended with a young fresh beer, and then dry hopped with loose leaf amarillo in the wooden cask. Expect a rich mix of dark ber |
| Theakston | Best Bitter | English bitter | 3.8 | Masham | A fine, golden-coloured bitter with a full flavour that lingers on the palate. With a good bitter-sweet balance this beer has a robust hop character described as citrus and spicy. It's a refreshing and very satisfying pint, noted for the aroma of its Fugg |
| Theakston | Black Bull Bitter | English bitter | 3.9 | Masham | A bright, amber Bitter, well attenuated to give a crisp, refreshingly dry taste. The late and dry hopping with Golding hops ensures a pronounced citrus fruit flavour and aroma. |
| Theakston | Lightfoot | Pale ale | 4.1 | Masham | Created as a tribute to the other Masham brewery Theakstons acquired in 1919. A refreshing pale beer - dry and light with a pronounced floral hop aroma and a mellow, satisfying hoppy aftertaste. |
| Theakston | Old Peculier | Old ale | 5.6 | Masham | One of the world’s great beers – smooth, strong and mellow |
| Theakston | XB | Best Bitter | 4.5 | Masham | A premium strength beer with a rich, fruity taste to match. Ruby coloured, and expect a rich body and full flavour;. XB balances bitterness and sweetness, offsetting hoppy bitterness with fruitiness. |
| Three Kings | Billy Mill Ale | Session bitter | 4.0 | North Shields | Classic session bitter. A dash of Crystal malts and two additions of First Gold hops makes this light quaffable ale a delight to drink. Dry hopped with First Gold & Citra® hops. |
| Three Kings | DarkSide of The Toon | Stout | 4.1 | North Shields | A dry, dark, roast, bitter, creamy ale with hints coffee and chocolate. Medium body & mouthfeel from flaked & roasted barley. 45 IBU's from Challenger hops. AROMA: SWEET SMELLING WITH A COFFEE & CHOCOLATE MALTY NOSE |
| Three Kings | Seven Days | Pale ale | 4.0 | North Shields | Brewed with Munich Malts and hopped with USA Willamette & UK Fuggles Hops. AROMA PROFILE: FRUITY, EARTHY, FLORAL SPICY |
| Three Kings | Shield Maiden | Golden bitter | 3.9 | North Shields | Golden Bitter with Bramling Cross & First Gold Hops. AROMA PROFILE: FRUITY, HINTS OF BLACKCURRANT & ORANG |
| Three Kings | Shieldsman | Session bitter | 3.9 | North Shields | Easy drinking session ale with medium bitterness and a hint of the tropics from Citra® hops. AROMA PROFILE: CITRUS, STONE FRUIT, TROPICAL FRUIT |
| Tigertops | Kolsch Style Beer. K. S. B. | Golden bitter | 3.8 | Wakefield | Golden, not as hoppy as Pacific Sun |
| Tigertops | Pacific Sun | Kolsch pale | 5.0 | Wakefield | Koppy pale beer with German Kolsch yeast |
| Treboom | Baron Saturday | Porter | 5.2 | Shipton by Beningbrough | Dark and mysterious, the voodoo spirit Baron Saturday captured our imagination; this porter would be his preferred pint. Brewed with a blend of five different malts it has hints of coffee, chocolate and liquorice |
| Treboom | Spicecracker | Spiced ale | 5.1 | Shipton by Beningbrough | Ruby winter ale spiced with ginger cinnamon and allspice |
| Wild Beer | Fruitbooter | Respberry & peppercorn saison | 5.1 | Westcombe | Raspberries + Pink Peppercorns + Raspberries A blast of fruitiness, this is a foudre-fermented and -aged, pink peppercorn saison topped up with an acid drop of select barrels before being packed to the brim with the ripest Somerset raspberries. Star |
| Wild Beer | Murmur | Wine yeasts, hops + brut | 5.0 | Westcombe | fermented with an ale and 2 different wine yeasts and utilises hops with vinous notes to produce a complex, balanced beer |
SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION OF BEERS FROM THE WOOD (SPBW)
The SPBW was founded on 6 December 1963 when seven disgruntled beer drinkers gathered in the Rising Sun in Epsom. Their concern was the growing decline in both quality and palatability of beer. This, they felt, was due to the increasing use of gas pressure and the introduction of keg beers.
They formed the SPBW with the purpose of drawing attention to their plight.
Why the name?
In 1963, wooden casks were still regarded as being synonymous with traditional beer, in contrast to the metal ones containing a processed and artificially carbonated product. For this reason the name seemed ideal. The SPBW’s main concern is the beer in the cask and that it be served as a quality product. Even though the use of metal casks for draught beer had become prevalent by the 1970s the original name has been retained for the sake of tradition.
The SPBW has settled down to a largely social body, seeking to promote the
best of beers and pubs. We have several hundred members and some 26
branches throughout the UK – and a very large chapter based around
Baltimore USA.
In recent years there has been something of a revival in the use of wood for
maturing and dispensing beer. SPBW support’s this trend and the traditional craft of the cooper.
SPBW have organized two ‘WoodFests’ featuring only beers served from the wood.
Learn more at www.spbw.beer