Leading beer experts to conduct tutored tastings in Manchester
Real ale lovers enjoy the taste of their favourite drink, but do they know why? Now help is at hand as the North’s biggest beer festival is set to show next month just how diverse and complex beer is.
Building on last year’s sell-out tasting sessions, Manchester Beer and Cider Festival will give drinkers the chance to hear from three of the country’s leading beer experts. They will be running tutored tastings, suitably accompanied by generous samples of some of the 600+ ales on offer.
Christine Cryne, John Clarke and Sally Lavender will be talking about some of their favourite beer styles, showcasing the breadth of taste and history of real ale in the UK and further afield. All three have gathered reputations as entertaining writers and presenters and their combined expertise will be available to selected audiences on each of the three days the festival opens to the public. Their subjects will range from the dark arts of milds, porters and stouts, the mystique of Belgian Abbey and Trappist beers and how beer can best be matched with cheese.
Christine Cryne is an independently certified taste trainer. She judges at a number of UK and international beer competitions including having chaired both CAMRA’s Champion Beer of Britain and the Winter Beer of Britain. Christine is an European Beer Consumers Union accredited judge. She is also a member of the British Guild of Beer Writers. Her lively session is perfect for beer and cheese lovers, or anyone interested in pairing food with beer.
John Clarke is well-known in Greater Manchester beer circles, contributing newspaper columns as well as editing the popular “Opening Times” magazine. Currently chair of the Stockport and South Manchester branch of CAMRA, John has an easygoing, witty and expert presenting style. He’ll be sharing his passion for the stronger beers available at the festival.
Sally Lavender will be taking part in the Manchester Beer and Cider Festival for the first time. She is an accredited CAMRA Taster and Taste Trainer and the Chairman of Birmingham Tasting Panel. She has a particular interest in hops and dark beers and has presented many tutored tastings including at the Great British Beer Festival and the BBC Good Food Show. She could talk about beer all day, but has promised to control herself on this occasion!
Deputy organiser Peter Alexander said: “Once again we are delighted that three nationally recognised experts will be dispensing wisdom and wit as well as drinks. Demand is sure to be high for these sessions, so we recommend securing tickets early. And advance tickets make great Christmas gifts for those beer lovers you’ve no idea what to buy.”
Manchester Beer and Cider Festival runs from Thursday 25th to Saturday 27th January 2018. General entry tickets and the special tasting events tickets are now on sale at the festival’s website, www.mancbeerfest.uk
Notes to editors:
- The Manchester Beer & Cider Festival is organised by the nine Greater Manchester branches of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).
- The festival will be open to the public on Thursday 25th, Friday 26th and Saturday 27th January 2018. Detailed opening times; Thursday 12pm – 10.30pm; Friday 12pm – 10.30pm; Saturday 12pm – 7pm.
- Advance tickets for the 2018 festival are on sale via uk, Eventbrite.co.uk and facebook.com/manchesterbeerfestival. A separate entry ticket is needed by those buying tutored tasting tickets: https://mancbeerfest.uk/about/talks-tastings-2018/
- The full schedule of tastings:
Thursday 25th 1pm. “Beer and Cheese – A marriage made in heaven?” (Christine Cryne)
Friday 26th 5.15pm. “Beer from the Dark Side – An introduction to milds, porters and stouts.” (Sally Lavender)
Friday 26th 7.30pm. “Trappist v Abbey – Is the original best?” (John Clarke)
Saturday 27th 1pm. “Imperial Stouts and Porters – The History, the Brewers and the Beers.” (John Clarke)
- Picture attached shows Christine Cryne.
- The 2017 festival attracted 13,588 visitors to Manchester Central last January.
- There will be a trade/CAMRA members only preview evening between 5pm and 9pm on Wednesday 24th 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.
- Pen portraits of speakers:
Christine Cryne
Christine writes regularly for the ‘London Drinker’ magazine amongst others, and is the chair of CAMRA’s London beer tasting panel.
She has been involved in beer tasting for many years and is an independently certified taste trainer (People 1st). She judges at a number of beer (UK and international) competitions including having chaired both CAMRA’s Champion Beer of Britain and the Winter Beer of Britain. Christine is an European Beer Consumers Union accredited judge. She is also a member of the British Guild of Beer Writers.
Christine believes we underestimate the complexity of beer and has undertaken many tutored tastings to explain why – including in the Tower of London (she did eventually get out!) Her other passion is beer and food matching and loves challenging people’s perception that wine is a better drink to accompany food.
John Clarke
John is a leading member of Manchester’s beer community and enjoys beer in all its forms. He often travels to Belgium and the Netherlands in search of good beer. He is an experienced, respected and enthusiastic beer taster, presenter and judge, and writes a weekly beer column for the Stockport Express. He will be talking and tutoring two of his expert fields, Trappist and Abbey beers and Imperial Stouts and Porters.
A long-time member of CAMRA, John is also chairman of the Stockport & South Manchester Branch and editor of ‘Opening Times’, a leading local CAMRA magazine.
Sally Lavender
Sally Lavender is an accredited CAMRA Taster and Taste Trainer and the Chairman of Birmingham Beer Tasting Panel. Sally has presented many tutored tastings including at the Great British Beer Festival and the BBC Good Food Show. She has a particular interest in hops and dark beers and says she could talk about beer all day