Specials & rarities…..

Amongst over 700 beers and ciders at #MBCF17 there is something for everyone. The beers we have selected include some old favourites from traditional breweries, core beers from the new breed of modern microbrewers and a selection of specials rom breweries both old & new.
We also have a number of beers which are making their debuts at #MBCF17, some real rarities which have been casked especially for us and a selection which have been brewed specially for the festival.

Possibly our most exciting special is the collaboration between Pictish & Mallinsons which has taken over two years of persuasion. Always contrary, the king and queens of single hop pale ales have produced Transpennine Brown Ale – a hoppy brown ale in the US style (Bar 2).

When Quantum Brewery’s Jay Krause suddenly announced, the brewery was closing down and he was joining Cloudwater’s brewing team, #MBCF acted quickly to get one last Quantum beer – teaming Jay up with Thirst Class’s Richard Conway to produce Quantum Thirst Zapper (Bar 2)

A real one off beer has been produced by Manchester’s Origami brewery – their tiny brew kit produces not much over one cask at a time and for #MBCF17 they have produced the 7% IPA Arctic Fox – a real limited edition.

Stockport Express columnist John Clarke is leading a number of tutored tastings for #MBCF17 but before the festival, he headed down to New Mills’ Torrside Brewery to product Mild4John – his own recipe for a Liquorice & Oatmeal mild.

Other specials brewed for #MBCF17 include Matmos, a Belgian style smoked malt beer from Rochdale’s Serious Brewing (Bar 3), Offbeat Brewery’s Delisherous, a rich sweet stout (Bar 2) and Robinsons’s Dizzy Resolution, a warming full bodied beer (IFBB bar).

Several breweries have new beers being launched at the festival including Bridgehouse’s Irish Cream (Bar 1), Stubborn Mule’s Absolute Banker (Bar 3) and Howard Town’s O.A.T. – a new beer brewed for #Tryanuary (Bar 1). Stockport’s Fool Hardy have two new beers at the festival – Rhino Horn from head brewer Martin Wood and Dammit I’m Mad, the first beer in the Schmatie signature series – solo brews by assistant brewer Katie Schmatie (both Bar 1). Prospect Brewery launch their new Honey IPA (Bar 2) and Brewsmith have a new single hopped Galaxy.
As well as new beers, we also have a whole new brand launching – Wildside is the brand new range of beers from Radcliffe’s Brightside brewery – they will launch with four beers – Ginger & Orange Golden Ale, Imperial Gold, Red Chilli Lager & Roggenbier

Headline amongst the rarities is a single cask of Lees Harvest Ale, the legendary bottle conditioned ale which will be on the Independent Family Brewers Bar (IFBB). Also on the IFBB bar will be Harvey’s Prince of Denmark – another beer usually reserved for bottling, and a one off cask of a six month barrel aged version of McMullens Stronghart.

Parts of the internet almost broke earlier this month when Cloudwater announced they were ceasing production of cask beers – the festival has casks of the last two cask beers produced. Have to be quick with these ones though…

Manchester Brewing Co will present a one off cask of a Rakau IPA which has spent six months aging on brettanomyces (Bar 1). Another one off cask will come from RedWillow – late last year they produced a special version of their Heartless Chocolate Stout infused with cherries. That batch has gone but for #MBCF17 the brewery has produced a one-off recreation with cherries added direct in the cask.
Finally, Tiny Rebel will be presenting cask version of their sour Cherry Bomb – normally only packaged in keg and bottle only.

#MBCF17 Specials

Rarities

Beer Launches