
– Brewers’ Group / Tuesday 20th November 7pm
“Brewers’ Group is an informal, monthly gathering for anyone who’d like to learn a little more about beer and how it’s made. The group aims to connect people with an interest in brewing, professional or amateur, so that we can all share knowledge and experiences and learn from each other in an informal setting.
We meet once a month upstairs at Port Street for chat, beer tasting, brewer’s mastarclasses, brewery visits and, of-course, a pint or two. It’s free and everyone’s welcome. If you’re a homebrewer, please bring along some of your homebrew to taste: letting other people taste your beer can be a little daunting at first (especially when there’re professional brewers in the house) but it’s a great opportunity to get valuable feedback, improve your brewing skills and learn something new; and that’s what we’re all about.
This month James Campbell, head brewer at Marble brewery, has kindly agreed to come and share his knowledge about high gravity brewing. James has made some excellent high alcohol beers during his time at Marble (and I’d highly recommend trying the Decadence if you get the chance) so we should be in for a treat.”
Where: Port Street Beer House, 39-41 Port Street, Manchester, M1 2EQ
When: Tuesday 20th November / 7pm
Free entry – for more info please email : brewersgroup@freshjava.co.uk

– Meet The Brewer with Hawkshead / Monday 26th November 2012
5.30pm door – events starts at 6.15pm
SOLD OUT
Hawkshead Brewery is Cumbria’s largest independent brewery, having grown rapidly since its foundation in 2002. It is one of the new wave of independent breweries which have revitalised British beer.
The family owned and run brewery now located next to the River Kent in Staveley brews ‘traditional beers with a modern twist’ using the finest whole cone hops and best malted barley.
Their award winning ales can be found not only on the bar at The Beer Hall (the brewery tap) but all over the North-West. The Beer Hall is ‘a showcase for real ale & good food’ and provides a unique experience to visitors.
http://www.hawksheadbrewery.co.uk/

– Photos / Meet The Brewer with Kirkstall – Monday 29th October
Yorkshire’s finest Kirsktall Brewery paid us a visit to show off their wonderful beers. As always here are some wobbly, out of focus photos!

– Meet The Brewer with Kirkstall – Monday 29th October 2012
5.30pm – 8pm (event starts at 6.15pm)
£8 advance from the bar or 0161 237 9949
Kirkstall has a brewing heritage stretching back to the 12th century when Cistercian monks founded an abbey on the banks of the River Aire at Kirkstall. The Abbey complex included a brewhouse and a forge. Kirkstall Abbey is regarded as the best preserved Cistercian monastery in the country and the picturesque ruins have been drawn and painted by artists such as J.M.W. Turner, Thomas Girtin and John Sell Cotman.
On the opposite side of the river and overshadowing the Leeds Liverpool canal is the magnificent stone built and original Kirkstall Brewery. It operated as a brewery between 1833 and 1983 before being closed by Whitbread, its last owners. However the brewery buildings have been well preserved and the brewery and site are now home to students of Leeds Metropolitan University. For more detail see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirkstall_Brewery
The Kirkstall Brewery beers were highly regarded throughout Yorkshire and the North East of England and acquired a chain of tied pubs and built an impressive free trade business. The Brewery also had offices in London and exported beer to Australia and New Zealand making use of the canal system to transport their beer to the coast for loading on to ships for export.
Kirkstall purchased two Leeds breweries in the late twenties and early thirties before being a taken over themselves by Dutton’s of Blackburn in 1936. However the brewery remained in production to produce beers for their Yorkshire trade. Dutton’s became part of the Whitbread empire and continued to brew until 1983.
The new Kirkstall Brewery situated on the side of the Leeds Liverpool canal and in the shadow of the original brewery revives the long tradition of brewing in Kirkstall and provides the inspiration to once again make the name famous for great beer.