– IMBC 17 Review by Cameron Steward
IMBC 17 Review
by Cameron Steward
It’s never fun queuing in the rain, but taking “pineapple selfies” whilst awaiting entrance into the North’s (perhaps even the UK’s) most revered beer festival certainly helped pass the time. To those who weren’t social media savvy our group must’ve looked like idiots, but when Beavertown take to the airwaves to plead for certain tropical plants you gotta step up, especially when there’s a mysterious prize involved… turns out that mysterious prize(s) were a can of Lupuloid IPA (6.7%), some Beavertown Extravaganza pins and a poncho. Now that’s a post-Brexit exchange rate I can get behind.
I realise the following sentence may get me blacklisted from all of Manchester’s finest bars and speakeasies, but I’ve definitely got hop haze fatigue. I’m all murked out, y’all! Thankfully, plenty of breweries have many other strings to their bows and served up slices of chop-smacking sours to satisfy my tarty tastes. Fierce Beer’s Very Berry (4.5%) and Brew By Numbers’ Cuvee 2017 (6.2%) were fantastic examples of wild ales at their biting best.
I usually keep my distance from Room 3 – it’s dark and the music is a bit rave-y. It reminds me of Laser Quest birthday parties; being gunned down by the local teenagers who would corner me until I was “back in play”, then shoot me down all over again – live, die, repeat. This year I decided to put my 90s-based traumas aside – plus my brother thought one of the DJs was very attractive… Turned out to be a great decision as Redchurch were delivering some of the best sours of the festival – Dry Hop Sour (5.4%) was ace but On Skins: Cherry (6.5%) was a face-contorting highlight. Suddenly I thought I heard a dance track I knew, and then remembered I’m old and boring so moved on to a different room.
Buxton brought along their soft serve machine, which although a bit gimmick-y, totally elevated their already great Original Blueberry Slab Cake (7%) to an astral plane. I even went a bit crazy and got soft serve Trolltunga (6.3%), their gooseberry sour IPA. Sacrilege, I hear you cry! Judge not, that ye be not judged… Or something to that affect, I would reply.
Making a lunch decision is always the hardest part of IMBC, and a last minute choice to get a Dirty Burger from Patty Smith’s turned out to be an excellent one, especially when paired with Wild Beer’s Wild Goose Chase (4.5%). Boom! Dessert was a Pecan Slab from the ever-amazing In Truffles We Trust, washed down with the frankly insane BA Imperial Chocolate Stout, Speyside Cacao (12.5%) by Dugges and Stillwater Artisanal.
Other beers were drank but haven’t been listed because they weren’t as good as the aforementioned (plus you’d get a bit bored reading about them) but the hit rate, as ever, was ridiculously high. And that also makes Indy Man a 6 for 6. Yep, 6 mother-flipping years and consistently the best thing that happens in my otherwise meaningless existence. Roll on 2018!!
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– Indy Man Beer Con Launch at Port Street
INDY MAN BEER CON LAUNCH // PORT STREET BEER HOUSE // WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 9th // 7PM // FREE ENTRY
Indy Man Beer Con is upping sticks from its Victoria Baths home & coming to show us Port Streeters a good time. Expect unveilings ahoy regards this year’s much anticipated brewery list & taps galore from breweries that have been collaborating with IMBC ahead of the 2015 festival in October.
Read on…
“We’re having a small party at our brethren Port Street Beer House to unveil some tasters of what to expect at this year’s Indy Man Beer Con.
Consider it an announcement of everything that is going to be going down at IMBC. Brewers will be unveiled, eating houses unlocked, and special events earmarked.
Expect beers across the boards at Port Street from the breweries that we have been collaborating with ahead of IMBC. Details on that soon.
Food will be on hand from Epicerie Ludo, expert snack vending from the award-winning Chorlton deli. Take in all the information we’ll be laying down with an Aficionado soundtrack ~ provided by kingpin, Jason Boardman, who will again be curating some of the sounds at this year’s IMBC.
There will also be cans galore from the go to craft canning canners, WeCan. Find out all about their crafty can plans for IMBC…
Hope you can join us. Rolling out the IMBC 15 good times from 7pm. Free entry but of course.”
Facebook event page hither: https://www.facebook.com/events/1615656378696193/