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Jim Cullen 21/07/2024 Jim Cullen 21/07/2024

A Good Tradition - #ISBF9 Style

“You hear me callin'
Callin' brother, are you listenin'?
We need to cool at night for our future
For the little bitty boys and girls

We need to take our time, come together
Are you willing?
So we can make it right for the people
And everyone I love will come…. “

“Just A Little Bit Of Love” - Curtis Mayfield

If I had to choose my all time musical hero, it would be Curtis.

Like many, as a child, I heard the propulsion of “Move On Up” just as a happy tune. I might even - if I dug deep into the memory banks - have a vague recollection of hearing “Superfly”. But that would be it.

Then, in the early days of romance, I met Phil Wakerley. A man who, if you ever met him, left an impression.

One of the finest of humans (I won't dwell here, but I SO could!), he properly introduced me to the utter genius that is Curtis Mayfield. An artist and human whose work has - subconsciously - influenced much of what ISBF is.

The song above was recorded with Curtis paralysed, following a tragic accident that occurred during a concert rehearsal. That paralysis couldn't stop him putting his message out. Heart, soul, determination. The mark of the man.

I also like to think that there's a lot of Curtis fans in the ISBF Family who just haven't found him yet!

Ah! The Early Days at St Sebastians! #ISBF3 (2016)

ISBF doesn’t have airs and graces. It makes no grand pronouncements. There never has been hype or fuss. What it is, is a small event that has fabulous beer, great cider and even better people.

It’s always about the people. And raising lots of money for a lovely local cause that means the world to us, Start Inspiring Minds.

Remember (other than a tiny bit held back for bills), ALL profits go Start Inspiring Minds

There's always been something “traditional” about ISBF.

When “planning 🤣” the first one back in 2014, I took the lessons I'd learned in nearly 30 years of going to (mostly CAMRA) beer festivals.

Great beer, yes, almost 3 years of blogging about beer told me who made the good stuff. But it was more about the things I didn't like, the things I wanted in an event, things that always seemed missing.

Space. Seating. A sense of calm. Fun.

There was no “budget”. There wasn't even really a plan as such. What there was, was a bunch of people - most of whom i’d never so much as met - who offered of themselves. To do the stuff I couldn't (pretty much everything really). People who came together and made the event work. Gave the event a certain “feel”.

The Halcyon Days of 2015 (#ISBF2) and the #ISBFFamily

They still do. Most of those people from 2014 still come together and make this work.

Little did I know, that then, in 2014, I'd find a new family. The #ISBFFamily.

A tradition was started that maintains to this day.

Tradition has seemed to become a dirty word. Especially within the beer world. The abbreviation “Trad” is used as dismissive of what's come before. Constant innovation, the search for ‘the new”, “fresh”….. It becomes incredibly easy to overlook the comfort that tradition sometimes can bring.

In 2016, little did we know it then, but we started a tradition. In a little bar called “The Brink”, on Bridge Street in Manchester.

A place which - far from being traditional itself - was run with the same heart and soul that runs through ISBF.

We had a party. We got together, almost like a family (that word again), people who sat apart on their own were embraced, we had fun (much of it at my expense).

The Third Rate Kraftwerk Tribute Band - The Brink : #ISBF6 Launch Party

I kept details of what was in store “locked down” until that night, so that those who came had a few nice surprises. And after I read our the list of breweries and the details on the little “mini events” I'd planned for ISBF, those in attendance were given an exclusive link to buy their tickets, an hour before going on public sale.

It was our little slice of summer heaven.

A month later, our family’s world fell apart. And the #ISBFFamily threw their arms around us. Lovely Humans that they are.

We held that bash each year (‘17, ‘18 & ‘19)

Then the Pandemic struck. And The Brink closed.

Sad though that beery loss was, as we learned all too well, the world moves on.

Not wanting ISBF to go the same way, we needed to start a new tradition.

Now then, the thing about ISBF is, it has friends. People who “get” what we do.

One of those friends is Jan Rogers. Owner of a certain Manchester institution….

“Come to The Arch” she said…..

So. A new tradition was born. And for the last 2 years, on a Sunday in August, we've taken over Manchester's most lovely pub.

And that tradition continues. As does ISBF, stumbling on for another year, partly because I was told - in no uncertain terms (Yes, I'm looking at YOU Messrs Broadhead & Granata!) - that it HAD to carry on.

“Just A Little Bit Of Love” indeed. We come full circle.

And, guess what? We're doing it again! It’s Tradition!

On Sunday August 11th, we’re back at the most beautiful pub, getting together again - like families do - having a chuckle (again, mostly at my expense).

Those who come along will be first to learn about what we’ve got planned. Breweries, little side events, the bits and bobs that go their small way to help ISBF be what it is. A small, grassroots, friendly and relaxed coming together. With the bonus of exceptional Beers and Ciders to lubricate the conversation.

And those who attend will get the opportunity to GUARANTEE their tickets for their chosen sessions at the “main event”.

Because there are limited seats available, the event has to be ticketed.

Fancy coming along and joining us in this “new tradition”?

Those tickets are available here. They’re free.

And that word “tradition”, hold that thought….. 😁 #Teaser

Back all too soon!

Be kind to one another.

Jim x

Jim Cullen 19/05/2024 Jim Cullen 19/05/2024

#ISBF9 - Grassroots & Simple

“And we'll never be royals (royals)
It don't run in our blood
That kind of lux just ain't for us
We crave a different kind of buzz….”

“Royals” - Lorde

Keeping it simple. It’s a personal motto. It’s also ingrained within ISBF. Keeping it simple.

It’s what we do.

ISBF is “Grassroots”. It has been built from nothing - back in 2014 - and has evolved, slowly, gradually, whilst in many ways staying the same. Staying true to its roots.

Its roots? People. Not Beer. People matter so much more.

Back in 2014, I saw the work being done at St. Sebastians, local people helping local people to cope, to just get by. And, seeing that first hand, that stuff mattered.

Beer is almost an incidental thing. It has always been about the people.

“I met X - for the first time - back in Y at ISBF……”. If I had a £10 note for each time I heard that, we could make a tidy donation without a single key keg coupler being connected. It is the greatest of compliments. As is the fact that people have travelled - each year - from as far away as Aberdeen, Brighton, Somerset, Suffolk, especially for this little event.

This event has “evolved”, it moved to a larger venue, but it still feels (deliberately) small, intimate. That’s how we like it, the #ISBFFamily. That’s our lane. And we’re comfortable in it.

No flash. No “lux” (Thanks Ella). No hype.

Yes. ISBF is grassroots. Everybody gives of themselves for free. From the beautiful designs of Mr Heggs (formerly Mr Art by Volume), to the people who pour your beers, tidy up, play the tunes. The people who create the “feels”. That make the event what it is.

This event is literally Grassroots. It has been built from the ground up. It’s who we are.

Small. Local. Friendly. Intimate.

Speaking of “Small. Local.”…..

I - Jim - have deliberately kept Sponsorship of stuff limited to the smaller, the local. Resisted sponsorship offers from larger organisations, kept it “on the low”. Because it feels right.

This year, I offered up Beer and Cider sponsorship to last year’s sponsors first, given that those lovely humans helped us so much last year. And they responded. Heart-warmingly so.

To the extent that we only have about 5 Beers/Ciders left to sponsor. If you are interested click here and complete the form. I’ll get back to you from tomorrow morning.

In the 10 years of ISBF, the glassware has been sponsored each and every year. Except Year 1. Because I had no idea how to ask!

Heaton Hops

The Brink

Torrside

Northern Type

House of Hops

Petersgate Tap

Nook & Cranny

Tom’s Tap & Brewhouse

Old School Taphouse

Each time one of those lovely bars or taprooms has come forward to sponsor our glasses it has made me giddy. It also makes me smile a little, when I go into these bars and have a beer from one of these lovely glasses. Knowing the impact that that sponsorship had. I enjoy each beer that little bit more…It also gives us a huge sense of pride to think that people in each of those brilliant bars may be drinking from these glasses, with both our logos on, from down the years.

If you are a bar or Taproom and fancy getting involved through sponsoring our glassware (with your lovely logo on!) please get in touch (at sponsorship@salfordbeerfest.com - you’ll end up with quite a lot of glasses!)

We’ve also got room for a sponsor for either Posters or the lovely Programme (yes, we still do one, we like them….)

Speaking of programmes, if you fancy an ad in them, get in touch. Full pages aren’t expensive.

All of that said, invites went out to some breweries earlier. If you’ve been to ISBF, you’ll have an idea what to expect. I’m already salivating!

Collaboration brews are already being organised, I can’t wait to start teasing about those!

The beer list will be fabulous. It will feature a diversity of styles, from some of the finest Hop & Malt wranglers this country (and beyond) have to offer. Again, If you’ve been, you know this. I’m not one for lying or making false promises.

That said, more info coming soon. Including details of that time honoured ISBF tradition - an in person ticket launch party! Maybe….

Back soon. I’m off to listen to another Lorde album…..And head for a few beers (with friends) in Manchester.

Be kind to one another.

Jim Cullen 09/05/2024 Jim Cullen 09/05/2024

Nobody Said It Was Easy

“When you climb to the top of the mountain
Look out over the sea
Think about the places, perhaps, where a young man could be
Then you jump back down to the rooftops
Look out over the town
Think about all of the strange things circulating 'round

It ain't easy, it ain't easy
It ain't easy to get to heaven when you're going down”

“It Ain't Easy” - Bowie

In late 2013 I was asked a question, by someone I loved - still do, she's one of the finest humans - and stupidly said “OK”. Since then, life has been about offsetting.

Offsetting the stress of organising a beer festival whilst trying to do the day job (Yes. We have them). That stress was - and still is - offset by the friendships, the love, the memories that flow like the beers we've served now over 10 years.

It isn't easy. But it's been worth it.

I'm not one to take things for granted, never have been. But, without this event, it's highly unlikely that my current circle of dear friends would be in my life. A life that is so much richer for their presence.

Over the last 10 years, they've dragged me & mine from the darkness.

It hasn't been easy. But love can pull you through anything.

There are things that I'm proud of from the last 10 years.

People matter more, much more, than beer ever could. And it never ceases to amaze and humble, that we've got the #ISBFFamily, a lovely group of humans who have given of themselves. People who met at the event and became fast friends all those years ago, in a little tucked away Community Centre in the middle of Salford.

They come together each and every year. The most beautiful humans. They've never been volunteers, they're family. And have been the Heart & Soul of ISBF. The people that make the event what it is.

#BeerPeopleAreGoodPeople

The last year hasn't been easy, but those humans made my year.

The time since #ISBF8 has been a trial.

One hurdle after another to cross.

There are always people who make the assumption that there'll always be another. That there will - obviously - be an #ISBF9, an #ISBF10 ad infinitum.

When I said - during the event - that last year was the final event, I was lectured, in the nicest possible way, about how it HAD to happen again. That they wouldn't allow it to stop. Just tell them what needed to be done and everything can be sorted….

It's not as easy as that….

There are plenty of other beer events for your money. ISBF is but a speck in comparison.

But it's our speck. A speck with heart. A speck with soul. A speck with a purpose. To do good. Help people.

It's always been the point. From helping St Sebastian's Community Centre help their community, to helping Start Inspiring Minds do their vital work in the Community of Salford.

This has never been a beer event. It's been a people event.

As the mighty Tim put it recently, this is a Grassroots event. Built from the ground up. With the love of numerous lovely humans and their hard work, we've raised - as an estimate - around £100k. All for those good causes.

This is not for profit. The humans who did this - the #ISBFFamily - did it for love.

Up to this week - in fact, yesterday - despite what people assume, #ISBF9 was far from certain.

But yesterday was a good day. Ducks fell into a row. Hurdles disappeared (and they were real, believe me) but…

There you go. Note those dates.

Each and every person in the Team wanted this to happen. To get the band back together.

So. Let's go.

From a beer perspective, the event will be smaller. 60 Keg, 20 Cask. Last year, I let things sprawl.

Not this time.

You'll get brand new beers from the best that the UK has to offer. A diversity of malt based liquids the like of which you won't see in one place again.

We'll travel the country brewing with some of the loveliest humans in the industry. Something we love doing.

We don't make grand claims. This event just is what it is. Friendly, relaxed. Full of great beer & fabulous ciders.

But again, this isn't about beer.

It's about people. Always about people.

Who is up for it?

Back soon

Jim x

Jim Cullen 13/12/2023 Jim Cullen 13/12/2023

This is Why We Do What We Do

“We've come a long, long way together
Through the hard times and the good
I have to celebrate you, baby
I have to praise you like I should”

Take Yo’ Praise - Camille Yarbrough

As has been stated on multiple occasions, The Independent Salford Beer Festival is “Not For Profit”.

In practice, what this means is that neither I (Jim) nor anyone else profits financially from this event. Other than a small amount retained for ongoing costs, once all bills are paid, the remaining funds are passed to our charity friends at Start Inspiring Minds.

This is why I/We do this.

On a number of occasions, by people who don't “get” this, I've been asked “What's Your Cut?” (That's a quote).

My answer? I've met so many lovely humans and made so many friends because of this event. I get to see the smiles, receive the gratitude of so many people. People who enjoy themselves.

In short, I get mine.

I'm also the lucky person who - inappropriately IMO - receives the gratitude of the Charity for the donation (this year, £9.5k).

You, the customer. The #ISBFFamily. Our lovely sponsors. These are the people who should get this.

So. Here you go.

If you came to drink. If you are a #ISBFFamily member who helped. If you sponsored at #ISBF8. Take yo praise. (apologies to Camille Yarbrough)

Back in early Feb. With the Yay or Nay re #ISBF9.

Enjoy the festive season.

Jim Cullen 29/11/2023 Jim Cullen 29/11/2023

It's A Wrap! - #ISBF8

Well. It's done. Or at least, it will be. At the end of this post.

An event yet again held together by spider's Web, filigree and sheer goodwill.

Without sounding self-pitying, it's difficult to express what this event does to my brain - in both a positive and negative sense. But I'm always hugely glad when it's over.

But to the positives. The feedback was universally lovely and heartwarming. I absolutely struggle with praise, but to see so many people enjoying themselves, to hear their thoughts on the music, the venue, the beers, was totally heartwarming - well, it thawed MY frozen ticker. And left me - frequently - with “something in my eye”.

The tunes were fabulous. They always are. That's Jo & “Are you Mike from The Independent Salford Beer Festival”? for you. In the words of Lux Interior, they've “Got Good Taste” (check out The Cramps)

The venue is simply gorgeous. And I'm glad we've got access to it. Beautiful and well connected by public transport. We're lucky like that.

And as for the beer selection? This is not my first rodeo, we're now 10 years in. And if almost 13 years of writing about beer tells you anything, it tells you who makes the good stuff.

In 10 years of doing this, you get to know many of the best Brewers in the UK personally. They're good people. And year after year they pull out the stops for this event.

They get “it”. What we're trying to do, to support. At the risk of repetition, this is a NOT FOR PROFIT event, that raises money for a fabulous small, local charity, just 600 yards away from the venue. START Inspiring Minds are just great people, doing amazing things in the ill Mental Health sector in the City of Salford.

They mean the world to me, mine and the #ISBFFamily.

And, YOU the ISBF attendee, have done amazing work. By the simple expedient of drinking fabulous beer, you have made a huge difference to this lovely local charity.

#ISBF8 - Just One Week Away : What Have We Got For You?

A little history lesson.

The Independent Salford Beer Festival was started in 2014 following Jim being ambushed by family into trying to pull one together. To raise funds for St Sebastian's Community Centre in Salford. A local hub run - at the time - by Gerry Stone, a woman who is one of the loveliest of humans.

Over 4 years, the event kept the Centre out of debt. Helping people - like Gerry - do amazing work for people in that area of Salford.

The event was - originally - Cask only and focused on beers exclusively from the North of England. From Liverpool to Scarbados, the best Independent Breweries supplied fabulous beer.

From Aberdeen to Brighton and all points in between, people travelled to an anonymous Community Centre, in the heart of Salford, to drink exceptional beer.

One of the things that I (Jim) am proudest of, are the friendships started at St Sebastian's. Friendships and relationships that have endured. Relationships that helped me and mine through pain and tragedy. We've helped each other through the pandemic. Some of us still meet on Zoom even now.

After 2017, I thought i’d had enough. And called it a day. Gerry no longer worked at the Centre, we were grieving still.

But - a few months later - I had an itch. I spoke with Gerry. She - being hugely connected within the City of Salford - contacted Paul Dennett (The Mayor no less!) who, through his staff, put me in contact with Stan Jackson. At Hemsley House.

The rest is……..

Having decided to continue with the event (and with the focus being resolutely to raise money for good causes), we needed something to support.

Which is where Gerry came in again. She knew a local Mental Health Charity (START Inspiring Minds) that could use some funds. Being survivors of bereavement by suicide, the work START did (and continue to do) resonated. They bring people from the darkness towards the light, by means of the creative arts and crafts. The facilities within the venue are amazing. But not as much as the people.

The staff and the people that run START (Bernadette and more recently Michelle) are just lovely humans. Doing amazing work. Work that needs and deserves support.

This is where YOU come in.

In the simple process of buying tickets and drinking some of the best beers that the best breweries in the UK make, YOU help make people's lives immeasurably better, helping START do their wonderful work.

YOU. DO. GOOD.

So much so, that since 2014, we've raised approximately £100k.

Thank you all.

Now then, that's the history lesson. Let's look to the future. To next Thursday.

What have we got for you.

Well. I believe we have the best beer selection in the North of England, if not the UK, for you next Thursday. Most - if not all - will be first pours in the Manchester area (a difficult ask in the current climate, but we try)

We have a small, select, range of exceptional Ciders.

There'll be a small, perfectly formed Gin selection. Locally made soft drinks.

Food will be available, provided by the venue.

Thursday Evening is all about the beer. In the keg room, Mike & Jo will play tunes - by request - from their Rebellion Jukebox. Each table will have the huge list of tunes to choose from, go chat with them. Make their evening!

Friday Lunch is the same. Great beer. Great Ciders. Great Tunes.

On Friday evening (around 7pm) we will have a guided tasting and chat with James Horrocks (of Manchester's own Balance Brewing and Blending) and James Godman (of Wilderness Brewing from Newtown in Powys). There will be a small fee for that of around £5 (tokens)

Following that, the hugely talented George Fell will be playing. The man is a guitar genius. If you've seen him, you'll know this as truth.

On Saturday's Lunch Session, at around 1pm, we'll host a guided tasting (and chat) of beers from The Best Coast. West Coast Pales & IPAs. With three Brewers who - IMHO - are some of the UKs finest Brewers of the style. Andy Parker (of Elusive Brewing of Finchampstead), Sean Ayling (of Tom's Tap of Crewe) and Stuart Neilson (North Riding Brewery of Scarborough). Again, a small charge of about £5 for this.

Saturday Evening will see the return of the heavenly guitar of George FELL at about 8pm.

All these events will be in “The Green Room” to the left of the main entrance.

But what you want to know is, the Beer & Cider List.

I'll shut up now for a bit…. First Cask. Then Keg. Then Cider.

Cask

Keg

Cider

There. Done. No more secrets. No more teasing. (Forgive the occasional shading and excess characters, it’s been a day!) 29 Cask. 65 Keg. 8 Ciders.

Good innit?

Not got your tickets yet? Better shake a tail feather because they'll go fast now!

Click here for the few that are remaining.

See you next Thursday.

Be kind to yourselves and one another.

Jim. x

Jim Cullen 30/10/2023 Jim Cullen 30/10/2023

#ISBF8 #Brewday9 - Pictish Brewing

“….. To a distant land, sand and sand
Touch to touch, a marble man
The house is glass, furniture's chrome
Soldier talk and uniform

We can live, I can live
Celebrate, celebrate…. “

Celebrate - Simple Minds

Back in 2000, the beer landscape (certainly round Manchester) couldn’t BE more different than what we have now.

I mean yes, we had Independent breweries, but nowhere like the diversity we have now. Marble had been brewing for almost 5 years at the rear of The Marble Arch, we had Phoenix in Heywood (formerly Oak Brewery of Ellesmere Port) and - way back - we had the Manc OG of what we now would regard as “Craft”. Brendan Dobbin and his Ardwick based “West Coast Brewery”.

Brendan Dobbin can be regarded as one of (with Sean Franklin) if not THE OG of modern UK Brewing. I can just about recall tasting his “Sierra Nevada Pale Ale” (he - “obviously” - had to change that name!) and knowing that here was something different.

Not brown. Not twiggy. A revelation in fruity flavours. One of the earliest UK Brewers using imported US Hops.

His legacy endures.

There's a link here. Just like the original brewery kit at Marble, the brewery kit at Pictish was originally built by Brendan Dobbin.

His legacy endures.

That kit was installed back in 2000. When the brewer / owner was Richard Sutton. Richard brewed award winning beers almost from the off.

Even 11 years after Dobbin at West Coast, this was still fairly revolutionary stuff.

Having bought the brewery from Richard in 2013, Paul Wesley ensured that Pictish never missed a beat.

Brewing legendary beers like Alchemist, some of the finest single hop Pales in the UK such as the magnificent (and much loved) Brewers Gold, Pictish are one of the finest purveyors of session beers in this country.

And some of the best Cask Conditioned beer you will find anywhere.

Now then. The Independent Salford Beer Festival is built on simplicity. Knowing which breweries make exceptionally good beer is simple. Choosing Pictish for each ISBF has been simple. The Pales are clean, classic, refreshing. Tasting how the hop should taste. The rare ventures onto The Dark Side are always special, rich, roasty. Just yum.

Like I said. Choosing Pictish for the cask bar at ISBF, it’s a simple task. As is asking Paul if we could come and brew a beer. You see, Paul is one of most self effacing of Brewers. Self deprecating to a fault, by repeated sales alone, he understands that what he makes is bloody good, but you’ll never catch him waving flags, or hyping.

Pictish have a minimal social media presence. The beers sell themselves. Quality, you see, sells. Especially when you’ve been doing this for 23 years. Hitting the mark, each and every time.

My kind of brewery. Paul is one of my beer heroes.

In Lockdown, my heart leapt when I heard Paul was “bagging in box”. I asked if he’d deliver to mine (no small distance from the brewery). I asked if any of my friends wanted. Silly question. 9 orders. That Brewers Gold felt like liquid silk. I nearly wept.

That’s how good...... That’s reputation.

So anyway, moving on, I picked up the phone one evening (with Jock nudging me) and popped the question to Paul.

Now then. Single hopped session pales are Pictish specialities, but it isn’t easy to get a first time beer like that, if you’ve brewed with almost every hop!

But he had an idea. One that resonated. A one-off beer from last year, brewed for a special lady (proper Pictish fan girl) who also happens to be a member of the #ISBFFamily. But brewed with a different hop.

“What would you like?” says Paul....

“Got any Jimbo Catnip?” – aka Centennial - I replied.......

So. Here we are. 8:15. Rochdale. Mashing in loads of Pale malt. Porridge smells filling this small unit. Making me feel like a Hobbit longing for his second breakfast!

As much as breaking up New World Hops, the smells of mashing in stir my soul.

With that in the rear view mirror, The pack of Centennial leaf was brought out.

One of Life’s true sensory pleasures. A freshly opened bag of Centennial Hops

Now then. I’ve done this once or twice, so, when someone else is involved, they get the olfactory joy of opening and breaking up the pack to weigh out. It never fails to elicit an “mmmmmmmmmmmm” and a big grin is never far away. And those beautiful sticky oils smell amazing on the hands (and take a bit of washing off!). Lemony Centennial. Mmm mmmm.....

This was to be a Single Hop Pale, so – with transfer of the wort to the copper (or kettle if you wish) – 0.9kgs of Centennial leaf was added for bitterness, with the rest to be added late in the Boil for flavour and aroma. Martin (Pictish newish – to me! – Assistant brewer) and Paul chatted with us about all kinds of things, from recently brewed beers to where the beers can now be found in the wild and how the beer market has changed post-pandemic. An interesting chat, giving a clear understanding of the changing beer market.

By this time we were joined by the Arch Fangirl herself (Caroline, with John) who stepped up to add the large late dose of Centennial, predictably filling the space with beautiful fruity aromas

Late Hops added, I had to get a shake on before transfer to the fermenting vessel and the deployment of the special Kveik yeast.

Kveik ferments at a higher temperature than Ale or Lager yeasts and is a right voracious little devil, converting those sugars – rapidly – into alcohol. It tends to produce very clean, dry tasting beers. I’m a fan.

Being a Norwegian yeast, Caroline (hailing, herself, from that fair nation) was the obvious choice to deploy it. Especially as she’s the only one of us who could reliably pronounce the word correctly. (Clue : It doesn’t rhyme with ‘bike’!)

Job. Done.

So. What have we made.

A Single Hopped Pale Ale. Fermented with Kveik yeast. It should be really beautifully fruity, with that signature lemon sherbet note, characteristic of Centennial. It will be dry.

“Yggdrasil 2” (Click on the hyperlink for an explanation)

And where will you get this first?

Yeah. You know.

We’re heading towards a sell out on all sessions, so, if you want to join us (and you REALLY should) click here to grab yourself tickets.

Treat yourself. And help a bloody lovely and important charity.

Back soon. Be kind to yourselves and each other.

Jim Cullen 24/10/2023 Jim Cullen 24/10/2023

#ISBF8 #Brewday2 : Elusive & The Spice of Life

“Y teimlad, beth yw'r teimlad?

Y teimlad sydd heb esboniad

Y teimlad, beth yw'r teimlad?

Y teimlad sy'n cael ei alw'n gariad

Cariad, cariad, y teimlad”

“Y Teimlad” - Super Furry Animals, Mwng (2000)

(Below Words - Tim. Pictures - Tim & Chris)

Jim often starts these blog pieces with an extract from a song that is in some way, be it loosely or not, related to activity in hand. So what’s good for him is definitely good enough for me! This is a song that despite it plainly being in another language is about a feeling that is very definitely woven into the very fabric of the extended ISBF family. Quite simply…. LOVE! Its embodied in the personal time that Jim dedicates to putting together an astoundingly diverse beer list and to the time that the ISBF family of volunteers, and brewing industry friends instil into this tiny yet mighty grass roots festival.

It is of course with that feeling in mind that I find myself standing awaiting the arrival of the ever jovial Mr Dixon on a frankly quite unseasonably balmy day at the end of September. Lift solicited and we are off to a familiar destination to meet with a familiar brewer by the name of Andy Parker…

Now you may remember Andy as the chief broom technician at Elusive Brewing who may or may not have taken the coveted title of beer of the festival last year (he did… Ed) with a little concoction by the name of Dubious Legal Status, brewed in close collaboration with none other than myself and Mr Dixon.

Next stop: Reading, or more accurately Caversham, for an evening of preparatory warm-up exercises and drinking in a few of the local hostelries.

There may have been the odd (frequent) message detailing their drinking - Gits! (Jim)

Despite our amiable host's recommendations of the very local Brakspear house, we found ourselves on a not unreasonable 10-minute bimble (Exceptional use of the word “bimble” - Jim) to the Fox and Hounds. There, we were greeted by the very welcome sight of a bar bulging with offerings from Burning Sky, Utopian, Siren, and Oakham amongst others.

We grabbed ourselves some Burning Sky "What Gives" and proceeded with the evening's activities.

With the night still relatively young, we moved on to the hallowed grounds of The Nags Head for "just a couple more drinks". In more common parlance, this meant we ended up drinking the run of the bar.

We also had the run of the snacks box, which is probably how the immense snack graveyard formed on our allotted perch. Pro tip for any unseasoned beer adventurers out there: it's probably best not to forget to eat until you are several drinks in!!!

Fade to black…

Friday’s hijinks out of the way; we remembered on Saturday morning that we came here with a purpose and with that found ourselves catapulted towards Elusive base camp in Finchampstead! As we arrived we were taken aback by the hive of activity that was an early morning visit to Elusive by the Egham branch of CAMRA. As the gathered crowd began to disperse towards their mini bus shaped chariot (Elusive being Stop 1 of their very own magical mystery tour), Andy prepared the Grainfather ready for today’s brew.

Pre-flight checks complete and we’re off, but wait….. we haven’t discussed precisely what we are brewing yet have we?!? Well, as with all the best ideas (Potato & Lactose IPA anyone?) today’s recipe is the result of literally hours of late night conversations. Some of which might even have found Andy not openly weeping at the prospect of!!! Eventually however after a rigorous process of elimination we arrived at the following statement:

“Nobody ever brewed a good beer with chilli in it.”

Challenge very much accepted… A chilli chocolate stout it is then!

A mash of Low Colour Maris Otter, Double Roasted Crystal, Dark Crystal and a sprinkling of both Biscuit and Chocolate malts serving as a very able and tasty base for the beer was prepared and loaded into the Grainfather by Chris. A quick breakfast pint later and the mash temp reached the desired temp of 68 degrees. Whilst we waited for the mash to work its magic on the malt, a highly competitive round of Super Tennis was initiated in the taproom next door.

It’s also about this point we started to discuss chillies and the required dosing rate we should consider using in the boil. Now this being a small batch exclusive beer we felt that it needed something a little bit more interesting than a bog standard store bought chilli pepper. Luckily I had reserved a good handful of Aji Limon peppers from the plants I have growing at home along with a couple of bonus habaneros. With both of these falling in the category of super-hot it was decided that citrusy slow burn of the Aji Limon would be the better fit for the finished beer.

With the mash all done and a quick sparge underway curiosity dragged me across the yard to the food offerings available at the Siren Tap Room. It being their Oktoberfest celebration it would have been rude to not come back armed with Currywurst, Bratwurst and an arm full of pretzels. With the wort slowly working its way up to boil it seemed like a good time to eat and to give my fermented aji limon and pineapple hot sauce a bit of a public workout.

Boil reached we added the bittering hops (goldings as any good stout deserves) and made sure to allow that any build-up of DMC could disperse because we definitely did not want that in the final product. The chillies were added to the boil fifteen minutes before flame out, the finished wort then transferred to the fermenter and cooled to pitching temperature. As this was happening gravity readings were being taken and a yeast was drawn directly from a handy nearby tank of Oregon Trail.

Equipment all cleaned and brewery put back to bed, we partook of a couple of pints in the taproom before ambling across the yard to the Siren Oktoberfest shindig. Rumours of the return of Liquid Mistress (Siren’s masterful Red IPA) were quickly confirmed and immediately seized upon. More Liquid Mistress was consumed (plus at least one maybe two excellent festbiers) and several hours later we returned to our digs via the customary late night probably ill-advised kebab shop

Now for the all-important bit what have we cooked up beside a Chilli Chocolate Stout? Well as we have been tracking the fermentation of the beer via Andy the plan has evolved slightly and along with the cacao extract, a healthy splash of vanilla extract has also been added. The finished beer will be exclusively available to you lucky ISBF attendees in both cask and keg. So without further ado let us introduce you to A World Of Ambiguity, we think you’ll like it! All that remains is to thank Andy and the Elusive team for their hospitality (and to Jane for running us back to Caversham post brew day celebration).

Thanks to Tim & Chris for taking time out to help make this beer. And to them both for the lovely words.

Especial thanks to the Lovely Andy, Jane, Ruth, Ricky and the entire Elusive Team. This webpost only explains part of what they do for this event. Our gratitude is boundless. Truly.

So we have an Elusive Exclusive! YAY!!!

Want to try this beer? Got a ticket? No??? Then you best click here and grab some, while you still can!

Final Brewday Thursday.

Be kind to yourselves and one another.

Back soon. Jx

Jim Cullen 22/10/2023 Jim Cullen 22/10/2023

#ISBF8 #Brewday8 - Donning The Cowl : Brewing at Northern Monk

“You told him what he wants to hear
And so you got another chance
But I was yours for seven years
Is that what you call a dalliance?”

Dalliance - The Wedding Present

In so far as I remember anything, I remember this.

Back in 2013, when I was blogging fairly frequently, I was looking to feature beers from Yorkshire. On our regular visits to see my Out-Laws in Lincolnshire, i’d divert the family car (being the driver helped!) to a village called Snaith and a shop called Yorkshire Ales.

Among the many - to me - alien delights, I found a 330ml bottle. It was called New World IPA, by a new brewery called Northern Monk. It was 6% abv, a strength outside of my comfort zone, but I was intrigued, both by the promise of fruity hops and by the artwork.

That beer made an impression. It was that good. They were small. New. One of many, but there was something…..

In little over 10 years, that small outfit, has grown. To say the least.

Having built a loyal following, both locally and nationally, they grew. And grew.

They are now one of the UKs craft beer powerhouses.

With two bars (in Leeds & Manchester), and two important beer events (Hop City and Dark & Wild) they manage to successfully bridge the divide between Supermarket explorers and Craft lovers. A trick few can pull off. And they do it with style.

Being honest, I thought that a brewery of the size of Northern Monk were a little bit above being involved with a little beer event like ours.

Until a chat - on the Saturday evening session of #ISBF7 - with Brian Dickson, Brewer.

I've known Brian for a while. Chatting with him & Mark Welsby (Runaway), he seemed puzzled as to why we didn't have one of their beers on.

We chatted and agreed i’d get in contact directly with him to get something sorted. Little did I know that i’d end up on a train to Leeds, early on a Saturday morning, to make a beer.

Not only that, but on their test kit. Making a super limited beer. I was more than flattered, I was astonished.

But that's Brian. One of the good guys.

The scale of the “kit” was astonishing. I mean, I'm an absolute brewery nerd, but I wasn't even close to prepared for what I saw. It's the biggest brewery I've ever wandered round. But still seemed “human” in scale. There was a sense of togetherness, community. That's down to the people.

People like Fraser, who led us through the brewday.

Just behind the main brewkit resides this beautiful thing. Their 100L Pilot Kit. I was instantly smitten. A thing of beauty. And we were going to brew a super limited beer on it.

Well. Fraser was. I just stirred a bit. And “dug” a bit. On that thing of beauty. I couldn't get enough of that kit!

Mashing in couldn't have been simpler. With just 31kgs of Malted Barley, I felt like Gulliver on a Liliputian brewkit.

Of course, I stirred like my life depended on it whilst Fraser & Brian gently poured in the barley.

Swiftly achieved, we grabbed a coffee and talked Hops.

Centennial (my absolute CATNIP) for bitterness, with late additions of Amarillo, Simcoe & Nelson Sauvin, the aim was for West Coast bitterness, sticky resinous pine and all that goodness.

I was sold.

Back to the brewhouse, a scattering of Roasted Barley - for colour - and the wort was getting too the colour we were after. Red. A sweet, sweet Red. My current catnip beer style.

Wort transferred to the Petit Copper and headed to boil, time for a wander. And there was a special event scheduled for the afternoon…..

That sense of “community” again. Inviting local street artists in to create. The local “Rebel Spirit Soundsystem” bringing the dub and bass (belting tunes!). Just that unshakeable feeling….

Some simply beautiful imagery…

*External tanks - with NM Graphic Artist wiz “Tank” in full photobomb mode in the background!*

All the while, we were making beer.

A pretty, pretty beer.

Boil reached, Centennial deployed, I had a tour of the brewery from Brian.

It's safe to say that I was astonished. It's a stunning set up. From beautiful modern (and SHINY) brewkit, vast array of Fermentation Vessels, external tanks, huge canning line, it was hugely impressive and set up to maximise simplicity. Just impressive.

Like I said, I'm a brewery nerd.

Digging out was simple. That's the joy of a 31kg malt bill in a 100L kit!

Of course, I strained every sinew…..

Late Hops deployed by YT obviously (I get ALL the horrible jobs! 😉), it was time to transfer to FV. Fraser oversaw this, leaving me and Brian to our own devices. And a beer or two. I said our thanks to Fraser (who was ace!) and we headed off to The Refectory for a (pre-train home) beer or three.

So. The beer.

“Dalliance”. A US red IPA. At 6.5% abv. Expect a decent malt backbone with the full West Coast vibe of Resinous Pine, Citrus and just all round YUM!

Huge thanks to Brian for arranging this day, can’t thank him enough for his efforts in bringing this about. Also to Fraser for his wizardry on that kit, the recipe development and his patience, humouring this rank amateur! And also to all those at Northern Monk who we chatted with, however briefly, they were all lovely.

This beer is super rare. There’ll likely be only 4 kegs in existence. 2 of which are destined for the #EvilKegFilth bar at Hemsley House!

Want some? Got a ticket for #ISBF8? If not, click HERE (you won’t regret it!)

Back soon. (Final Brewday on Thursday)

Be kind to yourselves & one another.

Jim Cullen 21/10/2023 Jim Cullen 21/10/2023

#ISBF8 #Brewday7 : Making Waves With Neptune

“I'd like to dream
My troubles all away
On a bed of California stars
Jump up from my starbed
Make another day
Underneath my California stars
They hang like grapes
On vines that shine
And warm the lovers' glass
Like a friendly wine
So I'd give this world
Just to dream a dream with you
On our bed of California stars…”

“California Stars” - Wilco

Way back in 2014 - at the first ISBF back at St Sebastian’s Community Centre - the event was a little more intimate. Via Social Media or physically, I knew the vast majority of the attendees.

As Jock is fond of reminding everybody, he was the first person across the threshold of the very first ISBF session.

But he didn’t buy the first ticket. Oh no. That distinction goes to Julie & Les O’Grady, who, at that point, didn’t own a brewery. At that point, Neptune Brewery was in the planning stages.

Les & Julie were incredibly easy to talk with - I am (you may be stunned to learn) quite shy - and I just got on with them both from the get go. They were sat with Karl Marshall - who went on to brew at both Twisted Barrel & Salopian - something they repeated the very next year. Same session, same seats, same company. The only difference being that they now owned a brewery. And we had a cask. And Black Percula (Choc Orange Stout) was rather lovely.

They have been on every ISBF bar since. Because they are that good.

Their Mosaic Single Hop Pale is an absolute prime representation of the hop. Abyss is one of - if not the - the best Stouts in the UK, Ezili is a simply fabulous easy drinking Session Pale.

You get the picture…..

Whilst ISBF exists, there will be beer from Neptune. Les & Julie are part of the history of our little event.

So. “Let's make a beer” said Les. So, here we are. On a 3 hour mission. To get to the new location in Aintree (we'd previously collabed at the former location in Maghull)

Met at the station by Julie, we were soon at the new brewery with my jaw dropping. The new brewery is HUGE compared with Maghull, with plenty of space for events and expansion when (not if) needed.

We were soon mashing in a predominantly Pale malt bill of 225kgs mostly Low Colour Golden Promise, with a substantial chunk of Lager Malt and some wheat.

Have I mentioned before, my love of the smells at mashing in? Rich porridge and fresh bread aromas make me drool and feel like needing a second breakfast…

Grabbing a coffee, with the malted barley porridge giving up its delicious sugars, it was time to think of Hops. An arduous task, obviously, but I took one for the team.

With Challenger being Les's bittering hop of choice, for flavour and aroma, we wanted punch, sticky resinous piney stuff with plenty of citrus and tropical notes.

Amarillo, Ekuanot and Citra fit the bill nicely!

Sensory OVERLOAD! (Smell-o-Vision version pending)

Chatting, prior to transfer to the copper, despite the challenges that face most breweries, I got the distinct feeling that Neptune is in a good place, with their recently opened bar, in Maghull, doing really well, sales doing well and with an expanded brew team, they were looking forward.

These Collab days are almost as much about catching up as about brewing delicious beer. Something that we soon were back getting on with.

THIS IS ONE PALE BEER.

Challenger added for bittering, I got my hands all sticky and aromatic by weighing out those precious hops.

With Alice casking a beautiful batch of Abyss, I was understandably distracted by beautiful Stouty smells. Also distracted by a “QC” tasting of a beautiful “Morpheus Bramble” (it was bloody gorgeous) it was soon time to flood the brewery with the fruity aromatics of the late hop additions.

*The Misty Mountain of Hops…..* ***gets coat***

Oh. Wow.

Just wow.

My favourite part of the day was upon us. DIGGING OUT TIME!!! Simply ❤️ a dig out!

Transfer to the FV was almost complete, but my travel arrangements didn't allow for deploying the US05 yeast, I had to skip off to Aintree station.

An uplifting day. With friends like Les & Julie, it's always a pleasure. They've got a great team…. Gav, Alice & Andy were all so kind and lovely with their time and knowledge. Thank you all!

So. What have we got?

Secret Beach - a Cali/San Diego Pale. Expect WC vibes. But with a paler outlook!

And it's gonna be SO tasty. (And - typical Les & Julie - this beer will also be canned, with a QR Code on the can linking you to START Inspiring Minds website. A lovely touch)

Want some? Tickets here. Let’s have some fun, whilst raising bucket loads for charity!

Be kind to yourselves & one another. Jx

Jim Cullen 19/10/2023 Jim Cullen 19/10/2023

Here Be Monsters - #ISBF8 #Brewday6 : Torrside

“The red moon is rising behind you
The ocean is pounding away
I held up a light to the smoke but
The redness blows it away”

“Red Moon” - The Walkmen

Let's take this back. To (I think) 2015. I was invited to be a judge at a Greater Manchester v Liverpool Homebrew competition held at Brewdog Manchester, on Peter Street.

Among the judges were Jim Rangeley (then at Blue Monkey, now Abbeydale) & Duncan Barton (of the sadly missed Tickety Brew). And me. Out of my depth. And terrified

Why terrified? Because I've never been in such a competitive environment.

Among the Brewers, from Manchester alone, was (overall winner), Matt Dutton (then of Font Bar - now Head Brewer at Track), Richard Conway (Thirst Class) and - Nick Rothko-Wright, Peter Sidwell & Chris Clough. Who would, shortly after, form Torrside Brewery.

The standard was utterly stunning. And Torrside have never let up.

A more modest bunch you are unlikely to meet. But, just by the canal basin, in New Mills, they've built themselves a little uncompromising slice of Heaven.

And quite the niche……

It irks my friends and I when people pigeonhole Torrside into that niche. Smoke, yes. Monsters, OK. But they brew absolutely fabulous Pales and Stouts. Never had “I'm Spartacus”? “Yellow Peak”? “Candlewick”?

Exceptional beers all. In essence, if Torrside brew it, it will be banging. Bloody tasty. True to style, with an occasional twist.

It was when we previously did a beer with Torrside, we got introduced to the concept of the “Partigyle”. Drawing off the earliest - sugar rich - running of the beer into a smaller vessel for the boil, to create a much stronger brew

Precisely what we were doing today.

Having dumped over 400kg of malted barley into the grist case, mashing in commenced, the brewery wallowing in magnificent malty aromas. As much as an aromatic hop addition, this is a smell that sings to my soul. Like a cross between the smells of porridge and a hot bread oven, the smells just push my buttons.

*Monsters Exist! (Some rich caramel toffee aromas coming of the Monsters Kit)*

We had to choose the Hops. A truly awful task, obviously 😉.

Now then, we were going for two beers here. One at approximately 10% (cask) and the other at around 6-6.5% for the #EvilKegFilth bar

The Monster to be hopped with Nectaron leaf Hops and the “smaller” (obviously a relative term!) beer to be hopped with Columbus (bittering), followed by Chinook late in the boil, then a huge addition of Chinook, Citra & Amarillo pellets.

The three seperate additions of Nectaron…..

With Partigyling, the richer wort is first run into the small kit prior to the commencement of Sparging (rinsing the grains), so that beer was first in focus for me and with the Nectaron weighed out for additions at 15 minutes prior, flame out and (the largest amount) to steep, those buckets were an olfactory delight. SO pungent and fruity (freshly split ripe peach was my first thought!).

Columbus had already been added early for bitterness and was aromatic enough in itself, but this beer was about the Nectaron.

Those were added at the appropriate stages and the space almost lit up with the aromas of stone fruit and peach. I wish I could have taken a smell-o-vision shot for you! The deep red/brown colour was marvellous and the combo of the rich malty wort with the hops was just….Oh my……

In the meantime, the transfer of the “main” beer to the copper was finished, with Columbus again added for bittering early with a HUGE amount of Chinook, Citra & Amarillo later (at 20 mins pre “flame out” and at steep for the aroma & flavour additions. With this beer, the hop additions were via pellet rather than leaf. With YT (obviously) stepping up to the plate to pour those beauties into the copper at the appropriate stages.

Transfer to copper completed and relevant hops added, time for digging out that mash tun. And - almost certainly - the biggest, heaviest dig out I’ve done manually. I simply love this task and was filling huge buckets for fun, just in time for the farmer to arrive and load up!

That task completed - by Barney jumping in to clear the awkward to reach bits and give the vessel a thorough clean - my day was done (trains to catch and all).

Huge thanks to Sarah & Barney for their time, tolerance (of me!) and their skills in producing these lovely beers. Huge thanks to Chris for the invite and the recipes and the entire Torrside Family (including the gorgeous Toshi - popping in for his due fuss!).

It’s always hugely appreciated when breweries go above and beyond. And - on that score - Torrside never fail!

So. What have we got? Well….

We have TWO BEERS!!!

“Red Moon” - Red IPA at 6.5% : Which will grace the #EvilKegFilth bar.
“Captain Scarlet vs The Nectarons” an Imperial Red at 9.5% : Which will warm the cockles of those drinking cask!

BOTH will be available FIRST at #ISBF8. Got your tickets yet? If not, click HERE! (You KNOW it makes sense! And remember, ALL profits go to our amazing Charity Partner START Inspiring Minds.

Come and join us!

Back soon. Be kind to yourselves and one another.

Jim Cullen 15/10/2023 Jim Cullen 15/10/2023

#ISBF8 #Brewday5 : North riding - the happy place

“I feel real joy, like a bashful boy who’s just won first prize.

I couldn’t hide, even if I tried. You can see it in my eyes.

I got my piece of the rock and I’m oh so satisfied. I’m in love...... “

“I’m So Happy” - Prince Philip Mitchell

Who wouldn’t love to go to work with such a vista outside your door? That’s Snainton, home of North Riding Brewery. And Stuart, Adrian and their small team get the joy of this view, every morning.

But, even before this, for a beer lover, the joy starts the evening before. In the place where the brewery first started. The North Riding Brewpub, just above Scarborough North Bay.

This pub is one of my happy places. Myself & The Boss were invited by Stuart & Karen to come for New Year’s Eve in 2017, immensely flattered, we travelled over “The Hill”. That night was the first night that I felt anything close to joy in nearly 15 months. It was a life changing evening. Something that I’ve never forgotten. Nor has The Boss.

My spirits have been at a low ebb for a few months. This brewday arrived at the perfect time.

As well as helping us through to the light from the darkness, both Stuart & Karen have been huge supporters of this event from the start. With the original brewery, in East Ayton, featuring in some of earliest ISBF Collab brewdays. I’m a fanboy. As far as I’m concerned, NRB are THE cask specialists, brewing simply exceptional beer, whether pale or dark.

Along with Andy Parker (Elusive) & Sean Ayling (Tom’s Tap), Stuart Neilson brews simply stunningly good WC Pales & IPAs (Something that may* feature on the Saturday Lunch Session - *”WILL - Ed…….” - For those with Saturday Lunch tickets, keep your eyes peeled…..)

Music references may feature…….Stu loves a tune.

An additional joy with this beer was brewing it with some more stars of the Yorkshire beer firmament, Malcolm “4 x Winner” Bastow (Five Towns) & Brian Dickson (Northern Monk)

Given that Stu brews - IMHO - some of the finest WC Pales & IPAs in the UK, we were heading East, to go West Coast. Paradoxical, maybe. But it will be one tasty paradox!

Lots of pale malt. Lots of amazingly aromatic Nelson Sauvin hops. opening that hop pack and breaking up the leaf is one of life’s sensory joys. And this brewday was all about the joy.

*That’s the plan for the day. Set. (Item 5 being a bone of contention - to put it mildly!)*

With 300kg of malt, this was not a full batch brew. The aim being for a beer coming in at stronger than the norm for North Riding. An IPA with a bit of “heft”. And punchy, with those fabulous Nelson Sauvin hops. This is going to be fun!

Yorkshire’s Finest mashing in. With help from The Fake Tyke……

With the mash in done and the malt giving up its delicious sugars, I had the “onerous” task of breaking up the pack of Nelson leaf hops. A sticky, sensory delight. There’s nothing quite like slicing open a bag of hops, breaking some up and inhaling deeply. Oh my! Nelson is such a beautiful fruity beast, the hops could be smelt yards away.

Remember that list? With the malt doing its thing, it was time for the legendary Glaves’ breakfast butties. Legendary to those of us who have brewed at NRB. They are simply magnificent. Social media had a brief Glaves moment too. The Bacon, Egg & Sausage butty was a BEAST. But I was up to the task. Just.

With a bittering addition of German Magnum hops earlier - and the boil coming to an end - the dog needed to see the rabbit (the Nelson needed adding to do their tasty aromatic thing). Another “onerous” task. But - selfless to the core - I stepped up. Literally….

The fruity smells from those hops lit up the brewery! Well, they would, wouldn’t they?

Next up was the digging out of the mash. My favourite job. No, REALLY! With my glamourous assistant, Brian, that task was completed in no time at all and Stu was swiftly into cleaning mode.

Back to that list….. I was honoured to join an exclsive club of collaborators on the brewery wall…..

Myself, Malcolm & Brian are bottom right….

That list. Points 1, 2 & 4 were ticked off (the pie - Delicious Steak in my case - was saved for later as we were still full of butty!). 5? That kicked in - with a Technobase version of THAT SATANIC SONG - whilst I was clearing out the hops from the copper. Gits.

That said, it was almost acceptable, compared to the hideous original.

Believe me. Those rains aren’t blessed, despite everything Andy Parker says!

Malcolm did a sterling job finishing up removing the hops following my Af**ca Trauma

With transfer to the FV complete and the Novo Lager yeast pitched (cue “Yorkshire Warcry”), we - barring a little cleaning - were done.

One hell of a day. With friends.

So. What have we got. I’ll tell you…….

“Modern Love” - a Modern WC IPA. Likely to weigh in at a respectable 7% abv. Fruity. With a judicious bitterness - as all WC IPAs should have. Yum.

And where will you see this first in the Greater Manchester area? You guessed it!

Grab your tickets here. We’re going to have some beery fun!

Massive thanks to the lovely Karen & Stuart for looking after us. And having us over to their magnificent pub to stay the night. Special people.

Brian and Malcolm - an absolute blast. Always a pleasure. Thank you both hugely (Round 2 next week?)

Back soon - with brewdays coming up with 3 Northern Titans (Torrside, Neptune & Northern Monk) in the next few days!

Be kind to one another.

J x

Jim Cullen 13/10/2023 Jim Cullen 13/10/2023

#ISBF8 #Brewday4 - Oh Hoppy Day : Mallinsons

“I have waited with a glacier's patience,
Smashed every transformer with every trailer
'Til nothing was standing
65 miles wide
Still you are nowhere
Still you are nowhere
Nowhere in sight

Come out to meet me
Run out to meet me
Come in to the light”

“This Tornado Loves You” - Neko Case

Huddersfield. A great drinking town.

“Back in the day” - a phrase I seem to, with age, increasingly use - I only knew Huddersfield as a stop on the “Rail Ale Trail”, which started in Leeds, with stops at Dewsbury, Huddersfield and Stalybridge. Alighting at pubs at - or close to - the station platform.

A great day out, with friends, drinking beers that you simply wouldn't get where I lived.

Then, when I got to actually CARE about beer - and started with the “Beers Manchester” blog, my beer Yoda (and all round lovely human) Jaz, introduced me to a number of exceptional breweries.

Chief among which was Mallinsons.

Tara Mallinson & Elaine Yendall (soon to be joined by Nick Briggs) along with Michelle Haylock (Offbeat) shattered perceptions as to not only Brewing was a business for men, but that some of the very best beer in the UK was brewed by women. Bloody talented women.

They won't see it like that. I know that they don't.

They were, still are, personal heroines of mine. And - along with Karen Neilson (North Riding Brewpub), Nicky Kong (then Crown & Kettle), Caz (Stalybridge Buffet Bar). Each and everyone hugely formative influences on my beer journey.

If you asked me for a preference of beer style, if pushed, I would say hoppy session pales. And Mallinsons are – simply put – the OGs of single hop session pales.

I’ve spoken with a number of people who validate my view that if you want to know what a hop should taste like, grab that hop’s single hopped version by Mallinsons.

Making SMASH beers before they knew they were a thing, the recipe is simple. Pilsner malt. Water. Hop. Yeast. But when it comes from a beer line with Mallinsons on it, that’s my reference point. I know then what that hop should taste like.

One phrase you won’t need, “Needs More Hops”.

I’m an utterly devoted fan. Bite me.

3 of Yorkshire’s loveliest people (well, Elaine is an adopted Yorkshire Lass!), It’s always a pleasure to help make a beer with whoever is the brewer of the day.

Today, Elaine was at the crease.

Malt sacks opened, we set to. Over 350kg of Lager malt into the grist case, Jaz was doing a sterling job - paddle in hands – getting that Barley fully immersed, drawing those lovely sugars out.

Now then, with that Lager Malt malt bill, this was always going to be a hoppy beer. Very hoppy indeed.

But which hops to go for?

Elaine’s first thought was for a blend of two hops, with Nelson Sauvin upfront, giving that lovely Sauvignon Blanc tart gooseberry magic, paired with something with a higher Alpha rating, going with Calypso, for some citrus, lime and stone fruit complexity.

That decided, was time to slash open the fresh hop packs - always my favourite part of the day. An aromatic party!

1kg (700g Nelson x 300g Calypso) were scattered liberally into the copper early for bitterness, a Mallinsons hallmark, with several further hop addition later for that beautiful fruity flavour from these two lovely hops…

Digging out is always my favourite part of the day, proper exercise for a desk cat! Elaine jumped inside the vessel to finish off, giving us time to weigh out - and start add the aroma and flavour hop additions…..These were added at 5 minute intervals, with the final 4 kg going in post flameout for a hop rest, getting all of the beautiful aromas and flavours extracted.

With transfer to the fermenter ongoing, the house yeast was prepared for pitching by waking up with some warm wort. Once added, that was our day almost done!

It’s always a pleasure seeing Tara & Elaine (Nick, the Professional Yorkshireman - A future “Tori Amos” referencing beer name - was out on deliveries) chuckles and giggles are never too far away. They’ve been friends of the event from the first year - always attending on the Saturday Lunch session and - session ended - leading folk on a cocktail crawl around Manchester may* feature each year (*definitely - Ed).

So, the beer. We’re aiming for a 4.3% abv session pale, beautifully fruity, nicely bitter. A beer that we can’t wait to try!

Want some? Then get yourselves tickets to our friendly little event. You know it make sense!

Ticket link here

HUGE thanks to Tara, Elaine & Nick for a lovely day, in a beautiful town, with ace people, making exceptional beer. The day was an absolute pleasure.

Jim Cullen 11/10/2023 Jim Cullen 11/10/2023

#ISBF8 Brewday #3 - Runaway x Thirst Class

For me - Jim - an awful lot of relationships with people in the local beer industry started at one place. Port Street Beer House.

It's certainly - in my memory - where I met one of my local beer heroes, Mark Welsby. Who, at that time, was in the planning stages of starting up a brewery. One with a place at the heart of what ISBF would become.

Runaway Brewery.

I've always most admired breweries that built around a core range. Slowly. Methodically. Nailing that range, before expanding out and experimenting.

Pale. IPA. American Brown. All nailed. Then some spreading of wings, with, Saisons, Sours, big Stouts. All exceptional. Mastery of process, playful with flavour.

Where was the first place to have Runaway on cask? (Yup. ISBF)

Which brewery's beer is the biggest selling at any ISBF? (Yup. Runaway. Lemon Drizzle IPA. We sold 60L - and I still get asked about that beer! As does Mark…..)

Yes. ISBF without Runaway just wouldn't work.

In those early days of Craft in Manchester, there was - still is - a thriving Amateur Brewing scene. Standing out, was Richard Conway. Richard won a contest (I think linked to Stockport Beer Festival) to commercially brew a recipe.

That beer - brewed initially with Jay Krause at Quantum (now of Cloudwater) - was the magnificent Elephant Hawk IPA.

Richard went Pro. Taking over the premises and kit at the former Ringway Brewery in North Reddish. Quickly developing a reputation for his excellent beers.

From his first year, Thirst Class have always had a beer at ISBF.

They stepped up - during the hard times of the Pandemic - using their Webshop to help other breweries by opening their platform to sell other's beers.

Exceptional brewer. Good people.

Unfortunately, earlier this year, Richard had to make the hard decision to leave the industry. A sad day for us, but the right decision.

Both Mark & Richard have been huge supporters of what we - the #ISBFFamily - try to do and it would have felt incredibly sad not having Thirst Class in the line up. Therefore I cheered inwardly when Mark suggested teaming up with Richard for this brew.

We were also thrilled that one of the #ISBFFamily (Paul Delaney - talented amateur brewer) wanted to get his mash on.

The following words are his.

Take it away Paul!

The chance to help brew a beer for one of the best breweries in Manchester for one of the best beer festivals was an honour.

Having been a long served Independent Salford Beer festival goer and being given the opportunity to contribute towards a great beer festival, I was honoured.

Enough of the melancholy, brewing with Runaway and Thirst Class was a dream.

The day started with intros and a black coffee. The day was actually a calm and pleasant brew day, not like when I do my own beers in my shed.

Grains already weighed out, HLT warming, we mashed in, a heavy grain bill made for heavy work but, as already mentioned, a calm one.

Once mashed in, good conversation was had with Rich and Ollie, beer nerdery was had. For a home brewer, I was in my element. Learning all the time.

Beer being brewed is a Black IPA with Sorachi Ace (“The Devil Hop” coined by Jim - “When in Pales” Ed….:-)), dry hopped with Sabro will give a coconut tinge to a very dark beer.

Overall a great day and a great beer to sup at Helmsley House

Huge thanks Paul!

And massive gratitude to Richard, it was lovely to see you! And as for Mark, Oli & the rest of Team Runaway, we can’t thank you enough. And to you, dear reader, if you are anywhere CLOSE to Stockport, Runaway is a short stroll from Stockport Train Station and is simply Greater Manchester’s best brewtap. UNMISSABLE!

So. Back to this beer. If you want to try this delicious slice of darkness FIRST, click this link, grab your tickets for #ISBF8 while you still can. Drinking grat beer to raise money for a fabulous charity? It’s just what we do!

Click here for tickets!

Jim Cullen 06/10/2023 Jim Cullen 06/10/2023

#ISBF8 - Brewday 1 : Redwillow

An ambition. Call it a tick off on the bucket list. Call it whatever. But whenever members of the #ISBFFamily have that conversation - as beer nerds do (Rob Gordon style) - about Top 5 UK breweries, there's one we all agree on.

There's a fairly stringent criteria. Consistently exceptional across a diverse range of styles. From Pale to Dark. Lagers to Funk. Table to 8%+.

And one of the breweries we all agreed on, resides by the railway. Redwillow. In Macclesfield.

And we'd never helped to brew there. Which meant that a question needed to be asked.

Fortunately, Toby & Caroline McKenzie have always “got” what ISBF is about. And supported the event throughout. And welcomed us with open arms.

It was 8:15. And there was a busy day ahead. For the entire Team Redwillow. (And they'd just come off a multi day canning run!)

Walking into the brewery, we located Toby and had a chat. One of the easiest people to talk to in the business, we talked over a few things and got to the business at hand.

What we were brewing. We'd batted around a few ideas, with Toby settling on something Pale with multiple hops and multiple hop additions. With both UK & US hops, on a base of Maris Otter with a touch of Crystal for colour and added body.

He introduced me to Tom & Dan. Tom's face looked familiar, then he reminded me he was one of the Five Clouds team! We'd had one of their delicious beers at (I think) #ISBF4 and I have fond memories of the bar they had on Sunderland Street in Macc.

Dan was brewing today and talked me through the process we'd be using with respect to the hopping.

With Goldings & First Gold from the UK and Chinook & Columbus from the other side of the Pond, 5kg of each were secured and we were off to mash in.

And then I saw the kit…..

With automated mash paddles, mashing in was less “hands on” than we're used to!

Once cleaning had been completed, it was time to weigh the first of many hop additions. 2kg per addition, made up of 500g of each hop, this happened 4 times with each addition separated by approx 15 minutes, certainly got the steps in up and down the gantry once we'd started transfer to the copper and the wort reached boil, which didn't take long at all on this efficient kit.

Emptying the mash tun was quick and efficient, once the mash paddles were given the chance to empty the vessel.

*The spent barley - soon to be off locally for farm feed*

I was in such awe of this kit - and Dan's mastery of it. This kit and the brewery usage of it, combined with the undoubted skills of the Brewing team - and their absolute commitment to meticulous processes - are what makes their beer some of the very best in the UK.

Goldings, First Gold, Chinook & Columbus - in aromatic harmony.

*Transferring to the Copper for the boil*

I can never get bored of the smell of Hops, so 4 additions during the boil were an olfactory party, every 15 minutes, the senses tingling with fruity aromas all around. (And that was all BEFORE the final 12kg+ went into the whirlpool!)

All the while - whilst Dan was working his alchemical magic - the brewery was a hive of activity, with multiple processes taking place, deliveries, canning, cask washing, QC work, it was really all go.

With boil finished, the remaining 12+kg of the hop blend was added to the whirlpool to maximise aroma & flavour. And that Olfactory Party was again in 12” remix mode!

Following a hop rest for the wort, there was a slow transfer to FV6, with the wort entering at a low temperature to help produce a cleaner, crisper tasting beer. Once the house yeast was pitched, our work here was done!

*Yeast being “pitched” (And look at that lovely pale colour!)*

So. What did we brew? A Continuously Hopped Transatlantic IPA, at an abv of around 5.2%. To be first seen on the Cask bar, from the wood, at #ISBF8. And if the smells throughout this process are any indication, it’s going to be a simply beautiful thing. And ….It’s Redwillow. So you should know it will be banging!

Want to try some? Got your tickets for #ISBF8 yet? If not, click this link. You know it makes sense!

Huge thanks to Dan, Tom, Teg & Sam for tolerating the ISBF intrusion into the day! And huge thanks to Toby & Caroline, two of the nicest people in the business. And I don’t say that lightly.

Back Soon. (With 2 more brewdays!)

Jim Cullen 18/09/2023 Jim Cullen 18/09/2023

Why ISBF is……

That picture above was taken last year (08/10). It is the building occupied by START Inspiring Minds, the charity that has been the focus of ISBF fundraising efforts since 2018.

Again, I'll say it now, ALL profits from the various ISBF events go to START. It's personal to me and mine. It also matters to the entire ISBF Family, the lovely bunch of people who give of themselves at each in person ISBF event, to make this work. To provide the “feeling” of the event, which, for me, is what makes it work.

The above photos were both taken at last year's delayed #WorldSuicidePreventionDay VIGIL. The event, hosted and organised by START, was a procession, carrying 126 yellow flags, to commemorate the 126 lives lost to suicide, in Salford in the last 5 years.

This year's vigil was last Sunday (10/09). It is an incredibly moving event. The work that START do in the local community is hugely impactful and absolutely vital, especially in straightened times like these.

Each flag carried, represents someone lost. A Mother, Father, Brother, Sister, Daughter or son. This event brings comfort, healing, to each of the attendees. It certainly does to us

The vigil took place almost opposite our venue, Hemsley House. Among the various speeches and performances, there was an incredibly powerful poem, by the poet Jardel Rodrigues. The poem was called “Debts”. In honour of people that Jardel himself has lost. It had me, for one, in tears. Not just of sorrow, but of utter admiration at how clearly and powerfully his emotions were expressed.

Something TLO said last night really struck me. She said that the charity (START) doesn’t get a mention on the posters. And indeed it doesn’t. But each of the #ISBFFamily knows what we do. And why we do it.

There’s no angle here. Myself (Jim) and various members of the #ISBFFamily have deep connections within the Independent Beer Industry. The breweries understand what we do and why we do this. They help us. Not all beer events can put the list together that we do, year upon year. And we can repeatedly do that, because our friends in the Industry understand the end game.

That end game is to financially assist a small charity. A charity that - unlike others - can’t afford to pay professionals to raise funds and publicity. They rely on grants, donations. They are absolutely a grass roots organisation, rooted in the community of Salford, helping to raise people within that community from that most dark of places. This stuff matters.

What YOU do - when you buy a ticket and drink exceptional Beer and Cider - matters. Always remember that.

What my friends and I do also matters. But not even CLOSE to how much the work of the likes of Bernadette Conlon, Michelle Dennett and the magnificent people who help to make START Inspiring Minds what it is. A beacon of hope. To those in dark places

Come and join us. Grab some tickets to our little bash. And help make a difference. Click this link.

Be kind to one another.

Jim Cullen 14/09/2023 Jim Cullen 14/09/2023

Bucket Lists - #ISBF8 Collabs

Hello there!

To mark this, the 10th anniversary of The Independent Salford Beer Festival, I wanted to change things, just a little and Collab with some breweries I/We haven't before.

With breweries who were part of my beer adventures in the early days of my blogging “career”/hobby.

With some of my beer heroes I suppose.

Before this event ends, seemed like the right thing to do. Bring things full circle.

So. Feelers went out, contacts made. And some surprising opportunities - as always happens with this event - fell in my lap.

And now no free weekends in October!

I'll list them in order of brewday, shall I?

Firstly - this week - Legends of ISBF. Four times winner of ISBF Beer of the Festival. Five Towns Brewery.

Raven King. Art Decade. Always Crashing In The Same Car. Candidate. Almost always making beers named after songs of his musical hero, David Bowie, Malcolm Bastow has brewed beers which entered ISBF folklore. (all bar one - Raven King - involving members of the ISBF Family as mash monkeys) in his mythical “Shed of Dreams”.

And - whilst the Shed of Dreams Brewing kit is currently decommissioned - it wouldn't be ISBF without one of Malcolm's high abv bonkers creations.

At the end of the month, we’re off to Macclesfield. And a personal bucket list tick. ISBF Heroes and one of the UKs finest, Redwillow.

Toby and Caroline are two of the loveliest people in the industry and have been big supporters of this event. Exceptional brewers across the whole gamut of styles, from Lagers (both “straight” and Foeder fermented), through stunningly sharp pales and IPAs (don’t get us drooling about Sleepless Red Rye!) through to the likes of Jim’s favourite big dark “Double Heritage Porter”.

Just yum!

Great brewers. Great team (Teg is a joy to call!). An ambition fulfilled…

Hard on the heels of this, (the very next day indeed!) Team ISBF are headed to Finchampstead. Home of fellow ISBF legends - and all round good guys - Elusive Brewing.

The only other Multiple Beer of the Festival winner at ISBF!

Quietly Brewing some of the best beer in the UK - and with a marked reputation for EXCEPTIONAL West Coast IPAs (and we ALL know which Coast is the best Coast!), Andy and the team will be breaking out the small kit!

Brewing something exclusive for us. Little us!!!

There's even a rumour that he's setting up a little key keg bed for Malcolm…..

Next up - Runaway x Thirst Class

I still remember being the first place - anywhere - to get a Runaway beer in cask (at the time, ISBF was cask only) and - being keg only - Mark borrowed a cask from the lovely folk at Black Jack.

American Brown. Possibly my all time favourite ISBF beer.

Runaway also hold the distinction of having the biggest selling beer in our short history. The magnificent Lemon Drizzle IPA - brewed with the lovely folk at GRUB - we sold out 2 kegs of that deliciously tart thing.

And people still ask both myself - and Mark - about that beer. And would he ever brew it again? (The answer is always a polite - but resounding - no)

It's also brilliant that Richard Conway - of the magnificent - yet sadly closed - Thirst Class will be collaborating on this. A stalwart of every ISBF, Richard and Thirst Class were ISBF heroes. Can't wait to see the Special Stockport Sauce that we create together!

Also joining us on that one will talented Urmston amateur brewer Paul Delaney. BTW - the new location for the brewery & taproom, in Stockport, is a stunning space. Just go.

The next week, we're up at Torrside.

We have a Monstrous history with the New Mills Mavericks, parti-gyling something magnificent is assured,each time we go.

This year will be no exception.

For the ISBF Family, Torrside are one of the most undersung breweries in the entire UK. We've had a beer every year since they have been a “commercial” brewery. Their singular attitude to Brewing is right up our street. Their exceptional stylistic execution - no matter the style - should have them right up there in the pantheon.

But then, what do we know? We know that they make bloody good beer.

Next, we've got 3 brewdays in less than a week!

Next up - the mighty North Riding. My favourite cask brewery.

Producing magnificent Pales, classic WC IPAs, smooth luxurious Stouts and Porters, the beers coming out of the beautifully located brewery in Snainton (near Scarbados) - set the standard. And get nowhere near the praise that they should. And the views from the front of the brewery (see below) are simply beautiful!

We love them.

Rumour has it that there may be a special guest Collab appearance by Brian from Northern Monk! (more later!)

A few days later, from the East Coast to the West Coast. Literally.

To Maghull. And more ISBF legends in the fabulous Nautical Stars at Neptune Brewery.

Les and Julie O'Grady were at the first ISBF. As customers. (Neptune was in the planning stages). I can still see them sat in the window seats at St Sebastian's, chatting with Karl!

ISBF without Neptune just wouldn't work. Les & Julie and the team are true ISBF Heroes, focused on quality & flavour, not hype. Quietly brewing some of the UKs finest beers in cask, keg & can. And justly gaining a UK wide reputation for flavour forward, exceptional beer.

It's always a pleasure to see two of the loveliest people in the industry. Who also happen to make some of the UKs finest beer. Can't wait. Also can’t wait to pop into their new bar!

Couple of days later. And a first for us, we're off to Leeds. And Northern Monk.

The genesis of this Collab was a conversation between Jim, Mark Welsby (Runaway) and Brian Dickson (NMB). The details of which…….

I still remember my first sight of Northern Monk. Their first beer, New World IPA. A simply beautiful thing, back in the day when 6% IPAs weren't ten a penny.

Northern Monk are now a Northern Powerhouse of a brewery, with national prominence. And we're incredibly flattered to be able to don the cowl and head to Leeds and make something special and very limited with Brian and the guys. (Jim fancies an NFL reference for the beer name. As his NFL Fantasy Team are about to crush Brian's team in a match up this weekend!)

The Collabs are fun (and there are more still TBA!) But with breweries pulling out the stops with special brews, limited releases, exclusive one-off casks, the extent to which breweries do all of this for our little event is totally humbling. And hugely appreciated.

And remember, the vast majority of the beers at Hemsley House will be new release, or, at the least, new beers to Manchester!

And again, every penny raised goes to the most amazing charity, in START Inspiring Minds (further post to follow).

We still have a limited number of tickets available. So, if you want to join us, hit this link, to grab some tickets.

Drinking exceptional beer, in the friendliest environment, to raise money for a great cause.

It's the way we roll.

Back soon

Be kind to one another.

Jim Cullen 13/08/2023 Jim Cullen 13/08/2023

#ISBF8 - Here We Go.

The first thing that I need to say is - The Independent Salford Beer Festival exists (and always has) to support a good cause. This event is decidedly “Not For Profit”….

It was founded in early 2014 to provide much needed funds to support St Sebastian's Community Centre on Douglas Green in Salford. The Centre run by Gerry Stone, an inspirational lady without whom, my life (Jim) would be radically different.

Over four years - and through some tough times - the event helped to keep the Community Centre solvent. That place - and Gerry in particular - did fabulous work both with and within the local community.

Then, with Gerry no longer there, we looked for another cause.

That cause is START Inspiring Minds. A small Mental Health Charity dedicated to steering people away from the darkest of places. By access to Creative Arts. The work they do is amazing, Gerry, Christine, James & I have witnessed this first hand.

They are a small, local charity. They can't afford to employ fund raisers. They rely on grants and donations. And times - as we all know - are hard.

YOU. Coming to Hemsley House, to this event, make a difference. Of that, there can be no doubt.

To demonstrate : Since 2014, Volunteers, sponsors and attendees have helped to raise in excess of £100,000 for worthy causes. Just think about that….. It certainly blows MY feeble mind….

This event has grown, over the years, from a small cask (and decidedly Northern) event, into something different. It's simple. Focused on the “feels” rather than the look. It has grown via a group of friends who, every year since 2014, have come together to do good. The people who help here aren't volunteers. They're the #ISBFFamily.

Some other special people involved in ISBF are the sponsors. They make a HUGE difference to the amount of money that we (YOU) raise. The money raised from sponsorship at last year's event, equated to over 80% of the donation to START.

THIS year, advanced sponsorship has raised almost £1k MORE (as a cash figure) compared with 2022. A HUGE thank you to all our sponsors. In hard times, you make a MASSIVE difference.

From the start of the second or third event, I've thought of ISBF a place where you'll meet friends. Those you already know. And those you are yet to meet. Yes, the beer/brewery selection will be fabulous (that's my prime job!), but that - to me - seems almost secondary to the sense that the event should be relaxed. You can sit if you want. Stand if you want. This isn't a technical exercise.

Having said that, to some, ISBF is about getting to try new beers. Or, at least, new beers to Manchester. Something I started doing in 2016. And kept doing. (I was told - in 2016 - that I'd never be able to do that again. 7 years later, here we are….. 😁)

The thing with such a “policy”, is that you don't know, until almost up to the opening of the doors, what the actual beer line up will be.

What I can say is, it will be varied. From Small Beers to Big and Hoppy, from Mild to Imperial Stouts, Grisettes, Mixed Ferms, Sours, they'll all be here. The vast majority - if not all - will be new beers to the area.

To note.

Another way in which this event is a little different, is that - unless we have a delayed delivery (and yes, we have had beers delivered AFTER the event has started!) - ALL beers are on line on the first session on the Thursday. There are no reserves, no back ups. If you really MUST try a certain brewery, choose your session ticket accordingly.

That said, even though 90% of the beers are generally available at the start of the final session, we price that session cheaper BECAUSE not all the beers will still be on. That Saturday evening session is quite chilled - and my personal favourite. And it STILL has a fabulous selection of beers.

There will be a small, select, range of Gins (courtesy of the lovely Charlie)

There will be food, provided in-house.

There will be a select draught Cider/Perry bar (TBA).

We’ve got two guided tasting sessions too! (Entrance on the day)

The guys from Balance and the lovely James from Wilderness will take you through some beautiful Wild and Mixed-Ferm beers (session TBA)
We’ve got a tasting session of that most underrated of styles. West Coast. (It’s the Best Coast doncha know?). This will be with the mighty trio of Andy Paarker (Elusive), Sean Ayling (Tom’s Tap & Brewhouse) & Stuart Neilson (North Riding Brewery). 3 Breweries that have been banging out some of the Best WC Pales & IPAs in the UK. (Saturday Lunch Session)

There will be the loveliest band of brothers and sisters pouring your drinks - The #ISBFFamily.

There will be simply ace tunes. Provided courtesy Jo & Mike & their “Rebellious Jukebox”, with almost all tunes (across the whole 3 days) being requests!

We'll also have our friend - and guitar genius - George Fell playing Friday and Saturday evening. I'm am utter fanboy.

There will also be some beer. Beer from some of the UKs finest breweries. From the length & breadth of the country.

We've got a number of collaborations happening too! With a number of bucket list ticks, because, as this is likely the penultimate ISBF, I needed to get a shake on!

One more thing. Last year, I deliberately reduced ticket numbers, for comfort more than anything. In addition, once tickets are allocated to sponsors, this means that, for certain sessions, availability is extremely limited. (For instance, we're almost headed to 40% of tickets gone for the Saturday lunch session)

Please note. The VAST MAJORITY of the beers will still be available at the start of the final session. #JustSaying

Anyway, in order, first Cask, then Keg, subject to changes, here's the brewery list. It's what you really want to see, not my typographical waffling…….

Cask :

Blackjack

Blue Bee

Brass Castle

Brewsmith

Chin Chin

Durham

First Chop

Five Towns

Green Duck

Grizzly Grains

Horsforth

The Kernel

Kirkstall

Mallinsons

Marble

Neptune

North Riding

North Riding Brewpub

Pictish

Rat

Redwillow

Roosters

Torrside

Wishbone

Keg :

8 Arch

Abbeydale Funk

Ampersand

Anthology

Attic

Balance (Bottle tasting)

Brew York

Brewery of St Mars of the Desert

Campervan

Carnival

Chain House

Cloudwater

Crossover

Docks Beers

Dolphin

Double Barrelled

Earth

Elusive

Epochal

Fell Brewery

First & Last

Fixed Wheel

Holy Goat

Ideal Day Family Brewery

Indie Rabble

Kernel

Lakes

Little Earth

Lost & Grounded

Low Key Barrel Project

Marble

McColls

Neptune

Northern Alchemy

Northern Monk

Otherworld Brewing

Pastore

Pig & Porter

Pomona

Rigg & Furrow

Rivington

Runaway

Salt

Simple Things Fermentations

Siren

Squawk

Stardust

Sureshot

Temper Brewing

Thornbridge

Three Blind Mice

Toms

Torrside

Track

Turning Point

Two Towns Down

Two x Two

Unbarred

Vaux

Wander Beyond

Weird Beard

Wilderness

Wiper & True

Yonder

There may be the odd change come opening day, but, again, that's in the nature of the event.

Phew. Done.

Fancy joining us? Tickets here…..

I’m off for a beer!

Be kind to one another. Back soon with some Collab posts!

Jim x

Jim Cullen 24/07/2023 Jim Cullen 24/07/2023

#ISBF8 - Ticket Launch Night.

Tradition. Tradition can be important.

I mean, with beer, for all the DDH beers in the world, it's there anything more satisfying than a beautiful, rich, Stout? Or a robust Porter? A full bodied ESB?

I think not. But then, wouldn't the world be boring if we all liked the same things?

So variety is important too. That's what we've tried to give you - in a beer sense - at each ISBF. Certainly since Year 3, when all the beers were new to Manchester…

But back to tradition. Back in 2017, we started to have little gatherings on the night that tickets for ISBF were released. Between 50-60 of us would gather, then at The Brink (sadly, no longer with us), have a few beers, chat with friends old and new and those people would get to know all the gen about that year's event before anyone else.

They'd get first shot at buying tickets via a special link.

They'd also get the chance to grab an exclusive t-shirt, especially printed for that evening.

We'd have some fun, I would get roundly mocked. All in a good cause.

We even had 2 friends have a public transport v car race from Bristol (train won BTW)

Last year - the first since the pandemic - The Brink had, unfortunately closed. An early victim of the financial pressures that came with lockdowns and restrictions.

So we relocated. And were absolutely chuffed that we could have our little do in The Marble Arch. One of the UKs finest pubs.

It felt like home. They closed the pub for us. No small thing.

They looked after us.

Anyway.

On Sunday, 13th August, we're going again.

Starting at 7pm, we're going to have a few beers, chat with friends old and new, people who have grown to love what ISBF has become.

I've already heard from people in places as distant as Somerset and Cumbria intending to come to the launch. That's bloody humbling.

So. What do we do.

Well. You grab a ticket.

You get the chance to buy a beautiful, exclusive - and high quality - t-shirt (once you click for your ticket)

You get to hear, first - and in person - what current plans are for our humble little bash.

And - half an hour before general sale - you get the chance to guarantee that you get your tickets. To a little beer do. In Salford.

Fancy joining us, having a beer and a chat?

The link for tickets is here. There aren't many.

See you in 3 weeks?

Jim Cullen 08/05/2023 Jim Cullen 08/05/2023

Friends of #isbf8 - Sponsorship

When I (Jim) first set about creating The Independent Salford Beer Festival, back in 2014, I had no idea about anything. Well, almost anything.

The only thing I was certain of, was who brewed good beer in the North of England. If I had a superpower, that was it.

That was what the very first ISBF had. 36 cask conditioned beers. From the North of England.

Little did I know that - almost from the off - this event would become - (in my mind at least) synonymous with the word “Community”.

From the responses to the first tweet, that yelp for help (poetry eh?), from an (then) unknown fella hauling our bar snacks over the Pennines (take a bow Steve), to people occupying the same seats, at the same session, each year, from the fella (that's YOU Andy) offering design help, to Malcolm (aka Five Towns Brewery) offering BOGOF and the same people who volunteered in Year 1 being still with us 8 years later… I’d met very few of these people at that point.

This Community, this Family (the #ISBFFamily) have grown together as both comrades and friends.

Something that makes me feel both thankful and proud.

Something else that both myself and the #ISBFFamily are really proud of, are the Sponsors who get involved each and every year.

It was a deliberate decision to focus on individuals and small local businesses when it comes to sponsors. Something that chimes with the event itself. Small, local, friendly.

I've had opportunities, over the years, for larger sponsors to become involved, something that just didn't feel right. Didn't fit. And I wouldn't change that.

And - that said - I was hugely humbled at #ISBF7, when every beer had a sponsor. The first time that this has happened in all the years we've been doing this. That's local people, putting hands in their pockets. And doing great things. Helping us, to help out our partner charity, START Inspiring Minds.

Posters. Programme. Beers. Glassware. All sponsored. Without that, we would have been nowhere close to the £8.5k that was donated to START on Xmas eve.

So. Here we are again. Appealing for you lovely people, to join in, help us to do good things. By sponsoring stuff.

Beers & Ciders - Up to 100 opportunities.

Posters - They're gonna be gorgeous this year!

Programme - Again, a work of art from Mr “Art by Volume” himself.

Glassware - (Sponsors can suggest glass style)

So - who fancies sponsoring a beer? Or something else? Like Glassware? Programme? Anything really! I'm all ears!

Beer Sponsorship will be £85. We're keeping the rate for this the same as last year - would seem wrong to up the price.

This gets you - the lovely sponsor - 2 tickets to a session(s) of your choice. With Glassware, Programme and £10 beer tokens per ticket.

It also gets you undying gratitude, your name of choice against a beer/brewery and a huge thank you in both the programme & post event webpost.

It also gets you the warm glow of knowing that you are helping a magnificent local charity in START Inspiring Minds.

Yes. ALL PROFITS GO TO CHARITY.

Posters - £50 (Branding prominently displayed - no tickets etc)

Programme sponsorship - £100 (Inc prominent logo on front, with full page ad on rear cover)

Glassware etc, I'm open to ideas/approaches.

To sponsor (anything), use the contact page and select the option “Sponsorship”. Or click this link. And help a fabulous charity to do amazing work.

Back soon. Be kind to one another.

Jim x