From my limited experience, the first session (Thursday evening) is considered by some as the session to get to if you have a ‘FOMO’ – a fear of missing out, on some of the lower volume beers at ISBFs.
I may well stand corrected, but having served behind the keg bar on “Last Day” Saturdays, I would suggest this is a misnomer. I wont quote a percentage (but it’ll be high), and I’m sure I know one or two that do, but most of the beers put on on the Thursday make it through to the Saturday early session.
That said, the Thursdays & Friday lunchtime sessions do attract homebrewers, often on a ‘club outing’, or with a few mates. And I can understand why. I’ll repeat this ad infinitum, but this Beer Festival is special. Pro-brewers put tonnes of effort into brewing something they’re proud of for this event. And many of them turn up over the weekend to see what the others are serving. The homebrewers get to meet the very generous brewery teams and get to sneak a few hints and tips. Its a very collaborative and generous community from what I’ve seen.
My own homebrewing journey went the way most things I attempt goes – big and full on, because the more craft beer I drank, the more I wanted to understand how to make it. And as I’ve found, the more you learn, the more you realise there are improvements you can make and that you will never know it all. It’s the perfect storm for my passions – to be half decent you need to be an artisan chef, a chemist, microbiologist, mechanical engineer, plumber, electrician, and enjoy sharing experiences with friends!
I’m very lucky. I now have a 28ft x 8ft space at the bottom of my garden, that is a garden kitchen & entertainment space (TV, wood fired pizza overn & BBQs), along with a 20x8ft shed that acts as a “pub” with up to 7x 19L Kegs available (over 180 pints) and of course a little (“nano”?) brewery, which as tradition dictates needed naming.
My homebrewery is called Sick Swan Brewing. I’m a Manchester City Supporter as it happens, so the name became an easy choice. The logo was a tad more tricky, but I got there in the end. Sorry to remind any ManU fans out there, but El Mago’s left foot swish to Dzeko was a dream of a pass.
So what of today? Well, I got up, showered etc and then had a bacon butty (brown sauce is the only way) for breakfast, along with many espressos.
Before I left, I filled a 1L brown bottle with my latest homebrew & loaded it into the van fridge. It’s an homage to Sureshot Brewery’s flagship beer, Milson, a very hoppy New England pale ale brewed with Citra, Galaxy & Mosaic. Hope to get some knowledgeable folks to critique it if I can, perhaps on the Friday session.
I packed my bag into the VW Cali’ and took the plunge! I was in it for the duration assuming the ‘Van made it there!
And it did! I had to ‘play’ the clutch pedal like a church organ but it got there! New clutch master cylinder ordered & will have a go at fitting it next week sometime, after I’ve replaced the wiper motor on my sons car.
Parked up and settled, I joined the #ISBF Family (it’s close knit, that’s for sure!), and we put the finishing touches on the bars, labelling up the tap wall and bar taps.
With almost everything under control or completed, it was time for a cuppa (“Builders Tea” for me) before the session, and the Festival officially started at 6pm.
I now probably know about 20+ great people purely because of being a part of the #ISBF Family. I may tell you a little bit about a few of them over the next day or so, as there are a fair few without which, I doubt this shebang would happen.
Jim Cullen, the founder/organiser/puppet master/beer assembler extraordinaire!
Since the first and every year since, this begins to happen because of him. He has a drive to raise money for a Charity close to his heart, START Inspiring Minds’. It’s a charity that has been delivering mental health recovery and prevention services in Salford for over 30 years. It’s personal for Jim.
He also has a passion for finding the best beers from the best breweries. The passion and personality of Jim have formed this assembly of people who are friendly, kind & relaxed. To be clear I don’t just mean the volunteers (“The Family”), but also the punters, a significant proportion of come year after year.
It really is something quite special.
From 6pm onwards, I was one of those punters. I got my glass, my pen, my programme and my £10 worth of tokens and headed in to the Keg Bar.
Unsurprisingly, within minutes, I had met a few familiar faces and sat with a few friends I’d met through BrewClub a cracker of a pub in Stockport called The Petersgate Tap, and on a Brewday up at Torrside, New Mills.
My first beer was 1/3 of a pint of a 3.7% West Coast IPA, and the second was a 3rd of a Blood Orange & Nettle Barrel Aged Sour.
Third was another 3rd of an Apple & Rhubarb Sour, followed by a 3rd of a Biere De Saison Sour made with Morello Cherries.
Spotted some patterns? No pints and lots of sours so far!
I’ll not bore on and list everything I tried, but over a 5 hour session I drank 7 beers that were amazing, all bar one in 3rds, along with sips of other people’s beers and they were all well worth trying.
So now I sit in my van, in the carpark writing this. Before I get my head down & ready myself for tomorrow, when I will help prep for the lunchtime session, before once again, and for the final time this weekend be a punter.