Independent Manchester Beer Convention, 2012
Posted on 09. Oct, 2012 by Robert Gale in Beer Festivals
Held at the stunning, and very unique Victoria Baths in south Manchester, the IMBC featured some of the finest craft breweries from the north west, London along with a couple of foreign breweries thrown in for good measure.
Organised by Jonny Heyes and the team behind the excellent, and award-winning, Northern Quarter bar, Port Street Beer House, they aimed to address the problem with many beers festivals, “Warm, flat, boring beer, no atmosphere, rubbish venues, terrible customer service [and] crap food”.
And they certainly achieved all of those aims, and more. How many beer festivals line up the best keg and cask beers that some of the best breweries in the UK (and beyond) have to offer and then get the brewers themselves to serve you the beer from inside an old swimming pool?!
Unlike the majority of beer festivals held in the UK, a large number of beers were dispensed from keg rather than cask. Cask was still present and there was roughly a 50/50 split. There is a lot of debate in the beer world at the moment in regards to keg beer but I think it’s great seeing it included. I’m simply a fan of good quality beer and won’t shun it if its dispensed from a keg rather than a cask.
Breweries at the festival included Brewdog, Thornbridge, Ilkley, Red Willow, Hardknott, Kernel, Tempest, Magic Rock, Camden Town, Lovibonds, Gadds, Hawkshead, Mallinsons, Marble, Sierra Nevada and Cantillon.
The quality beer was paired with equally good quality food. Rather than stalls serving lukewarm chips and burgers and soggy pasties, award-winning food was provided by Michelin-starred Aumbry, the Great North Pie Company, Dirty Dogs, Fire and Salt BBQ, Sindhoor South Indian and North Tea Power.
Overall, the festival was a huge success so be sure to look out for the Indy-Man-Beer-Con 2013.
Accommodation during the festival was kindly donated by Radisson Park Inn Manchester.
More Photos of the Independent Manchester Beer Convention
Venue Location
Independent Manchester Beer Convention
Victoria Baths
Hathersage Road
Chorlton-on-Medlock
Manchester
M13 0FE
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It’d be nice if you could get through the write-up without slagging off other festivals! I’ve never been to a festival of any size and had “warm, flat, boring beer” or “luke-warm burgers”, etc. If that was the IMBC’s target to beat, it wasn’t aiming very high.