Apr 15 2016
Manchester – Where It’s At?
“There’s a destination a little up the road
From the habitations and the towns we know
A place we saw the lights turn low
The jig-saw jazz and the get-fresh flow
Pulling out jives and jamboree handouts
Two turntables and a microphone
Bottles and cans just clap your hands
Just clap your hands
Where it’s at!
I got two turntables and a microphone…. “
(“Where It’s At” – Beck : YouTube Clip – GrandMa Bird)
On Friday evening, I returned home from a day at New Mills Beer Festival (bijou – as in small – to say the least) via Manchester. No plan to have a beer in “Town” at the start of the day, but plans, as you well know, have a habit of being…… shall we say…. dynamic?
Anyway. Having deposited a bottle of the most excellent “American Barleywine” by Torrside with the Arch Nemesis, I hobbled towards the Crown & Kettle.
The objective? Cotopaxi DIPA by Track. On cask.
A rare thing to see a DIPA on cask. I was lucky to try the first DIPA brewed by Cloudwater on cask on its launch day last year and (at the time) enjoyed it marginally more than the keg and bottle. A marvelous beer in the truest sense in that I wondered at the flavour and texture being far lighter (and almost “sessionable”) than a 9% beer had any right to be.
The Track was big and juicy. Chewy malt and huge hopping giving a real balance. In an age where balance is deemed unfashionable. It amazes me how brewers make such beers so eminently drinkable.
Then we went to The Smithfield. Where it was on keg.
WOW. What a difference! The carbonation and – dare I say it – the temperature, made a HUGE difference. The beer was lifted and lightened. The hops soared over the malty landscape and simply stunned me.
From a vaguely remembered conversation with Sam (Mr Track), I seem to recall that he preferred it on cask in some ways . I have to disagree (Memory, O fickle thing!). He prefers it on keg. And I never thought I would agree with those who say that certain styles suit Keg. This beer danced. And got me thinking….
Is this city where it’s at, beer wise?
Cask Beer – Is there a better session pale ale than Sonoma by Track? I haven’t had a better pale ale in cask in the last 12 months. Juicy, punchy and smooth. Just an absolute go to. For someone who doesn’t normally have such beers.
Manchester is choc full of great breweries banging out superb cask conditioned beers. Nowhere better. Let’s be hearing those arguments, down below.
“Craft” Keg – Unless you’ve been in hibernation for the last 7 days, you won’t have missed the reams of web inches splaffed on Cloudwater’s DIPA v3, if it’s a patch on v1 it will be a classic. They’ve been slipping out some simply stunning lagers too, vastly underrated when compared to the DIPA and IPA.
Marble seem to be under the radar of late. But with James Kemp keen to put a stamp on the brewery, they’ve put out two crackers with Damage Plan & Built to Fall. For me, still THE brewery in Manchester all round.
However, the beer that has made my taste buds sing more than any other on keg is from Runaway. Their Pale. I’ve had it a few times in the last fortnight and it is absolutely WAILING! So fresh, light and just zipping out of that glass. Simply stunning. (The American Brown is a bit special too)
And if somebody wants to put London up? Other than Weird Beard, I’m not convinced by the hype around many London breweries. I’m just not. That isn’t parochialism. Just my taste buds talking to me.
Manchester also has an absolutely BANGING set of brewtaps that are coming into their own at this time of year too. Black Jack / Runaway (On tomorrow!) / Squawk–Track all pack out their arches with stunning beers and great food (none too shabby tunes either….) and with people like Beer Nouveau regularly opening their doors too, there’s something for everyone!
The drinking area where I struggle to justify the primacy of my beloved city is……. Pubs. It has so MANY cracking bars that you’d struggle to keep up, but….
Manchester has a thriving beer scene – Christ KNOWS I’ve been waffling on about it for long enough. This scene will be placed front and centre in June when Connor Murphy rolls out the fullness of Manchester Beer Week. Something to which I’m looking forward to hugely – I may even be…….. Ah. That’s for another time
Where this city falls – slightly – short, is in a concentration of classic freehouses. It has great pubs. But many of these are hobbled by pubco ownership which restricts the beer supply to – for me – the larger regional breweries and the huge firms like Marstons (eg Bulls Head) & Greene King (Lass O’Gowrie).
Go to places like Sheffield, Huddersfield & Liverpool though and they appear to be over endowed with classic pubs that also dispense great local beers. I was awe-struck and incredibly jealous when I strolled around both H Town & Sheff last year and wandered around in an impressed daze when we went to Liverpool recently.
Yes. We have The Marble Arch, The Crown & Kettle, but little else in the way of truly great beautiful pubs, with truly great beer. Too many pubs hobbled by pubco control – that’s a whole other argument though.
Manchester is a city where bars shine. Port Street, Pie & Ale, (Marble’s own) 57 Thomas Street, Soup Kitchen, Font, Sandbar…..the list goes on.
On balance – in the North, for sure – Manchester has “it”. For me in any case.
That’s enough inflation of that “Manchester Bubble” from me – for now. Next stop, Hebden Bridge!
Back soon.
15/04/2016 @ 2:33 pm
The common narrative amongst geekdom is that Leeds is the north’s number one beer spot (London, of course, is no. 1 nationally ….yawn). Personally I think that is a view of people who either:
a) Live in Leeds and/or
b) Haven’t been to Manchester
15/04/2016 @ 2:47 pm
Leeds? Not in any parallel universe. On almost any criteria you could name. Certainly on none that I’ve used. Unless I’m missing something of course.
That said, people tend to conveniently forget that LIBF actually came before IMBC.
16/04/2016 @ 9:08 am
I’m from Manchester and have lived in Leeds. And I think Leeds is a better city to drink in. Breweries aren’t as good. Drinking holes certainly are. SorryNotSorry
16/04/2016 @ 9:20 am
Aaaaaarrrrgggghhhh……. (frustrated – not aggressive)
MY point was as a “Beer City” which it would seem that I haven’t got across clearly enough.
Although, I may need some persuading on Leeds, I DO say that Huddersfield and Sheffield both outdo Mcr on the great beautiful pubs / Great beer thing.
Hugely subjective of course. Which is what provokes comment!
24/04/2016 @ 8:24 am
And then – my friend – there is the recent clamour for Sheffield. Assisted by St Peter of Barnsley……
15/04/2016 @ 5:30 pm
Few more than C&K and Arch. Starting with the Smithfield. But also Angel, Salford Arms, Kings Arms, Deansgate, the Chop Houses….. all “independent”, even if work to be done on beer range in some.
The main difference between Manchester and Sheffield is that our family brewers and their pub stocks survive whereas over hills those pubs went into the overall market.
15/04/2016 @ 5:33 pm
Point taken. But mine was one of classic pubs serving truly excellent beer. And there are few. Including none of those you mention John.
Of course, this boils down to personal taste as to a) What is a beautiful pub, and b) What is excellent beer.
Obviously my taste isn’t everybody’s.
16/04/2016 @ 7:24 am
Manchester is the UK’s BEST brewing city. Newcastle and/or Liverpool are the best cities to drink in IMHO. There are just so many more historic pubs.
Sorry.
16/04/2016 @ 8:56 am
With all due respect, another that (kind of) missed the point. B.
Newcastle had a certain charm last time I was there, but that was a good while ago.
Liverpool – indeed – had more historic pubs.
I – personally – believe that BOTH Huddersfield AND Sheffield beat Manchester on that score too. But only in that one category.
Manchester outdoes all of them in every other sense.
I DID say, that Manchester lacks great historic pubs that serve great beer, did I not?
16/04/2016 @ 8:57 am
And no need to be sorry. Merely a well expressed opinion!