Nottingham Craft Beer Week 2019 Guide

The best distraction from everything else you didn’t need to do...

1. Visit our pubs this NCBW. 2. Pics or it didn’t happen #CRBNCBW 3. Win some beer.

www.castlerockbrewery.co.uk/NCBW19

CONTENTS

WELCOME Five years ago, Donald Trump hinted he was thinking about running for president and, at the same time, I was in Junkyard cracking open a can of Westbrook Gose for our three managers to taste. Gose is a traditional German-style sour wheat beer brewed with coriander and salt, but this American take was murky, had no head, and a truly unique taste. “Who the hell would drink this?” was the universal opinion. We learned how to pronounce it correctly and went around telling everyone that it was honestly an amazing beer. It was a very hard sell.

We were lucky having a contact in San Francisco who imported our West Coast beers. Back in 2014 IPAs were mainly associated with Greene King and McEwans Export, not the big hoppy ones we are familiar with now.

We also brought over double IPAs, triple IPAs; 11% barrel aged imperial stouts; beer brewed with kaffir lime leaves, poppy seeds - every nut, fruit and spice you could imagine.

We also found the brewers put some truly great beers in cans – pricey, strong stuff too and they used bigger 440ml cans that over here were usually full of John Smiths, Fosters and the like. Selling these beers to the public was even harder.

This month I was in the brilliant Alchemelia and had to smile as I drank tall cans of great tasting, fresh, strong, murky, hoppy beers from Black Iris and Wylam. They were presented to me in the can, by a restaurant aiming for a Michelin star. Back in 2014 I would probably have said that it was more likely that Donald Trump would be POTUS than a fine dining restaurant selling craft from a can. Yet here we are.

In 2014 a group of like-minded converts launched Nottingham Craft Beer Week primarily to promote and define what exactly "craft beer" was.

Now as we approach our fifth NCBW I think it’s safe to say we all know what we mean by craft, so this year let’s just celebrate Nottingham’s amazing craft beer scene: it's bigger than ever, with more venues, hosting more amazing beers and no doubt more passionate customers.

Go out and find your new favourite beer, drink it from a big can and tell your mates it's pronounced “Goe-suh”. It’s hard to see how the craft beer scene can change as much over the next five years but who knows? And heaven forbid who will be in power, surely not someone called Boris?

Nigel Garlick Chair, Nottingham Craft Beer Week

7: Pick of Nottingham Craft Beer Week With over fifty beer-related events happening across the city in one week, take a look at what’s in store.

19: Rod White - The Science of Brewing We interview a leading brewing scientist ahead of his lecture at the Canalhouse for the Brewers Journal.

12: Is Craft Beer Elitist?

Our editor takes a look at the culture behind and different attitudes to craft beer.

20: Beer Styles Map Our centrespread is a general beer styles map that is designed to help you find your new favourite beer.

13: Black Magic Exhibition A look at our exhibition showcasing art from Kev Grey (Black Iris), Richard Norgate (Magic Rock) and Kelly Ann-Holmes.

14: Emma Inch An interview with the host of Fermentation Beer and Brewing Radio and this year’s Beer Writer of the Year.

17: Adrian Tierney-Jones We talk to the beer journalist and editor of Original Gravity magazine about beer writing and the future of craft beer.

22: Nottingham Craft Beer Festival 2019 The biggest craft beer event of the year, back again with an even bigger line up. Don’t miss this one.

24: Nottingham Brewers Introducing the creators who make our city’s beer scene so great.

26: Venue Guide Your guide to the best places in Nottingham to buy and drink great beer all year round.

18: Beermat Doodles Appearing all over the city during the week, our beermat doodlers will create bespoke personalised drawings for you.

CREDITS Editor-in-Chief Jared Wilson Editor Dan Lyons Design Natalie Owen Photography Ash Dilks Natalie Owen Curtis Powell Georgianna Scurfield

Contributors Matt Hinton Emma Inch Nigel Garlick Emily Thursfield Adrian Tierney-Jones Rod White

nottinghamcraftbeer nottmcraftbeer nottscraftbeer

#ncbw19 nottinghamcraftbeer.co.uk Nottingham Craft Beer Week 5

PICK OF craft beer week

Bands, Burgers & Beaver

Black Magic: Art Exhibition

The Lion at Basford 2pm, Sat 8 June

Malt Cross All week

A free, week-long exhibition of three of the best beer artists around. Richard Norgate is the artist behind Magic Rock beer and the Arctic Monkeys’ Favourite Worst Nightmare LP artwork. Kev Grey does all the cans for Black Iris, as well as Vans trainers. Kelly Ann-Holmes creates pieces from recycled beer cans.

NCBW Official Launch Party 2019 Junkyard & The Herbert Kilpin 5pm, Fri 7 June

The official launch party for the week, with Junkyard handing over their taps to local brewers.

Shady Cow Presents: Sacred Paws Rough Trade 7pm, Sat 8 June

Live music from an indie-pop band infused with plenty of world rhythms and bright horns.

Lab Culture Brewery Kean’s Head All week

Meet the brewer sessions, presentations and cask and keg beers from Worcestershire’s Lab Culture Brewery.

North Riding Brewery & Friends

Canning Circus Killer Cask Fest Overdraught & Organ Grinder All week

A week-long celebration of great cask ales from near and far, curated by two Canning Circus pubs.

SAT 8 - SUN 9

The Lion are kicking off the week with an all-day music festival and a Beavertown Brewery tap takeover. All the music will be curated by I’m Not From London, including a headline slot by Miss Bowie. All the food on the day will be cooked using beer from the pub’s favourite breweries.

Arbor Ales Takeover

Angel Microbrewery All week

The Angel are handing over their taps for the week to the Bristol-based Arbor Ales.

Magpie Cask Takeover

Barrel Drop, Crafty Crow, Doctor’s Orders All day, Sat 8 June Magpie Brewery celebrate thirteen years of brewing by showcasing their whole range at all their pubs.

North Riding Takeover The Abdication Micropub All week

A week-long cask takeover from Scarborough based North Riding Brewery and collaborators in celebration of Craft Beer Week.

A Mikkeller Celebration Kraft Werks All week

Everyone’s favourite Danish brewery will be on the taps all week at this lovely bar in Sherwood.

How To Spot a Duffer The Abdication Micropub 2pm, Sat 8 June

A ninety minute session about how we recognise offflavours in beer, in collaboration with Nottingham Brewer’s Group.

World Gin Day Organ Grinder All day, Sat 8 June

A showcase of Blue Monkey Brewery’s very own gin, in celebration of World Gin Day.

NCBW with Navigation Brewery Trent Navigation All week

Food-pairings, beery pub quizzes and a showcase of Navigation Brewery’s seasonal ranges for Nottingham Craft Beer Week.

Meet the Monkey Head Brewer

Organ Grinder 2pm, Sun 9 June

Meet the Blue Monkey Brewery head brewer, Pip, and taste some beers and brand new Blue Monkey gins.

There are more events during the week than we can fit on these pages. Visit nottinghamcraftbeer.co.uk or our Facebook page for full details.

Nottingham Craft Beer Week 7

SUN 9 - WEDS 12

Beermat Doodles

Pint of Science

Various venues All week

Bunkers Hill 7pm, Mon 10 June

Over the week, we’re sending some great local artists to our venues to draw personalised illustrations for you, for free. If you see them, go over, say hello and they’ll create a bespoke drawing of you which you can take home.

Pint of Science

Following their popular festival last month, Pint of Science are back for a sneaky encore at Bunkers Hill in celebration of Nottingham Craft Beer Week. It’s a brilliant concept: small, informal lectures from world-leading scientists delivered in a way most of us can digest - over a pint.

Odyssey x Wander Beyond

Siren Tap Takeover

Fox & Grapes All Day, Sun 9 June

The Botanist All Day, Sun 9 June

A tap takeover and miniature tasting session from one of the UK’s biggest and best craft breweries.

Fox & Grapes will be showcasing bottles, cans and kegs from Manchester's Wander Beyond Brewery and Worcester’s Odyssey Brewery.

Mikkeller Running Club

Brew Cavern 11.30am, Sun 9 June

The Nottingham Chapter of this international running club. Starts at Brew Cavern, run 5k and go for a beer after.

Bread Talks with Dan Gilliland

Music of the Night

Hawkshead Brewery Tap Takeover

A talk, Q&A and Castle Rock beer showcase from head Castle Rock Brewer, Dan Gilliland.

A fundraising night for the student-run Nightline phone counselling service. Live music from emerging Nottingham based bands and musicians.

A cask tap takeover from Lake-District based Hawkshead Brewery at a scenic city centre pub.

Bread and Bitter 8pm, Sun 9 June

Rough Trade 6:30pm, Mon 10 June

Cock and Hoop All day, Mon 10 June

NCBW Local Brews

Magpie, Magic and Music

Wovoka Gentle

The Embankment are showcasing the best Nottingham craft beers throughout the week, starting on Monday 10 June.

A night of live music from Elliot Henry and up close magic from Tom Roper, with plenty of Magpie Brewery beer involved.

Live music and record signing from the Londonbased psychedelic and experimental three piece, Wovoka Gentle.

Burning Soul MTB

Open Mic Night

The Embankment Mon 10 - Sat 15 June

The Barrel Drop 5pm, Tue 11 June

Barley Twist 6pm, Tue 11 June

The Overdraught 8pm, Tue 11 June

Come and sup from this new Birmingham brewery and meet the people behind the beer.

8 Nottingham Craft Beer Week

A regular open mic night at one of the city’s best craft bars with a free pint if you perform.

Rough Trade 6:30pm, Tue 11 June

Nanobrewery Tap Takeover The Abdication Micropub 4pm, Wed 12 June

A tap takeover from local some brilliant part-time and back garden shed brewers, for one night only.

There are more events during the week than we can fit on these pages. Visit nottinghamcraftbeer.co.uk or our Facebook page for full details.

TUES 11 - THU 13

The Brewers Lectures

Original Gravity Live

Canalhouse 12:30pm, Wed 12 June

The Herbert Kilpin 7:30pm, Tue 11 June

Original Gravity is a national craft beer publication, changing the face of beer writing as we know it. They’re bringing their Editor Adrian Tierney-Jones (Beer Writer of the Year 2017), Editor-at-Large Pete brown (author of Miracle Brew) and publisher Daniel Neilson.

Trudy and the Romance

Unity Meet The Brewer

Rough Trade 6:30pm, Wed 12 June

Barley Twist 6pm, Tue 11 June

Come and sup from this Southampton brewery and meet the people behind the beer.

Pie Fidelity with Pete Brown

Lincolnshire Poacher 7pm, Wed 12 June

Renowned beer and food writer, Pete Brown, talks about his new book on pies over a pint of beer.

A blend of fifties jukebox, jazz, psychedelia and prog-rock, Trudy and the Romance bring their eclectic sound to Rough Trade.

Hawkshead Beer & Food Pairing Cock and Hoop 7pm Wed 12 June

A six course meal paired with six Hawkshead Brewery beers in celebration of NCBW. Booking early is advised.Games Night

Round Corner Brewing Tap Takeover

£1 Comedy Night

Barrel Drop 4pm, Wed 12 June

Canalhouse 8pm, Wed 12 Jun

Regular and popular comedy night at Canalhouse, showcasing emerging comedy talent.

Brew By Numbers Tap Takeover

Magic Rock Tasting and Food Night Holy Calzone 6pm, Thu 13 June

A talk and tasting by Magic Rock, along with some Magic Rock beer infused special food items.

10Nottingham NottinghamCraft CraftBeer BeerWeek Week 10

One of the UK’s biggest beer industry event is taking place in Nottingham for the first time. Speakers include Yeastie Boys founder Stu McKinlay, Lost and Grounded founder Alex Troncoso, Roger Ryman from St Austell and Meghan Waites from Beavertown.

Showcasing a selection of beers from up and coming Melton Mowbray brewery, Round Corner.

Trudy and the Romance

Beer Yoga with Wild Card

Bunkers Hill 6.30pm, Thu 13 June

Nottingham-born brewing legend Jaega Wise (Wild Card Brewery) will be leading a session of drinking and stretching.

Confidence Man

Rescue Rooms 6:30pm, Wed 12 June

Australian electro-pop group, Confidence Man, bring their fun and energetic sound over to Rescue Rooms.

Games Night

Organ Grinder 7:30pm, Wed 12 June A regular games night where you turn up and play any game the host fancies while drinking a few pints.

Brew by Numbers Takeover Canalhouse 5pm, Thu 13 June

A tap takeover by the brilliant London-based Brew

By Numbers. Who knows what they’ll bring along?

Wilde Child Tap Takeover Six Barrel Drafthouse 7pm, Thu 13 June

A chance to try some of Leeds-based brewery Wilde Child’s beers and meet the people who brew them.

There are more events during the week than we can fit on these pages. Visit nottinghamcraftbeer.co.uk or our Facebook page for full details.

THU 13 - SAT 15

Nottingham Craft Beer Festival

Emma Inch: Taste and Talk

Sneinton Market Avenues Fri 14 - Sat 15 June

The Crafty Crow 7pm, Thu 13 June

Current Beer Writer of the Year and host of the regular beer podcast, Fermentation Beer and Brewing Radio, Emma Inch, will be doing a live talk and tasting at the Crafty Crow. Having run Brighton Beer Week, Emma is accustomed to these kind of events and this is your chance to raise a glass with her.

Tribal Takeover The Botanist 7:30pm, Thu 13 June

A special industry tap takeover to mark the one year of Tribal pale ale being brewed for The Botanist.

Northern Monk Supper Club

Rhubarb and Custard Day Organ Grinder 12pm, Fri 14 June

A showcase of rhubarb and custard flavoured drinks, including the new Blue Monkey Brewery Blubarb and Custard ale.

NCBW - Wylam x Almasty The Fox & Grapes All day, Fri 14 June

A showcase of the best beers from two prominent Newcastle craft breweries, Wylan and Almasty.

Beer Day Britain All venues 7pm, Sat 15 June

The national ‘cheers to beer’ led by alcohol historian Jane Peyton. She’ll be live from Nottingham Craft Beer Festival, but join in wherever you are.

This is the big one. 24 of the best breweries and bars in the UK, showcasing some of the best (and rarest) beer in the world over three sessions between 14-15 June. Live music from Wigflex (Friday) and I’m Not From London (Saturday), as well as food from Nottingham Street Food Club.

Northern Monk Supper Club The Herbert Kilpin 7.30pm, Thu 13 June

A three course meal made with Northern Monk beer and paired with the beers themselves.

Meet North Riding Brewery The Abdication Micropub 7pm, Fri 14 June

A chance to meet the brewer and sample some beers from Yorkshire-based North Riding Brewery.

Beer Yoga with Northern Monk Bunkers Hill 11am, Sat 15 June

Drink and Draw Social Rough Trade 8pm, Thu 13 June

Turn up, draw, socialise and exchange ideas with other illustrators over a drink. All abilities welcome.

Matt Haynes

The Hockley Rebel 8pm, Fri 14 June A free live performance from the up and coming, Nottingham-based acoustic artist, Matt Haynes.

Hackney Colliery Band Rescue Rooms 6:30pm, Sat 15 June

A session of drinking and stretching, the perfect warm up for the festival over the road, with Matt Gardner from Northern Monk.

The huge, genre-bending Hackney Colliery Band are bringing their unique jazzay sound to Rescue Rooms.

Jamali Maddix: Work in Progress

Revenge of Calculon vs Motormouf

The Angel Microbrewery 7:30pm, Sat 15 June

A live comedy show from one of the UK’s best up and coming comedic talents.

Rough Trade 8pm, Sat 15 June

A single launch live gig between the funky Revenge of Calculon and rapper and beatboxer Motormouf.

There are more events during the week than we can fit on these pages. Visit nottinghamcraftbeer.co.uk or our Facebook page for full details.

Nottingham Craft Beer Week 11

IS CRAFT BEER ELITIST? It’s likely that in reading the title for this piece, your immediate response was to think one of two things: “yes of course it is” or “no, why is this guy writing an article insulting craft beer in a magazine about that very subject?” This isn’t an attack on those who love craft beer, or on those who despise it, but more of an exploration of the culture surrounding beer right now. With the recent buyouts of Magic Rock and Beavertown - two of the most successful and pioneering UK craft breweries - it’s worth re-assessing what “craft beer” means, and how many of those who drink it are actually invested in its success.

When discussing whether the UK scene is elitist, I’m not referring to the governing structures of a society, but to an attitude of superiority, of what some might call ‘snobbery’. From an outsider’s perspective, it’s easy to group the craft beer community - whatever that means - into men with beards, drinking hazy IPA’s, snarking at the other people across the bar sipping a mainstream lager or best bitter. This would be demonstrating what I’m deeming to be elitism: a sense that the other group is simply uneducated or has poor taste. This is an over-generalisation, but that isn’t to say there isn’t a measure of truth floating around in the two thirds glass.

On the other hand, there are other aspects at play in regard to elitism or superiority, such as the price of craft beer itself. As someone who writes about beer and works in a craft beer bar, I will be the first to admit that craft beer can be horrendously expensive. For many, the thought of paying over £5 for two thirds of a pint is enough to end the conversation right there and then. I’d argue, however, that the price of craft beer is easily justified – with acute attention paid to every aspect of brewing, the selection of hops, malts, yeasts and the time it takes to brew. The increased cost of all these elements leads to a more expensive product; after all, time is money. A barrel-aged imperial stout –with its use of many ingredients and time it takes to age – is not going to be priced the same as a low ABV cask pale ale, and the illusion that it would be is absurd.

It’s also worth considering the artificially low price of most cask ale. Many craft breweries don’t attempt to produce beer for cask because it just isn’t commercially viable. The market has demanded cask beer prices to be kept unnaturally low, and this isn’t possible with the higher cost of ingredients of many craft beers. So, on the other hand, when those dedicated to cask ale shake their heads at the price of a pint from a craft keg, they are unknowingly contributing to this idea that beer should be fixed at a certain price - and this is damaging to the success of lots of small and experimental breweries. Beer, like wine for example, should have varying degrees of price; not only is this better for breweries as the price will more accurately represent the cost of production, but it would somewhat dampen the idea that beer has to be a cheap product.

If not price, then perception is a key issue as to whether craft beer is elitist or not. It’s easy to position all people who drink craft beer into one unifying group: the craft beer community. But there is as much of a ‘craft beer community’ as there is a wine community, or a gin community. The idea that all people who drink craft beer are part of some larger network or group is ridiculous (even the popular UK Craft Beer Forum Facebook group is a tiny percentage of the market) and has arisen from the fact that craft beer is a relatively new concept. If something is popular, media outlets will find a way to categorise people within this popular trend: “all millenials eat avocados” comes to mind.

The conversation now, however, moves from one of discussing snobbery, to one of gate-keeping; and nowhere is this better exemplified than the general reaction to the recent buyout of Magic Rock Brewery by Lion.

If people who currently drink craft beer want more people to try it, this

12 Nottingham Craft Beer Week

buyout should have been seen an overwhelming success. Craft beer is now the mainstream, and the way beer is consumed is being changed forever and for the better. With larger scales of brewing, quality control becomes more of a task. However, even if the average can of Magic Rock’s Inhaler diminishes in quality from a larger scale of production, you can guarantee it will still be better than most supermarket beers.

It can also be argued that this move would harm small businesses.

However, a local bottle shop owner explained to me that they stopped stocking core range Magic Rock beer before the takeover because people stopped buying it – tastes change and so does the beer. So if small businesses aren’t stocking the product, is the brewery just expected to stop brewing their core range of beer, or would they look for a new market to sell it to? If Magic Rock could introduce a whole market of people to craft beer once, what is to say they can’t do it again on a larger scale?

Beer, like wine for example, should have varying degrees of price; not only is this better for breweries as the price will more accurately represent the cost of production, but it would somewhat dampen the idea that beer has to be a cheap product. . .

So the question moves to why people would not want more people to try craft beer, and why they are boycotting beers from the likes of Magic Rock, Beavertown and Fourpure: it’s because it’s too big. While certainly a vocal minority, there are some craft beer drinkers who seemingly like the idea of keeping craft beer to themselves, almost as a way to assert superiority over others which they deem to have a poorer sense of taste - to preserve some kind of status quo. This is what the argument boils down to. The bigger beer company may not be a perfect one, but I doubt anyone is arguing against the philosophical belief that there is no ethical consumption under capitalism. The outrage here stems from the idea that something that was originally discovered as a small, and therefore more personal thing, has now transcended that singular person. Counter-culture becomes culture.

Nostalgia and personal investment is not the issue here, it’s the idea that anything existing outside of this small chamber is a betrayal, and is therefore inferior. It’s a catch-22 for breweries: they’re doomed to only grow to a certain level before someone decides their beers are no longer “craft” and should be boycotted. It’s a very small portion of the market, but this is what I mean by elitism: the preservation of a system or way of being based on an inherent belief of superiority.

One doesn’t set up a brewery without the belief that there isn’t money to be made from brewing and selling beer. If Magic Rock are still producing the same beer and working on small batch collaborations alongside their core range, what makes them inherently less “craft”? Does craft beer just mean small batch brewing? Or does it mean the careful oversight of all sections of the brewing process? Personally, I’m not sure. But I am sure that because of craft beer, beer in general has changed for the better. Yes, it’s more expensive, but if the product is better then it’s to be expected. The fact that a variety of great beer is now accessible to all is something those who drink craft beer should be championing

words: Dan Lyons

One thing we love about craft beer is the artwork. So, this year we’ve put together a proper exhibition featuring three great artists. One from local legends Black Iris, one from Huddersfield heroes Magic Rock and another local who makes her art out of actual beer cans…

KEV GREY BLACK IRIS

KELLY ANN-HOLMES RECYCLED BEER CAN ARTIST

RICHARD NORGATE MAGIC ROCK

The exhibition is open at the Malt Cross from 11am – 8pm every day of Nottingham Craft Beer Week. Entrance is free. There will also be chances to meet the artists and win limited edition artwork. See the NCBW website and social networks for details.

Kev is the artist behind the iconic artwork of Nottingham brewery Black Iris. He started out as a graffiti artist and has also been commissioned by Schecter Guitars, Vans, Lost Art Skateboards and Download Festival. kevgrey.com

Richard is the head designer for Huddersfield’s Magic Rock Brewery.

He’s created artwork for all of their beer labels, as well as for the Arctic Monkeys (Favourite Worst Nightmare album artwork), The Now Show and Bradley Wiggins. richardnorgate.com

Kelly creates artwork from recycled beer cans and has been commissioned for this exhibition to create a piece from Magic Rock and Black Iris cans designed by Richard and Kev. instagram.com/kholmes_art

Nottingham Craft Beer Week 13

Emma Inch

Journalist, academic, radio DJ, podcaster, home-brewer and 2018’s Beer Writer of the Year, Emma is an extreme multi-tasker who has taken the world of beer by storm. She’s best known for her work on her regular podcast Fermentation Beer and Brewing Radio and will be visiting us at Nottingham Craft Beer Week. . .

How does it feel being Beer Writer of the Year?

Pretty overwhelming. Even when you’re writing about beer, there are plenty of lonely hours when you’re sitting at your desk at strange times of day, so it’s wonderful to have recognition for my work.

What made you change career and become a beer journalist?

I was a social worker and I still do a desk job at a university three days a week. With a stressful job, it's good to have interests that take you outside your working world, which is why I did some DJing for local radio alongside academic writing. All those worlds collided when craft beer exploded, leading to me talking about beer on the radio. It’s a slow process moving from one career you’ve been in for a long time to freelancing. It’s fun but terrifying.

Can you tell us about the journey behind Fermentation Beer and Brewing Radio?

I was doing a weekly music show on community radio and I thought I could work that together with my interest in beer. It was fun but challenging: with podcasts you’ve got a committed audience who follow your show, whereas, with FM radio you’ve got to make it relevant to whoever’s listening.

I believe it was the first regular beer show on FM radio, however, from the beginning of this year, it’s become podcast only. Instead of monthly, it’s now fortnightly and we can be more creative with how we approach it. I’m a massive supporter of community radio, but there are limitations. Podcasting gives you the opportunity to speak in depth to an audience who are interested in what you’re discussing.

If you’ve got an all-male panel then that would obviously fail the Bechdel Test; but, if you’ve got a panel that’s comprised of women but all they’re discussing is sexism at the hands of men, that doesn’t feel like it’s moving things forward either. . .

You’ve spoken before about sexism in the beer industry; how is it manifested and sustained?

It’s certainly on my radar, and with Fermentation I always make sure there’s at least one other woman’s voice on each show. I’m lucky that I’m not usually targeted by sexist comments, but I know female colleagues in the beer industry who often are; it’s really unpleasant. The good thing about the industry now is that people are now challenging it. However, there’s still the occasional dodgy pump clip or ill-thought through social media campaign.

There are “women in beer” panels at festivals and I think it’s great to raise the issues, but I’d like to see us to move on from that. Beer panels should have women on them for whatever they’re discussing, as well as men - and that’s not always the case. That’s where we need to get to, because there are so many highly-skilled women in the industry at every level. I’ve never had any problems finding creative and intelligent women to talk to for Fermentation.

On a recent podcast you talked about the Bechdel Test and how it can be applied to the beer industry?

Yeah, the Bechdel Test is a way to measure representation in film: to pass, a film has to have at least two women in it having a conversation with each other, talking about something other than men. Lots of films fail that test, like the entire The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

That idea feeds into what I said about women on panels at events. If you’ve got an all-male panel then that would obviously fail the Bechdel Test; but, if you’ve got a panel that’s comprised of women but all they’re discussing is sexism at the hands of men, that doesn’t feel like it’s moving things forward either. Those kinds of panels can be inspiring, but I worry about that being separated off rather than having women sharing their expertise throughout the rest of the events. I think it’s important that we see women talking about what they do in the industry because then it normalises it, and that works for everybody.

14 Nottingham Craft Beer Week

Are you still active in home-brewing?

I love home-brewing. I’ve got a shed in the garden with all my home-brewing stuff in it and I’ve won some prizes through London amateur brewers competitions. Entering competitions is a brilliant thing for any home-brewer to do. While winning is great, even if you don’t win, you get fantastic feedback from people outside of your circle.

What do you think the future holds for craft beer in the UK? It’s still a tiny section of the market. People talk about the market being saturated, but I disagree because there’s still so many people who haven’t discovered different types of craft beer yet. I’d like to see more women involved as drinkers in the scene, realising that beer isn’t just for men; however, that involves some kind of effort from people in marketing.

I was reading something recently about how bitter’s have fallen off the radar and, in some ways, I think they have. It wouldn’t be my first choice to order a bitter, but then you look at something like Harvey’s Sussex Best and it’s mind-blowing - why wouldn’t you order that? I also like the resurgence in session ales and brilliant nonalcoholic beers.

Are you excited for your Fermentation event at Nottingham Craft Beer Week?

Yeah, it’s great to be part of the beer week; I think beer weeks are important in terms of showcasing what cities can offer and I’m also really excited to properly explore the Nottingham beer scene.

Emma Inch will be appearing at the Crafty Crow on Thursday 13 June. fermentationonline.com

interview: Dan Lyons

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08/05/2019

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Adrian Tierney-Jones Originally a music journalist, Adrian has become one of the most prominent beer writers of the last twenty years. He was voted Beer Writer of the Year in 2017, has judged world beer competitions and is the Editor of Original Gravity, a national publication changing beer writing as we know it…

When did you become part of the Original Gravity team?

Our publisher, Daniel Neilson, set it up and asked me to write for it four years ago. He felt there wasn't a magazine on craft beer that he wanted to read, so thought he should create one. Until two years ago, I was just one of the writers, but I've written in every issue since the beginning.

What's the ethos of the magazine?

When I became Editor I said: we're not going to do articles on “keg vs cask” or reviews of pub crawls. We were not going to write about beer in the way that it's traditionally been written about. Not everyone gets it - I call it 'asymmetrical beer writing.’ It’s about getting writers to think; it’s that moment when the sun hits the glass windows of an old brewery, how the pub can be a refuge or even the opposite.

Emma Inch, for example, wrote a piece called ‘Safe’ which was about how, as a lesbian woman, she didn’t always feel like the pub was a safe and secure place for her. This is exactly what we want - people to write pieces that are personal but outside of their bubble. We also aim for a fifty-fifty gender split for guest writers. We won’t do a ‘women’s issue’ per se, but we always bear it in mind - not just because they’re women, but because they’re good writers.

Every issue of Original Gravity has a loose theme - how do you choose each one?

At the start of the year we have a meeting to decide all the themes for the year.

Sometimes they’re plucked out the air. The current issue focuses on the idea of flight, so there’s a piece about the airport bar being a refuge before flying. One of our new writers is interested in railway bars and we talked about how they’re a liminal space between home and work - a decompression chamber.

Sometimes people think they know Original Gravity, and then I’ve turned their world upside down. I get slightly irritated when people suggest contributing

a top ten list - it makes me wonder if they even read the magazine. It’s about trying to think asymmetrically and obliquely (whatever that means). When you think you’ve got an idea, turn it inside out and go from there.

It's all about people, and how beer, pubs and breweries can give you that sense of place. I’ve done weekly columns and reviews for over twenty years, but what I like about the magazine is that it’s the freest I have felt when it comes to editorial and writing capacity. In the past, a lot of beer writing felt like it was written for a trade magazine, whereas a lot of beer writers now come from different journalistic backgrounds, meaning we all have different perspectives.

When I became Editor I said: we’re not going to do articles on “keg vs cask” or reviews of pub crawls.

We were not going to write about beer in the way that it’s traditionally been written about. . .

Where do you see the future of craft beer heading? Do you think more craft breweries will be bought out by ‘big beer’?

I think it’ll be one part of the future. I still drink beers from Fourpure and Magic Rock, who are owned by Lion Beers, as well as Beavertown who are part-owned

by Heineken. It’s easy to look back and think that all these buyouts were bad, but look at Pilsner Urquell: they’ve not been independent for over fifteen years and it’s still a fantastic beer. I was reading about Ballast Point brewery who were bought by Constellation for $1 billion in 2015. The thing is, they overpaid for it and it seems that they are now downsizing. I think buyouts are part of the future, but breweries need to realise their own limits for growth.

Another aspect is sustainability. What happens if you tell breweries to limit their carbon footprint? You're having hops flown in from Yakima Valley, using stainless steel equipment, and importing malt and fruit from anywhere else.

There might be a drive to focus on local breweries again and there might come a stage where people boycott certain breweries because of their carbon rating.

Are there any beer styles you’d like to see more breweries tackling?

I'd like to see various beers from the family of lager, and breweries trying to explain that it’s not just this monolithic thing. A lot of people do know that lager is more than just yellow and fizzy, but I'd like to see more breweries have a go at a Schwarzbier, a Märzen, a Doppelbock.

What’s the one beer you'd recommend to people from your book 1001 Beers: You Must Try Before You Die? Either Orval or Pilsner Urquell. Pilsner Urquell, in my mind, is the most important beer that's ever been made because it kicked off lager. Orval is a never-ending fascination for me; whether it's young Orval, where you've got a nice orange blossom of the hops coming through, or one which is eighteen months old with complex earthy flavours, you’ve got to try Orval.

What are your plans for the Original Gravity live event at Nottingham Craft Beer Week?

A mix of readings, beer-tastings, interviews, and whatever else we deem interesting. I’m looking forward to exploring more Nottingham beers when I visit too; I was impressed with Black Iris and Neon Raptor when I last visited.

Lastly, what do you drink when you’re not drinking beer?

Water.

Original Gravity Live takes place at the Herbert Kilpin on Tuesday 12 June, featuring Adrian Tierney-Jones, Pete Brown and Daniel Neilson.

Entry is free. originalgravitymag.com maltworms.blogspot.com

interview: Dan Lyons

Nottingham Craft Beer Week 17

Beermat Doodles We’ve drafted in a squad of Nottingham’s most talented illustrators.

They’ll take up residence across our venues during the week and be there to create bespoke illustrations for you, for free!

Devaughan Gayle

Dolly Loves Dallas

Emily Catherine

Laura Decorum

Independent illustrator based in Nottingham, having recently moved here from the big smoke. Devaughan will be doing pop art portraits for punters.

Nottingham’s Dolly Loves Dallas is a cult independent designer who makes moveable paper dolls of your favourite famous people. Dolly will be creating moveable pint-drinking portrait paper doll beermats for you to keep.

Back once again we have the handdrawn and painted illustrator known for her hip-hop album covers and murals. Emily will be creating her classic monochrome beermat portraits for you!

Independent artist and face painter Laura is well known for her surreal, colourful and magical paintings. During the week she’ll be making you all into animal hybrids with her magical animal people beermat portraits.

instagram.com/devaughan_gayle

dollylovesdallas.co.uk

emilycatherineillustration.com

instagram.com/lauradecorum

Talia Boogaloo

Raphael Achache

Richard Adam Reynolds

Rikki Marr

Big in the game in street art and design, Talia aka Natalie has been working as a painter and designer for over ten years. Following her success in bespoke typography, she will be creating music and beer related jukebox puns for you on beermats. thetalia.co.uk

A stalwart scribbler, Raphael is part of Nottingham illustration company Hawk and Mouse. His humorous and inventive style is perfect for his quickdraw pen portraits. hawkandmouse.com

The owner of Ground Zero Comics shop in Mansfield, Richard’s illustrations are influenced by his passion for graphic novels and so he will be creating some amazing comic book beermat portraits.

Legendary big man of all things doodle, Rikki is big in the art battle game. An artist, designer and the founder of the live illustration company Hawk and Mouse. Rikki will be creating some super quickdraw pen beermat portraits.

instagram.com/ace_richie_ren

hawkandmouse.com

Full details of all Beermat Doodles sessions are online at nottinghamcraftbeer.co.uk/doodles To get your free artwork all you need to do is turn up at the pub, buy a beer and ask the artist.

Please share your portraits on social media afterwards using the hashtag #NCBW19.

18 Nottingham Craft Beer Week

Rod White: The Science of Brewing Having worked for large brewing companies all over the world, Rod White is now a Professor at the University of Nottingham, conducting world-leading research to change the beer industry for the better. In preparation for his Brewer’s Journal lecture at Canalhouse, we picked his brain about his research into sustainable brewing and what else he drinks apart from beer. . .

What was it that made you want to get more involved in brewing science specifically?

I was looking for a career that involved biology, making something real and working with people. When I came across brewing I realised it was a perfect fit. It’s also a very small and friendly industry; if you have an idea, you can very quickly formulate some trial brews and make it happen.

What was it like working for a big-brewing company like Molson Coors?

You get amazing opportunities working in a large company. I’ve had the opportunity to work in many countries around the world from Russia, America, Canada and Germany just to name a few. You also get to tap into a fantastic brewing heritage and pool of experience going back many years. Sure, working for big companies can sometimes be frustrating, but the overall experience was amazing. I would highly recommend any brewer to do a stint with one of the large brewing companies at some point in their career.

Can you tell us more about your current research in beer and carbon footprint reduction?

One of the great things about the university is that I can be in a commercially neutral space that brings people together with the aim of changing the beer industry for the better. Packaging is a big area of focus. We’re currently talking to a number of brewers about what a returnable bottle system for the UK in the 21st century should look like.

We have also done a great deal of work in the past on how to boil beer as efficiently as possible while brewing.

What can all breweries do to be more sustainable?

First of all they should look at returnable packaging. Kegs and casks, for example, are far kinder to the planet than single-use glass or cans.

Breweries can also look at areas such as using an eco electricity provider and trying to push electrical load into the middle of the night when there is often electricity to spare. This switch suits tasks such as heating hot liquor and crash-cooling fermenters.

As some of your research has been on the difference between pasteurised and unpasteurised beer, which method do you prefer and why?

If the beer is drunk fresh then you can’t beat unpasteurised beer. Even careful pasteurisation will lead a slight dulling in hop aroma and fruity

esters characters. One thing to watch, however, is unpasteurised beer, when stored for several months, may suffer from foam issues as there are some residual enzymes that can break down the proteins that help beer foam.

What’s your favourite style of beer and why?

Always a difficult question for a brewer. For me, it has to be classic British cask ales. When a well-brewed cask ale is in perfect condition there is nothing finer. There is, however, quite a lot of average and poor quality cask beer around and it’s vital that we work to raise the quality in some parts of the industry.

What are your plans for the Brewers Lectures event?

I shall be sharing the findings from our global filtration best practice group. We’ll be discussing the optimum brewing techniques to get the most out of your beer filter. If time allows, we will also discuss some of the key flavour differences experienced brewing at small and large scale.

What do you think the future holds for craft beer in the UK? I think the future is very bright. My personal hope is that we can combine the passion and the use of quality ingredients common in the craft sector, with some of the balance and drinkability associated with the regional and larger breweries. I think the very finest beers in the world combine knowledge and expertise from both worlds.

What do you drink when you’re not drinking beer?

In the morning I am definitely a coffee nerd. It’s amazing how good coffee can be when you take the time to follow a few simple rules and buy the very best beans. Even the most expensive beans are a pretty cheap luxury. I have always enjoyed rare whiskies, but the cost of some of my favourites has gone through the roof, so I’ve recently been exploring Bourbon and Brandy. Like most brewers, I just enjoy good food and wine.

Rod White will be appearing at Canalhouse for the Brewers Lectures on Wednesday 12 June. lectures.brewersjournal.info interview: Dan Lyons

Nottingham Craft Beer Week 19

DRY STOUT

Caramel, smooth, bitter

OATMEAL STOUT

BROWN ALE

Rich body, caramel, soft

Malty, sweet, dried fruit

BITTER

Biscuity, malty, caramel

SMOKED PORTER Smoky, bitter, coffee

PORTER

Roastiness, sweet, dark chocolate

MILK STOUT

BALTIC PORTER

Sweet, creamy, thick body

Roastiness, coffee, dark chocolate

Key IMPERIAL STOUTS Intense, sweet, chocolate

Starting point

Why not try...

BARREL-AGED IMPERIAL STOUTS Boozy, syrupy, sweet MARZEN

Honey, toast, slight bitterness

PREMIUM EUROPEAN LAGER Malty, fizzy, light

PILSNER

Clean, floral, malty

BOCK

Malty, sweet, dried fruit

HELLES LAGER

Clean, fizzy, sweet breadiness

KOLSCH Apple, grape, clean

VIENNA LAGER Bready, clean, toffee

AMBER ALE

Malty, biscuit, clean

ENGLISH PALE ALE

Subtle fruit, malty, sweet

AMERICAN PALE ALE

WEST COAST IPA Citrus, piney, bitter

Fruity, malty, grassy

SESSION IPA

Tropical fruits, apple, light

BLACK IPA

Hoppy, coffee, fruity

Dry, earthy, subtle citrus

DOUBLE DRY HOPPED IPA

WITBIER

Coriander, orange, hazey

NEW ENGLAND IPA Juicy, smooth, hazy

Fragrant, juicy, dry

DOUBLE IPA

Hoppy, juicy, dry

TRIPLE IPA Hoppy, tropical fruits, dry

BARLEYWINE Malty, sweet, boozy

QUAD

WEISSBIER

Dark fruit, sherry, boozy

Banana, toffee, cloves

SAISON

TRIPEL

Citrus, earthy, dry

Fruity, aromatic, fragrant

BELGIAN BLONDE ALE

DUBBEL

Fruity, spicy, bitter

Plum, earthy, malty

GOSE Crisp, tart, fruity

SOUR BEER Sour, fruity, dry

LAMBIC

Fruity, vinous, sour

NOTTINGHAM CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL This year’s Nottingham Craft Beer Week is bigger than ever and to top it all off there’s a two-day, three-session festival at the end of it in the (hopefully) sunny Sneinton Market Avenues.

BLACK IRIS Located in Basford, Black Iris have become local legends within the span of a few years.

They’ve got an excellent core range which includes the refreshing Endless Summer IPA and the hoppy Divine Elements IPA.

facebook.com/blackiris.brewery

HAWKSHEAD Hawkshead are located in the heart of the Lake District and have been brewing beer since 2002. While they predominantly produce real ales, they also have a whole section of their brewery dedicated to craft beer. hawksheadbrewery.co.uk

BOUTILLIERS Boutilliers were founded in Kent in 2016.

Their ethos is all about making use of local artisans and whatever ingredients they get at the time, guaranteeing fresh beers that are never brewed again.

boutilliers.com

JUNKYARD Junkyard is a north-California inspired pourhouse, and has been fixing Notts with craft beer for many years with fifteen rotating taps and a bottle shop. At the festival they’ll be pouring beers from Omnipollo and Dugges.

junkbars.com

BREW BY NUMBERS Since 2011, Brew By Numbers have become one of the most recognisable faces of the London beer scene. They specialise in re-inventing classic styles with modern brewing techniques; creating forwardthinking and very drinkable beer. brewbynumbers.com BREW CAVERN Beloved Notts bottleshop Brew Cavern are planning to bring some serious stuff. They’ll have six taps, all pouring rare American imperial stouts and sour beers. These are likely to sell-out quickly. brewcavern.co.uk

BREWDOG BrewDog are pioneers in the UK craft beer scene. While core beers like Punk IPA are a staple nowadays, they’re still producing outstanding small batch brews which are all served up in their taphouses nationwide. brewdog.com

LIQUID LIGHT Combining a love for music and beer, local brewery Liquid Light have been composing creative beverages since 2017. They recently took home the best new brewery prize at Manchester’s Indy Man. liquidlightbrewco.com LITTLE EARTH PROJECT This tiny, self-sustainable brewery in the Suffolk countryside specialises in wild, oak-aged, traditional farmhouse and sour beers. Because they use mixed fermentation processes, every beer they produce is unique and different to the last. littleearthproject.com LOST INDUSTRY BREWING Lost Industry started out in 2015 with a simple aim: to brew the kind of beer they wanted to drink themselves. The Sheffieldbased brewery has no core range, so what they bring to the festival remains a mystery. lostindustrybrewing.com

CASTLE ROCK Local brewery Castle Rock have dominated the Notts beer scene for years. While their core range needs no introduction, their passion for creating seasonal and rotating craft brews keeps everyone on their toes.

castlerockbrewery.co.uk

MAGIC ROCK Since 2011, Magic Rock have since become one of the most recognisable breweries in the UK craft beer scene. They’re masters at re-inventing classic styles to create modern craft beer - as reflected in their distinctive artwork. magicrockbrewing.com

DONZOKO This Hartlepool based brewery has been re-thinking the way we brew lager by combining the rich heritage of German beer, with the brewing techniques of the modern UK and US craft beer scenes. donzoko.org

MAGPIE BREWERY These local legends have been creating environmentally-friendly, small batch beer since 2006. While they’ve adapted with the styles of the times with different seasonal ranges, their ethos in making completely sustainable beer hasn’t changed. magpiebrewery.com

SIREN Siren are known for their forward-thinking brews that have been luring people into craft beer since 2013. With over 100 releases planned for 2019 alone, expect them to bring some specials along to the festival. sirencraftbrew.com

NAVIGATION BREWERY Nottingham’s own Navigation Brewery have been producing consistently great core and seasonal casks and kegs for many years now. In 2018 SIBA named them, alongside Thornbridge, as the best two breweries in the Midlands. navigationbrewery.com

TORRSIDE BREWING This Derbyshire brewery specialise in three things: big beers, hop bombs and smoked beers. Their focus is on creating the things they like to drink themselves; which, judging by their recent releases, is generally stronger stuff. torrside.co.uk

NEON RAPTOR Their brewery and taproom is part of the festival site, since they relocated Sneinton Avenues a couple of years back. They’re currently sat comfortably in the top five best English breweries according to beer app, Untappd. neonraptorbrewingco.com

TOTALLY BREWED Nottingham’s Totally Brewed were officially founded in 2014. However, head brewer, Rob Witt, was home-brewing for six years before that. They’ve just celebrated their birthday with a raft of new releases.

totallybrewed.com TURNING POINT Turning Point set up their brewery above a fresh water well where they source all the water they’ll ever need for their unique beer.

Focusing on unusual ingredient combinations, their beers are always surprising and enjoyable.

turningpointbrewco.com

NORTH BREWING CO. From the people behind the legendary North bar, this Leeds based brewery have gone down a storm since 2015 and won a slew of awards for both their beer and their design. northbrewing.com NORTHERN MONK Based in Leeds and often considered at the forefront of the UK’s craft beer scene.

While their core range is fantastic, they’re constantly collaborating with other breweries too.

northernmonk.com RIDGESIDE Starting out brewing hop-heavy cask ales in 2010, this Leeds-based brewery have expanded into modern craft techniques, producing some of the most experimental beers on the market - like their delicious Blueberry Muffin Milk Stout. ridgesidebrewery.co.uk

Music

UNITY BREWING CO. Southampton-based Unity were founded in 2016 and have started to gain influence with their reworking of Belgian-style classics.

All their beers are seasonal, soft, completely vegan-friendly and perfect for a summer’s day unitybrewingco.com

Food

FRIDAY NIGHT - WIGFLEX The whole music programme for Friday at NCBF will be curated by Wigflex. There’ll be a whole roster of different DJ’s on deck, providing wavy vibes as you sip down some beers on a (hopefully) warm summer’s evening.

SATURDAY DAY - I’M NOT FROM LONDON THE BARNUM MESERVE Self-described as ‘Nine Inch Nails meets Hans Zimmer’, The Barnum Meserve bring traditional rock instrumentation to the next level with stadium-ready soundscapes.

MATTHEW MOORE & FRIENDS A mix of original songs and acoustic covers, Matthew Moore will be bringing his guitar, voice and band to this year’s Saturday day session. Expect energetic and poignant lyricism.

HOMEBOYS Notts Street Food Club residents and local legends, Homeboys, will be serving up their much loved Asian soul food at this year’s beer fest. These guys have been killing it for the last few years and we can’t wait to see what food they cook up at the festival.

SMOQUED Street Food Club residents Smoqued will be cooking up their Mexican-bbq inspired street food dishes throughout this year’s festival. These lot will be serving up summery dishes perfect for you to chow down between sipping beer.

MUMMA’ G’s Want something sweet to counteract the bitter brews? Luckily, Mumma G’s will be bringing their bakes along for their very own brownie bar. There’ll also be vegan and gluten-free brownies.

SATURDAY NIGHT - I’M NOT FROM LONDON

DOSA LOVE These Sneinton vegan market and Street Food Club regulars will be serving up some of the best vegan and gluten free Indian street food around.

THE KILLER BEES This quartet will be serving up some classic blues, rock n’ roll and jazz throughout Saturday afternoon - almost as many genres as beer-styles you’ll probably try throughout.

3C’Z Sneinton Market-based Caribbean food connoisseurs and professionals 3C’z will be travelling a very small distance in order to bring you outstanding and authentic jerk chicken.

BABE PUNCH With fuzzy guitars, furious drumming and infectious chorus melodies, lo-fi alternative rockers Babe Punch will be kicking new life late into the festival’s Saturday evening session.

VIETCENTRIC Onsite Vietnamese cooking school, Vietcentric, will be using their expert culinary knowledge to cook up some fresh Vietnamese street food especially for this year’s beer festival.

BUY TICKETS NOW AT NOTTINGHAMCRAFTBEER.CO.UK/FESTIVAL

Nottingham Breweries Meet the Nottingham-based brewers who make our city’s craft beer scene so great…

Name one beer you’ve made that everyone should try...

The obvious answer would be Pale Angel. It’s the first beer we brewed, it’s always available and it’s a classic tasty pale ale.

Although, my personal favourite of our beers would be our black IPA, Black Angel. It’s got loads of fruity hops and hints of darker malts to give that dark colour with chocolate and roasty flavours.

Are there any styles of beer you wish to brew in the future?

We’ll keep playing around with different hop combinations in pales and IPAs. I think they’ll always be the best-selling style, but I definitely want to experiment more. I’d like to try brewing some fruit beers and maybe some wheat beers or saisons.

DANNY PEARSON THE ANGEL

All of your beers are vegan-friendly as you don’t filter your beer with isinglass. What are the benefits of this?

I guess the main benefit is accessibility. I’d rather more people drink our beers, particularly when fining beers for the sake of

Name one beer you’ve made that everyone should try...

Critically Endangered/Extinct (the barrel-aged version). It's an imperial version of our porter, Endangered, the first beer we released. Most people think Neon Raptor is all hops, but I think I’m actually better at making dark beer.

Are there any styles of beer you wish to brew in the future?

A brown ale; there are excellent examples of brown ales out there, but the UK seems to have dismissed it as a flavourless, boring beer.

It doesn't have to be.

ADAM HENDERSON NEON RAPTOR

What’s behind the name Neon Raptor?

We were originally called Neon Tiger but got lots of IP infringement claims and cease and desist letters which we couldn't fight off. 'Neon' wasn't challenged, so I shortlisted a few other words that didn't have too many beer related hits on the IPO database,and sent the names

Name one beer you’ve made that everyone should try...

While I love brewing hoppy IPA's and sours, I’m most proud of our dark beers. One of my favourites was our collaboration with Emperors Brewery. We brewed an old recipe of mine and applied the power of the dark side, boosting it to a strength worthy of Senator Palpatine himself. The result was Interstellar Hyperdrive, a 12% Imperial rum and raisin porter. It’s insanely rich with a deep raisin flavour, combined with warmth, spice and vanilla.

Are there any styles of beer you wish to brew in the future?

Too many to count but I’m most excited to brew our first commercially available DIPA, which we hope to put into cans.

THOM STONE LIQUID LIGHT

Your brewery was founded on a love of music and beer. Are there any of your beers that you’d pair with certain music genres?

Name one beer you’ve made that everyone should try...

The next Wanderlust seasonal. I’m always striving to make each brew more exciting than the last. Another highlight is Wanderers, a session IPA packed with citra and mosaic hops.

Are there any styles of beer you wish to brew in the future?

I like the idea of a brut IPA and balancing its dry backbone with tropical hops. I’m also a big fan of imperial stouts and I’m currently perfecting my own recipe.

GAVIN MORRISON MAGPIE BREWERY

24 Nottingham Craft Beer Week

What’s the key distinction between your Core range and Wanderlust beer ranges?

Our core range and the seasonal range is a showcase of the finest British hops and malt, and the majority of the styles in these fit into traditional British beer styles. Wanderlust is heavily influenced by our own adventures and, like our travels, has no restrictions.

clarity just seems so unnecessary. The fining and filtering process can also strip out some of the flavour. Skipping that step means that the beer can be as full-flavoured as possible.

Being a microbrewery attached to a pub, is it rewarding to see people enjoying your beer in front of your eyes?

Absolutely! It’s great to see people enjoying the beers and them selling well over the bar, and it’s really useful having direct feedback from people trying them. I think customers also like drinking the beers and seeing the equipment used to make them; there are always interested people with lots of questions. angelmicrobrewery.com

out to see what worked best. Neon Raptor won unanimously and the rest is history.

Is there much pressure involved in being ranked so highly on Untappd?

I wouldn't say we feel pressure but there are high expectations when customers buy our beer, and so there should be. We ask them to pay a premium price so they should receive a premium product.

The pressure we feel is related to how small we are. We started out cuckoo-brewing and I was brewing 300L once every three weeks on average. I still worked my day job full time until moving to Sneinton Market and I’ve still only been full time at Neon Raptor for a few weeks. There are four of us now (soon to be five). Trying to keep on top of demand has been difficult with limited resources, but we’re starting to stabilise and should be able to continue growing. neonraptorbrewingco.com

All of our beers pair well with the tracks or albums they reference.

However, Into The Void, our coffee porter, which is named after the track from Black Sabbath's Master of Reality, certainly pairs the best.

The rich chocolatey flavours of the robust porter base pair perfectly with Iommi's heavy riffs and the coffee hit on the pallet matches Ozzy's frenetic vocals.

What’s it like being a cuckoo brewery?

Cuckoo brewing can be limiting but it’s been very successful for us. This is partly due to how generous and accommodating Magpie Brewery have been. They’ve allowed us to install our own 10bbl conical fermenter in the corner of the brewery. However, we hope to have our own space soon. liquidlightbrewco.com

Those beers offer a blend of new world hops and complex malts to guarantee an explosion of flavour.

How do you make your beers environmentally friendly?

We’ve always been a 100% green-energy powered brewery. When we upscaled our kit, we kept it electric-heated even though it costs more than gas. We have a system to recover old rinse water to run our jet wash, getting a second use out of it and reducing our water usage. All of our bottles are packaged into recycled cardboard with biodegradable tape. Our love for the environment is echoed in our Wanderlust Seasonal range as they’re named with an environmental message. For example, Simply Live is a peach pulp pale which will be released at Nottingham Craft Beer Festival and is a reference to the Mother Teresa quote: “We must live simply so that others can merely live.” magpiebrewery.com

Name one beer you’ve made that everyone should try...

Our fastest growing cask brand is Rebel and it just got voted the best golden beer in Nottingham by CAMRA. It seems to be loved everywhere we put it. In keg, I personally like the Hazy Pale with West coast hops and at 4.5%, it’s a refreshing session drink.

Are there any styles of beer you wish to brew in the future?

Right now, we’re working on a strawberry lactose beer. I’m also looking forward to brewing more dark beers and maybe an American red. We’re currently trialing wood aged beers that will be available for Nottingham Craft Beer Week.

DOM FLYNN NAVIGATION BREWERY

Is there a personal favourite of the seasonal beers that you brew?

I would have to go with the Belgian Blonde. It’s been voted the best Name one beer you’ve made that everyone should try...

Recently, we made a redbush tea and cherry sour called Hokuto Shinken; it was my favourite sour beer last year. When brewing, we decided to put half the batch into red wine barrels for six months. It tastes incredible; the red wine barrel-ageing has really complimented the beer, resulting in a sophisticated cherry bakewell flavour.

Are there any styles of beer that you wish to brew in the future?

I’d love to get into some wild fermentations and trying out the kveik yeast.

ROB WITT TOTALLY BREWED

PIP WAGG BLUE MONKEY

DAN GILLILAND CASTLE ROCK

ALEX WILSON BLACK IRIS

Are there any challenges involved with brewing for both cask and keg?

There is a problem with getting the beers priced fairly. Cask beer

speciality light cask beer in the Midlands by Siba and the second best Midlands cask beer overall. It’s got all the banana flavour you would expect from a Belgian beer and it’s fantastic with any fish dish.

What’s the benefit to doing everything onsite at the brewery?

We have control all of our beer. It’s not particularly crafty, but we are SALSA accredited. We do all the lab work, yeast counts, yeast control, acid washing and CO2 analysis. All of these things ultimately give a consistent produce that we can confidently say has been tasted all the way through the system and passed by a trained tasting panel. navigationbrewery.com

generally demands a lower price than keg beers, but we’re working on bringing the market up-to-date. That said, we brew some beers that we wouldn’t put into keg which are aimed at a wider real ale market. We do, however, always try and put some of our more crafty beers into cask too, but usually only in small volume.

Who comes up with the names and artwork ideas for your beers?

I generally come up with the names but other team members come up with some. The ‘Tijuana Build a Snowman’ Mexican gose with chillies, limes, cumin and cinnamon was our logistics manager Martin Allen’s idea. We then pass on the names to our artist Max Rock, who has done all our artwork from day one. totallybrewed.com

Name one beer you’ve made that everyone should try...

Blubarb and Custard is one of the beers I’m most excited about. We used fresh rhubarb from Nottinghamshire to impart a crisp flavour and aroma and then balanced it with lactose. This provides a complex and interesting flavour and a beer which is both quaffable and refreshing.

Are you excited for your first canned beer?

Yes very much so. Infinity Plus One in a can will be epic. We’re only canning a relatively small quantity to keep everything fresh and exciting. We don’t bottle anything in house and send our beer off to Staffordshire brewery who bottle it for us. We’ve developed a good relationship with them, so we’ll continue to use them for canning.

Are there any styles of beer you wish to brew in the future?

Currently, we predominantly produce cask beer and this has some limitations. We’re beginning to move into producing more keg beers which would open up opportunities to look at brewing some different styles. Mixed fermentation sour beers have always intrigued me and I would love to experiment with their flavours.

I’m also a big fan of black lagers, so if there was a market for a Blue Monkey doppelbock that would be fun.

What’s your favourite flavour of gin that you distill alongside your beer?

I’m most excited about our new Seville orange gin. With a light tonic, it’s something special.

Name one beer you’ve made that everyone should try...

Sheriff's Tipple is a classic example of an English bitter. It's a style that's disregarded by most modern drinkers and brewers, but it's such a big part of our history and heritage and there's some cracking examples out there. Also our Fruit V2 was a blend of guava, passion fruit and mango and, I’d argue, is better than Rubicon.

Got anything exciting planned for your 2.0 range?

We're doing a Solero-inspired kettle sour that should be out for NCBW19. We also brewed an Imperial stout with Emperor's Brewery recently. It's come out at 12.5% and we're releasing different barrel-aged versions of it over the next year or so.

Are there any styles of beer you wish to brew in the future?

I'd really like to nail down a proper lager at some point. Other than that, we started a spontaneous fermentation souring program about three years ago that should bear fruit soon, so I'm looking forward to playing around with blending and barrel-aging various things.

bluemonkeybrewery.com

You clearly enjoy experimenting. Is there anything you’re experimenting with right now?

I have a lot more freedom to experiment now that I'm heading up production and I don't think people are apprehensive about the unknown at the brewery any more. We should be getting a one barrel pilot kit in soon too, so we can really start to play around.

This will mean we can test new recipes and processes without having to brew twenty-odd barrels. castlerockbrewery.co.uk

Name one beer you’ve made that everyone should try...

I'm most excited for people to try our 500th gyle celebration brew. Gyle is a term that means the beer produced in one brewing session, and this means we have brewed 500 times since we arrived in Nottingham. We've cooked up a Blueberry IPA crammed full of blueberry juice, Mosaic and El Dorado hops, Madagascan vanilla beans and lactose milk sugar. It's a full on beer that is really, really purple.

Any plans for another Piss Up in a Brewery event?

At the moment, our focus is entirely on the brewery and brewing the best beer we possibly can. We did really love doing the events but we've simply run out of space as our capacity and production have increased year on year. However, we are always keen to blend music and beer at events, like our metal and beer pairing night down in Hackney to launch our latest collaboration brew Drink Beer, Hail Satan!

Are there any styles of beer you wish to brew in the future?

We’re keen to expand both our sour brewing capacity and roll out an extended barrel-ageing program, however the only thing that limits us currently is space in our brewery. However, we are launching a brand new sour beer at Nottingham Craft Beer Festival.

What are your plans for 2019 and beyond?

Plenty of plans and dreams swimming round currently! For now though, it's just to be the best brewers we can be and to always enjoy what we do. facebook.com/blackiris.brewery Nottingham Craft Beer Week 25

The Abdication Micropub

The Angel Microbrewery

With no music, screens or games in the micropub, the Abdication is a warm and welcoming place where beer is king and conversation is the order of the day.

Located in Hockley, The Angel is a historic pub that has been open under various incarnations since the 1600s and, after refurbishment in 2016, has its own microbrewery which produces cask beer.

The Abdication has been open since 2014 and offers a rotating selection of both cask and craft beers. Being an intimate micropub, it feels like someone’s converted front living room. However, as it sits opposite the old Home Ales building, the venue is steeped in local brewing history.

It’s been a brothel, a chapel and gained notoriety in the eighties as a haven for heavy metal bands, but has since been turned into a more relaxed boozer.

The Angel does, however, still host plenty of live gigs, pub quizzes and comedy nights.

89 Mansfield Road, Daybrook, NG5 6BH cheers@theabdication.co.uk

theabdication.co.uk

7 Stoney Street, Lace Market, NG1 1LG 0115 948 3343

They also house their own upcoming brewery; Good Stuff Brewing. There’s no core range as they’re still experimenting, but previous brews have included a chocolate milk stout and a black IPA.

theabdicationmicropub

angelmicrobrewery.com

theabdication

Their own brewed beers are also completely vegan-friendly and glutenfree, and half of their food menu is also vegan or vegetarian ensuring that everyone can enjoy what the pub has to offer.

angelmicrobrewery

angelmbrewery

Barley Twist

Barrel Drop

A two-floor craft beer and wine cellar located by Nottingham train station, Barley Twist is a Castle Rock venue with an outstanding selection of beers.

Part of the Magpie Brewery group, this cosy little micropub offers an ever changing range of cask and craft brews with an ethos of finding your new favourite beer…

91 Carrington Street, NG1 7FE 0115 950 5456

7 Hurts Yard, NG1 6JD 0115 9243018

Once an old sweet shop, Barley Twist is now a warmly-lit atmospheric space with exposed brick and glowing fairy lights. The upstairs is a one-room bar with high ceilings, while downstairs is a large stripped-back cellar.

castlerockbrewery.co.uk

26 Nottingham Craft Beer Week

Beer isn’t the only thing on the menu here: Barley Twist stock around 75 fantastic wines from all over the world.

However, the beer selection is rather extensive with a few fridges full of packaged beer and constantly changing craft taps.

barleytwistcrb

Beer garden

barley_twist

Dog friendly

Tucked away in Hurts Yard, Barrel Drop is a quirky hidden gem. As well as serving up Magpie beers, which are all produced sustainably, they also have fridges full of packaged beer that you can drink in or take away.

magpiebrewery.com

barley_twist

Food

Open late

Pub games

Wifi

Recent appearances on the taps include Cloudwater, Magic Rock and Neon Raptor. Located just off Market Square, it's a perfect location to have a few intimate and conversation-led drinks with your friends; it’s well worth a visit.

thebarreldrop

T.V

thebarreldrop

Parking

barreldropnotts

Function room

Live music

The Botanist

Bread and Bitter

The Botanist is a beautifully-designed cocktail bar and pub located in the heart of West Bridgford, known for serving up horticultureinspired beverages.

Up in Mapperley Top, but well worth the trip out, the Bread and Bitter is a fantastic, traditional cosy pub that serves great food and craft beer.

Walking into The Botanist is like walking into a bar designed by a gardener, with wooden panelling and greenery everywhere. It’s no wonder that many of their original cocktails also follow this theme by using fresh ingredients you’d find in an English garden - or at least a similar flavoured liqueur.

Like any Castle Rock owned pub, the drinks selection is extensive with rotating cask ales and craft kegs, Castle Rock staples, and a fridge stocked with over 40 cans and bottles - all of them craft.

40 Bridgford Road, West Bridgford, NG2 6AP 0115 704 3700

thebotanist.uk.com

153-155 Woodthorpe Drive, Mapperley, NG3 5JL 0115 960 7541

While excellent cocktails are their main specialty, they also offer food and a great range of craft beers and premium lagers; they recently had beers from Siren, Magic Rock and Northern Monk on the taps.

TheBotanistW.Bridgford

thebotanistuk

castlerockbrewery.co.uk

The food at Bread and Bitter is also well renowned; with a whole separate vegan menu and a gluten free menu, they accommodate for any dietary requirements. They also do a cracking Sunday roast, for which booking is strongly advised as it usually sells out.

breadandbitter

breadandbitter

Brew Cavern

BrewDog

Brew Cavern is a fully-refrigerated craft beer bottle shop located in the historic Flying Horse Walk, right in the centre of Nottingham.

Pioneers of the Craft Beer Revolution in Nottingham seven years ago, BrewDog are still producing outstanding beer for both their core and small batch ranges.

9 Flying Horse Walk, NG1 2HN 07742 353547

20-22 Broad Street, NG1 3AL 0115 9583613

They opened in 2014 with a focus on stocking the very best of UK and World beer in bottle and can. With over 250 lines, the shop is as popular with beer fanatics looking for rarities as it is with gift buyers looking for a recommendation.

brewcavern.co.uk

brewcavern

They also operate a mail order website that ships beer all over the country, as well as a click and collect service, so you’ll never miss out on some of the popular beers that sometimes stay in stock for only a matter of hours.

brewcavern

Their bar in Hockley is a relaxed boozer with exposed brick walls, retro games consoles and board games - perfect for a quiet night out with your friends. As well as craft beer, they also serve a range of food from pizzas to cheese boards.

brewcavern

brewdog.com

They have 20 rotating taps which always have with 12 BrewDog beers, 6 guest beers and 2 local beers. All staff have passed the Cicerone Certified Beer Server exam meaning they’ll easily be able to find your new favourite beer for you.

brewdognotts

brewdognotts

Nottingham Craft Beer Week 27 Beer garden

Dog friendly

Food

Open late

Pub games

Wifi

T.V

Parking

Function room

Live music

Bunkers Hill

The Canalhouse

36-38 Hockley, Lace Market, NG1 1FP 0115 9100114

48-52 Canal Street, NG1 7EH 0115 955 5060

Sitting at the bottom of Hockley, next door to Nottingham Arena, Bunkers Hill is a tucked away haven for craft beer offering a mix of new UK, US and European brews.

With ten craft beer taps, more taps serving premium lagers, five cask pumps and fridges packed full of beer, Bunkers Hill has always offered one of the widest selections of beer in the city. Refurbished only a few years ago, it has a relaxed vibe

bunkershillnottingham.co.uk

with wooden tables and an informal bar with logos, stickers and neon signs dotted around it. If there’s a brewery you’re into right now, chances are that Bunkers Hill probably stock one of their beers.

bunkershill

bunkershill

With probably the largest beer selection in the East Midlands and a canal that extends into the building, Canalhouse is one of the most unique venues in Nottingham.

They stock 250+ beers from around the world and has ten craft kegs on the taps, alongside six cask lines and even more taps serving premium European lager.

With its expansive selection, the pub was one of the venues that paved the way for craft beer in Nottingham. castlerockbrewery.co.uk

bunkershill

Canalhouse also has a lovely outdoor seating area that’s dotted with fairy lights and overlooks the canal. They also host a regular comedy night which costs just one pound for entry.

canalhousebar

canalhousebar

canalhousebar

Crafty Crow

Cock and Hoop

25 High Pavement, NG1 1HE 0115 9484414

102 Friar Lane, NG1 6EB 0115 8371992

Situated in a Grade II listed building, the Cock & Hoop dates back to the 1800s but is now a traditional style pub predominantly serving local cask ales.

Nestled into the cobbled streets surrounding Nottingham Castle, the Crafty Crow is Magpie Brewery’s own scenic taproom.

While cask ale is their specialty, they also have four kegs on tap and a fridge with a good craft beer selection to drink in or take away. The food at the Cock & Hoop is also fantastic and highly reviewed serving up pub classics to warm the soul.

lacemarkethotel.co.uk

Beer garden

Dog friendly

It’s located just across the road from the National Justice Museum, and is the onsite bar for the Lace Market Hotel.

When it used to be a public house, barristers would book rooms to watch the hanging of criminals across the road.

Nowadays it’s a dog-friendly pub.

cockandhoop

Food

cockandhooppub

Open late

Pub games

The Crafty Crow is a large space that blends classic interior design with modern features; here, you’ll find old leather armchairs under exposed hanging light bulbs. Like Magpie Brewery itself, the Crafty Crow are very environmentally conscious and all of their food is from independent, local

cockandhoop

Wifi

craftycrownotts.co.uk

T.V

Parking

sources and farmers in order to reduce their carbon footprint.

As well as serving up ten cask ales, they have an impressive 10 craft keg taps that emerge from the centre of a retired Grundy conditioning tank .

craftycrownottingham

Function room

Live music

crafty_crow

crafty_crow

Nottingham Craft Beer Week 29

The Cross Keys

Doctor’s Orders Micropub

15 Byard Lane, NG1 2GJ 0115 941 7898

351 Mansfield Road, NG5 2DA 0115 960 7985

The Cross Keys is a traditional pub located in the heart of the Lace Market and serves up tasty grub and rotating cask ales.

A building steeped in history, The Cross Keys has been part of Nottingham city centre for over a hundred years, the building itself even potentially dating back to the 1600s. While Navigation Brewery create the mainstay beers at the pub, they frequently rotate both their cask pumps and craft kegs.

crosskeysnottingham.co.uk

They also serve a mix of premium lagers and plenty of spirits. The grub here is also superb and is worth checking out what food offers occur on particular days.

TheCrossKeysNottingham

Set in a former pharmacy and styled on a Victorian apothecary, Doctor’s Orders is a cosy micropub owned by Magpie Brewery on Mansfield Road.

A small bar at the back houses five hand pulls containing at least one Magpie ale, alongside other breweries based near and far. There’s no need to get up either as it’s all table service.

CrossKeysNottm

doctorsordersmicropub.co.uk

They have a great selection of real ales and craft bottles to drink in or take away.

Plus, if you like what you’re drinking on hand pull you can take that home too, with their four pint carriers. The beers are complemented by a superb range of traditional bar snacks.

domicropub

domicropub

The Embankment

Fox & Grapes

Set in a Grade II listed building city side of Trent Bridge, The Embankment is a beautiful, historic pub which originally opened in 1907 as part of Boots the Chemists’ expansion.

Situated down at the Sneinton Avenues development, the Fox and Grapes is a light and airy Castle Rock pub, full of beautiful wooden decor. . .

It’s established itself as a wonderful community pub offering a little bit of everything. Upstairs, Jesse Boot’s former office remains as it always has: a beautiful, wood-clad room with a gallery view of the main bar and stained-glass windows.

Under various incarnations, the Fox and Grapes has sat at the city’s creative epicentre since the 1830s. Serving quick and easy food with a modest range of ingredients, expect fancy jackets, pizzas and mezzalunas, with gluten free and

21 Southwell Road, NG1 1DL 0115 8418970

282-284 Arkwright Street, NG2 2GR 0115 9864502

castlerockbrewery.co.uk

Beer garden

Dog friendly

The pub is split into several rooms but The Dispensary is the place for beer lovers. With ten real ales, ten craft kegs, plus a fridge stocked full of craft and world beers, it showcases some of the finest beers from near and far.

theembankmentpub

Food

Open late

castlerockbrewery.co.uk

embankmentnottm

Pub games

Wifi

T.V

Parking

Function room

vegan options always available – apt for a pub which feels both traditional and moll of craft bottles and cans.

foxandgrapesnottingham

Live music

foxandgrapescrb

Nottingham Craft Beer Week 31

Head of Steam

The Herbert Kilpin

Firm favourites in the UK craft-beer scene, Head of Steam is a great place to check out in Hockley, opposite the Nottingham Contemporary gallery…

A beautiful building in the heart of Nottingham City Centre, The Herbert Kilpin is a spacious pub with a modern twist.

They’re still relatively new to Notts, but they’ve already established more than a dozen venues in the likes of Liverpool, Leeds, Leicester, Birmingham, Hull, Sheffield and Newcastle. The bar stocks over 130 different beers and a large selection of spirits and cocktails.

The pub is named after the Notts born and bred founder of A.C. Milan and screens plenty of Italian football as well as other major sporting events. However, most of the time it’s an atmospheric, relaxed watering hole serving up great food.

7 High Pavement, NG1 1HF 0115 9476636

headofsteam.co.uk

10 Bridlesmith Walk, NG1 2HB 0115 9484743

They also offer a new world-food menu and you can bring your dog along with you while you sup a pint.

If you’re a night owl then Head of Steam’s a good spot as it’s open late most nights of the week.

headofsteam.nottingham

hos_nottingham

The Hockley Rebel

thekilpin.co.uk

With five house kegs, five rotating craft kegs and five cask pumps, the Kilpin is a great place if you’re looking for craft beer. As it’s run by the people behind Junkyard, the staff all have excellent knowledge on all things beer, and will gladly help you find something to drink.

theherbertkilpin

herbie_k

Holy Calzone

14 Broad Street, NG1 3AJ 0115 948 4236

105 Trent Blvd, West Bridgford, NG2 5BN 0115 874 5868

Located in the middle of Broad Street, Hockley Rebel is a new bar that offers great beer from Tiny Rebel and more.

A new pizza and calzone restaurant that’s in an old church, Holy Calzone is run by the folks over at Junkyard, meaning their brews are as tasty as their food.

With a cosy yet modern interior, The Hockley Rebel is a great place to grab a quiet drink with your friends. However, every weekend from 9pm to 3am, the upstairs part of the bar transforms into a nightclub complete with DJ sets and dim-lighting.

Kitted out with an ultra-modern and quirky interior design, this once abandoned church in Lady Bay has since become one of the coolest places to grab a bite or drink in West Bridgford.

The calzones are huge, but they also do smaller pizzas if you fancy something lighter.

thehockleyrebel.co.uk

32 Nottingham Craft Beer Week

Beer wise, Tiny Rebel are a mainstay on the taps but there are also other craft breweries, such as Mad Dog and Blue Stone, that also make regular appearances. They also have fridges full of tasty brews, too.

TheHockleyRebelNotts

Beer garden

Dog friendly

holycalzone.com

thehockleyrebel

Food

Open late

Pub games

holycalzone

Wifi

T.V

On the taps there are a variety of lagers and ciders, however, there is a constantly rotating list of craft beers and fridges chocked-full of beer from the UK, Europe and the US to wash down your food with.

CalzoneHoly

Parking

holy_calzones

Function room

Live music

Hopology

JamCafe

Hopology was one of the first craft beer shops to open in Nottingham and was a trailblazer for the city’s love of craft beer.

JamCafe is at the heart of the creative community in Nottingham, and is known for running tonnes of events and serving up great craft beer.

Based in a busy high street in West Bridgford, Hopology sell over 400 bottled and canned beers from across the UK, USA and Europe (Belgian and Dutch beer is a particular speciality) as well as supporting the local micros.

JamCafe is a 100% independent venue and therefore can serve whatever beer they like from their six rotating craft taps and fridges full of Belgian beer. You can order Chinese food from neighbours U-Canteen and eat it inside, and they also cater for occasional pop ups too.

126 Melton Road, West Bridgford, NG2 6EP 0115 9816346

hopology.uk

12 Heathcote Street, NG1 3AA 0115 948 3566

They also stock cider and wine, but all of it is sourced from independent producers. In terms of British beer, they stick to the smaller independents who produce the most interesting beer. They have free parking at the shop and are opposite the bus stop from town.

hopologybeershop

hopologybeer

jamcafe.info

Junkyard

The main appeal of JamCafe, however, is its events. From a regular open mic, to poetry events, club nights and gigs, it’s always worth checking what’s on.

jamcafenottingham

jamcafe

jamcafe

Kean’s Head

12 Bridlesmith Walk, NG1 2HB 0115 9501758

46 St Mary’s Gate, NG1 1QA 0115 947 4052

Junkyard is a craft beer pour house tucked away between Fletcher Gate and Bridlesmith Gate, and has been at the forefront of Nottingham’s craft beer scene for years.

Kean’s Head is located opposite the beautiful St Mary’s church in the middle of the Lace Market and one of the widest ranges of drinks in the city.

Modelled in the style of a North Californian bar, Junkyard is a laid back craft beer specialist bar with 15 rotating craft taps and a bottle shop which stocks beer from the UK, Europe and the USA. The staff are also very well-versed in beer and can help you navigate the expansive offering.

Something of a hidden gem, Kean’s Head was one of the first Notts venues to champion craft beer. While it serves pub classics for food - including delicious pork pies - the beer selection is anything but traditional.

junkbars.com

Beer garden

Dog friendly

Junkyard also have a hidden back garden that it shares with The Herbert Kilpin.

There is also great pub grub on offer and brunch that is served till 2pm every day.

junkyardnottingham

Food

jydpoho

Open late

jydpoho

Pub games

Wifi

castlerockbrewery.co.uk

T.V

Parking

With ten rotating craft taps, fridges full of everything from imperial stouts to Belgian trappist beers, and five real ale pumps, you could be stumped for choice here. They also stock over sixty whiskeys, sixty gins and twenty rums, and more taps with premium lagers and ciders.

thekeanshead

Function room

Live music

keanshead

keanshead

Nottingham Craft Beer Week 33

Kraft Werks

Lincolnshire Poacher

513 Mansfield Road, Sherwood, NG5 2JL 07975 755364

161-163 Mansfield Road, NG1 3FR 0115 941 1584

A specialist beer shop and bar set in a former bank in Sherwood, selling hundreds of different types of beer.

The Lincolnshire Poacher has been a staple of the Nottingham pub scene for so long that it’s easy to forget it only opened in the late eighties.

With only beer and a couple of ciders available, it’s safe to say that they’re beer purists. Taking the US-born concept of a ‘bottle shop and taproom’ and they pride themselves on having great customer service, as the staff are very knowledgeable about beer.

The defining characteristic of the pub is its prolonged dedication to stocking the very best cask ale around - they’ve recently stocked big names like Cloudwater and Vibrant Forest. Over thirty years, the Poacher has earned a reputation as the place in Nottingham

kraft-werks.com

kraftwerks

Since opening in 2015, they’ve been shortlisted for Best Drinking Venue at the Nottingham Bar Awards and, as of late, you can order pizza from neighbours Cornerstone and eat it inside.

kraftwerksnotts

castlerockbrewery.co.uk

kraftwerksnotts

for beer quality and choice, a distinction it strengthened as part of the Castle Rock family.

They also serve up plenty of fresh food ranging from pub classics to modern twists, and have a charming walled beer garden out the back.

lincolnshire.poacher.9

lincpoacher

The Lion at Basford

The Malt Cross

Situated right next door to Black Iris Brewery, The Lion is a haven for cask ale, craft beer, live music and great food.

As one of the only surviving Victorian music halls in the country, The Malt Cross is an iconic building which has become well known for having a great selection of beer.

Playing host to four live music events per week and with an extensive food menu filled with burgers and other lighter bites, including plenty of vegan and gluten-free items, The Lion has become a staple in the local pub scene.

They recently opened a new beer garden and patio, so it can accommodate even more people in the summer.

Built in 1877, The Malt Cross is a Grade II listed building and an architectural wonder with six levels, including underground caves. It’s a stone’s throw away from Market Square, meaning it has been a popular spot for many years.

44 Mosley Street, Basford, NG7 7FQ 0115 9703506

thelionatbasford.co.uk

Beer garden

Dog friendly

16 St James’s Street, NG1 6FG 0115 941 1048

With eleven real ale pumps dominating the bartop, five craft taps, ten traditional ciders and over forty beers in the fridge, The Lion truly has something for everyone.

thelionatbasford

Food

Open late

maltcross.com

thelionbasford

Pub games

Wifi

T.V

Parking

On the taps, there are sixteen keg beers and seven cask ales that are usually locally produced. With great acoustics and plenty of things to drink, you’d be mad to miss one of their jazz nights or open mics.

maltcrossnotts

Function room

Live music

maltcross

maltcross

Nottingham Craft Beer Week 35

Neon Raptor

Organ Grinder

Sneinton Market, Unit 14 Avenue A, NG1 1DT contact@neonraptorbrewingco.com

21 Alfreton Road, NG7 3JE 0115 970 0630

Based right in the heart of Sneinton Market Avenues, the Neon Raptor taproom serves up beer as fresh it can be, straight from taps in the brewery.

A Blue Monkey brewery owned bar on Alfreton Road just off Canning Circus, the Organ Grinder is a fantastic local pub that hosts a regular offering of live music.

Not only are they considered one of the best craft breweries in the UK right now on Untappd, but every weekend Neon Raptor open up their brewery taproom and let us local lot sample all their brand new brews.

They’ve won a slew of awards from CAMRA for their maintained dedication to cask ale; with nine cask ales, a changing selection of real ciders and perries and a newly added craft beer selection, you won’t be hard-pressed to find a good brew here.

With eight lines serving seven Neon Raptor beers and one guest beer, everything here is focused around beer; the only other drink available is an award-winning gin from Sneinton Market neighbours Redsmith. They’ve also got fridges full of their own stuff to take home if you like what you taste. neonraptorbrew

neonraptorbrewingco.com

As well as good beer, they also serve delicious locally-produced pork pies.

Whether it’s sitting in front of the fireplace in winter or enjoying the sun on their terrace, the Organ Grinder is a great place to grab a beer.

bluemonkeybrewery.com

neonraptorbrew

OGnotts

OGrinderNotts

Overdraught

Poppy & Pint

Run by Totally Brewed, The Overdraught is one of the best craft beer bars around with fourteen keg lines, seven hand pulls and an extensive bottle and can range.

Poppy and Pint is a light, airy and spacious pub nestled right at the heart of the Lady Bay community.

The Overdraught is set in a former bank just up by Canning Circus; it’s since been refurbished with modern interior design, along with pretty lights and exposed brick walls.

As with any Castle Rock pub, the drinks range is diverse and has a great mix of traditional and newer beers from hand pull pumps that decorate the bartop, to a whole wall dedicated to craft beer.

Pierrepont Road, West Bridgford, NG2 5DX 0115 9819995

11-15 Alfreton Road, NG7 3JE info@totallybrewed.com

totallybrewed.com

36 Nottingham Craft Beer Week

While this is a Totally Brewed pub, the second they opened after Totally Tapped in Beeston, they also play host to many of the best UK craft beers around and host tap takeovers from other prominent UK breweries.

totallyoverdraught

Beer garden

Dog friendly

totallyoverdrau

Food

castlerockbrewery.co.uk

Open late

Pub games

Wifi

The pub has three main areas: a dining room, a cafe bar and a traditional bar – meaning it’s suitable for both those who want to do some work during the day or those who fancy a relaxed session.

They’re also known for serving up some good grub, too.

poppyandpint

T.V

Parking

poppyandpint

Function room

Live music

Rescue Rooms

Rough Trade

Since its inauguration in 2003, Rescue Rooms has become a staple of the Nottingham music scene and is now one of the best venues to grab yourself a decent beer too.

Rough Trade is a legendary record store which also hosts a gig venue and bar upstairs serving great craft beer.

Masonic Place, Goldsmith Street, NG1 5LB 0115 8283173

The 450-capacity gig venue is a member of the DHP family and has, therefore, played host to musicians such as Amy Winehouse, The Libertines and Ellie Goulding - just to name a few. They have two gig rooms, a huge bar area and two outside patio areas so you can do some al fresco sipping in summer. rescuerooms.com

RescueRooms

5 Broad Street, NG1 3AJ 0115 896 4012

As well as fridges stocked full of new beers, they also have constantly rotating guest craft kegs as well as a selection of cask ale and premium lagers - a place where Northern Monk and Red Stripe sit side-by-side.

rescuerooms

With Beavertown and Guinness both being mainstays on the taps, alongside two taps dedicated to serving up rotating local beers, there’s always something for everyone to drink. They also stock a wide variety of bottles and cans in the fridge.

roughtrade.com

rescuerooms

However, the main appeal of Rough Trade is the focus around music. Not only is it a fantastic record store, but also plays host to some of the best up and coming acts around in its 200 capacity gig venue - recently including The Japanese House, Sundara Karma and even Busted.

roughtradenottm

RoughTrade

Six Barrel Drafthouse

Stratford Haven

Sat atop the hill in Hockley, Six Barrel has quickly become a staple of the beer scene in the city with its excellent selection of packaged beers and cask ales.

Stratford Haven is a charming and traditional pub, a short stroll away from Trent Bridge cricket ground and Nottingham Forest’s City Ground.

The interior feels neither old or new, but timeless; filled with wooden panelling and leather seating, it’s a relaxed and atmospheric pub by night and cafe by day, serving 200 degrees coffee.

Reputed for the quality of its cask ales, the Strat continues to serve the best cask beers from near and far, but have extended their beer range to include ten keg craft beers and over twenty bottles and cans. They have worked hard on cultivating their beer range and have

2 Stratford Road, West Bridgford, NG2 6BA 0115 982 5981

14-16 Carlton Street, NG1 1NN 0115 9501798

sixbarreldrafthouse.co.uk

Beer garden

Dog friendly

As the name suggests, there are always six cask ales at the front of the bar and six craft beers on the back wall. However, their selection of packaged beer is expansive, and thirty percent off to drink in or take away on Mondays.

sixbarreldraft

Food

Open late

castlerockbrewery.co.uk

sixbarreldraft

Pub games

Wifi

T.V

Parking

Function room

developed the pub into a haven for cask ale and craft beer.

On the food side, pub classics is what the Strat does well, but expect some surprises - like the peppercorn tofu sirloin served on Wednesday’s steak and blues night.

stratfordhavenwb

Live music

stratfordhaven

Nottingham Craft Beer Week 37

Trent Navigation

Yarn

17 Meadow Lane, NG2 3HS 0115 986 5658

5 South Sherwood Street, NG1 5ND 0115 9895569

Trent Navigation is a traditional pub set in a Victorian building on Meadow Lane, just by Notts County’s Meadow Lane stadium.

Situated next door to Theatre Royal and Royal Concert hall, Yarn is a great place to grab a drink or something to eat while you’re in the hustle of the city centre.

Owned by Navigation Brewery, the Trent Navigation always has some outstanding beers on hand pull - with thirteen pumps predominantly consisting of Navigation beers and some guest lines too. They also stock a few craft kegs and serve up delicious, traditional British pub food to feast on.

This young Castle Rock bar is a haven for beer, with eight cask lines and ten keg lines showcasing some of the best craft beer from near and far.

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38 Nottingham Craft Beer Week

The pub is also well-known for hosting regular live music from some of the best local acts around, as well as showing every big sporting event under the sun on their large 42 inch TV’s.

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and locals Black Iris, just to name a few.

Food-wise, you can expect a variety of lovingly created tapas dishes and freshly made, hand-stretched pizza.

While Castle Rock beers are a regular feature on Yarn’s taps, they also source beers from breweries such as Tiny Rebel

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