Record number of breweries to attend Great Northern Beer festival in Manchester city centre

A record 80 breweries from across the North have entered beers in the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA), North Region Beer Competition 2011, ensuring an unprecedented choice of beers for this year’s Great Northern Beer Festival in Manchester.

After judging, the doors will be opened to public to drink the entries at the Mercure Piccadilly Hotel in the city centre, October 27 - 29.

The 80 breweries, 23 more than last year, have entered a total of 250 casks of beer, which translates to 18,000 pints.

An entire temporary cellar, properly chilled, will be installed in the International Suite of the hotel.

Festival organiser, Alex Brodie said; “This is the brewers themselves taking control of exhibiting their beers to the public. To ensure the beer is in the best possible condition, we need to sell it within three days, which is why we are doing this in a city centre location with a low entry fee – to get as many people through the door as possible.

“And it is in a city centre hotel, considerably posher than your average beer festival.”

The breweries across the North are providing the beer free of charge and Greater Manchester CAMRA (The Campaign for Real Ale) is managing the cellar and the bar.

All the beer will be served “in the Northern manner”, with a creamy head, which makes this beer festival unique.

The traditional British pint is undergoing a revival with drinkers shunning high volume produced beers and switching to high quality local brews, with women making up 32 per cent of real ale converts.

For more information about the event, visit: www.siba.co.uk/gnbf

ENDS.

Media enquiries:

Michael Gregory at Freshfield on 01772 888400 or michael@freshfield.com.

Media enquiries:

Michael Gregory at Freshfield on 01772 888400 or michael@freshfield.com.

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