I’m getting drunk for you

Vegan menu one day only

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If you need another convincing reason to come along to London Vegan Beer Fest this Saturday (July 15, 2017), the fact that we have a gorgeous restaurant on site serving ONLY those attending the event should do the trick. No outsiders!

Autumn Yard is the permanent on site restaurant for Hackney Downs Studios and they have agreed to turn 100% vegan for the day of the beer fest as they become one of our three exclusive spaces for the day.

And it’s not just food they will be offering up. They will be hosting an exclusive beer tap takeover by locals 40FT  Brewery, a vegan wine bar, and of course their regular café serving coffee and tea. All vegan and all just for London Vegan Beer Fest attendees!

Let’s break down the info a little into smaller chunks as we explore what is happening inside Autumn Yard this Saturday.

The food menu

  • Chilli Burger, with Slaw & Sweet Potato fries and a beer of your choice 13.95
  • Cheese Burger, with Slaw & Sweet Potato fries and a beer of your choice 13.95
  • Chargrill Butternut Squash, Promegrante, Turmeric & beetroot Hummus. 8.95
  • Baked flat bread bowl with a Tomato, Black Lentil Tabbouleh. 7.95
  • Mixed Colour Quinoa Grain Bowl, with Tender Stem Broccoli, Sweet Potato, Tahini & Soy Dressing 6.95
  • Brownie & Ice Cream 4.95
  • Chocolate Pot 2.95

The Wine Bar

White

  • Il Meridione Grillo, IGT Terre Siciliane Italy 2016
  • False Bay Wild Yeast Chenin Blanc, Coastal Region South Africa 2016
  • Les Mains Noires, Côtes du Roussillon Villages, Vallée de l’Agly France 2015
  • Etnico Sauvignon Blanc [organic] Chile 2016
  • K-Naia Verdejo Spain 2015
  • Sepp Grüner Veltliner [organic] Austria 2016

Red

  • Ca’ di Ponti Nero d’Avola, IGT Terre Siciliane Italy 2015
  • Pedrera Monastrell Spain 2015
  • Conviviale Primitivo, IGT Salento Italy 2015
  • Adobe Reserva Malbec, Rapel Valley (organic) Chile 2016
  • Savoir-Faire d’Autrefois Mourvèdre, Pays d’Oc France 2013
  • Amauta Absoluto Tannat Argentina 2016

Rosé

  • Ancora Rosato, Monferrato Chiaretto Italy 2016
  • Circumstance Cape Coral Mourvèdre Rosé (biodynamic) South Africa 2016

Sparkling

  • Durello Spumante Brut ‘Palladiano’ Italy
  • Le Dolci Colline Prosecco Spumante Brut Italy
  • Emiliana Organic Sparkling Wine Chile

The Beer Tap Takeover

  • Larger 4.8% ABV: A hoppy version of the German style Kölsch, but unfiltered. Similar to a lager but larger in flavour. Brewed with a new hop from the States called Lemon Drop.
  • Päle 4.1% ABV: A hoppy American style Pale Ale with the flavour of Summer with a mix of UK and US hops.
  • Street Weiss 5.2% ABV: A hefeweizen with banana and melon notes.
  • Disco Pils 4.8% ABV: Crisp Pale Ale inspired by a German Pils. Brewed with Hüll Melon only, to give it a fruity hoppy aroma.

Wow! All of this goodness is available exclusively for London Vegan Beer Fest so do not show up at Autumn Yard without a ticket this Saturday.

In addition to this glorious sit down restaurant space with wine, beer and cocktails, we also have a giant indoor beer hall powered by Brass Castle Brewery and an outdoor market featuring seven breweries from around the country (including cider!) and multiple vegan street food vendors. You can see the full list of breweries and food vendors here.

You can take time out from all this drinking and eating in our exclusive karaoke parlour.

Access all of this for just £5 plus tiny booking fee if you buy your ticket in advance online.

Click here to book.

If we don’t sell out in advance, tickets are £9 on the door.

You can RSVP to the London Vegan Beer Fest Facebook event page.

Extra special note: on the day after London Vegan Beer Fest, anyone still wearing their event wristband can enjoy 15% off their food bill at Autumn Yard. Perfect recovery value! Don’t take off your wristband and save on hangover lunch.

Visit Autumn Yard online.


Get discount at vegan places

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How about saving 10% off your bill at a handful of vegan places around London on Sunday July 16, 2017?

This is a simple little special offer that will have you grinning.

As you know (because I harass you daily about it) London Vegan Beer Fest is taking place this week on Saturday. It’s set to be a beer, cider, wine and street food extravaganza that you will adore.

Read about the brewery and food line up here.

But what about the discount of which I spoke?

A handful of vegan businesses around London are taking part in LVBF Hangover Special the day after London Vegan Beer Fest.

How does it work? On Sunday July 16, 2017 anyone still wearing their London Vegan Beer Fest entry wristband will receive a 10% discount off their bill at the following businesses:

  • Ms Cupcake – the absolutely legendary Brixton bakery is the place to get sweet treats such as cupcakes and tray bakes as you try to get back on track for the week ahead. Follow Ms Cupcake on Instagram.
  • What the Pitta! – is their a better hangover food than a vegan doner kebab? This Shoreditch eatery will be your best friend after a day of drinking. Follow What the Pitta! on Instagram.
  • GreenBay Supermarket – this fabulous vegan grocery store in west London has everything you need to make your own hangover meal including bacon, chocolate and ice cream! Follow GreenBay on Instagram.
  • Picky Wops – just a few minutes walking from GreenBay, this gourmet pizza outlet could possibly be the place that saves you after too much partying. Follow Picky Wops on Instagram.
  • Vx – this old school legendary King’s Cross vegan grocery store, hot food outlet, and boutique has EVERYTHING you need to recover from London Vegan Beer Fest. Get a hot sandwich from the deli, supplies to make your own meal, and a cool t-shirt so you look good as you get refreshed. Follow Vx on Instagram.
  • Black Cat Café – this is one of the finest places to et vegan food in London and just happens to be walking distance from the London Vegan Beer Fest venue. Follow Black Cat on Instagram.
  • Temple of Hackney – the instantly legendary vegan fried chicken shop in Hackney Central is joining the LVBF Hangover Special. Is there anything more perfect for your recovery? Follow Temple of Seitan on Instagram.

Show up, order a bunch of stuff, and shake your wristband at your server for a 10% discount. This is a great way to save a little bit of money while supporting independent vegan businesses. Everyone wins as you recover from your London Vegan Beer Fest hangover.

Yay for vegan savings!

To get a wristband to use on Sunday for discounts, you of course first need come to London Vegan Beer Fest this Saturday.

Click here to buy your tickets now and RSVP to the Facebook event page.

Beer and food line up

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Huge announcement for attendees of London Vegan Beer Fest on July 15, 2017.

Say hello to you brewery line up. It is mammoth.

Moor Beer Co – Bristol’s finest crash landing at our event!

Brass Castle Brewery – the one and only superstar brewery coming out of Yorkshire

Clarkshaws Brewing – get a taste of south London

Three Hills Brewing – small batch brewing out of Northamptonshire

40FT Brewery – getting local with these brewers from Dalston doing a tap takeover in the restaurant

Beerblefish Brewing – north London beer producers with taste big enough for the entire city

Twisted Barrel Ale – handcrafted in the heart of Coventry

Moncada Brewery – west London producers who are seasoned LVBF participants

BumbleBee Cider – vegans without cider is not right so this South Oxfordshire producer is coming on board

Full drinks list to be published in the coming days.

Also, we are not just about beer and cider. We pay as much attention to what you are eating. Look at this fabulous vegan food selection.

Lazy Boy Kitchen – Mac n cheese with bacon bits | chilli cheese fries | mac n cheese spring rolls

Club Mexicana – BBQ pulled jackfruit burritos (GF option) | tofish tacos (GF option) | deep fried cheeze fries

Arancini Brothers – One Tasty Vegan burger | risotto balls (GF)

Young Vegans – Seitan & ale pie | Sweet potato pie (GF) | Curry pie | All day breakfast pie | Peanut butter mud pie brownie (GF)

Battered – Vegan fish | Battered Pie | Battered sausage | Mushy peas | Pickled onion | Pickled gherkins | Tartare sauce

Peanut Butter Bakery – Fried donuts

Vegan Delice – Tray bakes | Cupcakes

Autumn Yard – Sit down restaurant service | Wine bar | Cocktails

This is seriously the vegan party of the year with the drink and food menus to match.

London Vegan Beer Fest has three massive spaces to explore:

  1. Indoor beer hall run by superstar vegan brewery Brass Castle of Yorkshire plus a karaoke parlour ALL DAY!
  2. Outdoor beer market with vegan street food
  3. Indoor sit down restaurant with wine and cocktail bar… plus more beer options

Every single item served on the day is vegan. OF COURSE.

You can buy a cheap early bird ticket now. We have already sold a whole bunch but if you are quick, you can get yours for just £5 plus a small booking fee. Once these are gone, second release tickets are £7 plus fee. If we have any tickets remaining on the day, they will be £9 on the gate.

Book your tickets now!

Don’t hate me if you leave it to the last minute and the event sells out. We do have a capacity and we will likely reach it.

If you use Facebook, take the time to RSVP to the event page and use the invite button to alert your friends and enemies. A cheeky little share on your timeline would also be greatly appreciated.

You can follow Vegan Beer Fest UK accounts on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to stay updated.

See you at London Vegan Beer Fest!

Extra note: tickets are also selling strongly for the first ever Sheffield Vegan Beer Fest on July 29, 2017. RSVP here and book tickets.

London Vegan Beer Fest is back

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Spread across three amazing spaces, London Vegan Beer Fest 2017 is set to be one of the biggest and best showcases of vegan beer and street food that east London has ever witnessed.

If you already know you wanna buy tickets without reading anything else, click here.

So what is going on in Hackney on Saturday July 15, 2017?

(All of the Vegan Beer Fest UK artwork and design is done exclusively by the incredibly talented Ricardo Sánchez. See his portfolio online here and get in touch if you wanna hit him up for some work)

Space 1: the inside Beer Hall will feature an exclusive beer bar run by superstar brewery Brass Castle (Facebook | Twitter). Travelling all the way from Yorkshire to make our event extra special, this 100% vegan brewery will be showcasing their award winning brews as well as other favourites from around the UK.

Space 2: the outside Beer Market will be an exciting mix of beer and street food stalls, with participating breweries from all over London and further afield. Keep an eye out for exclusive street food trucks and trailers in this section, too.

Space 3: the exclusive Beer & Wine Café is the place to head if you are looking for special sit down meal. The café will also be the spot for our 100% vegan exclusive wine bar, as well as somewhere else to grab a beer or two on site.

This is the biggest London Vegan Beer Fest has ever gone and we are thrilled to be taking over the space best known for being the home of the wildly successful Hackney Downs Vegan Market which regularly draws attendees numbering in the thousands. We’re delighted to partner with Hackney Showroom, Hackney Downs Studios and Autumn Yard for this huge event.

What To Eat?

There will be lots of delicious vegan street food on the day. Full details coming soon but we have some knockout names and you will have a LOT of choice. Burgers, fish & chips, donuts and so much more.

What To Drink?

The beer list is being planned right now and it’s going to be MASSIVE! Details coming soon! There will also be an exclusive wine bar, as well as cider and soft drinks for sale.

What else do you need to know?

Tickets for this event are priced as follows:

Early bird tickets (limited number available): £5 (plus booking fee)
Pre-sale second release tickets: £7 (plus booking fee)
On the day door sales (subject to availability): £9

Food and drink is not included in the ticket price and all tickets are NON-REFUNDABLE. Only ticket holders will be permitted to buy and consume food or drink (including non-alcohol drinks). No outside food or drink permitted.

Your ticket price includes a collectable plastic pint cup that you use all day and then take home with you!

London Vegan Beer Fest is dog-friendly (in outdoor spaces) and family-friendly. Invite friends via the Facebook event page.

London Vegan Beer Fest is not a place to deliberately make people feel bad about stuff. You cannot be at this event if you intend to use sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist and ageist language or behaviour. The organisers reserve the right to deny or revoke entry to the event and will take great delight in doing so if you act like an anti-social person.

Immense gratitude to Follow Your Heart for sponsoring this event.

Beer and vegan food event

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A Facebook reader named Chris gave me some exciting beer-related news.

Magic Rock Brewing in Huddersfield is going full vegan and they have a month-long celebration to usher in this new era.

The entire month of June will be all about being vegan. Check out the celebration line up below.

Vegan Street Food Festival 2017
2nd Jun — 25th Jun

Each weekend in June, Magic Rock Brewing will have a different vegan street food trader (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) PLUS an all day vegan festival on Saturday 3rd June to celebrate the fact that their beers will now be fully vegan.

Dates include:

2nd, 3rd, 4th June – vendor TBA

Saturday 3rd June with four / five street traders (12pm-9pm)

9th, 10th, 11th June – vendor TBA

16th, 17th, 18th June – vendor TBA

23rd, 24th, 25th June – vendor TBA

Put one, two or all of these dates in your diary and get along to help this Yorkshire brewery celebrate going vegan.

Click here to visit Magic Rock online and follow the brewery on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Guinness not vegan yet

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Super quick post to remind you that Guinness is not yet vegan. So don’t buy it or drink it yet.

The world-famous brewing company released news last year (or was it 2015?) that informed the planet of plans to alter their filtration system that would remove their dependence on isinglass.

If you write to Guinness to ask them what is the latest with their plans to turn the brew vegan, you get the following information:

We are continuing to work through the installation and commissioning of a new filtration system at St. James’s Gate that will remove isinglass from the Guinness brewing process. We are making good progress on the installation and the project remains fully on track.
Like a great pint of Guinness, good things come to those who wait and we will provide a further update as soon as we are able to do so.

This has been sent out to numerous people via email over the past two to three months.

I get at least a handful of emails from readers each month asking if I know when Guinness will finally be vegan, so I wanted to give this non-update update.

Sorry I have no good news yet. Please keep me in the loop if you find out something fresh.

While you wait, you can follow Vegan Beer Fest UK on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram ahead of announcements about tickets coming soon.

Vegan cider from Kent

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I love bringing you news of vegan booze and I especially love bringing you news of vegan cider.

Why do us vegans adore cider so much?

Kent Cider products are split into three ranges and include the core range of single varietal still ciders, their Henderson’s range of naturally flavoured ciders and the forthcoming sparkling cider called Yowler.

You can hassle your local independent retail outlets, restaurants and micro-pubs to stock Kent Ciders. The majority of the cider they produce and sell is delivered by the company directly, so the best way for people who live outside of Kent to try their cider is through the webshop or contacting them directly in the office. They are extremely friendly people!

Visit Kent Cider online and follow them on Facebook and Twitter for special edition cider updates and news of events/appearances.

Yay for vegan cider!

Vegan wine in a box

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The UK is getting there with veganism.

We have a pretty good selection of vegan-identified groceries in mainstream supermarkets, we have vegan festivals all over the country and we have vegan stores in dozens of towns.

And now we have vegan wine in a bag in a box.

Oh yes.

Daniele of The VegWays has taken on the major job of importing vegan organic wine from Italy into the UK. I have fond memories of drinking wine from boxes in Australia, so it is fab to see I now have the option again as a vegan in 2017.

Take a look at these.

The wines are available in red, white, and rosé with a 3 litre, 5 litre, and 10 litre option.

Daniele is currently looking for restaurants, cafés and retail outlets to serve these wines. They would also be perfect for pop up vegan restaurants or street food traders permitted to sell alcohol. Of course it would be wonderful for non-vegan restaurants and businesses to take these on too, so we all know we have a drink when joining friends for a night out.

If you are interested in buying your own supply for your house or perhaps a large celebration, you can contact Daniele via the contact page of their website for personal sales as well as wholesale.

Tell your favourite eatery about these wines. Order your own. Enjoy wine from a bag in a box!

Follow The VegWays on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Vegan menu at All Bar One

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If you can keep up to date with all the non-vegan places around the UK falling over themselves to serve vegan food, you are doing a better job than me.

Every single day seems to bring news and I feel like lots of it is hurtling straight past me. It’s too much!

However, one piece of news that didn’t evade my chubby gaze is the brand new vegan menu being featured for Veganuary by All Bar One.

You know All Bar One, right?

The famous bar chain has more than 50 locations around the UK and is often a favourite meeting spot for friends. I think All Bar One was the first place to serve me booze when I first moved to the UK back in 1998.

But the food!

Check out the menu:

Doesn’t that sound like a well-thought out vegan menu?

Of course I’m not satisfied with simply showing you the menu, so I asked All Bar One to send me some photos of these news dishes.

Can you handle this?

How about that food?!

Everything looks splendid and I could really see myself eating a few servings of those potatoes.

Check out the very special deal All Bar One has for Veganuary. You can devour three vegan dishes for £13.

Visit All Bar One online to find out their locations close to you.

M&S has vegan Xmas drinks

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I don’t personally celebrate Christmas, but I do drink trashy cocktails.

With that in mind, check out this camp range of ready to guzzle drinks being sold by Marks and Spencer.

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Top photo shows the Gold Crème Brulee Liqueur, described on the bottle as containing edible gold glitter.

Next up you can see No Big Dill made from gin, dill, elderflower and lemon juice. Pour over ice, apparently!

Finally you can take a look at the Christmas Cobbler Cocktail. Made from sherry, rum and apple brandy, this is surprisingly the one with the lowest alcohol content of the three.

I’m not sure if these are all seasonal, but if you like the look of them you should probably get along to your nearest M&S pretty quickly. I’ve heard rumours of a banana liqueur in this range but my local store didn’t have it.

Enjoy!