Beer list for Sheffield Vegan Beer Fest

With all the beer events I put on around the country, you might think I get sick of talking about the stuff.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Check out this amazing list of beers to be served at Sheffield Vegan Beer Fest this Saturday.

BAD SEED BREWERY: award-winning brewery from Malton in North Yorkshire

Session IPA – 4.0% ABV – Easy drinking, full on hop flavour. Ekuanot, Cascade & Chinook hops combine to give flavours of orange peel, lime, papaya and pine
Clover Club – 4.1% ABV – Brewed in collaboration with the Star in the City and based on their version of the classic Clover Club cocktail. A Raspberry, Rose Petal & Hibiscus wheat beer: incredibly fruity & neon pink!
Chucklehead: New England Coffee Pale- 5.0% ABV – Collaboration brew with Northern Alchemy. Citra and Galaxy hops combine with a cold steep of Ethiopian Rocko Mountain Reserve Coffee. The cold steeping of the coffee releases lots of fruit character without imparting bitterness which, combined with the tropical fruit notes from the hops
Doctrine: Sacrilegious Belgian Brown- 5.5% ABV – This Abbey style beer is dark and rich; sweet and spiced. Notes of chocolate, caramel and dried fruit
Horizon- 6.0% ABV – A hit of spicy earthiness from the Rye Malt combines with a huge amount of Citra, Cascade, Chinook and Galaxy hops
Electric: Hard Wired Hopfenweisse – 5.0% ABV – A classic German wheat beer style with a monster hop hit. The Comet hop delivers huge flavours of mandarin and zesty grapefruit making this beer a tropical fruit feast
Saint Clement’s – 3.8% ABV – The zesty peel of oranges & lemons bring the bells of St. Clement’s to our refreshing pale ale
Glass Case of Emotion – 8.3% ABV – Collaboration with Wild Weather Ales. An Imperial Stout with almond, cherries and sweet spices. Dark, rich and decadent – dessert in liquid form

CHORLTON BREWING COMPANY: contemporary beers made by this vegan Manchester brewery

Amarillo Oatmeal Sour – 5.1% ABV – Sour pale ale, like our Amarillo Sour but with oats added for a smooth mouthfeel
Mandarina Double Sour – 8.6% ABV – Sour, strong ale heavily hopped with Centennial and Mandarina Bavaria
Hoppy Brett Thing – 4.5% ABV – Tart farmhouse ale hopped with Bramling Cross and lots of Kohatu
Cherry/Orange Sour – 5.5% ABV – Full bodied sour brown ale with cherry and orange peel)
Hemp – 6.5% ABV – Pale ale infused with female hemp buds and natural terpenes found in cannabis

HEAVY INDUSTRY BREWING: award-winning microbrewery in North Wales

77 – 4.9% ABV – CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain 2016 Gold Medal winner (strong bitters category) – A big amber IPA style beer brewed with the finest pale and crystal malts dark – Seville marmalade is backed up by a piney, peppery bitterness
Pigeon Toed Orange Peel – 5.2% ABV – A cloudy orange hefeweissen style beer brewed with the finest Pale and Wheat malts. Featuring Mandarina Bavaria hops. Notes of cloves, pears and pineapple underlay a big freshly squeezed orange taste
Dr Jekyll’s Last Waltz – 5.5% ABV – A big bad bouncy beast of a Black IPA, boasting gladstone bagfuls of toasted coconut and dark roasted chocolate liquorice notes. Brewed with toasted coconut in the copper, along with masses of Columbus, Cascade, Simcoe, Amarillo and Galaxy hops
Le Bulot D’Or D’Amour – 5.4% ABV – A dry hopped fruity saison, pale refreshing and spicy
Blod Wen – 4.4% ABV – Brewed using fresh elderflowers from the Vale of Clwyd and fermented with a mixed culture then dry hopped. Lovely floral aroma and pleasant residual sweetness and a little funk

THE BEER ENGINE: multi-brewery line up from Sheffield’s beer experts (go here for cider)!

ABBEYDALE BREWERY – Voyager IPA #4 – 5.2% ABV – The voyage continues! Unfined and delicisiously murky, chock full and bursting with hop character. Plenty of Citra, Summer and Vic Secret hops to provide a vibrant fruity citrus punch!
ABBEYDALE BREWERY – Reaper – 5.5% ABV – pale cloudy and unfiltered beer is delicately laced with peppercorn and hints of fresh lemongrass
BLACK IRIS – Black Strap & Bourbon – 10.5% ABV – Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout. Collab between Reubens Brews of Seattle and Outpost Coffee from Nottingham
BLACK IRIS – Laima’s Luck – 5.1% ABV – Lime & Coriander Hefeweizen, brewed by two brewing students from the International Centre for Brewing Science at the University of Nottingham, as part of the Cuckoo Collaborative project
BRASS CASTLE – Hoptical Illusion – 4.8% ABV – gluten free hop forward pale ale with tropical fruit flavours
FARMAGGEDON – Gorse IPA – 6.3% ABV – Gorse grows all around us, in spring it fills the air with it’s distinctive coconut/pineapple scent. We combined a massive late addition of the painfully picked flowers (literally, serious prickles). Mosaic & Sorachi Ace hops compliment the gorse aroma. It makes a refreshing ‘piña colada’ beer with a golden colour
NEEPSEND BREW CO – Annona – 4.2% ABV – Oatmeal Pale hopped with Mosaic. Mellow bitterness and smoothness and body from the oats with bags of tropical hop aroma
NEEPSEND BREW CO – Sharpshooter – 4.7% ABV – New Zealand Pale Ale brewed with Nelson Sauvin and Pacific Jade hops and dry hoped with Nelson Sauvin. Good bitterness, fruity white wine notes with a dry finish
NEEPSEND BREW CO – Waimea IPA – 5.5% ABV – Single hopped IPA brewed with NZ hop variety, Waimea. Pronounced bitterness and a citrus and pine aroma
NORTHERN MONK – Faith – 5.4% ABV – American pale ale with flavours of citrus, mango and pineapple
WEIRD BEARD – Roots Bloody Roots – 3.7% ABV – Fizzy pop red ale, flavours of licorice, sarsaparilla and vanilla
WIPER & TRUE/LEFT HANDED GIANT – Bristol Vice – 4.5% ABV – a sour wheat beer from these two Bristol breweries

Wow. That is one hell of a beer lineup if I do say so myself.

A reminder that vegan wine will be available from the Yellow Arch Studios bar as well in case you have a wine drinker sitting on the fence about coming along.

Cheap advance tickets are online for just £4 plus a tiny booking fee. Book now. If we have space on the day, tickets will be £7 at the door. Invite friends via the Facebook event page.

See you at Sheffield Vegan Beer Fest!

Vegan candles in jars

I know I post about food 99.9% of the time, so I’m shaking things up today by giving you some inedible news.

Candles!

There is a person named Luke who got in touch with me and they wanted me to let you know about a fabulous vegan candle company they own. I’m a complete sucker for candles and couldn’t wait to give you these links.

Scentimental Jars is a London-based, independent candle company that creates vegan friendly scented soy wax candles. They hand make all of their own products and offer a wide variety of scents and sizes.

The company (which is over a year old) was started by Luke while recovering from a heart operation and is powered by a love and passion for candles. It all started one day experimenting at own home by creating some candles and after receiving a great response from family and friends, Scentimental Jars was born.

The range of products is now massive and I think that name is too cute!

You can shop online directly with Scentimental Jars by visiting their website. You can also follow the company on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Extra note: Scentimental Jars is looking for retail opportunities. Please get in touch with them if you run a store, café or website and you would like to sell their products.

New vegan kitchen in Kent

Finally!

After years of working hard at making and selling her delicious food, my friend Steph is opening her vegan kitchen residency THIS weekend (Saturday July 29, 2017) and you all need to get along for gorgeous eating opportunities.

Drakes Pub is a historical coach inn building located in Maidstone, Kent and Steph’s Ponga Foods is perfectly at home in this charming pub and live music venue. I’m certain she is is going to attract a large following in no time at all.

The kitchen residency will be serving a small menu including the amazing (no, really. OUTSTANDING) Cheeze Board as well as Burgers, Pizza & Desserts with ‘Allotment’ specials that change regularly depending on what produce is fresh and in season at the time. Steph is working closely with a local veg supplier to source as much Kentish produce as possible. She has also taken on an allotment to grow her own chillies, herbs and veg.

Following on from the launch party on July 29, the kitchen will be open midday until 10pm every day. Knowing Steph’s food very well already, I’m confident in saying this is going to be a not-to-miss eatery for anyone visiting or living in the region.

Click here to see the exact location of Drakes Pub thanks to Google Maps.

Follow Ponga Foods on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

RSVP to the launch party event page and follow Drakes Pub on Facebook.

Vegan in Blackpool

Given the rate at which veganism is spreading in popularity around the UK, I’m not often surprised when I hear of a new plant-based restaurant popping up.

But something about this latest news has me rattled in a good way. I never thought I would see the day that Blackpool was celebrating the addition of a 100% vegan restaurant focussed on eco-friendly practices, hearty cuisine and even live music in the dining room.

Yep, Blackpool is now on your vegan bucket list.

The menu at Faringo’s sounds like the sort of food you want when you are looking to be well fed.

You can marvel at the menu on their website but let me tell you it includes stone fired pizza, spaghetti bolognese, freshly baked breads, desserts, and a fabulous vegan alcohol list including wine, beer and more!

The food at Faringo’s is obviously heavily slanted to an Italian vibe but you won’t be served dishes exclusively from that country. Meals such as veggie burgers and Sunday roasts make an appearance, as well as child-friendly selections such as nuggets, chips and beans.

On top of this restaurant being committed to not hurting animals, the owners of Faringo’s are also on a journey to make their restaurant as environmentally responsible as they can.

They design their menu to use as little gas and electricity as possible, source local and organic produce, buy bulk and loose ingredients to reduce plastic packaging, and are aiming to become a zero waste business in the future.

Faringo’s is currently open Tuesday until Saturday from 6pm until 9pm and Sundays from 1pm until 9pm. Closed Mondays. You can see the exact location of the restaurant thanks to Google Maps by clicking here.

You can follow Faringo’s on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Vegan t-shirts on offer

A little while back in time I wrote about a Sheffield-based t-shirt and clothing company called Heartcure.

The company was set up by Georgia and Jordan to not only help spread the vegan message via message t-shirts, but to also raise funds for a brand new vegan community and action centre they are opening in Sheffield.

The founders also both work in local vegan businesses in Sheffield so you know they are legit and working hard to support their community.

I have two pieces of news about Heartcure to share with you today, so let’s get busy.

The first thing you need to know is that there is a sale going on over at the Heartcure website. Various discounts have been applied to the range with a lot of tees marked 20% off. You can even get free shipping if you spend over £40 or free worldwide shipping if you spend over £60.

Get shopping on the website!

News part two?

Heartcure will be at the first ever Sheffield Vegan Beer Fest helping out on the merch table. Not only can you grab a fab beer fest t-shirt, but you will also be able to buy Heartcure clothing directly from the founders themselves and of course chat to them about their vegan community centre plans.

Buy some t-shirts. Buy Sheffield Vegan Beer Fest tickets.

You can follow Heartcure on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Vegan pizza in Manchester

Big news for the vegan and vegan-curious people of Manchester. A 100% vegan pizza and fast food joint has opened today!

Zad’s of Chorlton is boasting a pretty impressive menu that includes a huge range of pizzas, burgers, hot dogs, sides and more. Seriously, this menu is epic.

Check it out below.

What do you think?!

Zad’s threw open their doors today (Friday July 21, 2017) so get along as soon as you can to say hello and support this new plant-based business.

You can click here to see the exact location of Zad’s thanks to Google Maps. The restaurant is open from 4pm until 11pm every day of the week except Monday when it is closed.

Follow Zad’s on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

FGV on the radio

I was invited to be a guest on a radio show last week and now I’m sharing the online version with you in case you want to listen. You wanna hear me speak, right?!

My friend Tatum hosts a weekly show on Wandsworth Radio in London called The Social Hour with Tatum and she invited me along to discuss a whole big bunch of topics including my beer events, growing up in Australia, being an activist, and my debut book being released next year.

If the embedded player doesn’t work for you below, you can listen online here.

The show runs for an hour but it isn’t just me talking. I also got to pick a few tracks to play so it really is an enjoyable listen.

You can like The Social Hour on Facebook and follow Tatum on Instagram.

Best in the UK gets better

If you haven’t been there, you will just have to take me at my word when I tell you Make No Bones is one of the best vegan food providers on the planet.

It is definitely in the top 5 for Europe.

I wanted to update you with some of their cuisine from my visit yesterday. I have never eaten anything with them that wasn’t superb. Even their fries are a work of art.

Follow Make No Bones on Instagram and the check out the photos from my visit below. The seitan BBQ ribs are otherworldly.

Extra note: Make No Bones will be serving food at the first ever Sheffield Vegan Beer Fest next week. Click here to buy cheap advance tickets and visit the Facebook event page to RSVP and invite friends.

Vegan café in Hebden Bridge

You need proof that vegan food and the vegan lifestyle are both sweeping the UK?

Check out this incredibly cute vegan café that has recently opened in the West Yorkshire town of Hebden Bridge. The population of this gorgeous location is around 4,500.


The food menu sounds like a dream come to life.

There are full English breakfasts, main meals, pancakes with syrup, drinks, cakes, and so much more. I need to shift some plans around to make space for a trip to this new vegan business as soon as possible.

Follow Humblest of Pleasures on Instagram and Facebook, then check out the food photos below.

Full english and pancakes with bacon berries and maple syrup 💗😍

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Some of the best vegan food in London

It has been a long time since I last said hello to them but my visit to the Just Fab double decker food bus on Hackney Road yesterday reminded me why this unique Italian restaurant is serving up some of the best vegan food in the UK.

Laura, Jonas, Josh and I all piled into the bus for some long overdue eating and we didn’t show any restraint. We got one of everything that we damn well wanted and our table was rammed solid with delicious comfort cuisine.

Laura and Jonas were visiting from LA and they couldn’t talk highly enough of the Just Fab menu. That is saying huge things when you consider all the vegan treats they have back home.

Follow Just Fab on Instagram and click here to see their exact location thanks to Google Maps.

Now, the food photos!

Stunning #vegan cheeseburger at @just_fab_vegitalian

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Next level polenta dish at @just_fab_vegitalian on Hackney Road. #vegan

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The panelle at @just_fab_vegitalian are SO TASTY. #vegan

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The lasagne at @just_fab_vegitalian is NEXT LEVEL. #vegan

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