The return of Vegan Beer Fest UK 2018

It is around this time of year when my inbox starts filling up with queries about Vegan Beer Fest UK, especially in regards to dates and venues.

This series of events has built a loving and loyal following over the years (can you believe it will be the 6th annual London version?!) and people are keen to have advance warning in order to book time off work.

I’m thrilled to be able to announce the following dates for 2018:

  • 6th annual London Vegan Beer Fest – Saturday July 14, 2018 – Hackney Downs Studios – Facebook event page
  • Coventry Vegan Beer Fest – Saturday July 28, 2018 – Twisted Barrel Taproom – Facebook event page
  • 3rd annual Glasgow Vegan Beer Fest – Sunday August 5, 2018 – Mono – Facebook event page
  • 2nd annual Sheffield Vegan Beer Fest – Saturday August 18, 2018 – Yellow Arch Studios – Facebook event page

As you can gather from the list of dates, we are yet to lock in a date or venue for Manchester.

We are working overtime to find a suitable location for what will be the 3rd annual Manchester Vegan Beer Fest. The venue we used for the past two years has been closed for refurbishment until 2019.

I am extremely keen to make this event happen in Manchester, so stay tuned for updates.

You can follow Vegan Beer Fest UK on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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!

Best vegan food

I’m currently in California where I’m enjoying sunshine, friends and a hell of a lot of fabulous vegan food.

The place where these three components met in perfect unison was the 6th Annual Los Angeles Vegan Beer & Food Festival. Thousands and thousands of revellers converged on the Rose Bowl in Pasadena for a day of drinking, eating and socialising.

Check out some of the impressive food photos I shot on the day, as well as photos taken by my friends. Try not to drool.

Read more