Winter Beer Festival

The inaugural Winter Beer Festival run by local food heroes in a chilly brewery under the railway arches out of Victoria was a fun do. I went on the Saturday evening of a very cold weekend with a few friends hoping to enjoy some great beers and fantastic food and we weren’t disappointed.
Food on the night came from a number of streetfood vendors, not all of which I managed to try, but the ones I did all hit the spot.
First I tried was a Chinese steamed bun from Leeds based British Street Food winners Fu Schnikens, i’d heard lots about these and they didn’t disappoint. The sweet, sticky and savoury pork wrapped in a pale pillow of a bun was moreish and the sort of thing I could see everyone enjoying.
Next up was Levenshulme foodies Comida, with Spanish tapas; the cheeses, croquetas & padron peppers were a delight. I’m still thinking of the croquetas a month later…
Finally I got to try an amazingly juicy, smoky rib from Andy’s Low & Slow, a well thought of bbq man from the Midlands. The meat itself wasn’t exactly falling of the bone, I believe the cold outside inhibited the cooking a bit, but the ribs were still brilliant, some of the best I’ve had.
Of course, the food was meant to be secondary to the beer for me, but it was the equal to a smallish (for a beer festival) but great selection of local and national ales. I stuck to thirds in order to try as many as possible, meaning I spent not much to try a lot, and for a few quid more I got to keep the lovely glass, which I dropped on the way home :(
Anyway, apart from the weather I thought the whole event was a success, and the great news is that the organisers have just successfully managed to get kickstarter funding for more events of this ilk in permanent surroundings — this promises to be a really good thing for artists, musicians, food and drink purveyors and punters of Manchester, huzzah! Check @keystonemcr for more…

Winter Beer Festival is a three day event organised by Shebeen Events, GRUB, Runaway Brewery & Blackjack Beers at Runaway’s Brewery in the Green Quarter area of Manchester.
Alongside the few dozen local beers (kegs and cask), ciders, wine and rum, they have some of the best-​tasting range of street food traders that the North has to offer. These included Andy’s Low ‘N’ Slow, Bangers and Bacon, Comida, Fu Schnikens, Maiden Taiwan and Season’s Eatings.
Housed underneath the imposing railway arches, with the brewery kit out on show, the acoustics of the building meant that the live music from the independent musicians and DJs sounded even more amazing.
It was one of the friendliest, most chilled out beer fests that I’ve been to — albeit one of the coldest (several layers, hats and gloves were definitely needed!).
Although this was their first event, they have serious plans for a permanent base for independent art, drink and food nearby which they’re calling ‘Keystone’. They have a Kickstarter page which provides more details:
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They’re also planning another event in May called Sheebeen Festival 2015.
This area of Manchester is definitely on the up and up which is exciting news for fans of independent businesses.
Tip: follow @keystonemcr, @GRUBMCR and @Sheebeenuk on Twitter for more details