Why we’re supporting somebody else’s beer festival
It’s true that we’re more known for putting on beer festivals than supporting ones laid on by other organisations, with all 5 of our own pubs laying on some form of festival-style beer event each year. However, we want to support our industry, and we not only know what hard work festivals require but also how appreciated they are by beer lovers.
We are pleased, therefore, to be the glassware sponsor for Independent Salford Beer Festival (ISBF) on 7-9 November where our flagship [only!] pub on the other side of the Pennines, Stalybridge Buffet Bar, will be the glamourous face of Beerhouses. Jim from ISBF recently blogged about how this came about from their perspective (read it here), so here’s our POV, as told by our General Manager, Barry Shaw.
The kind of beer festival I love
“I love pubs, always have done and it’s the reason I do this job. They are special places, the heart of the community, a place to laugh, to cry, to celebrate and to commiserate. They are far more than places to drink beer, they are just special.”
“However, most large scale beer festivals (as opposed to the ‘boutique’, pub-based ones that we run at Beerhouses), I can take or leave. In general they aren’t for me – whether it’s the hype of the latest ‘new’ style or brewery, the huge characterless halls they are held in, lack of decent seating (I know I’m getting old) or beer that isn’t the quality that you can get in a proper pub, I don’t know but they just don’t do it for me.”
“There is one exception to that for me though, a beer festival which isn’t about hype, but just about exceptional beer from the very best micro-breweries and, like pubs, it is about people, community, and doing good things – no smoke, no mirrors, just proper. That festival is the Independent Salford Beer Festival.”
“It is a festival I have followed for years and one that we have always tried to support via our pubs, whether that is by putting up the posters for it, sharing online or buying some of the beer they have made from the brewers wherever we can. It is such a good event that does great things (it’s a not-for-profit event that raises funds for START Inspiring Minds) and when Jim finally came to ask if there was any chance that we could help out on the sponsorship front, how could we say no? It aligns perfectly with the values that we at Beerhouses hold dear and for that reason we are honoured to be the sponsors of the glassware for the ninth ISBF under the banner of the Buffet Bar.”
“So, go to the event, get what they are doing, drink great beer, help raise money for a fantastic cause, and soak in what a beer festival should be. Oh and take a selfie with your glass and let us know what you’re drinking.”
Bazza
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