Iron Maiden’s frontman gave fans quite a surprise this weekend after he finished a sell-out gig in Manchester, only to turn up at a Stockport brewery and start pouring pints from behind the bar.
Following the band’s sold-out show at Manchester’s AO Arena, heavy metal star Bruce Dickinson made the journey over to Stockport brewery Robinson’s to celebrate his other passion: beer.
Turning up on Saturday afternoon, he surprised 100 hardcore Iron Maiden fans with a hand-pulled pint of Trooper – his band’s internationally renowned beer, named after the Iron Maiden hit of the same name.
Images show Dickinson getting stuck in as he poured off pints of the amber-coloured cask ale to a cheering crowd, many of whom had flown in from around the world to be there.
Image: John McMurtrie
Image: John McMurtrie
Fans were overwhelmed with the opportunity to enjoy a pint pulled by their idol, and one couple from Italy even got engaged at the event.
ADVERTISEMENT
On receiving their pint, one fan said rapturously: “I don’t want to drink this ever, it’s too special.”
Whilst a group of Trooper fans who had travelled to Manchester from Mexico said it was “of the best days of their lives.”
Marco, who’d travelled to the event from Naples with his girlfriend, went all out thought and cemented the momentous occasion with a marriage proposal.
When chatting to afterwards, he said “I will remember this day for the rest of my life”.
Image: John McMurtrie
The surprise party took place to celebrate 10 years of the iconic collaboration, marking the sale of over 33 million pints of Trooper in over fifty countries around the globe.
ADVERTISEMENT
Speaking after the event, Bruce said: “It’s always great to be in Manchester and what a fantastic reception our fans gave us here!
“It was extra special to be at the brewery to enjoy a pint or two of Trooper with our competition winners. Cheers everyone!”
The event took place during Iron Maiden’s The Future Past Tour which is underway until October and involves almost 40 performances throughout Europe and North America
Featured image – John McMurtrie
Eats
Inside Manchester’s new padel club with a Pot Kettle Black cafe and courtside cocktail bar
Daisy Jackson
Padel is the fastest-growing sport in the world, and it’s really picking up speed in Manchester now too with another city centre club opening this month.
The Pollen Club is a little different to the others, in that it’s fully undercover and protected from Manchester’s less-than-favourable weather.
And another thing that makes it a must-visit is the cafe attached to it – a third site for the beloved Pot Kettle Black.
The Pollen Club and Pot Kettle Black have both taken over a prominent city centre spot just off Deansgate, at the foot of the recently-opened Treehouse Hotel.
There are two state-of-the-art padel courts inside, with a mezzanine terrace for enjoy Pot Kettle Black’s offerings.
In summer, there are plans to launch a bar downstairs too, where you can sip spritzes courtside from loungers and swing seats.
The exciting new Manchester padel club will host pop up events, DJ takeovers and an extended evening food offering.
Pot Kettle Black are part of the new padel clubInside Manchester’s new padel club, The Pollen ClubPot Kettle Black are part of the new padel club
And even if you’re not heading inside The Pollen Club, Pot Kettle Black has a grab-and-go hatch facing onto Blackfriars Street, making their delicious coffees, sandwiches and pastries (from their own bakery Half Dozen Other) even more accessible.
Commenting on the opening of the new site, Pot Kettle Black co-owner, Mark Flanagan said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have opened our third Pot Kettle Black site at The Padel Club. This achievement is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the team.
“After ten years in the city we’ve been enjoying seeing some familiar faces stopping by for a coffee and we can’t wait to get started on our programme of summer events!”
Insomnia Cookies is giving away FREE cookies to anyone with these two names
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s late-night sweet treat spot Insomnia Cookies is dishing out freebies this week… but there’s a catch.
You have to be called one of two specific names to get one.
With the long bank holiday weekend upon us, those in-the-know will also have noticed that this Sunday isn’t just Easter Sunday, it also happens to be 4/20… and that means Insomnia Cookies is back with its ‘blazing’ £4.20 deal, giving you the chance to bag a box of four warm cookies while saving nearly £7 at the same time.
But even better still, if you happen to have either the first or middle name ‘Mary’ or ‘Jane’, then you can also get yourself a warm tasty cookie for free.
To mark both 4/20, and celebrate the launch of its newest strain of mouthwatering cookie, the Mary Jane, anyone called Mary or Jane can pop into either of Insomnia Cookies’ two Manchester city centre sites – Cross Street and University Green – show their valid ID with their name on, and walk alway with a cookie free of charge.
If you want to try the new Mary Jane cookie, then this limited-edition special is made up of a cookies n cream dough base, packed with rainbow sprinkles.
The freebie deal has been running all week, and you have up until 3am on Monday 21 April to take advantage of it.
Customers will be limited to one free cookie per day.
Insomnia Cookies is giving away free cookies to anyone with these two names / Credit: Insomnia Cookies UK
If you aren’t lucky enough to be called one of those two names though, then thankfully you can still make some great savings on a classic four-pack of cookies over the spring bank holiday weekend, and for every four-pack sold, £1 will be donated to Groundwork – a charity helping make Manchester greener for nature and for local people.
“We’re calling for Marys and Janes to join us to live the high life with free cookies all week,” commented Millie Ralston, Head of Marketing at Insomnia Cookies.
Georgina Pellant -
3rd July 2023 
