Popular taproom and Manchester brewery Beer Nouveau has left fans shocked after making the announcement that it is closing down and putting its taproom and brewing equipment on sale.
A longstanding gem of the city’s craft beer scene, the Temperance Street brewery tap has been a favourite haunt of local beer lovers for the best part of seven years – but now founder Steven Dunkley has said it’s time to wind things up.
Taking to social media to explain his decision, a tweet from the brewery tap account starts off by saying that “it’s not really a surprise given everything that’s happening”, before going on to explain how they will be winding up Beer Nouveau “for the time being”.
Revealing that they will be putting both the brewing equipment and the taproom itself up for sale, the post from Beer Nouveau continued:
“This isn’t a decision we’ve taken lightly, we’ve worked hard for over 8 years to build up what we believe to be a great space for great beers, and especially great customers.
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“We’ll be around a while yet while we look for a buyer that will hopefully keep it all going, it’s got great potential.
“I’m sure there’s loads of questions, and probably even more gossip, and if you know me you’ll know I’ll happily answer all of them honestly. But for now, that’s all.
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“Unless you fancy buying yourself a brewery…”
Comments have flooded in thick and fast, with one person saying “Gutted for you folks.. Hope you find some nice buyers & best wishes for the future. You’ll always be one of our favourite Twitter accounts ever.”
Another reply said: “Urgh this sucks and I am so so sorry to hear it. You’re on my list to come visit so hopefully I can before you sell. Sending love and loads of good luck wishes to you all xxx”
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Image: Beer Nouveau
Image: Beer Nouveau
A third added: “So many great memories Steve. 2018 street party, pre-Crimbo Crawl, Various guest spot Saturdays, to name but a few. And just a nice spot for a beer. My favourite tap space in town by far. Thanks for the good times and I hope whatever the next move is a great one.”
A fourth said: “Really saddened to hear this Steve. All the best and hope you find a buyer who’ll be willing to continue your legacy.”
The Ardwick brewery taproom was first opened in October 2015, a year after founder Steve Dunkley plunged into the world of beer making using a £350 set-up in his Prestwich garage.
Having been in the pub trade since 1992, in 2014 he decided to go out on a limb and create his own styles of beer – plunging into the world of “traditional” 1970s recipes to resurrect old-school beers like Bass, Highgate dark mild, and Flowers IPA.
Soon enough his 40-litre garage set up evolved into a 1200-litre professional brewery, followed a year later by the now infamous taproom.
Here, as well as making his own styles of beer, Steve quietly nurtured a new generation of upcoming beer and cider makers – allowing emerging brewers like Temperance Street Brewing, The Steelfish Brewing Co. and the Doomed Brewing Project to keep overheads low whilst experimenting with new products.
However, now all that looks set to come to an end as the business prepares to close its doors for good – unless they find a buyer, that is. We’re keeping our fingers crossed. After all, we’ve said goodbye to too many good places already this year. We don’t want to bid farewell to any more.
Feature image – Beer Nouveau
Eats
Hot Blobs – Retro drink makes return to Manchester Christmas Markets, but what is it?
Daisy Jackson
It’s funny how we all turn a blind eye to the temperature outside when it comes to the Christmas Markets.
At a time of year where should probably all be hibernating inside, droves of us instead head out to brave the elements all in the name of the festivities.
Of course, the Manchester Christmas Markets sell all sorts of wares to take the edge off, and we’re not just talking about the stalls selling woollen mittens everywhere.
Our favourite winter warmers tend to take the form of a tray of piping hot garlic potatoes, or a mug of hot chocolate, or another boozy beverage that’s massively underrated.
The drink in question is a Hot Blob, which is listed on the menu at the Piccadilly Gardens markets as ‘legendary’.
A bold claim, but a lot of long-time Manc residents will understand why.
The Hot Blob is a jaw-clenchingly sweet concoction served piping hot at the Manchester Christmas Market, similar to a hot toddy.
It’s made with Australian fortified white wine, lemon, sugar, and boiling water.
Hot Blobs – Retro drink makes return to Manchester Christmas Markets, but what is it? Credit: The Manc Group
The drink was first invented by Yates, that well-known pub chain, which started life as Yates’s Wine Lodge up the road in Oldham.
According to Pubs of Manchester, the Hot Blob has a tendency to ‘speed up drunkenness to a young drinker’.
These days, it’s pretty rare to come across one on a menu, but back in 1990s it was a staple in a few pubs around town.
There even used to be a ‘Blob Shop’ on High Street, run by local legend Ged Ford (now in charge of the equally legendary Millstone pub), which found itself in a state of utter carnage when the IRA bomb went off.
The long-lost institution specialised in ‘cheap wine, cheap beer, and plenty of blobs’.
The old Yates Blob Shop on High Street, Manchester. Credit: deltrems@flickr
Ged sold 6,000 a week.
And while the drink may have fallen out of favour since then, there are still healthy numbers being sold at this time of year, even if they are a damn sight more expensive than they were in the 1990s (£6 a pop, plus a glass deposit).
Anyway. If you’re sick to the back teeth of the endless gluhwein being peddled across the markets, make a beeline for Manchester Winter Ale House at Piccadilly Gardens, where you can find Hot Blobs as well as boozy Vimto and cask ales.
The Manchester Christmas Markets officially end on 22 December.
Where to find the cheapest drinks at the Manchester Christmas Markets, from beer to mulled wine
Daisy Jackson
The main gripe people seem to have with the Manchester Christmas Markets is the prices of food and drinks, blasting them every year like a broken record as being ‘overpriced’.
So we’ve done the hard slog for you, running all around the city centre to suss out exactly how much everything is costing in 2024.
From Piccadilly Gardens (rebranded as The Winter Gardens for the season) to King Street, there are wooden sheds and festive cheer absolutely everywhere.
There’s some brilliant food and drink to discover – you can see our top picks HERE – but as this is a huge visitor attraction, that can come at a price.
Once you factor in the deposit for a Manchester Christmas Markets mug, you can easily spend £12 just to get a mulled wine (though you will get £3.50 of that back when you return your mug).
There are also deposit charges on glassware – £2 for a pint glass, £3.50 for cocktail glasses and £7 for a stein.
You can see the full list of prices for food and drinks right across the Manchester Christmas Markets HERE, but below are where you can find the cheapest spots at the festive event.
Mulled wine
Mulled wines are priced at £5.50 almost everywhere across the Manchester Christmas Markets, though some stalls are offering bigger serves of this popular festive drink for a small price hike.
Then people are charging another £3 to add a shot of brandy, rum or amaretto, making an £8.50 total.
But the cheapest we’ve found is just £7 for mulled wine with a shot of booze, and that’s at Mamma Mia, an Italian stall on New Cathedral Street, right near St Ann’s Square.
Where to find the cheapest drinks at the Manchester Christmas Markets, from beer to mulled wine. Credit: The Manc Group
Beer
Again, prices for beers at the Manchester Christmas Markets are pretty consistent and average £6 a pint.
But you can get cheaper – at The Last Outpost, a Western-themed bar at Exchange Square, beers start from £5.50.
And at The Hip Hop Chip Shop at Piccadilly Gardens, they’re selling local craft beers, like Shindigger, Pomona Island, Manchester Union) for just £5.50. And you get bonus good vibes for supporting local breweries.
Wine
We’ve found a couple of glasses of wine for just £5 around the Markets this year, which is cheaper than most bars in town really.
The King Street Craft Bar, which has the bonus of having seating, has house wines from a fiver.
Christmas Alley at Piccadilly Gardens will also give you a wine for £5.
Prosecco
Prosecco works in every season and if this is your go-to of all the drinks at the Manchester Christmas Markets, we’ve found where you can save a few pennies.
Most places are charging between £6.50 and £7 per glass, but at El Gato Negro on King Street (yep, the same stall operated by the Michelin-recommended restaurant) are charging just £5 – that’s a whole £1.50 cheaper than most other stalls.
Hot chocolate
Basic hot chocolates are generally £3.50 everywhere, with a few very luxury upgrades (like a £7.90 creation from The Flat Baker that’s served in an edible cookie cup).
Once you add in a shot of alcohol, the cheapest as at the Apres Ski Bar at Piccadilly Gardens, which charges £2.50 for a spirit.
Georgina Pellant -
5th October 2022 
