A bar in Manchester is giving away free pints of beer this month in partnership with craft brewery favourite Tiny Rebel.
The Botanist, which has a bar and restaurant on Deansgate and another in Didsbury Village, is offering everyone the chance to enjoy a free pint of Tiny Rebel beer this September.
It has teamed up with the independent brewery to host a treasure hunt across Manchester, hiding 21 prints of Tiny Rebel’s bear mascot around the city.
Dressed in a host of location-specific looks, the bears will be placed around Manchester city centre and Didsbury village nearby to its venues.
In order to get their hands on a free pint, all customers need to do is find a Botanist Bear and scan the QR code on its poster. This wil take them through to a survey, which once completed wiill automatically send them a voucher for a pint of Clwb Tropica.
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Beer-lovers are entitled to one free pint per person per city and the QR code will continue giving new hunters a free beer until the campaign ends at the end of the month.
If you find a Botanist Bear in another city, you will qualify for another pint, in that location. Simply scan the corresponding QR code in each city in order to redeem your drink in that location.
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The bears will be positioned around key landmarks in The Botanist’s locations from 8 September and beer-seekers can redeem their free pint any time up until 30.
As well as receiving a free beer, everyone who scans any of the 21 different QR codes will automatically be entered into a prize draw to win a tour of the Tiny Rebel Brewery in Newport, South Wales – and there are five tours for two people up for grabs.
Tiny Rebel has promised to give away a whole year’s supply of beer to the person who finds the most bears around the country between 8 and 30 September.
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The winner will initially get 12 cases of Tiny Rebel beer, along with some exclusive merch, and will then continue to receive another case every month for the following 11 months.
Bears are located in Bath, Alderley Edge, Birmingham, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Chester, Didsbury, Exeter, Farnham, Ipswich, Knutsford, Lincoln, Media City, Newcastle, Reading, Sheffield, Leeds, Warrington, West Bridgford, Worcester and York.
Inside The Black Friar as Salford pub unveils incredible floral display
Daisy Jackson
Spring has really sprung in Salford – legendary pub The Black Friar has just revealed a sensational makeover, with gigantic flowers sprawled across its frontage and a new seasonal menu to go with it.
The historic pub is celebrating the changing of the seasons with both a striking floral installation and a menu that celebrates spring and Salford in equal measure.
Most Mancs will by now have spotted the 4,000 flower-strong installation that now adorns the front of The Black Friar, with bright pink, yellow and purple flowers spilling from a gigantic pink tap.
And all those florals continue inside, with the pub’s Tavern – previously a cosy winter hideaway – now filled with trailing blooms and woodland installations, just off their award-winning garden.
Cheshire-based artist Kelly Louise Chapman is the woman behind this sensational transformation of the much-loved gastropub.
As for the pub’s kitchen, they’ve crafted a new very seasonal and very British menu, with plenty of nods to Black Friar’s Salford roots.
There are dishes like a Boddingtons braised ox cheek (the pub still proudly displays its Boddingtons sign outside), aged beef tartare, butternut squash and ricotta tortellini, and pan-roasted cod fillet.
Spring small plates at The Black Friar pubDelicious spring drinksInside The Tavern at The Black Friar
A popular item from the Valentine’s Day menu – the Cornish crab vol-au-vent – will be sticking around on the spring menu, along with an enhanced grill section that includes a lamb Barnsley chop cooked over coals.
Then for desserts, you’ll be spoilt with a banoffee knickerbocker glory, and passionfruit panna cotta.
And for drinks (because this is a pub, after all), The Black Friar has put together a range of seasonal drinks like a rose sangria sharer, and non-alcoholic sodas like kaffir lime and coconut.
Ben Chaplin, head chef at The Black Friar, said: “This new menu is all about celebrating the best of spring produce.
“We’ve carefully crafted each dish to highlight fresh, seasonal ingredients and bold flavours, adding new depth to our offerings while still delivering the comfort that will always be associated with The Black Friar.
“My top recommendation and personal favourite dish is the Slow-Cooked Boddingtons Braised Ox Cheek.”
Neil Burke, owner of The Black Friar, commented: “We wanted to bring a taste of spring to The Black Friar, inside and out. This floral installation will transform the space and bring sunshine and smiles, whatever the weather!
“My top recommendation on the new menu is the Cumbrian Spiced Lamb Scotch Egg. It’s EXCEPTIONAL.”
To find out more about The Black Friar and to book a table, visit HERE.
Team behind award-winning Higher Ground to open new Bar Shrimp seafood bar in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Higher Ground, one of Manchester’s very top restaurants, is to open a brand-new seafood bar later this year.
With Bar Shrimp, they’ll be bringing a brand-new offering to town, with cocktails, beers on tap, British seafood and snacks.
Bar Shrimp will come from Daniel Craig Martin, Joseph Otway and Richard Cossins, who at this point are a well-oiled operational machine.
They’re the team behind proudly British bistro Higher Ground, which grows much of its own produce at its Cinderwood Market Garden and earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand within a year of opening.
The same team are also behind Flawd, the beautiful waterside wine bar at Ancoats Marina.
And they’ve cemented themselves as one of Manchester’s most widely acclaimed hospitality teams – even Rick Stein says Higher Ground is one of the best places to eat in the entire country, which is high praise indeed.
Bar Shrimp, set to open in Manchester this winter, aims to be a ‘relaxed and focused bar with delicious food’.
They say: “Whether it’s a beer after work, some food with friends or after dinner drinks late into the night, Bar Shrimp will be a dynamic space where the music and energy evolves throughout the evening where everyone and anyone can come together for a memorable experience.”
They announced the news this morning on Cerys Matthews’ BBC 6Music Show.
British seafood with a side of cocktails? Sounds alright to us.
A location, opening date and more info on Bar Shrimp will follow – stay up to date with their latest HERE.
The Manc -
7th September 2022 
