A bar in Manchester is giving away unlimited pints throughout January – meaning that for the price of one pint you can drink as many as you like this month.
The catch? The deal’s only available on draught alcohol-free beers as part of a Dry January promotion, which hopes to encourage more Mancs to try the alcohol-free versions created from its best-selling beer range.
BrewDog, which has two bars and a ‘dog house’ hotel in Manchester city centre, has revealed it is giving away bottomless pints of its alcohol-free draft options all month in a bid to encourage more mindful drinking and get people back into the pub.
Image: BrewDog
Bestsellers like the original Punk IPA are available in the offer, just transformed to remove the alcoholic part- forming Punk AF, soon to be your new favourite Dry Jan alternative.
Elsewhere, you’ll also find other popular AF alternatives like Elvis AF, Lost AF, and Nanny State – giving you all the flavour, just without the percentage.
And there’s more, too. To coincide with the arrival of Dry January, BrewDog has just released a new, tiki-inspired AF draught fruit punch beer for the occasion. Called ‘Made For Us’, the alcohol-free fruit beer, created by Square Root, is served over ice to make it extra refreshing.
Image: BrewDog
Given it’s Dry January and our pockets are wrung dry, feeling the full force of the festive aftermath, BrewDog’s venues in Manchester are getting savvy by offering up unlimited non-alcoholic pints to make their non-alcoholic options even more affordable.
If you’re new to a lack of alcoholic booze and seriously wanting a pint, it’s a place where you can seek solitude and enjoy a draft beer to soothe the Dry January jitters- all without the ‘getting drunk’ part.
Essentially, you can get free refills of all your favourite pints for the price of one- what’s not to love about that?
The ‘Brewdog & Beyond Burger’, a completely vegan monster burger made with a beyond meat patty, vegan black pudding, onion rings and seasoned vine tomatoes. / Image: BrewDog
The bar’s also getting in on Veganuary, with a 2 4 1 offer on its vegan and vegetarian mains this month – all created in collaboration with friends at Beyond Meat, Biffs, Temple of Seitan, Moving Mountains and THI.
That means you can enjoy the likes of its BrewDog & Beyond Burger, a completely vegan monster burger made with a beyond meat patty, vegan black pudding, onion rings and seasoned vine tomatoes, for free when you order a second meal alongside.
To get the 2 4 1 food offer, all you need to do is sign up using this link to get a voucher you can use throughout the month.
The NBA is coming to Manchester for just the second time ever
Danny Jones
In another major coup for Manchester, the NBA is coming to our shores for just the second time in history, having only been played in the UK on a relative handful of occasions.
This is nothing short of a massive milestone for the city.
Having last crossed the pond back in 2019, the NBA has only visited 0161 once before over a decade ago at the old AO Arena, and there’s only been a total of 19 transatlantic meetings up until now.
As if that wasn’t exciting enough, being confirmed as part of the NBA’s new European slate, Manchester is also set to be one of the first venues in the UK to ever host a regular-season game.
JUST ANNOUNCED: @NBA The NBA, Co-op Live and @ManchesterCityCouncil have today announced that the NBA will bring a regular-season game to Manchester for the first time ever in 2027, a monumental moment for the city, the venue, and UK sport. Read more here: https://t.co/6hR5g8XsxXpic.twitter.com/PRCCqb2Zaw
NBA Europe have managed to secure a three-year programme of matches that will feature as part of the league’s normal competitive season.
Kicking off next year and running until 2028 at the very least, the current deal will see the much-loved sport watched worldwide first land on the continent for a pair of games next year in Berlin and London, before heading to Paris and our very own Manchester in 2027.
Florida’s Orlando Magic and Tennessee’s Memphis Grizzlies have already been announced for the first two games, although Manchester’s match-up is yet to be confirmed at this early stage.
With Basketball England being officially headquartered within the wider Etihad Campus, there was no question that the Manchester NBA fixture was going to be held at Co-op Live.
As well as being not just the biggest indoor entertainment venue of its kind in England but all of Europe, the arena has also recently welcomed the likes of the UFC, WWE and multiple boxing matches, proving it can serve as the perfect host for premier live sporting action on a global scale.
Speaking in the wake of the seismic news, the Leader of Manchester City Council and representative for Burnage, Bev Craig, could only echo how big a deal this is for the region.
“Manchester once again has shown what a magnificent draw it is for major events, and we are thrilled to welcome the NBA back to our city”, she said. “This city is known for big names, big games and a reputation for showcasing world-class events on the biggest stage possible.
“With a growing basketball scene in Manchester, this event feels like the perfect fit and will give so many people in our city the chance to see what the best athletes in the sport can do on our home turf.
“When it comes to delivering world-class events, we know that Manchester is now firmly on the map. Now, working with our partners, we want to continue driving investment towards our city, creating new jobs, increasing growth and providing new opportunities and experiences for all of our residents.”
Once again, the exact date, timings and teams set to play at the Co-op are still yet to be decided, but having also sealed the BRIT Awards ceremony for 2026, it’s set to be a truly momentous couple of years for the arena and the city as a whole.
A giant robotic snail is sliming its way into Manchester city centre this weekend
Emily Sergeant
If you find yourself in Manchester city centre this weekend, then keep your eyes peeled for a big robotic snail.
It’s not a sentence you hear every day, but this weekend and this weekend alone, a ‘breathtaking’ giant robotic snail will be sliming its way into the heart of Manchester city centre as part of Manchester Museum‘s plan to bring free family fun to the masses this summer.
Luma, a nine-metre-long inflatable, robotic snail – who has been brought to life by creative robotics studio, Air Giants, who are also responsible for the giant cat currently sleeping in the Museum’s Exhibition Hall – will be leaving the four walls of the Oxford Road-based Museum and heading down to St Ann’s Square.
St Ann’s Square’s newest visitor is part of the Museum’s free family programme centred around their The Cat That Slept for a Thousand Years exhibition.
Luma’s visit will give Mancs the unique chance to have fun with this otherworldly being.
Like the sleepy cat, Luma the snail uses air flow to move around, and draws inspiration from the extraordinary range of flexing and contorting motion that’s found in bio-mechanics to create ‘beautiful’ movement.
Part artwork, part a feat of engineering, Luma has a gentle, welcoming and otherworldly presence, and invites members of the public to get up close, responding to their movement and touch in the process.
A giant robotic snail is sliming its way into Manchester city centre this weekend / Credit: Supplied
“Luma is a joyful and hopeful work which champions both nature and technology, and reimagines what robots can be for,” Manchester Museum said in a statement.
Luma the snail will perform in St Ann’s Square this weekend on both Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 August from 10am-4pm.
Georgina Pellant -
10th January 2022 
