A bar dedicated to alcoholic ginger beer is opening an hour from Manchester in a ‘UK first’, and we’re pretty excited about it.
After all, ginger beer has long been a favourite, be that on its own or as a mixer for fans of Pimms, dark and spiced rum. Still, despite its deliciousness, it’s pretty unusual to see the old faithful served as a boozy product all on its own.
Now, though, that’s all set to change as Northern Brewery DMC prepares to launch the UK’s first-ever dedicated alcoholic ginger beer bar over in Leeds, reports The Hoot.
Flavours on offer will include boozy ginger beers with lemongrass and lime leaf, orange with cinnamon and star anise, a 1700s-recipe beer, and an ancho chilli and cacao nib concoction.
DMC is also preparing to serve some seasonal options, including a barrel-aged ginger beer, and another made with golden pear and chi spice.
ADVERTISEMENT
The brewery, run by husband and wife team Giuseppe ‘Gez’ Romano and Ele Romano, has spent the past three years perfecting its recipes over in Wakefield ahead of the move to a new, bigger brewery under Leeds’ railway arches.
Image: DMC Brewery
Image: DMC Brewery
What first began as a kitchen brew back in 2018 has spiralled into a fully-fledged business, after Gez – who was formerly a head chef at a top Leeds restaurant – and his partner Ele found themselves with a newborn baby and little energy or time to go out.
ADVERTISEMENT
Disappointed with the selection of boozy ginger beers they could find readily available on the market, they decided to make their own – and five years later, the rest is history.
Having outgrown their Wakefield premises, the pair are now crowdfunding to open a new taproom bar at the new Leeds brewery site on Railway Street – with Gez promising that pledges are sure to get more back in bar credits and merchandise.
ADVERTISEMENT
Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Gez explained that, after digging into the history of ginger beer, the couple had discovered that it was originally brewed in Yorkshire.
First brewed in the 1700s, they learnt that it was actually an alcoholic drink in Yorkshire long before it became the popular soft drink we know and love today, thanks, largely, to American prohibition.
As a result, they couldn’t resist making a historically accurate drink – and so now the product is made using entirely organic ingredients in order to give it that Yorkshire authenticity.
He said: “We have always wanted to open a tap room – it’s a scary leap but it’s exciting, and people are really excited for it.
“Some have told us they’ve been waiting for this. I had a look on the internet and I’ve found one bar in America, but I don’t there’s any like this in the UK.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Things have been going really well, but we have exceeded the capacity we can do at Wakefield.
“We have got a lot of interest for European distribution because there’s nothing like what we do in Europe, but we need to be able to brew enough.
“It’s a natural progression and it’s reassuring to know there’s a market for it.”
To find out more about the new alcoholic ginger beer bar opening in Leeds and support the Crowdfunder appeal, which is already at over £8,000, click here.
Featured image – DMC Brewery
News
Weather warnings issued with parts of Greater Manchester set to be battered by torrential rain
Emily Sergeant
Large parts of Greater Manchester are set to be battered with heavy rain and strong winds this weekend.
Summer couldn’t be a thing of the past more if it tried, at least not for the North anyway, as the Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for a parts of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland – with Greater Manchester very much included in the mix, and set to see some pretty grim conditions over the coming days.
According to the Met Office‘, unsettled conditions ‘will prevail’ for many with heavy rain and strong winds over the weekend, and even a risk of thunderstorms too.
The yellow weather warning – which covers most of Greater Manchester, primarily the more northern boroughs – comes into place from 9am on Saturday (20 September) and will officially end at 6am on Sunday (21 September).
Weather forecasters are warning local residents to take care when the rough conditions hit.
“20-40 mm of rain is expected to fall widely, with some locations perhaps seeing 60-100 mm, with much of this total falling in just a few hours,” explained Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist, Tom Crabtree.
“From mid-Saturday onwards, increasingly strong gusty winds and perhaps some thunder will also accompany the rainfall, further increasing the risk of disruption.”
He also added that strong winds are ‘likely’.
“These may potentially exceed 55 miles per hour, however the exact location and timing remain uncertain at this time [so] we’re closely monitoring developments and may issue more warnings as the situation evolves.”
The Met Office says it’s important for people to stay up to date with its forecasts over the coming days, and situations can often change.
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
News
Two Trafford towns are set to see dozens of new EV charging points installed imminently
Danny Jones
Two big towns on the border of Greater Manchester and Cheshire are set to see a fresh batch of electric vehicle (EV) charging points installed throughout their streets by Trafford Council very soon.
Local authorities have teamed up with engineering and infrastructure company Amey to roll out a series of new EV charging stations across Trafford, starting with Altrincham and Hale.
Dating all the way back to 2020, the collaboration with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), the brand was tasked with helping improve sustainable travel across the area as the government body’s electric vehicle charging suppliers.
Steady improvements have been made across the 10 boroughs, but this particular update marks one of the biggest network upgrades that the likes of Alty and Hale have seen for some time.
Good news – we are thrilled to announce the installation of our first public EV charge points in collaboration with @TraffordCouncil.
Issuing a statement on Wednesday, 17 September, the firm – which specialises in managing, designing and maintaining complex facilities and transport infrastructure across the country – announced that they will “start the installation of EV charging points in Trafford in the coming weeks.”
It is expected that “up to 100 new public charges” will be integrated throughout the respective town centres and residential streets as the suburbs continues to push towards its sustainability goals.
As per Altrincham Today, Amey account director Anna Gornall said: “We’re excited to launch our first EV charge points in Trafford, working in partnership with Trafford Council (TC) to make electric vehicle charging more accessible to local communities.
“As the UK’s leading provider of energy transition and decarbonisation solutions, we’re well placed to use our existing expertise and resources to support TC in delivering a holistic public EV charging network for local communities.
“We’re helping residents make the switch, so everyone can plug in and power a greener Trafford.”
The country at large has various carbon-free initiatives, including the aspiration of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050; the electoral ward of Trafford itself continues to thrive in this field, having recently won environmental accolades, including 12 ‘Green Flag Awards’ this past July.
🌱 Have your say on the future of Trafford’s allotments
We’re developing a new Allotments Strategy to guide how our 35 sites and 1,500 plots are managed over the next 5 years – and we want your feedback.
Peter Anderson, Managing Director of Transport Infrastructure at Amey, commented: “This is a pivotal moment in Amey’s energy transition strategy. By leveraging our extensive experience in whole lifecycle asset management, strong partnerships, and innovative solutions, we can deliver value for both our clients and members of the public who will use Amey’s electric vehicle charge points.
“Working with Trafford Council, we are making electric vehicle charging more accessible to local communities and helping residents make the switch to EVs.
“Amey is well-positioned to support emerging opportunities within this landscape, and we are delighted to be working with Trafford and other local authorities to provide the public EV infrastructure needed to achieve the government’s transition to net zero.”
As for Trafford Council, Corporate Director of Place, Richard Roe, went on to add: “We are delighted to be working with Amey on this project to bring more and better charging options to the people of Trafford.
“This is an extension to the current EV charging options in the borough and is great news for committed EV owners and those who are thinking about going electric.”