What's On

A huge brewery party is taking place under the arches in Piccadilly this weekend

Manchester Union team up with label collective LOVE DOSE to host an all-dayer in the arches under Piccadilly this weekend

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 29th June 2021

A huge brewery party is taking place under the arches in Piccadilly this Saturday (3 July).

The team at Manchester Union, Manchester’s first and only dedicated craft lager brewery, is hosting a proper shindig in their taproom, teaming up with local party dons LOVE DOSE for an all-day DJ takeover.

The Manchester-based record label and events collective, who host parties at the likes of Hidden, Stage & Radio and KANTINA will be bringing the tunes all day long.

Sets will come from local selectors Bobby Ganoush, Chan, Craig Campbell, Efenar, Kerouac, Nalu & Pollen, whilst Manchester Union will have some special beers flowing through their taps throughout the day.

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Look out for Manchester Union’s award-winning lager, as well as the brewery’s new bohemian black lager After Dusk. Both are sure to be at their absolute best, poured from handmade side tap handles imported from the Czech Republic.

Verdant See Food & Dance IPA will also be on tap for the day – a special, smooth and light IPA with deep and ripe flavours.

Pretzels will be supplied by Pretzel & Spelt free of charge when you spend over £10 at the bar

There’ll also be a solid street food offering by the way of giant pretzels and Manchester eggs, courtesy of Beehive Food and Pretzel & Spelt – both free when you spend over £10 at the bar.

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The event’s taking part in a celebration of Manchester Union’s second birthday. It is coming a little late (six months to be exact) due to the events of the past year, so they’re really eager to make a big day of it.

“It’s a great feeling to be able to celebrate our second birthday albeit 6 months late but to be honest it’s good just to still be here after the last 15 months,” said Jamie Scahill, co-founder of the brewery.

“We look forward to seeing lots of familiar faces and having a pint together.”
   
Entry to the event is free, and guests can just rock up on the day to join in the festivities – no bookings are needed. 

Find Manchester Union Brewery at unit 96D North Western Street, Manchester M12 6JL – just 3 mins walk from Piccadilly Station. 

Feature image – Google Maps Street View.

What's On

City-wide celebration of beer – including a beer festival in an old swimming pool – to take over Manchester this weekend

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson

One of Manchester’s biggest and best-loved food and drink events is making its big comeback this week, celebrating all things beer right across the city.

Indy Man Beer Con (or IMBC)’s cornerstone event is the beer festival at the historic Victoria Baths, where the old Edwardian swimming pool is filled with bunting and bars.

IMBC was founded by Jonny Heyes of Common & Co fame back in 2012, and now brings together more than 60 brilliant breweries, including Bristol’s Lost and Found and Cheltenham’s Deya.

But the celebrating won’t be confined to Victoria Baths, with a city-wide IMBC Fringe festival also taking over other venues around Manchester.

Takeovers, events and collaborations will seep into bars right through until Sunday evening.

IMBC will be back at Victoria Baths. Credit: Jody Hartley

One of the big ones will be Runaway to Kampus, with Runaway Brewery Tap Room upping sticks and moving into the Bungalow at Kampus for the whole weekend.

The building-on-stilts at the canal-side neighbourhood will host the four-day residency, in conjunction with Nell’s Pizza and other friends of the brewery.

There’ll be fresh beer on tap plus a full selection of bottles (including a few rarities from the cellar).

Elsewhere, the award-winning Salford brewery will land at Chorlton’s beloved The Beagle all weekend, taking over the taps with keg and cask offerings.

IMBC will be back at Victoria Baths. Credit: Jody Hartley
IMBC will be back at Victoria Baths. Credit: Jody Hartley

On Saturday and Sunday, the Drop Project Den will pitch up at Common with a six-tap takeover and a Shifty special pizza from Nell’s.

London’s Drop Project are known for creating fresh, premium beers that push creative boundaries.

Back at IMBC at Victoria Baths, there’ll be tasting areas, snug bars in the Turkish Baths, street food and – obviously – plenty of beer.

Traders on site will include Bundobust, Siop Shop, Tikka Chance on Me, Great North Pie, Dim Sum Su, Wholesome Junkies, Honest Crust, and Triple B.

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Ticket-holders for the main event are advised to download the IMBC app, which will act as a total guide to all the beers on offer and where to find them, and will also send out alerts for pop-ups and more surprises.

Tickets get you access to the festival and a festival class, with tokens inside priced at £25 for 10 or £2.70 each, with each token entitling you to one third of beer at any Indy Man bar.

It’s a completely cashless event, and you’re encouraged to take your own vessel for water as, to minimise waste, there won’t be bottles on sale.

Final tickets are available now at indymanbeercon.co.uk/tickets.

Featured image: Jody Hartley

What's On

Unplugged – The stunning countryside cabin where guests are told to lock their phones away for a ‘digital detox’

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson

We all know all-too-well that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to properly switch off – even when we’re on holiday.

With the constant pings and buzzes and flashes of digital technology begging for our attention every minute of the day, it’s not easy to properly step away and unwind.

Which is why the Unplugged countryside cabins were invented – and its first north west location has just opened.

Each of these stunning tiny homes includes a lock box, which guests are encouraged to lock their mobile phones in.

Over the course of each three-night stay, Unplugged guests are instead given other items to keep them entertained.

The Luna Unplugged cabin in Cheshire. Credit: Pasco Photography

The Unplugged cabins include board games, books, and cassette players, as well as an instant camera with film so you can still capture your break – without the pressure to immediately shout about it on Instagram.

You’re also handed a classic Nokia phone (yes complete with Snake) in case you need to contact anyone, and a map and a compass.

They are also kitted out with a compact but fully equipped kitchen for cooking up a storm, a log burner and an outdoor fire pit, and comfy beds with luxury Piglet bedding.

Credit: Pasco Photography
Credit: Pasco Photography
Phone lockboxes and fire pits at Unplugged in Cheshire.

There are several of these countryside retreats dotted around the south of England, and there’s now an Unplugged property here in the North West, just outside Greater Manchester in Cheshire.

The ‘Luna’ cabin has a huge panoramic window overlooking the countryside, and its location just off the Sandstone Trail.

The cabin is even pet-friendly.

You’ll find inside the compact wooden-clad space a powerful hot shower and toiletries, while outside are wellies and umbrellas to brace you for the great outdoors.

Unplugged was launched by two friends – Hector Hughes and Ben Elliot – who at the time both worked at a tech start-up and were teetering on the edge of burnout.

Unplugged kitchens. Credit: Pasco Photography

So after one of them took a two-week silent retreat in the Himalayas, they decided to try and create a few pockets of total, switch-off zen here in the UK.

They say: “Humans have always escaped to nature as an antidote to hectic city life. The issue is that now so many of us just wouldn’t know where to start.

“We’re glued to our phones, inundated with push notifications and respond to emails at all times of the day. We’re on a mission to help you unplug from your devices so that you can recharge.

“So we decided to build beautiful off-grid cabins just outside of city life that take less than an hour or two to get to.

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“We also remove any of the woo-woo and stigma that might come with meditation and Buddhist retreats by creating beautiful cabins in nature for you to use the space and time to switch off how you want to.

“When we launched our first cabin, Koya in July 2020 we’d check in and out every guest, lock their phones away and take the key back with us to London. Now we have a lot more cabins, guests check themselves in and are encouraged to lock their phones away to benefit from 3 nights offline.

“We of course practice what we preach and all of the Unplugged team go for a digital detox at least once per year to help us switch off and recharge.”

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You can book Luna, the Unplugged cabin in Cheshire, here.

Featured image: Pasco Photography

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