If you know where to look, as you head south out of Birmingham New Street on the train (just as I did as I wrote this) and glance out of the window at just the right moment, you can briefly follow the canal cutting its way through the back streets of Digbeth. A building stands proud above the former industrial district currently getting its second wind as a place of business and arts, its upper stories leaning out over the narrow strip of water, a large blue banner hanging down revealing its identity.
The Icehouse, centrepiece of the group of Victorian buildings now known as The Bond Company. A place of history where once upon a time huge quantities of ice were produced for use in the local markets, surely making it the coolest place around.
Exactly one month from now, once again this site is destined to be the coolest place going as it makes another little dent on history. The first Birmingham Beer Bash. July 26th and 27th.
The list of breweries sending beer, and in many cases attending in person, has continued to grow and there are still a handful left to announce. It is, quite frankly, a stunning list, the like of which Birmingham has never seen. From established breweries that have been at the vanguard of bold and progressive brewing for some time, to some of the new upstarts only recently coming to the scene and even launching their beers at the festival, we think we’ve found some of the best the country has to offer. We’ve also had to make hard choices about breweries that aren’t there. It simply wasn’t possible to include everyone we wanted to, but we think we’ve made the right choices and hope you’ll love what we’ve put together.
It isn’t just about drinking great beer though. The “fringe” programme has been gradually coming together, and a week or so ago we finally announced our headline acts. The seminars on hops and malt are a unique opportunity to learn more about what goes into the beer in your glass and they’ll both be presented by industry experts, Paul Corbett of Farams and Dom Driscoll of Thornbridge respectively. We’re about to add to this with the list of tutored tastings that will be taking place throughout the weekend – places will be limited so you’ll need to sign up for these when you arrive at the festival, and if you follow our announcements on Twitter (@BirminghamCubed) and Facebook (BirminghamBeerBash) in the next week or so you’ll soon see why you’d want to do that!
Finally the food. The beer and food matching dinners, served up by two of Birmingham’s finest chefs – Brad Carter (Carters of Moseley) and Luke Tipping (Simpsons, Edgbaston) – are a gourmet masterpiece and (if it really worked like that) would possibly make us the first Michelin-starred beer festival! Take a look at the menus on our website and book quickly to avoid missing out on a fabulous opportunity because tickets are selling fast. There’s also a great selection of local street food from great suppliers so there should be something for everyone.
We’d love to see you there. All of you. But we probably can’t fit you all in. So make sure you get your tickets in advance because there really is no guarantee of tickets being available on the door. Come and say hi to me (@OthertonAleman) and all of the organising team – Carl (@CarlDurose), Chris (@ckdsaddlers), Dan (@mediocre_dan), David (@mrdavidj), Jen (@ilovecherryreds), Krishan (@StirchleyWines), Shaun (@19irishdragon), Stewart (@TheRealStewbert) and Tim (@PolymathTim).
You might also want to watch out for an article on us and our stunning new poster in the Birmingham Post this week, and if you’re listening to BBC Radio WM on Friday morning you might just hear us on the Adrian Goldberg programme.
30 days to go. My how time flies!
othertonales 