The wait was finally over. After a hiatus of three years (it is hard to believe that the last time we set foot in the sunken pools of Victoria Baths was 2019), Indy Man was back! Four days of frivolity and some of the finest beers the UK and the rest of the world has to offer.
Let us first set the scene. Victoria Baths, just off Hathersage Road in Manchester, is an absolutely wonderful building. It has been called as the “most splendid bathing institution in the country”. You could call it the home to the “most splendid beer institution in the country” when Indy Man comes around each year.
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The sense of anticipation in the queue wrapping around the outskirts of the iconic Indy Man building was almost tangible. It was a Friday morning when me (Josh) & Ben arrived in Manchester for the start of the 11am session, and the queue was already 150 people long. A buzz of chatter from attendees who had already downloaded the nifty little app IMBC had provided pointed us towards a couple of special beers that we wanted to check off first, mainly Sierra Nevada’s cold-chain cask ales.
Yes, you heard it right. Sierra Nevada, one of the world's largest independently owned breweries, famed for their style-defining Pale Ale, flew all the way over from California with three incredibly special versions. Chinook, Crystal & Cascade hopped versions of Pale Ale were all poured via hand pull, and we managed to taste all three. Crystal was the pick of the bunch. It was hopped to perfection, with a classic English cask Pale Ale bitterness and a malt backbone to die for. It was probably worth going all that way for this beer alone. What a great way to start the day.
Just across the emptied pool, we spotted a lonely figure with an instantly recognisable 3 Fonteinen t-shirt on. Generally, all the stalls and stands the breweries have set up are adorned with their branding, but here was a wooden bench with two open bottles in Lambic baskets. As understated as it looked, pouring out of these bottles were the 21/22 Cuvee Armand & Gaston and a rare 20/21 Zenne y Frontera Gueuze. The Cuvee Armand & Gaston is up there with one of the best Gueuze’s out there, and even more poignant to bear the name Armand after the death of ‘Grandfather Gueuze’, Armand Debelder earlier this year.
We also caught up with Dann & Martha from Saint Mars of the Desert. If any of you were here for the tap takeover and meet the brewer evening they hosted at Kraft Werks, you will know what lovely people they are. Crumbling Splendour was a beer we sampled from Saint Mars that had been made in conjunction with IMBC & Wild Beer, and it had been a long time in the making. Brewing started in June and various different yeast and bacteria strains, lovingly cultured by Martha herself, combine to make a dark Flanders Red style ale without the acetic kick. It is one we loved and can’t wait to have on keg here at Kraft Werks.
From there we squirrelled ourselves away in the Turkish Baths area of the event, it was there we found that Thornbridge had made an indoor oasis. It was here we found the unsuspected beers of the festival. A lot of you know Thornbridge for Jaipur, and why not. It’s probably the most recognisable cask ale in the UK, but their small batch brews are not something to be overlooked.
Necessary Evil is an Imperial Stout Thornbridge brew from time to time, and we got a chance to try the newest barrel-aged releases. Bourbon & Triple Sec were the order of the day, with the Heaven Hill Bourbon Barrels just edging it on the day. The beer was delicately kissed by the barrel, giving all the sweet vanilla and oak flavours without overpowering the chocolate and roasty malts from the base Imperial Stout. It could also have been the meat raffle they were hosting in that very room that swayed it, but we’ll never know…
Throughout every session, there were special talks by brewers that were there for the week. We managed to scoop tickets for Kirkstall Brewery’s The Randonneur Triple Crown tasting event. On offer were three of the Leeds-based brewery’s rarest beers, The Rando, Grand Rando & BA Grand Rando, all based around a classic Belgian Blonde brewed with a Westamalle yeast strain. The Rando was crisp, light and dangerously drinkable, and the brewers talked about their love for old Belgian styles and bringing them to the forefront of British brewing. Grand Rando was loosely based on Westmalle’s Tripel, with modern hop HBC 630 & Brambling cross. What a Tripel that was, perfect at 9.0%. The final and best beer we got to sample was the BA Grand Rando, aged in Chardonnay barrels. The bright and vibrant barrel married beautifully with the sweet fruit, banana and berry undertones.
The great thing about Indy Man is catching up with people within the industry or you who pop into Kraft Werks and enjoy great beer here. We saw a good few of our regulars at the session we were at, and are sure that many more of you were up there over the four days. Conversations were had with new breweries like Sureshot & Lakes Brew Co, and rest assured you will be seeing these pouring on draught or chilling in our fridges soon.
All in all, Indy Man is a haven for great beer. Set in an idyllic building, showcasing the best the UK and the world of beer have to offer. Now we’ve had a taste of it again, we will not be able to wait more than 12 months for the next one…
Josh Smith
Kraft Werks
(Photography by Josh Smith & Ben Guesford)