HB&B Blog — Manchester

The Beer Lover's Table: Singaporean Chilli Crab Pasta and Sureshot Brewing Whimmy Wam Wam Wozzle Pilsner

Claire Bullen Lager Manchester Pilsner Sureshot

The Beer Lover's Table: Singaporean Chilli Crab Pasta and Sureshot Brewing Whimmy Wam Wam Wozzle Pilsner

Recently, inspired by the recent tteokbokki à la vodka recipe we made together, my partner and I were riffing on ideas for hybrid dishes - food that doesn’t neatly fit under the slightly naff “fusion” label, but which playfully juxtaposes elements of dishes from different culinary traditions, teasing out surprising moments of overlap or resonance. We stumbled upon an interesting possibility: Could we turn Singaporean chilli crab into a pasta dish? Singapore’s national dish, chilli crab was created in the 1950s and features mud crabs cooked in a tomato base that’s sweet, salty and a little spicy. There are as...

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Fundamentals #136 — Track x Pellicle Always Trust the Optimist West Coast IPA

Fundamentals IPA Manchester Matthew Curtis Track Brewing Co West Coast IPA

Fundamentals #136 — Track x Pellicle Always Trust the Optimist West Coast IPA

Since I started writing about beer more than a decade ago, I’ve taken every opportunity to talk about the experience that showed me that beer was more than something you simply drink and enjoy. (Although, it’s also worth reminding yourself once in a while that it very much can – and should – be.) When I tasted Odell IPA for the first time in the brewery’s taproom in Fort Collins, Colorado, in 2010, it crystallised a positive feeling I’ve carried with me ever since. It’s this that keeps me enthralled with beer and its culture. But how do you carry...

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Fundamentals #116 — Sureshot Bring Me The Head of John the Accountant Double IPA

DIPA Double IPA Fundamentals IPA Manchester Matthew Curtis Sureshot

Fundamentals #116 — Sureshot Bring Me The Head of  John the Accountant Double IPA

The term “nature is healing” has perhaps been a tad overused during the past couple of years – although the other week, a new brewery opened in Manchester, which after months of pub closures and pandemic anxiety genuinely felt like a return to something resembling normality. One I took great comfort in. Nestling into the railway arch on Sheffield Street, right behind Piccadilly Station and formerly occupied by Track Brew Co (which has moved just down the road to its spacious new home on Piccadilly trading estate) Sureshot Brewery already feels cemented in place; a key fixture in the thriving...

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Fundamentals #94 — Track Down Is The New Up New England IPA

IPA Manchester Matthew Curtis New England IPA Track Brewing Co

Fundamentals #94 — Track Down Is The New Up New England IPA

Sometimes I’ll try and convince myself that I’m bored of NEIPA. That, somehow, I’m better than it. That my taste has become too sophisticated, my palate transcending to a plane far beyond the physical realm where I sit and enjoy my crispy lagers, while leaving the proletariat to their juice. But there’s always a beer to draw me back in and remind me that when done well, like any beer style, NEIPA can be delicious. And, holy shit, this bad boy, Down is the New Up from Manchester’s Track Brew Co, ticks all the boxes. Then it grabs someone else's paper and ticks...

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No More Heroes IV – Chorlton Brewing Co. Farmhouse IPA

Chorlton Farmhouse IPA Manchester Matthew Curtis

No More Heroes IV – Chorlton Brewing Co. Farmhouse IPA

When I think of Manchester, I first think of the fantastic music that the city has spawned. It’s responsible for seminal bands such as Joy Division, The Smiths and perhaps one of my all time favourites, The Chameleons. You might be thinking: “Who the hell are The Chameleons?” and rightly so – they never quite broke through to the mainstream but if you listen to tracks such as ‘Don’t Fall’, ‘In Shreds’ and ‘Tears’ you’ll struggle to understand why. Much like the early 80s, the last 18 months has seen an explosion of innovative new breweries, such as Cloudwater and Track Brewing Co, emerge...

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