A NEW craft beer and gin festival is coming to Mobberley in August.

Summertime Festival at the Mobberley Brewhouse shop will see some of the biggest names in the craft beer movement coming to the village like Cloudwater, Verdant, Wylam, Kernel, Buxton and Burnt Mill.

James Roberts, who launched the brewery in 2011, hosts open evenings at the Church Lane shop once a month and saw that there was demand for an event on a larger scale. The former Mobberley Primary School pupil has also been inspired by recent visits to Manchester craft beer festivals like Indy Man and Summer Beer Thing.

He said: “Summertime Festival is something we have wanted to do for a long time – a small, laid back event that showcases some of the best breweries and gin distilleries in the UK. We want to spread the word, educate and introduce people to some incredible producers and share our passion for the amazing craft beer and gin scene that we are currently surrounded by.

“We run very popular open nights once a month on a Tuesday which gives us a chance to exhibit our latest seasonal and special release beers and people have long hinted at the fact they would love to see this sort of event run on a weekend.

“So there is plenty of demand for this sort of event from people that enjoy our open nights and are open-minded to trying different beers.”

Knutsford Guardian:

The first Summertime Festival will feature more than 40 beers from more than 25 breweries across the UK as well as more than 20 gins and will take place on Saturday, August 17, in two sessions.

The beers will cover a range of modern styles from pale ales and fruit beers to sours and stouts and the strength of the drinks will range from 3.8 per cent all the way up to 12 per cent.

This will be reflected in the size of the pour that you get for each beer token. Mobberley Brewhouse’s own range will also be well represented with seasonal and special releases alongside its core range of hop-forward session ales and lager.

The gin is mainly being sourced direct from the distilleries, many of which are based in Cheshire, and each will have its own special serve so expect unique pairings and colourful garnishes.

No drinks festival is complete without street food so the event is teaming up with Project 53 for a pizza menu full of specials and pairing suggestions prepared just for the event.

The organisers are also providing a shuttle bus for beer and gin enthusiasts coming from Knutsford.

The bus will go to and from the festival site via Mobberley Brewhouse’s tap room, Project 53, in Minshull Street.

James taught himself how to brew from scratch in tiny premises in 2011.

Inspired by progressive brewers like Brewdog and Cloudwater, he bought a new kit for hop-forward beers in 2017.

Knutsford Guardian:

Since then Mobberley Brewhouse has grown rapidly with James investing in a £100,000 canning line and opening two tap rooms, Project 53 Stockport and Knutsford.

He added: “We’ve had an incredible 12 months, launching our first two bars and seeing demand for our beers escalate further than we could have imagined. We are now sending our beer to most areas of the UK as well as further afield with exports to places like Jersey, France and Spain. After an exciting 12 months it’s time to celebrate with Summertime Festival.”

Summertime Festival takes place on August 17 with just 100 tickets available for each session. The £20 ticket includes a glass to take away and your first four beers or two gins. Tickets for the beer bus costing £8 are also available alongside the festival passes. You can buy them here