Runaway Brewery are hosting their first ever beer festival – part of a special weekend of beer flavoured events to celebrate their tenth anniversary, and a year at their new home in Stockport.
Running from Thursday 30th May – Sunday 2nd June, the festivities begin with a special preview of new beers brewed for the occasion; followed by a two-day beer festival showcasing Runaway’s greatest hits with world beers from Manchester’s Beermoth; and, a relaxed session to close things out in the brewery’s courtyard garden on Sunday.
Expect to find local food and drink alongside the ever present Honest Crust Sourdough Pizza, as well as friends and DJ’s carefully crafting celebratory vibes all weekend!
The celebrations begin at 3pm on Thursday 30th May in the brewery taproom with the launch of new Birthday beers brewed especially for the occasion – including a number of collaborations made with friends from Greater Manchester’s food and drink community. The brewers will be on hand to present their new beers, show people around the brewery with impromptu tours, and chat all things Runaway. The brilliant Honest Crust are also planning some extra special pizzas to enjoy alongside.
On Friday 31st May and Saturday 1stJune the beer festival will expand to 30+ taps, pouring beers across three bars throughout the venue. A pop-up garden bar will showcase seasonal session beers from keg and cask, all served in the verdant surrounds of the brewery courtyard. Inside, the taproom bar will present a range of beers from the present, past and future of the brewery, with a few rarely seen Runaway classics, alongside some gravity pours, new beers and birthday specials. Rounding things out, the first floor loft bar will host a specially curated selection of UK, European and world beers from friends Café Beermoth on draught and in bottle.
A weekend of great beer deserves great food, and Honest Crust will be supported by a couple of foody friends on both Friday evening and Saturday, bringing a range of internationally inspired dishes with both veggie and vegan options available. Music will be provided by friends of the brewery, with a rotating line-up of DJ’s playing folk, soul, funk, hip-hop, electronica and disco (as well as the inevitable dad rock) in the courtyard on both days.
The closing party will see the brewery taproom open for the first time on a Sunday from 1 – 6pm with more relaxed, low key feel, to accompany a few final celebratory beers and pizzas. Think board games, papers, dub, reggae, and jazz – oh and birthday cake of course!
Runaway Brewery’s founder, Mark Welsby says: “We want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has supported us over the last ten years – both within the hospitality industry and of course the beer drinking community – we really wouldn’t still be here without them! We hope the festival goes some way to sharing our gratitude with everyone – and make for a memorable weekend with great friends and delicious beer of course!”
The team at Runaway has been enviably tight-knit over the years, with very low turnover of staff in that time. Although Mark started brewing by himself back in 2014, he’s now part of the team alongside Oliver Edwards and the recently qualified Jake Duncan. Other brewing alumni include John Major (now head brewer at Fell Brewery), Liam Willday (co-founder at Steep Soda), and Josh Chappell (who now leads the brewing team at Hip Pop).
Mark says: “Our little brewery started with very humble beginnings, so the fact we’re still here is amazing to me. Yes we’ve worked hard, but we’ve also been incredibly lucky over the years – it’s been a real privilege to work with so many brilliant people. I’m so proud of the team here – past & present – it only feels right for us to take a moment to step back, take stock & celebrate what we’ve achieved together.”
Runaway Brewery’s tenth birthday celebrations will run from Thursday 30th May to Sunday 2nd June at their Brewery Taproom on Astley Street in central Stockport. Event times will be advertised on the Brewery website and social media. Entry on all days will be free and on a first come first served basis. Birthday gift packs will be available to take home from the brewery Bottle Shop throughout the festival weekend, and to buy online from mid-May.
Location: The Runaway Brewery Taproom (Behind the Pineapple), 9-11 Astley Street, Stockport, SK4 1AW
Find out more about Runaway Brewery and buy online [https://www.therunawaybrewery.com]
