Approach any local brewery right now and you’ll hear a busy clatter of bottles and thudding of kegs in preparation for the annual Bristol Beer Week, which runs from September 19-26.
Over the course of the week, there are a number of events taking place across the city, including festivals, tastings, masterclasses and more. We caught up with the organisers, as well as some of the stars of Bristol's buzzing brewing scene to find out more about what’s in-store.
Head-honcho of the week Steve Powell tells us: 'I have always thought of Bristol as being a fiercely independent city, that's incredibly proud of its arts, culture and entertainment scene. The rise in the UK beer industry, however you want to label it, is about creativity, independence, artisan products and entrepreneurship – all qualities that fit perfectly with Bristol's ethos.'
With that in mind, we headed down to Wiper And True in St Werburghs, which is currently leading the pack amongst the city’s best hop-handlers.
Perched on a bench supping away at one of their latest brews a spokesperson tells us:
'We have the absolute honour of hosting the opening party, which is going to be at The Hillgrove [in Kingsdown]. We’ll be taking over all of the lines there: six kegs and eight casks. There will be a photo-booth and lots other fun things.'
This includes getting up close and personal with the brewing process:
'We’re giving four people the opportunity to brew a batch of beer with us,' Steve continues, 'someone to come in and go through the whole process with us, it’s an experience and that’s what Bristol Beer Week is all about.'
This is just one colourful splash in a scheme of bigger events, there’s a host of awesome stuff going on and full details can be found here.
One event we’re particularly excited about is King Street’s ‘Beermuda Triangle’ where The Beer Emporium, Small Bar and The Famous Royal Navy Volunteer are linking up.
Marco Sposato of the Beer Emporium tells us: 'The best thing about Bristol Beer Week is the amount of collaborations that it brings out. We’re so excited about the first ‘Beermuda Triangle’ collaborative festival.'
The Beer Emporium will also be hosting some tap-takeovers from the likes of Mad Hatter Brewing and Fyne Ales, where you'll also get the chance to meet the brewers.
Elsewhere, small-scale brewers Crane Beer has recently moved into a new unit and are thrilled about their upcoming event: 'Beer in Bristol is just massive. There are so many places selling it in different styles, shapes and sizes, so there's plenty of choice.'
Silo
From Crane's point of view, they love bouncing off of other breweries: 'We're still relatively new, so other people on the scene have been very helpful to talk to.'
Crane Beer will be launching a collaboration ale with Beerd for the event called 'Silo' – a traditional and punchy saison that will be available at Small Bar and other places around town.
Other highlights include the intriguing Rainbow Project at Small Bar on Kings Street, where seven of the best UK breweries have been paired with seven brewers from America and asked to create a beer that represents the colour that they've each been assigned.
These special and highly imaginative beers are unique to the Rainbow Project and have in the past included a peanut butter and biscuit stout and a green juniper and hemp DIPA.
This, appropriately, is just a taster and beer fans can look forward to seeing many new numbers from the likes of Arbor, Bristol Beer Factory, Wild Beer Co and many other fantastic locals over the course of the week.
Head over to the Bristol Beer Week website for more information.
Bristol Beer Week, September 19-26. Various venues.
Take a look at our pick of some of the best pubs in Bristol.