Blackjack Brewery - Ipinda

I went here for the private party before Shebeen Festival, courtesy of the generous guys at Blackjack and Yelp. I'll just copy over what I said on the talk thread: What an amazing night having free access to the taps! I tried 7 different beers and they were all brilliant. And the food from Yakumama was outstanding spicy beef empananda, crackling with guacamole, mushroom quinoa croquetas and avocado and chocolate brownie...I cannot wait until they move to The Kitchens at Spinningfields this summer! Only downside was that it was absolutely freezing, definitely a space heater would have been in order! I imagine this is not a problem at all during the summer and it's a great place to spend a couple of hours below the railway arches listening to some good music and trying the beers right from the source!

Really great pub. I had been there before. I opted for a Cantillon Kriek bottle. A beer nigh on impossible to find here in Detroit. Super helpful staff and great atmosphere. Would visit here on every visit to Manchester.

When you combine great local beers served outside where they 're brewed, delicious local street food, a DJ pumping out tunes that make you dance on your reclaimed timber bench under vertical gardens made of pallets, you get the Blackjack Brew Tap. The micro brewery under a railway arch off Irk Street opened its doors to the beer thirsty public at the weekend with both cask and keg options available. Wine, spirits and soft drinks were also on offer. Just outside the 'bar ' were the dynamic duo Arepa!Arepa!Arepa! cooking up tasty Columbian food for the punters [hidden link] . Their maize based flatbreads complete with vegetarian or meat tastic fillings are certainly a crowd pleaser they can often be found at Levenshulme Market selling their wares. With the DJs twirling on the decks, the atmosphere was really buzzing, we all loved whiling away a good few hours there. As Nic R mentions, rumour has it that there will be more regular events taking place around the newly coined 'Beer Quarter ', with other breweries due to move in soon. Watch this space, there 's going to be a new hot spot in our fair City of Mancunia ;

Walking to Black Jack Brewers feels a bit like you're heading towards a horror film set. Or as if you're about to imminently become the victim of a crime of some sort. Having parked under the huge bridge around the corner, the area was completely deserted on a friday night as I walked towards the distant cheery noise. The commotion was coming from Sham Bodie, a brilliant comedy monthly shindig I highly recommend you check out. The set up was incredible, gazebos, barbecues and a bar serving (what I hear) great beers. The place was packed and there was great atmosphere. The isolated nature of the venue actually turned out to be a strong point. There was a special and strange combination of an inclusive/exclusive atmosphere. Inclusive, since the event was sold out and there was a great crowd of like minded people and exclusive since it was away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre on a friday night. There was live music from Glass Tides (My favourite Manchester band) and comedy by (amongst others) the brilliant Norris Parker who are performing at the Edinburgh Fringe next week. There was also a hot dog eating competition and the atmosphere was nothing short of amazing all night. I strongly suggest you check out an event here in the near future, you won't regret it.

What an amazing concept!! A brewery opening its taps to its fan punters once a month and inviting street food genius and super hip DJs along. Blackjack beers are amongst the best beers made in Manchester and the UK (although this list is now getting very long indeed, and we're all the better for it). The guys had most of their beers and more from other local breweries on offer and Arepa! Arepa! Arepa! were there to make sure we keep nicely fed. The DJs were playing some seriously cool tracks and it all allowed us to forget that we were under a railway track in a dodgy part of Manchester instead of on a beach bar in Miami. I hear more exciting news are in the pipeline for this idyllic spot so watch this space!!