10 Bars – 60 Draught Beers & Ciders a Week- Cocktails – Bands – Djs – Food Trucks – Tasting Tours – Meet the Brewer Events – Beer Dinners – Much, Much More
On July 4 one rather large and famous country declared its independence, so in the same spirit the organisers are declaring Beer Nation ‘a free-from politics’ zone and launching the most exciting keg, cask and bottled venue in London right now. In their words:
“We don’t care whether it’s served from a hand-pull, a tap or a bottle as long as it’s damn tasty and made with love, care and attention to detail – because we know that’s how modern drinkers feel too.
“So, we’re diving straight in at the deep end with over 60 draught products a week, with a strong focus on great beer but also featuring amazing ciders and spirits too.”
Urban Sessions
The event will also be playing host to top DJs like the Freestylers, the Shuffle Crew, Liv Knight, Sonic Blue and many others – alongside a mouth-watering programme of food trucks, special events and acoustic bands – which is where the name Urban Sessions comes in.
Where?
At the CRE8 Centre, The Old Baths, Hackney Wick, E9 5JH
How Does it Work?
- Soft launch 4-11 July (closed Monday & Tuesday to the public) when there will be an open-house – just turn up and, as long as it’s not full, you can peruse and partake of any drinks you like on a cash basis
- 12 July onwards – running tasting packages, with a number of walk-in places (limited by the capacity); more info can be found at www.urbansessions.co.uk
- These experiences include:
- tasting flights from four to sixteen beers
- expert-led tasting tours
- monthly beer-matched dinners
- spirit education sessions
- meet the brewer events
- a bottle shop for beers-to-go
- No two days will be exactly the same; the only consistent thing will be the efforts to make your experience amazing
Who’s organising it?
Mark Banks – Always ahead of the curve Mark has some of the most successful bars in London (Powder Keg, Lost Angel and Lost & Co), all of which have a strong beer presence, stocking not only exciting and interesting UK beers (many brewed exclusively for the venues) but also has a strong understanding of the international beer market and products too.
Melissa Cole – Melissa is one of the leading lights of the international beer scene and will be responsible for whipping the staff into shape, writing the educational programmes, helping source beers and liaising with breweries for special nights, meet the brewer events and helping run the corporate entertainment side.
And, of course being a passionate sommALEier, she will be bringing together the beer and food programme, which is set to include some very big name chefs indeed.
Mat Wale – Event maven Mat is the owner of Twisted Lemon, an established and experienced events company with a strong industry background. Mat is the man on the ground, the one with the plan and the vision and skills to execute it.
Further information on Education and Events
The focus will be very strongly on education around beer – all the staff will be trained by Melissa, who will then hand-pick key enthusiasts to help run the guided tasting tours, who then receive one-on-one training.
It will include:
- Weekly Meet the Brewers , which our lead brands get the first shout for
- Monthly beer supper clubs, bringing in renowned chefs
- Beer Battles – beer takes on wine, spirits and cocktails
- Food trucks and visiting pop-ups
- Top DJs and other live music