Travelling to Franconia: Moor Beer Co’s Justin Hawke
Beers from the Franconia region of Germany will be under the spotlight when Moor Beer Co stages its second I Want Moor festival from August 10 to 12.
The event has been dubbed ‘Franken Fest’ and will take place at Moor’s Bristol Brewery, on the city’s Days Road, and Bermondsey Vault, at 71 Enid Street, London.
Alongside a wide collection of Moor Beer’s modern real ales, such as Nor’Hop, Revival and Old Freddy Walker, I Want Moor will celebrate the region in northern Bavaria that is home to more than 300 breweries.
Beer makers from Franconia have a reputation for creating some of the best beers in Europe in a variety of styles. For most of the beers available at I Want Moor, it will be the first time that they have been poured in the UK. For many of the brews you would normally have to travel to the brewery to taste them.
Moor Beer’s head brewer, Justin Hawke, will travel to Franconia to hand pick what will be available. He will be joined by Manuele Colonna, a Franconia beer expert. Manuele runs pubs in Rome and Germany and wrote a definitive guide to the beers from this iconic region — Birra in Franconia. Most of the beers chosen by the pair will be served by gravity, straight from the barrel.
German beers
The event is free to attend and both the Moor Beer sites are family and dog friendly. I Want Moor Franken Fest will showcase one of the best ranges of German beers ever poured in the UK alongside excellent meat and vegan street food vendors, with a few additional surprises lined up.
Justin said: “The first I Want Moor festival was fantastic, but this year we knew we couldn’t rest on our laurels and had to go one better. The plan is to centre it around what is one of my spiritual homes, Franconia.
“My time living and travelling in Germany heavily influenced what we do here at Moor Beer. We’re bringing more than a taste of what it is like to spend long afternoons soaking up the atmosphere in great company with fantastic beer.
“Like us, all the brewers we will showcase are fiercely independent, disinterested in following the trends, and stubbornly focused on quality and flavour. None of the beers will have lactose or high ABVs and will be so much more enjoyable for it. Beer is sometimes referred to as liquid bread. For me these beers are like drinking your
mothers cooking, bringing you back home with every sip.”
He added: “There is no one better than Manuele Colonna to help select what beers to showcase. He’s one of the world-renowned experts of beer from this region, a mentor and a friend. Together, we’re going to bring the true flavour of Franconia to Bristol and London and ensure that everyone goes away with an appreciation of one of the world’s most renowned brewing locations.”
