Please drink responsibly: Manchester micro-brewery creates vegan-friendly Mayfield ale

Manchester-based micro-brewery Runaway is to create a special Mayfield Pale Ale which will only be available from Grub at Mayfield.

The 4% ABV vegan-friendly brew will be created at Runaway’s city centre micro-brewery under the stewardship of head brewer Mark Welsby, who set up Runaway in 2014.

“We wanted to brew a beer that would complement the amazing array of street food on offer at Mayfield. The final product will be somewhere between a summer golden ale and a lager. It’ll be served chilled and will be fizzier than a traditional ale. We’re going to have over 1000 pints each weekend and more if we need it. We think, and hope, people will love it.”

Grub at Mayfield will be held weekly on land next to the disused Mayfield train station on Baring Street in Manchester city centre. The area will be transformed by the temporary installation of a series of shipping containers housing street food traders at ground level with co-working and community space on upper levels. A community garden also forms part of the first-stage plans for the site.

Visitors will be treated to an ever-changing roster of six of the city’s and country’s best street-food traders along with craft beers. The food fair will initially operate every Friday and Saturday from 12 noon through to 10pm with alternative activities planned every Sunday from 12 noon to 8pm.

Jason Bailey from Grub at Mayfield said: “We needed a beer which was distinctive but that would also compliment the range of foods we’ll be serving. What Mark and his team have developed is just the ticket and we’re sure people will love it.

“Of course it won’t be alone at Mayfield. We’ll have 14 beer lines, five of which will be from Runaway’s current line up and the rest filled with guest breweries from Manchester and the north.

“We’ll also have a wine list comprising of eight red, white, rose and sparkling wines sourced for us by award winning local retailer Reserve Wines and soft drink options such as Steep Soda. The drink is just as important as the food and we are lucky to have some cracking suppliers here in Manchester.”

The food fair is the first step in re-opening the site to the people of the city by the Mayfield Development Partnership – a joint venture between Manchester City Council, LCR, Transport for Greater Manchester and mixed-use property regeneration specialist U+I.

The 24 acre site next to Piccadilly Station, has been derelict for over a decade. The Partnership’s plan is to create an iconic, £850m mixed-use community over the next 10 years, including commercial, residential and leisure facilities.

www.mayfieldmanchester.co.uk