Academy IPA (4.5% ABV)

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A blend on the Brightside

Created exclusively for Manchester Academy, this midweight, modern IPA is brewed from a blend of four fruity American hops, selected to create a refreshing flavoursome beer with a zingy, bitter finish.

The genuinely bottle and cask conditioned beers are unfiltered, unpasteurised and are brewed using Brightside's own brewery cultivated yeast.

Academy IPA will be available in all Academy venues and the Union Bar in bottles, cask and keg.

Cheers!

Academy IPA has been a year in the making, and has been launched to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Manchester Academy later this year. Manchester Academy has always been a staunch supporter of real ale, selling a range of real ales in both cask and bottle for a number of years.

The Academy team wanted to go one step further and become part of that movement by producing their own ale, creating an exclusive ‘session ale’ that they were proud to put their name to – while supporting a local Manchester brewery.

With that idea in mind, the team decided on Brightside Brewing Company - an independent, family-run brewery with a reputation for quality and a commitment to environmental sustainability - whose Manchester Skyline and Our Town beers are already stocked in the Academy venues.

Carley, Brightside’s Director of Sales and Marketing, is a former student of the University of Manchester and was keen to get involved in creating a new beer for the iconic Manchester venue. The Academy team and Brightside eventually decided on a blend of four fruity American hops to create a zingy, easy-drinking beer.

After brewing, Brightside bottle and cask all their beers by hand and label them on site at their brewery in Radcliffe. Their spent grain, hops and yeast are then collected by a local farmer once a week, who uses it to feed sheep and cattle and create compost.

The result is a high-quality beer, produced in a sustainable environment, for one of Manchester’s best-loved venues.

For more information on Brightside Brewing Company, you can read their mission statement here.