Craft brewers unite for Manchester bomb appeal fundraiser
Manchester-based brewery Beer Nouveau is hosting a #HopsNotHate event at its taproom on Friday 9 June.
Attendees will be able to purchase beer donated by breweries from all over the UK, with all the money raised going to the families of the victims.
There will also be a mini-auction featuring the chance to bid on canned and bottled beer, rare whisky bottles, dinner vouchers at local restaurants and an annual subscription to beer delivery service BeerBods.
'People like us'
Beer Nouveau founder Steve Dunkley told The Morning Advertiser that the event was motivated by a sense of solidarity with those affected by the attack.
“We’re all part of the hospitality industry and that attack could have easily been in a nightclub or a street full of pubs,” he said. “It’s people like us, working behind bars or going out to have a good time that are suffering from this.”
“We realised that we could do something, as brewers and members of the industry, to generate some money. People might not always be willing to give money to charity but they are likely to pay money for a pint!”
Interest in the event was so high that the brewery had to ask people to stop sending draught beer and send bottles and cans instead, Dunkley said.
Industry generosity
“The whole industry was coming forward and offering to help. We’ve had beer from around 60 breweries, from small local producers to companies like Budvar and Meantime. Everyone has been so generous about it.”
Some 450 tickets have been sold for the event, with the brewery hoping to raise £10,000 from beer sales and the items up for auction.
In London, hospitality operators have been urged to gather in Borough Market to show solidarity with the pubs and restaurants affected by Saturday’s terror attack on the capital.