Hey there, hop stuff…
CRATE Brewery have been doing some mighty fine things over the last few months and that’s all coming to a head (if you’ll pardon the pun) at the end of November, when they’ll be launching the very first CRATE Winter Escape Festival. Taking place at their east London brewery (which you might also know as party lovers’ favourite spot, Mick’s Garage), it’ll play host to everything from all-day brewery tours to pop up street food stalls, live bands and an evening of DJs to round it all off.
You can expect to sample beers from a range of CRATE’s favourite brewers as well as local makers, artists and craftspeople and workshops. In true CRATE style, the event will play host to a range of mainly London-centric breweries, including Three Sods Brewery, the award-winning brewery in the heart of Bethnal Green, Deviant and Dandy, Hackney’s very own independent craft brewery, and Neckstamper Brewing hailing from Walthamstow. You’ll also be able to sample beers from Two Tribes, Hammerton, and Bohem.
Once you’ve tried some of the best beers the city can offer, make your way to the Makers Market to pick up last minute hand-made Christmas gifts from craft makers like jewellers Emma Aitchison and Promises, Promises. When you get peckish, choose from a number of local independent food producers including CRATE’s stone-baked pizzas.
But it’s not all about the tasting: CRATE’s beer experts will be leading hourly tours of the brewery and its taprooms, giving visitors the chance to peek behind the scenes. On top of that, there’ll be tea workshops by tea guru Don Mei (of Camden speciality tea-shop Mei Leaf). Health gurus will love masterclasses on how to make your own kombucha by JARR Kombucha’s Adam Vanni, and, if that wasn’t enough, you’ll also have the chance to learn how to wheel-throw at pottery workshops led by Potters Thumb, the Brighton-based pottery studio, who co-developed the innovative recycled-glass crockery used at CRATE’s new zero-waste arrival, Silo. It might be a winter festival, but you can expect far more than just the traditional offerings here.
The festival will move to the beat of a line-up of live music including Galaxians, the Leeds-based three piece that combine live instrumentation and dance-floor energy, and Forest Law, as well as DJs Pato, Joshua Murfitt and The Iron Glove. For those who want to continue the party, CRATE’s warehouse will be transformed into Mick’s Garage for Club Mick’s.
Interested in coming along? Here’s a timetable of what to expect on the day:
12-6pm: CRATE Brewery Tours, JARR Kombucha Workshops, Mei Leaf Tea Workshops, Potter’s Thumb Pottery Workshops
12-8pm: Makers Market
12-10pm: Beer Festival
All day: Club Mick’s resident DJs, Food Trucks
6pm: Live Music: Forest Law
9:30pm: Live Music: Galaxians
11pm-4am: Club Mick’s: Velvet Season & the Hearts of Gold
This article was sponsored by CRATE Brewery. 18+ only. The CRATE Winter Escape Festival takes place on Sat, 30 November 2019, 12:00 – 23:00. Find out more here.