Pendle Witches brewer Moorhouse’s is celebrating the witching season in the new Burnley brewery complex with a ‘ghostbusting’ Halloween Beer Festival- featuring a guest appearance of the famous ‘Ectomobile’ Cadillac from the legendary Ghostbuster movies.
The festival on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 of October will offer more than 20 real ales, including some of the brewery’s own selected specials and several guest beers in addition to its five core brands – Black Cat, former Camra Champion Beer of Britain – Pride of Pendle (4.1%) – former Champion Cask Ale Brewing Industry International Awards – and premier Pendle Witches Brew (5.1%).
A choice of special brews includes golden wheat beer White Mist (4.2%abv), and fruity blonde style White Witch (3.9%abv) an easy drinking ale which is hugely popular and dark red Ruby Witch (4.6%abv), designed to match the season as a medium strength ‘dark ruby coloured full bodied ale with subtle roast flavours, hints of spice and tangerine notes from Crystal and Cascade hops’.
Each October sales surge some 35 per cent as Moorhouse’s is increasingly hailed as THE Halloween brewer. This year business is expected to hit a new high with the increased capacity of the new 4.2m brewing complex launched in 2011 to include a The Cauldron Bar and hospitality rooms.
David Grant, Moorhouse’s managing director, said: “With the strength of our new brewery we are able to put on this event in our impressive bar and visitor suite to underscore our place as the foremost brewer for Halloween.
“Our first seasonal festival last year was a great success. We plan to repeat that and introduce more people to the magic of real ale. We have a great selection of cask beers with guest ales included. And the Ghostbuster car is a very fitting, if rather unusual, added attraction supplied by friends of Moorhouse’s.”
Sessions are Friday 5pm-11pm, Saturday 12noon –6pm and 7pm to midnight for the fancy dress party night. Doors close at 10pm. Entrance for each session is £3 for ‘mortals’ and £2 for ‘witches and wizards’.
Suitable ‘Halloween food’ is being provided by students from the Accrington & RossendaleCateringCollege, with proceeds going to the college. There’s live music on the Friday and afternoon sessions and a disco on Saturday night. For tickets contact: stacie-kerrison@moorhouses.co.
Ends/MHPR- MHPR Halloween beer festival 2013
Notes to news and picture editors:
The Ghostbuster car will be available for photographs on Friday evening and throughout Saturday. Please make contact with David Grant at the festival.
Moorhouse’s background
Moorhouse’s has won more awards than any comparable brewer, including Black Cat voted Camra Supreme Champion Beer of Britain 2000. Last yearBlack Cat also took gold in the Standard Strength Cask-Conditioned Ale category of the Brewing Industry International Awards (BIIA).
Founder William Moorhouse established his drinks manufacturing business in Accrington Road, Burnley, and Lancashire in 1865. Originally it produced mineral waters and then low strength hop bitters for Temperance Movement bars. Moorhouse’s began full strength brewing in the 1970s and in the eighties Manchester businessman Bill Parkinson bought the then ailing brewery ‘because he liked the beer’. Now, Moorhouse’s directly supplies several hundred pubs throughout the North West, Midlands and Yorkshire, while distributing nationally via leading wholesalers and major pub chains.