The Summer Bank Holiday usually guarantees two things in the UK, rain over the weekend and into that precious holiday (for some, I hasten to add) and a sense of foreboding on Monday evening that you’ve not quite made the most of the extra day off, especially if you’re been housebound or stuck doing domestic chores. This last August Bank Holiday however saw some slightly better conditions, with glorious sunshine bathing Liverpool and as testified by some of the photographs in this piece many people enjoy it with a few beers under the railway arches of the Northern Line. Mad Hatter have been in their ‘new’ home for a few months now, shifting some production across in a gradual process from their former home on the Baltic Triangle’s Caryl Street. They now have a rather more grand space to play with when putting on a party at Lightbody Street; a few railway arches which are a good enough size to provide a Bermondsey based brewer with a home and a large warehouse for their main base of operations. Of course, this is not the first time Mad Hatter have moved, or indeed hosted a party at their digs. The move from a very modest home in Upper Parliament Street gave way quickly to a Baltic base on Watkinson Street (which quickly became their all too short lived tap, hosting occasional tap-openings and parties), then onto Caryl Street. The party that took place on the Bank Holiday was sadly only a single-day affair, but with their own bar, support from The Dead Craft Beer Company, Frodsham/Helsby’s Beer Heroes and local food stalwarts San’s Café and Naked Lunch, there was plenty for visiting craft beer enthusiasts to enjoy along with the live music and other side acts. The pleasing beers on offer included Mad Hatter classics Lick Face, Tzatziki Sour and Penny Lane Pale along with newer ones, such as Golden Deliciousness (a pale ale, brewed with apple puree). Both Beer Heroes and Dead Crafty provided some big hitters, with the likes of Fourpure, Tope Rope, Alphabet, Chapter and many more represented on the taps of the two guest bars. I managed to have a quick catch up with Sue Starling from Mad Hatter to get a feel for how the Yard Party might impact on things going forward for the brewery: “We haven’t firmed up any plans just yet to do more Yard Parties, but it’s not off the table. We are applying for a premises license in the near future and we might be looking to be open on a regular basis from Spring 2018 onwards.” I asked about the location and whether she thought it would work in favour of regenerating the northern docks area for leisure use, or whether it might be something of a struggle with only the Invisible Wind Factory and themselves spearheading such use, plus some rather underdeveloped transport links (only Sandhill station is nearby and not many bus services): “Oh, for sure, there’s work to do, but the North Docks area has a lot to offer, it’s a striking area with loads of great buildings and history and I feel pretty confident that people will visit”. So for now, we’ll enjoy this tea party for the fun it was and wait and see how things pan out for Mad Hatter in their new home and keep our fingers crossed for more colour to come onto the scene. Pedro. ----------------------------------------------------- Thanks to WirraleRob for additional photography used in this article.
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