AS THE BRIT AWARDS HEAD TO MANCHESTER, THE CITY SHOWCASES ITS BREWING SUPERSTARS

With the BRIT Awards arriving in Manchester for the first time this weekend, there’s no better way to toast the city’s cultural moment than with a brew that has been crowned best in the world at the Oscars of the beer industry.

Spin Doctor is the landmark lager produced by one of Manchester’s best-known and most enduring brands: Joseph Holt, the 176-year-old independent brewery whose pubs are woven into the fabric of the city and the wider North West. Spin Doctor was named World’s Best Lager at the International Brewing Awards, widely regarded as the most prestigious honours in global beer-making.

As such, it sits alongside an impressive roster of award-winning beers from Joseph Holt, including Trailblazer, the brewery’s creamy Northern stout which famously beat Guinness in a blind taste test; Crystal, a light-bodied session lager and previous gold medal winner at the International Brewing Awards; and Sixex, a dark, strong ale brewed to the same recipe for more than a century and still taking gold — most recently at the 2021 International Brewing Awards.

All are likely to prove popular with music lovers descending on the city for the BRITs — whether they’re travelling in for the weekend or were born and brewed (or rather, bred) here in the North. And the Manchester connection runs deep. Burnage-born Noel Gallagher, who will be honoured with the BRIT’s Songwriter of the Year Award, famously played sold-out shows just up the road at Heaton Park, close to several Joseph Holt pubs. Meanwhile, headline star Harry Styles, hailing from nearby Holmes Chapel, represents another chapter in the North West’s musical legacy.

Indeed while the global glitterati dust down their tuxedos and gowns, those looking for the real soul of the city — from front-row fans to backstage crews — need look no further than a Joseph Holt pub. With pints as bold as a Gallagher brothers blow-out, these are places where Manchester’s music, humour and community spirit meet. Pubs such as The Lower Turks Head, The Ape & Apple and The Old Monkey — all within easy reach of Co-op Live — offer ideal pre- and post-show pit stops, and remain cultural institutions in their own right.

So as anticipation builds and the awards roll into town, there’s no better way to celebrate Manchester’s hosting of Britain’s biggest music event than with an award winning pint that shares the same Mancunian DNA.

Don’t just watch the BRITs from your sofa. Get into the thick of it. Come to Manchester, head to your nearest Joseph Holt pub, raise a glass — and remind the BRITs where the true spirit of the city really lives.