While this is mostly about whisky & spirits around here, I’m also a huge fan of all things craft beer (don’t get me wrong – I do not only appreciate alcoholic drinks, I also like green tea & smoothies but that’s definitely less fun to talk about) and when I heard about Richard & Dan’s new craft beer festival, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to let you know guys about it (let’s not fool ourselves, I know loads of you are also into beer!).

I then reached out to Richard to learn more about this new event celebrating hoppy treats from Scotland and beyond! Don’t close this page yet if you’re not a beer enthusiast, there may be something for you as well…  (I would strongly advise you to read this to the end… Or just scroll down to the bottom of this page for your chance to win what must be one of the best prizes I’ve offered you around here in a while!)

First of all, could you please tell us a bit more about yourself: where do you come from, career background etc. And why did you decide to organise a craft beer festival?

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My name is Richard Servranckx, I come from France and I have been living in Edinburgh for more than 3 years now! We fell in love with this amazing country including the people and never left! I did a lot of different things: from import export to underwear salesperson to marketing internet and tourism – I love discovering things and learning about them.

The idea for a festival happened with a craft beer a few years ago and I realised how interesting this market was. Dan and I decided after a long night out to organise a beer festival in order to make sure people drink better beer but also to showcase the beautiful beer some brewers have to offer!

How did you get into craft beer: first sipped, any noticeable milestone on your hoppy journey, any favourite style/brewery/expression?

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I used to drink Kronenbourg and discovered Belgium beers a few years ago including the world famous Karmeleit. This was the first step into craft beer and the beginning of a beautiful and passionate journey! Craft beer is a complex drink and you get used to a certain type of beer depending on hops and yeast mostly, my palate is now used to UK Craft Beer and when I go back to France, I am always discovering new flavours that you can taste in the UK! I am a big fan of double IPA, really hoppy beer but fruity not bitter! If I have one brewery I have to mention, I would say Pilot as they are fantastic guys and they brew amazing beers… and the brewery is 5 minutes walking from my flat 😉

What in your opinion will set Craft Beer Revolution apart from the other craft beer festivals in the UK?

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We are beer enthusiasts and the only mission we have is to give the opportunity to people to drink better beer! We can guarantee good beers for every taste! We will also run masterclasses for every level. It is all about tasting and you will be able to have a third of each beer and taster sized portions from the three street food vendors so you can enjoy a little bit of everything! Some unique entertainment will be lined-up: pub quizzes, arcade game and many more!

Can you please quickly describe the first edition: what can we expect in terms of exhibitors, events, masterclasses, talks etc. ?

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This festival will showcase 9 Scottish breweries, 2 from Newcastle, 1 from London and 1 from Paris. We will also have 4 different food suppliers including Indian food, Scottish food, charcuterie trollies and amazing chicken burgers! As a French person, I need to respect my culture, so we will also have wine and cider! I am also a Vodka & Gin drinker and discovered Arbikie last year, so they will also join us with their range of craft spirits. We will be supporting the charity Brewgooder by serving their lager, and you will have to taste our own beer brewed in collaboration with Ushers: a slightly red rye IPA (I tasted the first batch yesterday and it was amazing!).

We will also have some masterclasses during the session including tastings & talks from the brewers… Make sure you RSVP when you enter the venue! In term of music, we will ask the festivalgoers which songs they would like us to add to the playlist before they arrive at the festival. Some arcade games will be available and we will also have a pub quiz every session! 😉

Is CBR more focused on the local offer or will attendees also be able to discover producers coming from other parts of the world?

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First, this is Edinburgh CBR so we are trying to focus on Scottish products but again we will have some breweries from England and France but also worldwide food!

Oh by the way, will CBR be only about beer or will it also be showcasing other liquid delicacies?

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It is a beer festival but more over a craft drink celebration so we will have some gin and vodka from Arbikie as well as some cider and wines with our partner Vino! Arbikie will host a masterclass so you can better understand their lovely drink that is getting more and more famous within the UK. Oh and I forgot to mention that some of the beer will be aged in whisky barrels, of course, we are in Scotland 😉

How do you see the future for CBR? How do you picture the festival in 5/10 years time? A crazy dream you’d like to achieve?

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We would love to have CBR in 2 or 3 different cities by end of 2017. Edinburgh is our home town so it will definitely be the main one but I really believe that there is still space and we are all working on the same mission: drink better beer and showcase small brewers that are driven by passion!
In 5 years time, I can see myself with a big belly 😉 no seriously, I would love to see the festival in 5 years time in London or Paris!

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A crazy dream: Organise the most interesting craft beer festival in the world!

Woop! Woop! I’ve teamed up with Craft Beer Revolution and their partner Arbikie to offer you the chance to win a bottle of Kirsty’s Gin AND 2 tickets to CBR (last weekend of November in Edinburgh).

To enter the competition, see my highlighted tweet!