Honey beer stolen in raid at brewery
HEARTLESS thieves have stolen crates of a special Manchester honey beer which was brewed to raise money for beekeepers.
A hire van was stolen from outside The Runaway Brewery, on Dantzic Street in Manchester city centre.
The van contained crates of Manchester Park Ale, which was created alongside the Brew Wild project using honey from bee colonies in Heaton Park and Wythenshawe Park.
It was also carrying kegs of Runaway Brewery beers, such as IPAs, pale ales and porters adding up to £2,000 in total.
The van was found dumped near to the Citi Park Hotel, on Rochdale Road, in Blackley – but it had been emptied of all the beer.
Eyewitnesses said they saw up to four men unloading the stolen van and placing items into a black Nissan Qashqai parked up nearby. Police are investigating.
Runaway brewery staff, alongside Brew Wild volunteers, are appealing for people to help them trace the beer – which can only be sold in a few selected pubs and shops.
The Manchester Park Ale was the brainchild of the Brew Wild Manchester project, which aims to connect beekeepers, brewers and gardeners.
Profits from sales of the beer are donated to the Manchester and District Beekeepers Association, with the aim to raise awareness of beekeeping in the region. However, there are now only a few bottles of the special beer left which can be purchased at Manchester Art Galley.
Mark Welsby, head brewer at The Runaway Brewery, said: “The idea was to use the beer to promote the cause and the Beekeepers Association.
“It is a very niche thing, we tried to show off the flavour of the honey.
“It has a taste of Manchester about it, the bees have been collecting from green spaces from around Manchester and it is completely rural.”
Mark says customers have sent messages of support and some have even offered to do deliveries and take staff to beer festivals.
He said: “There is talk of running an event later on to try and raise the funds for the Beekeepers Association. But we are hoping first we will be able to find the beer.
“It is one thing losing beer which is a part of your business, but the biggest upset is for the project we were working on.
“It is the something we are passionate about here, it is something we were proud of being involved with.”
Richard Searle, from the Brew Wild Project, said organisers were expecting 500 bottles of the beer to be sold.
“Nobody was hurt but it is a loss to our little project,” he said. “It is sad and tragic and I think the robbers might not know about it being special.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed that officers were called to reports of a theft from a vehicle on Dantzic Street shortly after 11.15am last Wednesday.