The Black Friar launches a season-long celebration and unveils its biggest transformation to date as Boddingtons Cask returns to its oldest pub

The Black Friar, a Salford institution and the oldest remaining Boddingtons pub in the world, has announced ‘The Summer of Boddies’. The season-long celebration marks the return of Boddingtons Cask to the pub complete with a spectacular floral installation and infused menu specials.

The announcement follows Manchester’s oldest brewery, JW Lees’ relaunch of Boddingtons cask ale in September last year following a 13-year absence from it being brewed in the city. The re-launch has been a triumphant success thanks, in no small part, to the city’s ever loyal publicans and punters who have in true Manc fashion got fully behind the brand to return it to the heart of many pubs and bars across the North-West and beyond.

Founded in 1828 in Middleton by John Lees, JW Lees is deeply rooted in Manchester’s history and remains proudly family-run 7 generations later. Nearly 200 years on, the brewery has witnessed the city’s transformation from the Industrial Revolution to the vibrant cultural and musical hub it is today.

The Black Friar became one of the first pubs to serve the relaunched cask beer, a perfect partnership for a longstanding shared history, with The Black Friar being the closest pub located to the original Boddingtons brewing site.