Inn Brief & Beery Bits

Inn Brief In addition to the Castle at Bolsterstone, John and Tracy, have recently also taken on the Green Dragon at Thurgoland. They have been at the Castle for some months and have built up, what was, a declining trade. Three handpumps are in use on a daily basis, usually including beer from Bradfield and Robinsons. The new managers at the Castle Inn, Bradway are Mark & Gillian. Abbeydale Moonshine is now the regularly available beer, usually alongside Bradfield Farmers Blonde and a guest bitter. Food is now available again served Tuesday to Saturday 12:00-15:30 and 17:00-20:30 plus Sunday lunches served 12:00-15:00. Live music features one Saturday a month and there may be a second entertainment night added per month soon. The Angel at Holmesfield now has four beers on handpump: The two regulars are Abbeydale Moonshine and Chatsworth Bakewell Best Bitter. These are backed up by two guest ales. At time of visit these were “Wards” Best Bitter and Wychwood Hobgoblin Gold. The Horse & Jockey at Unstone has introduced real ale, at last report this was Timothy Taylors Boltmaker at a bargain introductory price of £2.20 a pint. The Inn at Troway now has a guest beer alongside the Thornbridge offerings, with the latest guest at time of writing being Bradfield Farmers Brown Cow. The Peacock at Owler Bar has reopened following a minor refurbishment. A framed document on the wall of the Palm Tree, Walkley lists the landlords of the pub from Joseph Smith in 1856 to David Harrison 2000 to 2015. Jo now runs the pub and David who lives nearby still calls in. The pub is open plan with a neat and tidy beer garden and play area at the back and a smoking area at the front and is child and dog friendly. On Palm Street the pub is served by the number 52 and 95 bus routes. Jo says she will continue with free snooker on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday is open mic night with a light buffet provided. Saturday there is live music in the evening and Sunday is Fun Day. Tetley Bitter and Farmer’s Blonde are on the bar at a very reasonable price. The Ball Inn, Crookes has had the old wooden decking replace with stone flags and a stylish stainless steel and glass surround. Having 14 hand pumps there is always a good choice of beers and ciders. The Red Deer on Pitt Street, Sheffield City Centre, has increased the discount offered on pints of real ale to card carrying CAMRA members to 10%. Confirmation of news from the Wellington at Shalesmoor is still awaited at the time of going to press. It will soon be under new ownership. Watch this space! Work has finally started on the refurbishment of the Ship Inn at Shalesmoor, following a period of closure since Greene King Brewery sold the pub to the pub company that now owns it. It is expected that the refurbishment will be a simple and sympathetic one, preserving the character of the pub but making it a bit less ‘worn out’. A date for reopening hasn’t yet been announced but it is expected to be late September. Beery Bits North Union Brewing Co, the beer business set up by Iain Kenny who previously brewed for Kelham Island Brewery, may soon be getting premises! Currently North Union is cuckoo brewing at Harthill and selling only bottled beers, however Iain is looking at moving his own brewery into a railway arch near the Victoria Hotel in Sheffield and expanding into craft keg. Worksop and Retford Brewery – Local Sheffield CAMRA members, Dave Pickersgill and John Stocks are giving their illustrated talk, ‘The Worksop and Retford Brewery,’ at Worksop Library on Wednesday 16th.September @ 14:00. The associated e-book is available on Kindle. Travel news Stagecoach Supertram are now back running normally following a summer of works to replace the track in a number of areas, to celebrate this along with the 21st anniversary of the tram system opening there are cheap fares being offered on the trams and the dedicated link buses to Stocksbridge, Stannington and Killamarsh – a maximum single fare of £1.70, day ticket at £3 and weekly ticket at £9.80.  These offers run from Saturday 29th August to Sunday 25th October. Additionally there is a £1 all day travel offer on Sundays in August with free car parking at park & ride sites also offered on those Sundays. On the bus front a consultation on changes to the bus network took place during July, this is due to be implemented from 1st November – so advance warning – look out for the new routes, timetables and tickets coming soon!