Pubs, beer and culture

When we talk about campaigns to save pubs and promote local breweries, a lot is spoken of their contribution to our cultural life and British traditions but there hasn’t been documented proof you can hand to the council and say ‘here you are’. This is being addressed by the University of Sheffield, who have sponsored some research and writing on the subject of Sheffield’s culture, with well regarded writer Pete Brown commissioned to pick up the beer and pubs strand. At the time of writing, lots of interviews and surveys were being carried out among the people of Sheffield! Often it is forgotten how pubs and beer are intertwined with the various creative arts that Sheffield nurtures at grass roots level with special interest group meetings, music gigs, poetry recitals and more taking place regularly in pub function rooms and local artists displaying their works on pub walls. Many traditional local pubs also host sports and games teams. As an effect of pubs often being at the heart of such culture and local talent creating local pride, it is no surprise that locally brewed beers also feature too! This looks like a potentially interesting and useful piece of work, if you are asked to take part in the research please do and we will look forward to the final publication!