Pub of the Month November 2017

As always, it is a pleasure to reveal our Pub of the Month award winner for November. This month’s recipient is the Railway Hotel on Bramall Lane, a first-time winner of the accolade. Taken over and comprehensively refurbished by Jack Cater and his family in 2015, the Railway has shed its former identity as a “football pub” and established a reputation for serving a good selection of real ales at reasonable prices in friendly and relaxing surroundings. On the pumps, you will find five rotating cask beers, often showcasing local breweries such as Abbeydale, Kelham Island and Acorn. CAMRA members receive a very generous discount of 30p per pint. Draught cider is also available, along with a range of bottled world beers. A pub quiz is held every Thursday evening. The pub was nominated for the award by Sheffield & District CAMRA’s social media co-ordinator, Poppy Hayhurst: “I had recently relocated to Sheffield and at first found it difficult to orientate myself in the city. On one Monday afternoon on my way back from doing my shopping I got completely lost and being laden with multiple bags tried to find somewhere where I could sit, take a breath and work out where I was! That was the first time I visited the Railway Hotel. Perhaps unsurprisingly at 4pm on a Monday afternoon I was the only person in the pub, but still the barman was really welcoming and sensing my struggle directed me to the outdoor sitting area where he swiftly brought me my pint. It wasn’t until the Beer Census I got the opportunity to revisit the pub, this time on a Saturday afternoon. A few of my friends didn’t share my enthusiasm assuming it would be full of football fans being so close to Bramall Lane, but they all left the pub in agreement that future visits would definitely be on the cards. With a good and varied selection of real ales, kegs and bottles; free retro arcade games; one of the best beer gardens I have been to in Sheffield and a CAMRA discount on all pints of real ale this unassuming little pub really does for me offer it all.” We will be heading to the Railway Hotel to present the award on Tuesday 14 November, arriving from about 8:30pm for a presentation around 9pm. Buses 18, 19 and 252 all stop on Bramall Lane, about 100 metres from the pub. Our Pub of the Month award is voted for by CAMRA members and aims to recognise those pubs around Sheffield that consistently serve quality real ale in a welcoming environment. You can vote or nominate a pub for the award at any branch meeting, or via our website at sheffield.camra.org.uk/potm/vote. Dominic Nelson