In the second part of a series on local bottle shops, I’ve paired two venues that have something quite interesting in common – cask ale, but not as we know it.
Archer Road Beer Stop has been running for 43 years, the last 7 of which have been under the ownership of Richard Hattersley (with additional oversight from 16 year old shop cat Butters). Richard spent many years at the House Skate Park in Neepsend but was a regular at Archer Road under its prior owner Dave. While his initial purchases were mostly lagers and Guinness, Dave suggested trying Acorn’s Gorlovka imperial stout (7%) and Richard was hooked – he still stocks Gorlovka today.
The shop is known locally for having no on-license but providing cask real ale for takeaway. 4 pint containers are available, or bring your own clean container, growler, or even a plastic milk bottle for refilling – as long as it has a lid on it when it leaves, it’s fine! One cask always on and a second in busier periods – Richard expects to have pins of stout or Christmas beers on this second line in the lead up to Christmas.
On the shelves the Beer Stop stocks a range of local bottled and canned ales, and Belgian beers. Bottles include Welbeck, Acorn, Great Newsome and Wold Top (the latter usually being gluten free). There’s also an extensive range of German lagers and craft cans in the fridges.
Jules Gray reopened her bar and bottle shop Hop Hideout in its new location of Leah’s Yard in August 2024, and the business is in its 12th year overall.
Hop Hideout often stocks bottled beer from Bradfield and Thornbridge, with cans from other Sheffield breweries and beyond. The bar also offers 7 craft keg lines, a keg cider and a bag in box cider as well as a range of wines. Jules has also curated her own cellar of aged belgian beers, predominantly lambics – although there are often a variety of vintage years of Orval available, as it’s one of Jules’ favourites.
While the shop doesn’t have hand pull, Jules owns a wooden pin which was restored by master cooper Jonathan Manby at Jensen’s Cooperage in Thirsk, North Yorkshire. It’s refilled by various breweries (often by Abbeydale or Thornbridge) and is poured with gravity. The pin tends to rapidly empty when available, so keep an eye on socials to not miss it!
Hop Hideout is often host to tap takeovers, launches, readings and other non-beer events, and Jules runs the annual Sheffield Beer Week (which often creeps into more than a week!). The city-wide event celebrated its 11th year in 2025 with Indie Beer Feast and numerous events across a large number of venues.
