A new bar has opened on Victoria Quays in the unit where Dorothy Pax was previously found. The Lock Inn is brought to you by the same people as the Dark Horse at Banner Cross and has cask ale from Little Mesters brewing on handpump. There are now three bars at Victoria Quay (the others being the Tavern on the Quays and True Loves), however the Lock Inn is the only one with real ale and is offering a discount to CAMRA members.
Hot on the heels of the Lock Inn has been a second new opening in Sheffield! The Botanical Arms is a new micropub at 507 Ecclesall Road and two handpumps adourn the bar with cask ales available on the opening day being from Kelham Island (Thornbridge) and Acorn Brewery.
The Castle Inn at Bradway is open again. with the lease taken on by Tom South. This is the second pub in the hands of Tom and his team after the Masons Arms in Thorpe Hesley. The food menu is the same at both pubs with pub classics served along with a Sunday roast. Some of you may recognise Tom having worked in a number of pubs including the Cross Scythes in Totley and the Cremorne on London Road in the past.
The Florist in Walkley is expected to reopen before Christmas after a three month closure. It is a pub company lease and the new operator is Bala Kata, who has run pubs in Manchester previously.
The recent sale of micropubs Mesters Tap and Heeley Artisan to Boston Brewery has fallen though after that brewery appeared to cease trading, and ownership of the two pubs have now reverted to one of the original owners. The Mesters Tap reopened just before Christmas, and Heeley Artisan has been renamed Heeley Tap and will be open by the time this Beer Matters appears. Both bars will be featuring beers from Little Mesters Brewery, as well as rotating guest beers. Initially the lines are all keg, but a cask line is imminent at Mesters Tap, and currently being considered at Heeley Tap. The bar at Heeley had been refitted by Boston Brewery and opened with 8 cask beers to choose from until the financial problems hit and it closed!
The Fat Cat in Kelham Island held their Christmas beer festival on 13 December.
The Boston Arms in Woodseats held a dark beer takeover from 11 December. The two cask ales featured were Thornbridge Jaipur Noir (5.9% ABV black IPA) and an Ossett / Amundsen collaboration which was a 5% ABV chocolate stout.
The Rutland Arms in Sheffield City Centre held their annual Christmas lights switch on party on 4 December. Naturally lots of delicious beer were available!
The Banner Cross now offers a discount to CAMRA members.
The Wobbly Dagger in Walkley has had a cask line installed and is serving handpulled Abbeydale Moonshine.
The Walkley Cottage Inn reopened under new management in December with four cask ales available. A bar snack menu was launched initially with plans to develop the pub’s offering more in the new year.
A planning application has been made to convert the former Chiquito restaurant at Valley Centertainment into a JD Wetherspoon pub.
You may recall back in 2019 there was talk of converting the old substation on Charles Street in Sheffield City Centre (between the Red Lion and Rutland Arms, near Hallam University student union) into a bar called “Watt Bar” with building work starting then all going quiet. The project is back on and the bar is expected to open in “early 2026”.
The Railway at Wadsley Bridge has been closing on weekdays during early/mid January to allow the pub to receive a bit of a fettle but continued to open Friday to Sunday.
The Waggon & Horses in Millhouses closed for 2 weeks after the new year for a refurbishment, reopening on 15 January.
Also taking advantage of the January lull to undertake repairs or refurbishment has been the Riverside Kelham and the Swan in Ridgeway.
A licensing application to open a new micropub on White Lane at Gleadless Townend was facing objections from Sheffield City Council Environmental Protection service and South Yorkshire Police according to the Sheffield Star newspaper. Issues to work through include documentation for electrical systems and proposed opening hours. The good news is they now have the appropriate approvals and coming soon is the “Pig & Whistle”, this is the unit that was previously a vets.
Turner’s Bottle & Tap on Abbeydale Road have announced they are closing after 7 years with a combination of factors leading them to the decision. January saw them selling off remaining stock and equipment.
The currently disused Ball Inn at Darnall is up for sale and expected to be converted to other uses.
The Queen’s Ground Hotel in Hillsborough no longer has cask ale permanently available, although it does apparently get put on from time to time if they expect to be busy for a football fixture.
The Closed Shop on Commonside saw Sophie and the team close the pub after Sunday 11 January due to financial pressures. It is leased from Heineken Star Pubs who are looking for new tenants to open it.
Nether Green micropub The Wonky Labrador closed for a refurbishment in early January. This popular venue features 8 keg lines and a well stocked bottle & can fridge. The initial batch of events are also booked in, featuring Meet The Brewer events with Wiper & True (Non-Alcoholic range) in January; Tartarus in March, as part of Sheffield Beer Week; Only With Love Brewery in May; Duration Brewing in June and Yonder Brewery in July. Full details will be on their website shortly.
The former Middlewood Tavern in Oughtibridge has gone on the market having been converted into a 4 bedroom house.
Greene King brewery are proposing to rename the Big Tree as the Masons Arms following a refurbishment and lease it out on their Nest franchise scheme. It is currently a managed pub.
The Ladybower Inn, a Batemans brewery lease, has reopened under the same management as the Psalter in Sheffield. Both venues offer a public bar, restaurant and hotel rooms. That management is Tom Lawson, his values are hospitality, community and quality.
The Midland in Killamarsh, we assumed was being converted to residential use since is closure and sale, however in fact it has reopened as the 1873 bistro and bar following significant refurbishment.
The Castle Inn at Castleton closed on Sunday 5 January for a refurbishment and is expected to reopen on Saturday 7 February.
The Eckington Beer & Music festival is planned for Saturday 27 June. This sees a number of pubs and bars in the area putting on live music, usually with a minibus service linking them at regular intervals.
The Angel in Holmesfield has been suffering a bit of a run of bad luck with their premises, the most recent was a closure caused by a water leak which damaged their electrics! The pub was hoping to reopen again after that on 14 January but got delayed another few days after more issues were found in the property, which is leased from Stonegate pub co.
The Chantry Brewery Tap in Parkgate, Rotherham, operates as a live music venue, mostly featuring classic rock and retro tribute bands. However they are organising a battle of the bands competition for local bands that perform their own original material. The first round of gigs will be late May and early June with a semi final and grand final to come after. The brewery is a short walk from the Tram Train terminus.
The Canary, on Olive Lane shopping street in Waverley, has started the year as they mean to go on with regular events. Sundays tea time sees music – either DJ based or a live performer, alternate Tuesdays is quiz & pizza truck and various other evenings see a food vendor in attendance or music/entertainment of some description! Check their social media pages for the latest diary. The bar features 3 cask ales and 7 keg beers, including some good quality craft options.