Sheffield is often described as the real ale capital of the UK, with over 400 pubs offering hand-pulled cask real ale in our area. However, it would be remiss to not give credit to the other venues that offer other serving styles of real ale, for off- and on-consumption. With varying opening hours and demand, it’s not always possible for some venues to offer a permanent cask option – there is a risk of wastage, or offering a sub-standard product if demand fluctuates. However, many venues do provide other options from real ale brewers, including bottle conditioned beers. In fact, there are too many to include them all here, so keep an eye out for a second article soon!
Craft & Berry is an Ecclesall Road taproom and bottle shop. They have 6 taps of keg beer, and hundreds of cans and bottles of craft beer – many from local breweries. They also have a good range of bottled real ale from breweries including Bradfield, Acorn, Welbeck Abbey and Peak Ales. The shop is also home to a Gin Emporium with over 80 different spirits (both local and national), and holds regular beer or spirit tasting events. Earlier this year owner Mark worked with neighbours to host the second weekend-long Ecclesall Road beer festival, and there will be a third in October.
Not too far away on London Road is Turner’s Bottle & Tap. They offer bottles from Bradfield, Peak, and Thornbridge, and have fridges and shelves stocked with a huge range of craft beers from predominantly UK breweries. They also have 8 keg lines available. Turners is part of the now annual Abbeydale Road Beer Festival, which has just celebrated its fourth year.
The Dram Shop in Walkley is one of the older independent off licenses in the city offering bottle conditioned beers, though owner Tony mentions that the number of these on offer is dwindling as more brewers embrace canning lines. Tony took on the Dram Shop in 2005, and stocks bottled beers from Durham, Welbeck Abbey, and Loxley alongside a huge wine, spirit, Belgian, German and craft beer selection.
More centrally (puns fully intended) is Beer Central, located in the Moor Market. As an off license they have no taps, but pack a large range of beer into a small space, with bottled beers often seen from Samuel Smith, Drone Valley and Titanic. They also have a wide European selection alongside craft beer offerings. During Sheffield Beer Week they ran ticketed tasting and food pairing events in the small event space in the Moor Market.
