Andy has been actively involved in CAMRA since the early 2000s after being recruited to sit on a National Younger Members Task Group.
Since then he has held roles on the branch committee including Secretary, Membership Secretary, Magazine Editor, Chair and now Social Secretary.
Andy has also been involved with the Steel City Beer & Cider Festival almost every year since becoming active in the branch.
Voting for the Sheffield & District Pub of the Year concluded on 19 January and judges are now out and about rating the area winners that members voted for to pick the overall winner.
This means we’ve now moved on to select which pubs across Sheffield and our part of Derbyshire get awarded a place in the 2027 edition of the Good Beer Guide, which is published in time for Christmas 2026.
We’re doing things slightly different this year – CAMRA members have been asked to rate their beer in pubs using the CAMRA.org.uk website all year round and that data has been used to create a long list for potential guide entries which we are now asking members to vote on to choose the best of the best pubs in our area to recommend to visitors as the best places to enjoy good real ale. Vote using the form below before 20 February, at the February branch meeting at the Rutland Arms on Brown Street, Sheffield City Centre, on Tuesday 3 February at 8pm.
Only CAMRA members can vote for the Good Beer Guide
The National Beer Scoring System (NBSS) is a 0-5 point scale for judging beer quality in pubs.
It is an easy to use system that has been designed to assist CAMRA branches in selecting pubs for the Good Beer Guide and also monitor beer quality by encouraging CAMRA members from any part of the world to report beer quality on any pub in the UK.
If you are a CAMRA member, we want you to tell us about the quality of beer in the pubs you visit.
Enter your scores by finding the pub you are drinking in at camra.org.uk/pubs.
What Do the Scores Mean?
0: No cask ale available – This can be because the pub never has it or it’s run out
1: Poor – Beer that is anything from barely drinkable to drinkable with considerable resentment
2: Average – Competently kept, drinkable pint but doesn’t inspire in anyway, not worth moving to another pub but you drink the beer without really noticing
3: Good – Good beer in good form. You may cancel plans to move to the next pub. You want to stay for another pint and may seek out the beer again
4: Very Good – Good Excellent beer in excellent condition
5: Perfect – Probably the best you are ever likely to find. A seasoned drinker will award this score very rarely
Neepsend Craft Beer Festival, held at Peddlers Warehouse on 27 and 28 February, predominantly features brewery bars and street food traders, however one of the attractions hosted by the festival organisers is a dedicated cask ale bar showcasing breweries from around Sheffield and North Derbyshire with the ticket price including a complimentary drink from this bar.
Announced as supplying this bar so far are Heist, Triple Point, Intrepid, Tapped Brew Co, Bradfield, Abbeydale, Little Critters, Duality, Ashover, Neepsend, Blue Bee, Loxley and Temper.
Visitors are also invited to vote for their favourite cask beer on the bar.
The Rotherham Real Ale & Music festival takes place at Magna (between Meadowhall and Rotherham town centre) from 22 to 25 April and is a fund raiser for Rotherham Cancer Care and the Magna Trust.
The theme this year is “Rack & Roll”, reflecting the fact the festival takes place at the same time as the World Snooker Championships at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre and also features live music!
At the time of going to press the entertainment for Saturday has been announced with an afternoon performance of Maltby Miners’ Welfare Band then in the evening the Leathernecks take to the stage.
Tickets are available online in advance or simply pay on the door – more information at magnarealale.org.uk. Bus X3 (Sheffield to Doncaster via Meadowhall and Rotherham) will get you there, additionally all being well a new Tram Train station will have opened at Magna by then linking Magna with Sheffield Cathedral, Rotherham Central station and Parkgate every half hour.
The Hope Valley train is the popular local train service operated by Northern between Sheffield and Manchester Piccadilly that stops at stations in villages down the Hope Valley including Grindleford, Hathersage, Bamford, Hope and Edale within our branch area. Also within Sheffield it calls at Dore & Totley station. The service is generally hourly and runs all day every day except for Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
The 272 bus, operated jointly by First bus and High Peak, runs on a roughly hourly frequency in the daytime with a couple of evening journeys provided too. It sets off from Sheffield Interchange and heads out the city via Ecclesall Road and Whirlow to Fox House and Surprise Corner before dropping down into the valley at Hathersage and then parrallels the railway though Bamford and Hope before continuing up to Castleton with some journeys branching off to do a double run down to Bradwell, where it does a loop around the village via the infamous “Bradwell Gap”.
As well as the country pubs featured below the 272 bus passes Intrepid Brewery in Brough (keep an eye on their social media for occasional open days held over the summer with a pop up bar and food truck) and the High Peak Wine & Beer shop in Castleton if you want cans or bottles to take home.
On bus 272 and other local buses the maximum single fare is still £3 per ride or a Derbyshire wayfarer pass offers all day unlimited travel for £9. There is also a train inclusive Wayfarer option for £17. A return train ticket from Sheffield to Edale currently costs £11.50 after 9am and allows break of journey on route (prices correct at time of going to press).
The pubs in Castleton were previously featured in our guide to bus route 173 (Castleton to Bakewell) so descriptions aren’t repeated here.
In the summer a “Peak Sightseer” open top bus service usually operates in the area as well, a separate tour ticket is required for this, look out for an announcement from Stagecoach regarding their plans for the 2026 season.
The Fox House is something of a landmark at the Sheffield boundary on the edge of the Peak District and is part of the Mitchell & Butler owned “Vintage Inns” chain offering beer, dining, rooms and a beer garden with views over the moors!
A venue run by the Longbow group, a small local chain. This is primarily a hotel and regularly hosts weddings – however the bar and restaurant is normally open to the public. It is located at the end of the station drive, a short distance outside the village.
A smart bar, restaurant and hotel with patio area at rear operated by Longbow Venues Group who also have venues in Grindleford, Owler Bar, Ashford in the Water, Rowsley and Bakewell. The cask ale choice includes a house badged beer from Thornbridge.
A down to earth, lively pub with a mix of younger locals playing pool or table football, older regulars propping up the bar whilst hikers and other visitors to the areas dining with a typical pub grub menu. Accommodation is also available here
The only pub left in the village and is community owned but leased out to a local company to operate. A recent refurbishment has cleverly divided the pub into sections to give the feel of tap room, games room, lounge and restaurant. The cask ale range features local beers, usually from Intrepid and Eyam, alongside a well known brand. The pub shares the building with a post office and tea room and there is an outdoor drinking area alongside the car park. The pub is a 1 mile uphill walk from the railway station and 272 bus, the 257 bus will take you there.
Large roadside pub, open plan but with distinct areas around the island bar. There is a big screen showing sporting events and pool table. Dogs and walkers welcome.
Welcoming village inn traditionally decorated with multiple drinking areas including a pool room and area laid out for good value food. French windows overlook the large beer garden. Walkers and dogs welcome.
Imposing roadside pub opposite the village church. A spacious interior includes two large open plan areas either side of the bar, one area a comfortable lounge, and the other a tap room including traditional pub games.
Exposed low beams and stone walls lend a rustic feel to this quiet relaxed village local, dating from 1676 and just uphill from the village green. A popular community pub offering a very diverse range of entertainments, complemented by a choice of cask ales from Bradfield Brewery.
Historical pub with bar, restaurant, hotel rooms and an attached tea room. The pub bit is spread across two rooms, both with a fire lit in winter! A range of traditional cask ales can be found on the bar along with an extensive Scotch whisky collection. Beer festivals are held most bank holiday weekends in a marquee on the car park.
A cosy country inn dating from 1578 with an open plan bar area and a smaller room at a lower level that was probably originally used to house animals, but now is mainly used as a dining area. Home cooked meals using local produce are served lunchtimes and evenings. 4 cask ales are available and the pub also offers accommodation.
A pub and hotel located next to the railway station surrounded by hills! The range of cask ales usually includes choices from Abbeydale and Torrside among others and a food menu of pub classics is offered.
Located in the part of the village up the hill from the railway station and at the start of the Pennine Way footpath, this classic old pub offers beer, food and accommodation with outdoor seating at the rear.
Recent brews at Blue Bee include a 4% pale ale brewed with a new hop called Karma and a red rye ale triple hopped with Mosaic, Citra and Ekuanot.
New from Drone Valley Brewery is “Route A61”, an American Red Rye Ale, celebrating the brewery’s 10th birthday. For those that don’t know the area part of the A61 road is the Dronfield bypass!
Another recent seasonal was Union Pale, a 4.1% ABV session pale ale brewed with Simcoe and Mosaic hops to coincide with the Six Nations rugby.
As is usual in February, Bradfield Brewery celebrated Valentines Day with their “Farmers Blushed”, a 4% ABV light fruity ale blushed with strawberries to give a sweet, refreshing finish. Then for March their Farmers Milk Stout is making a comeback in cask. Additionally they will be releasing a special beer for Sheffield Beer Week.
Chin Chin Brewery in South Kirkby near Pontefract is holding one of their regular open weekends from 6 to 8 March from 1pm to 9pm each day. It features craft beer, live music and food stalls. The brewery is a 10 minute walk from Moorthorpe railway station on the Sheffield to Leeds line.
Changes are afoot on the brewery side at Heist Brew Co. with the rented fermenting vessels being returned and new kit due to be installed.
Thornbridge has brewed a stout on their Burton Union kit for the first time and have gone big for this one – it’s a 7.7% ABV Imperial Stout!
Things have gone a bit quiet on the Eyam Brewery tap room front with planning applications required then once the conversion work is authorised there is then licencing to sort – it isn’t a quick process! In the meantime they may host another pop up or two using temporary event notices and of course there are a number of pubs in the area that sell the beer.
New from Tapped Brew Co in their single hop series is “Mandarina Bavaria”, a 4% ABV pale ale described as “fruity, fun and fresh!
Sam from Little Mesters Brewing has been over to visit Torrside brewery for a collaboration brew. The resulting beer is expected to be “a little liquid sunshine” – a New Zealand Pale Ale brewed with Nelson Sauvin and Nectaron hops.
Here is a summary of events that were confirmed at the time of writing to offer an idea of what to expect – many more will be added after we’ve gone to press, check their website for the latest information – sheffieldbeerweek.co.uk.
If you fancy nipping between a number of venues by bus or tram then an all day travel pass from Travelmaster such as the Citywide ticket may prove good value. Public transport information can be found online at travelsouthyorkshire.com.
13 March, Pangolin: Duration Brewing Great Farmhouse Expo – from 1pm they will have 7 lines of beer from this range including juicy pales on cask, a grisette and even a barrel aged lager!
13 March: Guided Pub Heritage Walk – Little Chicago, 4pm. Advance tickets required.
13 March, University Arms: Pub Heritage Talk – Little Chicago, 7:45pm. Advance tickets required.
The Mount Pleasant at Norton Woodseats has a refurbishment planned in February.
The Pig & Whistle micropub at Gleadless Townend opened on 7 February in premised on White Lane that used to be a vets.It has 2 real ales available which on the opening weekend were from Abbeydale and Ossett breweries but will regularly change, there are also 8 keg taps including some craft options on rotation. Look out for live entertainment here at weekends.
A planning application has been made to open another micropub in Sharrow Vale. The unit is the former Roney’s butchers shop at 276 Sharrow Vale Road, that has since been used as a gluten free cafe. It isn’t far from No.3 Sharrow and Beer House micropubs; combined with the Lescar Hotel, Porter Cottage and Porter Brook adds another link to quite a circuit locally!
Shakespeares Ale & Cider House are doing a set of collaborations with local breweries to produce special beers that will be on the bar during Sheffield Beer Week.
The Old Hall Hotel in Hope made a shameless attempt at luring in folk doing “Dry January” with their “Pie January” relaunch of an ongoing menu item there – Steak & Old Peculiar Ale pie. It is now an individually pressed pie, but still served with beef dripping cooked chips, seasonal vegetables and gravy!
The Chequers Inn at Froggatt Edge is up for sale. It has been owned by Jonathan and Joanne Tindall for nearly 25 years.
The Queen Anne in Great Hucklow is another Peak District pub where a long standing management is selling up and retiring, this time after 19 years at the helm. The last day of trading will be 1 March.
The Castle Inn at Bakewell hosted a charity darts tournament on 31 January.
The Blue Bell Inn at Harthill was closed from 25 to 29 January for a change of management. They are running a pie night every Wednesday.
The 2026 edition of Woodseats Live, a community music festival that sees a number of pubs team up hosting live music on the same day, will be taking place on 28 March. As well as venues along the main Chesterfield Road the Cross Scythes up the hill on Derbyshire Lane is also taking part.
Among the Sheffield venues in Heineken Star Pub company portfolio currently available to lease is the Red Deer, where a refurbishment is proposed for whoever the new management is.
Saw Grinders Union at Shalesmoor is having a refurbishment and refocus featuring a turkish culinery concept and new cocktail list.
There are changes on the food front at the Old Grindstone in Crookes with Forge Bakehouse taking over the kitchen.
Sad news from the Pioneer Club in Dronfield which is run by husband and wife team Tony and Alison Hartigan – it has been announced that Tony has recently passed away following a long illness. Tony was a very friendly, helpful guy and was very supportive of local CAMRA initiatives including the new Dronfield & District branch when it was formed. RIP.
The new management at the Shepley Spitfire in Totley held their relaunch at the start of February with a new menu and two cask ales on the bar – Greene King IPA and Timothy Taylors Landlord.
The Benjamin Huntsman (JD Wetherspoon) in Sheffield City Centre was closed for a refurbishment 9 to 13 February.
The Heeley Tap is now open and has three handpumps on the bar for cask ale.
The Dog & Partridge in Sheffield City Centre seems to be enjoying a lot of limelight and popularity at the moment – hot on the heels of winning our Sheffield City Centre Pub of the Year it was named Pub of the Year by the Great British Pub Crawl Vlog! The pub is a fantastic all rounder with a choice of cask ales plus a range of keg beers of both the craft and mainstream variety, Irish bar food menu, quiz night on Tuesdays and a live music programme including the occasional “Dogfest”, the most recent of which was held on 7 February.
At the time of going to press, Abbeydale Brewery were teasing on social media about a new Beer Works tap room opening but with the location yet to be revealed!
The Shoulder of Mutton in Bradwell has returned to the normal Saturday opening time of midday after 3 weeks in January/February where it had been altered to 3pm.
The Hyde Park Inn at Dronfield Hill Top now has a pool table.
The Green Room bar in Sheffield City Centre will be closing in its current guise on 25 May after nearly 23 years. It has however been sold to a company that will be reopening it as a bar with live music and it will be trading again in time for Tramlines weekend!
Wenue6, previously the Forum, in Wincobank looks set for redevelopment with a car home planned for the site. The nearest alternative pub for local residents is the Steel Foundry Wetherspoons in the Meadowhall shopping centre.
13 January saw us at the Beer House S6 in Hillsborough to present their pub of the month award and enjoyed a few pints from an excellent beer selection along with complimentary sandwiches and nibbles!
Photographed is Sheffield & District CAMRA chairman Paul Manning presenting the certificate to manager Casie along with co-owners Chris Sinclair and John Harrison.
Chris and John, who between them are also involved with the original Beer House at Hunters Bar, Dronfield Arms in Dronfield and Joiners Arms in Bakewell, reiterated their belief that pubs are more than just a business selling drinks – they are important social hubs for the communities they serve and at their venues they try to reflect that and appreciate our support!
Happy new year to all readers, and especially our local members in Sheffield & District CAMRA!
We’ve already started planning the branch diary for 2026 which will see
monthly branch meeting
monthly pub award presentation
monthly pub trip social – this will be a walk around an area of Sheffield in the winter, bus or train trip out into the Derbyshire countryside in the summer.
monthly RambAle during the spring/summer (these are country walks incorporating stops at pubs along the way)
occasional beer tasting nights, brewery visits and dining socials.
You can find listings of everything we’re doing for the next month or two in the back of Beer Matters magazine and on our website, sheffield.camra.org.uk.
We’re also starting to plan our 50th Steel City Beer & Cider Festival which is to take place at Kelham Island Museum from 21 to 24 October. If you’d be interested in joining the organising committee please come along to the next planning meeting at the Gardeners Rest on 17 February, for more details email festival@sheffield.camra.org.uk. We will of course also be looking for volunteers to help out at the event nearer the time!
There are also more opportunities to volunteer with us – as well as committee roles we need a few more people helping distribute Beer Matters magazines – if any of the pubs in our area you drink in regularly don’t get any copies and would like some, we’d appreciate it if you could deliver some there – pick copies up from the Dog & Partridge snug and let us know you are doing so by emailing beermatters@sheffield.camra.org.uk.
We’d also find it incredibly useful to receive pub updates for the national online guide at camra.org.uk/pubs (for example if opening hours, food offering or beer range has changed or you’ve taken a good photo we can use), these can be submitted using the link on the pub’s page. Also don’t forget to score your beers on there!
We are sad to report that long standing CAMRA Sheffield & District member Alan Gibbons passed away peacefully in bed at his home in Banner Cross back in November, not long after returning from one final holiday in Spain, somewhere he enjoyed going each year. He also enjoyed watching cricket, dining out and going to the theatre.
However, we all know him from his many years volunteering with CAMRA and was involved with our branch pretty much from the beginning, when it covered a much wider area and the beer and pub scene was very different. He also got involved in the Yorkshire and East Midlands regional organisation, attending meetings and judging pubs for county awards as well as working at the Great British Beer Festival and attending national Members’ Weekend conferences for many years. Locally, he held many positions on the branch committee, his final role being treasurer, before retiring in 2023. Although he had stepped down from the committee, he continued to be involved with the branch, volunteering at the beer festival and helping distribute Beer Matters magazines, something he had done for around 50 years. He also held the role of Brewery Liaison Officer for Kelham Island Brewery for a number of years.
Over the years he had been involved with a number of campaigns too and photos made it into the press when he took part in a funeral parade marking the closure of Wards Brewery.
My first notable memory of Alan was at the first ever branch meeting I attended, at the Bankers Draft Wetherspoons in Sheffield City Centre, where he made me feel welcome by buying me a pint. I don’t recall whether he asked for a receipt! Since then he was a constant, knowledgable presence that offered advice and encouragement as well as being quick to discourage any nonsense!
During my time as editor of Beer Matters magazine he also wrote a number of the Pub of the Month articles under is pen name “Wils Gee”.
Here are some other people’s memories of Alan:
“Liz and I often saw Alan on the bus going to various pubs in the City. A few years ago, when elected to branch chair, Alan was very supportive. Alan’s extensive knowledge and expertise enabled me to manage this challenging role.” Glyn Mansell Vice Chair, CAMRA Sheffield & District
“My earliest recollections of meeting Alan probably go back to the late 1980’s/early 90’s and two particular events stood out:
the Beer Matters Stapling Socials when a few of us met in the former Royal Standard and upstairs in the Rutland to staple the A4 sheets together. I wouldn’t be surprised if the large staplers we used were still in Alan’s house somewhere!
the meetings in the Washington when, armed with the latest Camra Good Beer Guide, we would select the beers for that years beer festival.
Andy Morton Treasurer and Beer Order Coordinator, Steel City Beer & Cider Festival
“Back in 1980, Alan was at the first CAMRA event I attended (a branch meeting at the long-gone Moseleys Arms). Since then, he has been one of the constant features in my life: someone I saw occasionally, someone who did loads for CAMRA, someone who seemed to know everyone, someone was always ready to provide sound advice – the latter was very useful to myself when we recently hosted the 2023 National Members’ Weekend. Alan is the only person who was on the organising committee all three of the National CAMRA weekends which have been held in Sheffield.” Dave Pickersgill Pub Heritage Officer, CAMRA Sheffield & District
“Very sad news. I have know Alan for more over 20 years, in the early days at GBBF and since moving to Yorkshire. He was a periodical visitor to the pub when he was in Scarborough for the cricket he much beloved, as well as seeing him every year at Sheffield BF. I will miss especially his very dry humour.” Mark Bates Three Bs Micropub, Bridlington
“Very, very sad. Lovely man and always supportive. He also had many friends in the wider CAMRA world both regionally and nationally where he was well respected and liked.” Christine Cryne Ex-National Chair, CAMRA
The funeral will take place at Hutcliffe Wood Crematorium at 11:15am on Friday 16 January with the wake following at the Greystones pub.
Alan (right) at a branch Christmas dinner social with Tim StillmanAlan with fellow volunteers at a beer festival (thanks to Andy Parkin for sharing the photo)Alan (centre) after presenting an award to the Anglers Rest in Bamford
