CAMRA Sheffield & District
Sheffield & District branch of CAMRA
we were at the Rambler Inn at Edale on 11 August to present Jo, Chris and their team with a well deserved Pub of the month award. A fantastic range of cask beer was on the bar, the pub was busy with a mixture of locals, guests and visitors and a delicious buffet was laid on!
The list of venues for the 2026 Half Pint Marathon has been published and it is quite a long one this time with 32 pubs, bars and taprooms taking part!
All of the venues will be serving at least one of the two special charity beers throughout September, which have been brewed by Triple Point and Abbeydale. It is expected that one will be cask and the other keg.
The venues are Hop Hideout, Dog & Partridge, Kapital, Three Tuns, Triple Point Brewery + Bar, Head of Steam, Pearl at Park Hill, Forum, Common Room, Wonky Labrador, Stags Head, Botanical Arms, Two Sheds, Blind Monkey, Punch Bowl (Crookes), Abbeydale Ballroom, Hallamshire House, Harlequin, Gardeners Rest, Alder, Hynm to Ninkasi, Riverside (Kelham Island), Neepsend Social Club, Beer House S6, St Mars of the Desert, Two Thirds Beer Co, Over the Yardarm, Broadfield, Waggon & Horses (Millhouses), Rising Sun (Nether Green), Abbeydale Beer Works and the Albion.
For every pint sold, 25p will go to Sheffield Mind, a local mental health charity which provides vital services, information and advocacy across the city, helping people access support when they need it most.
The event, co-ordinated by True North Brew Co, also celebrates Sheffield’s independent bars, pubs and taprooms encouraging drinkers to explore the city trying new places – you can do a bit of a crawl enjoying a half pint in each bar! Pick up a Half Pint Marathon card and get a stamp in each venue you order a half of the special beers and when you collect 13 stamps you can exchange the card for a limited edition print.
The Dove & Rainbow on Hartshead Square in Sheffield City Centre has an upcoming celebration of 20 years in its current guise as a rock and alternative bar run by Dawn Gunther. The event takes place on Friday 6 November from 8pm.
The Waterbear Green Room in Sheffield City Centre opened for the first time under the new ownership over Tramlines festival weekend and was one of the fringe venues, no real ale was available. This was just a temporary opening and work is still ongoing with regular opening expected to launch in September.
The Pig & Whistle at Gleadless Townend is holding a German Oktoberfest themed event from 25 to 27 September.
The Brothers Arms in Heeley held their summer bash music festival on 22 August.
True North have sold two of their pubs to other operators – the British Oak in Mosborough and the Old Grindstone in Crookes.
The Abbeydale Tap micropub is hosting a weekly cask club Tuesday to Friday between 5pm and 9pm with rotating beers available for just £3 a pint or 4 for a tenner.
The Fat Cat celebrated 45 years on 21 August with some special birthday beers on the bar.
The Hammer & Pincers at Bents Green offers discounted beer on Mondays.
Princess Royal at Crookes is saying goodbye to Jane, the landlady of 18 years, next April.
The Closed Shop at Commonside is now open and has cask ale.
The former Mesters Tap at Woodseats has had the decorators in and is due to reopen as The Counter Micropub.
John Coyle, the manager of the White Lion at Heeley, has announced he is leaving.
The Greenhill Tap on Westwick Crescent, Greenhill, has tried introducing a local cask ale at the weekend following customer requests, starting with Drone Valley Derbyshire Blonde, available Thursday to Saturday. The venue is a new small bar and tapas restaurant in premises that was previously “Sarah’s Kitchen”.
The reopening date for the Red Deer in Sheffield City Centre has been announced as 26 August. It is under new management and has had an internal refurbishment including a new kitchen, renovations to the outside of the building and some improvements to the outdoor drinking area too. The pub is leased from Heineken’s Star Pub Company.
The Foresters on Division Street in Sheffield City Centre, which is operated by the Pub People Company, has temporarily closed for a refurbishment. An investment of £250k will see both the interior and outdoor drinking area transformed.
Eyam Brewery‘s tap room in Tideswell is now also opening on Thursday evenings from 5pm to 9pm. There are plans to introduce a quiz night on Thursdays at some point. They continue to open 1pm to 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays, midday to 6pm on Sundays.
The Horse & Jockey in Tideswell hosted a Timothy Taylors tap takeover on 6 August. This saw 4 of their cask ales on the bar (Landlord, Boltmaker, Golden Best and Blonde), spin the wheel competition with merch to be won and a representative of the brewery around to answer questions. This was followed by their regular quiz night and was well attended.
Angela and Glyn have finally closed the doors and retired at the Queen Anne in Great Hucklow after 19 years there and 38 years in the trade.
The Mallard pub and cafe on Moorthorpe station, which was opened by Jolly Boys Brewery, is changing hands in September and will become a tap for Chin Chin Brewing Co.
The Canary bar on Waverley’s Olive Lane pedestrianised shopping street continues to host a regular programme of events including DJs, live music, quizes, game nights and street food pop ups as well as a regularly changing range of craft beers on both cask and keg.
The Blue Bell in Harthill is hosting “Hartfest” on Saturday 5 September. This sees an afternoon of live music from 3pm with food also available.
The Dronfield Arms celebrated 15 years under its current ownership over the weekend of 22-23 August with Abbeydale Moonshine reduced to just £2.50 a pint and on Sunday there was a guest food trader and live music.
Chantry Brewery has brewed a special beer to mark Rotherham Hospice’s 30th Anniversary. The beer is a 4% ABV pale ale.
The latest in Acorn Brewery’s Musical Decades series of beers, currently celebrating the 2000s, is a 3.4% ABV session pale called “Mardy Bum”.
Recent output from Blue Bee’s brew house includes Chinook Centennial IPA (6% ABV), Five Hop version 91, One In A Millenium East India Porter (5% ABV) and Moteuka Pale (5% ABV).
Fuggle Bunny Brewhouse continue to host tap events on the last Saturday of the month, the one on Saturday 29 August runs from 3-9pm with food from Nico’s Pizza and live music at 5pm from Drew Biggin.
Thornbridge Brewery has been honoured with the Corporate Special Recognition Award (Company) at this year’s charity awards, in recognition of its outstanding support for Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity. In July 2025, the brewery pledged to raise £15,000 and is proud to announce it has now exceeded that target. Reaching this milestone has taken hard work from people across the whole business, with funds raised through a range of activities. These include individual fundraising initiatives, customer donations across the pub estate, proceeds from pizzas sold at the Taproom and contributions from meals enjoyed at the Cricket Inn, the brewery’s gastropub in Sheffield alongside support for the Pride of Yorkshire trail itself.
All the CAMRA branches that have a Pub of the Year winner in the East Midlands region enter their winner into this competition which initially get judged in a county round, with the county winners judged against each other to name an East Midlands regional winner which goes forward into the national competition.
Sheffield & District branch is spread across South Yorkshire and Derbyshire, as our winner (The Kelham Island Tavern) is in Sheffield ours went into the Yorkshire competition rather than East Midlands this year. In the past before the system changed we’ve had success in Derbyshire judging with the Red Lion in Litton which was our branch’s area pub of the year for the “District” (Derbyshire) part this year.
The East Midlands winner is the Railway at Ketton, in Rutland near Stamford. This is a Grade II listed traditional village local in the shadow of the impressive church and is described as serving good wine and beer in a welcoming and friendly atmosphere.
The runners up were the Final Whistle (Southwell, near Newark), Dead Poets Inn (Holbrook, Derbyshire) and Crown Hotel (Holbeach, Lincolnshire).
Three limited-edition mint sets of fourteen beer mats promoting the 50th Sheffield Steel City Beer Festival (SCBF50) are to be auctioned on eBay. On one side of each mat is the SCBF50 logo, with the reverse carrying the sponsor. The first set went live on 21st August: two other sets will follow at monthly intervals. Search eBay using SCBF50.
75,000 SCBF50 beer mats will be distributed in Sheffield, the surrounding area and wider afield. However, a full set is very unlikely to be seen in one place at any one time.
The fourteen sponsors are:
Breweries: Abbeydale, Acorn, Blue Bee, Bradfield, Chantry, Kelham Island Brewery , Peak, Stancill and Triple Point
Pubs: The Bankers Draft and the Sheffield Tap
Others: Abel Magnets, MKM Builders Merchant and Reyt Good Kitchens
Profits from these eBay sales will go to the official SCBF50 charity, Support Dogs. This small local charity relies heavily on the support of volunteers to make their life changing work possible. The charity trains autism assistance dogs, epilepsy seizure alert dogs and disability assistance dogs for those affected by a wide range of physical conditions including MS, Cerebral Palsy, fibromyalgia, and many more. The money raised will contribute to their vital work.
SCBF50 will be held at Kelham Island Industrial Museum from 21-24 October 2026.
Blue Bee‘s brew number 1,000 is an East India Porter, initially brewed with Columbus, Ekuanot and Chinook hops then dry hopped. Also recently brewed is the fifth iteration of their Five Malt Mild and a Citra Pale.
Drone Valley Brewery are hosting a music festival at their tap on Sunday 6 September from midday until 7pm. Tickets cost £12.50 and are available to buy online in advance. Meanwhile a new beer has been brewed – Summer Fayre, a refreshing pale ale at a sessionable 3.7% ABV brewed with Columbus, Harlequin and Jester hops.
Eyam Brewery have launched a new website and you can order their cans, bottles and merch on line for courier delivery. Meanwhile at their tap room they have new toilets!
Thornbridge‘s Year of Beer scheduled of monthly small batch releases continues, July’s cask offering was “Twin Peaks”, a 5% ABV Anglo American pale ale. August’s cask is “Ravenna”, a Mosaic hopped pale ale then to look forward to in September is “Worker Bee”, a blonde bitter.
Mallinsons Brewery of Huddersfield had a topical beer at a festival recently called “Count Beerface”
July saw Acorn Brewery of Barnsley celebrate their 23rd birthday. Coming soon is a new 3.4% ABV pale ale in their decades series named after a song from the 2000s, which song will depend on suggestions received in a competition they have been running!
Seasonal beers from Bradfield Brewery available in July included Farmers Elderflower Ale and Farmers Cherry Beer with others to look forward to including Farmers Dust Settler (3.4% ABV pale ale brewed with Styrian Dragon hops), Farmers XX Best Bitter and Farmers Imperial Milk Stout (7.4% ABV with specialty malts and lactose).
The former Beer Central shop at the Moor Market is making a comeback as “Barrel & Anvil” – and the founder of Beer Central, who sold up to become a business advisor, is the guy that offered the advice to the guy opening the new shop! That guy is Vince, who had been working at Beer Central prior to its closure as well as a stint at the Beer House in Hillsborough. His craft beer journey started when he worked in Morrisons way back when the supermarket stocking Brewdog and Meantime was an exciting, eye opening development!
The Tram Stop micropub at Hillsborough Park is now open and looking smart, although cask ale doesn’t feature. There are however some local beers on keg and in bottle.
The upstairs seating area at Hope Valley Tap & Bottle in Hope has now opened, adding a drink in option to the retail shop on the ground floor. A selection of local craft beers are available on keg as well as a wide range of bottles and cans.
The Old Queens Head by Sheffield bus Interchange continues to run a cask club promotion on Mondays.
The food shack outside the Raven Inn at Walkley is back in business for the summer with Freak Street Cafe taking a guest residency there serving their Himalayan inspired street food.
Following the closure of the “Av It Bar” in the premises on Wellington Street in Sheffield City Centre that was originally the Devonshire Cat, work is taking place to convert it into a new venue opening soon – Alura bar & bistro.
The Harlequin held a Shandy Fest on 18 July including all sorts of exotic and imaginative beer & pop combinations!
Chapeltown Tap are holding a “Pup in the Pub” event on 23 August combining a dog show with their usual bar offering.
The Castle Inn at Bradway has been closed for a refurbishment and reopened on the evening of 17 July.
The Red Deer on Pitt Street in Sheffield City Centre, a Georgian building dating back to 1825 owned by Heineken’s Star Pubs, has closed for refurbishment with work beginning on 20 July, It is due to reopen in late August with a new operator leasing the pub – Karl Seery and food once again available. The refurbishment work is to refresh the interior, upgrade the beer garden and renovate the building’s exterior.
The Royal at Woodhouse has reopened following refurbishment with 3 real ales available – Bradfield Farmers Blonde, Ossett White Rat and Timothy Taylors Landlord.
The Two & Six Micropub in Sheffield City Centre are celebrating their birthday on 5 August with a tap takeover from Wensleydale brewery and complimentary cheese pairing.
There are two free bus services that circle Sheffield City Centre during the daytime and of course there a number of pubs along the route! Buses run until 7pm Monday to Saturday and until 4pm on Sundays.
Bus SC1 starts from Sheffield Interchange and goes to Fitzalan Square, Cathedral, City Hall, Pounds Park and Moorfoot. This bus runs about every 10 minutes.Bus SC2 heads out Sheffield Interchange the other way to Moorfoot, Arundel Gate and Millsands. This bus runs every 20 minutes.
The Sheffield Connect buses are operated by South Pennine Community Transport with funding from Sheffield City Council. They are usually electric buses painted in a dedicated green livery although sometimes a minibus is used instead. Other buses and trams also operate in the City Centre but aren’t free!
We’ve handpicked a selection of pubs of interest that are close to the routes to inspire an afternoon trip around town, a more comprehensive pub guide is available on the camra.org.uk website.
Sheffield Interchange (SC1 and SC2) – Old Queens Head
Originally the hunting lodge for Sheffield Castle, this Tudor building (with modern extension) has a fascinating history. The U shapes lounge surrounds a central bar and adjoins a superb beamed dining room, upstairs function room for hire. Owned by Thwaites and the cask beer range is typically four of their regular ales.
Sheffield Station (SC1 and SC2) – Sheffield Tap
Opened in 2009 this was originally the first class refreshment room for Sheffield Midland Station, built in 1904. After years of neglect the main bar area has been subject of an award-winning restoration retaining many original features. Further seating has been provided in the entrance corridor and to the right of the bar. Usually three beers are from the on-site Tapped Brewery, opened in 2013 in the impressive former dining room and which can be viewed behind the glass screen.
Brown Street (SC1 and SC2) – Rutland Arms
Traditional pub now made into a single room. Exterior retains features of the now defunct Duncan Gilmour Brewery. There is also a beer garden at the rear. Real Ales selection always includes some from Blue Bee along with changing guest ales.
The food offering caters for all – whether it be chip butties or typical pub meals off the main menu or the bistro standard specials on the blackboard, all are freshly made by the Rutty’s kitchen team.
A juke box also features but beware – the staff humour extends to a forbidden music board, ignore at your peril!
Charter Row (SC1 and SC2) – Washington
Two roomed corner pub with a music orientation, with regular DJ nights (Wed-Sat) and live music. The larger room has basic seating and a dance floor/stage and DJ box whilst the smaller room is comfortable, quieter and more traditional. There is also a beer garden at the rear with some covered and heated smoking areas. The pub offers four mostly local cask beers. Very much a nightlife venue, remaining open until 3am most nights. Note it doesn’t open in the daytime midweek, only on Saturdays and Sundays.
Moor Market (SC1 and SC2) – Beer Engine
A traditional style multi roomed pub with large beer offering, reopened in 2015 following a sympathetic refurbishment. The changing beer range is sourced mainly from local and regional micro breweries, with six cask beers and up to 11 craft keg beers. There is also a quality spirits offering. Hot food is not served, but cold tapas style small plates are available whenever the bar is open. The large beer garden has a heated, covered area.
Eyre Street (SC1 and SC2) – Lord Nelson
Popularly known as Fanny’s after a former landlady, though much altered over the years, retains the feel of a traditional local. Three separate seating areas, one with pool, around a central bar and an upstairs function room. Popular with Sheffield United fans on matchdays and the items on display around the pub reflect this!
Arundel Gate (SC2) – Roebuck Tavern
A large, tastefully decorated pub opposite the infamous ‘Cheese Grater’ car park, which can be admired from the popular beer terrace. Good value all day homemade food and at least four real ales mostly from local breweries.
Angel Street (SC2) – Two & Six Micropub
A micropub offering up to four cask ales, real cider and craft keg alongside a lager and selected wines and spirits. Also included is an adjoining room used as an art gallery, which is available to hire as an exhibition and event space.
Angel Street (SC2) – Dove & Rainbow
A one room pub devoted to rock and alternative music with a DJ or live music on most nights. Popular with all ages. Closing times may be later than those published if busy.
Millsands (SC2) – Harlequin
The Harlequin takes its name from another former Ward’s pub just round the corner, now demolished. The large open-plan interior features a central bar with seating on two levels. Kirkstall Bitter is the regular cask beer, plus up to five changing cask beers from far and wide with the emphasis on microbreweries. Also three real ciders on handpump as well as ciders in bag in box. A range of boutique bottled beers are also available. Occasional events include live music, quiz nights, tasting nights, games nights and tap takeovers. Good, simple food menu. Reached from the SC2 bus stop via a footbridge over the river Don.
Cathedral (SC1) – Three Tuns
A triangular shaped pub on a sharp corner with raised seating areas and lots of wooden and brass features (More character than Gerard Depardieu). The friendly staff serve up a choice of cask beers to an exclusively vinyl soundtrack.
Pinfold Street (SC1) – Dog & Partridge
Dating from 1796, a cosy multi-room Irish run dog friendly pub in the city centre. A menu of Irish bar food is available to soak up the range of mainly local cask ales, interesting craft beers and ‘the best Guinness outside Dublin’.Welcoming to anyone that brings a nice attitude, they host regular events including a quiz night, games night and folk music sessions.
City Hall (SC1) – Grapes
Centred around a tiled corridor drinking area, the three rooms comprise a snug, lounge and pool room. Sign outside reads “Flynn’s” as a reference to the Flynn family who have owned the pub for over 40 years. A two star pub interior of outstanding national historic interest. Offers two cask beers, and bar food Monday to Saturday lunch times. Has live traditional Irish music in the back room six days a week, mainly folk sessions. Cash only, no Credit/Debit cards accepted.
Carver Street (SC1) – Hop Hideout
Hop Hideout is an award winning speciality beer shop and tasting room, founded in 2013 as a ‘labour of beery love’ by Jules Gray. One of the first ‘drink in’ beer shops in the UK, they have a range of chilled beers available to browse, enjoy there and then or takeaway – including seven fresh rotating draught taps. In addition from time to time they have a beer in their own wooden pin, meaning gravity poured cask ale is offered (but check socials to see when this is on). Owner Jules has a penchant for wild ales, funky beers, natural wines and farmhouse cider and loves nothing more than helping you find something you love to drink. The current City Centre location in Leah’s Yard is the third, having originally opened on Abbeydale Road and since relocated.
Pinstone Street (SC1) – Fargate
Following a £1m interior renovation, the Fargate opened on 22nd October 2025. The pub is part of the regeneration of the street which saw three years of construction come to a close earlier in the year. Located in the City Centre Conservation Area, the venue brings together the storied elegance of the former bank with a carefully designed pub interior.
Dark polished wood, elegant leather seating, herringbone floors, brass accents, chandeliers, and curated artwork create the impression of a bar that could have stood here for more than a century. The striking horseshoe bar serves 10 cask beers and 16 keg lines. The ground floor also features screened booths, a snug, banquette seating, and full-height glazing to the front, offering a light and inviting space.
The original spiral staircase leads to the first floor. Here, a pizza kitchen with an Italian corner oven, is visible through glazed screens. The design combines reclaimed timber walls, decorated ceilings, and original architectural details to create a brighter, more contemporary setting.
Branded, ‘Thornbridge & Co,’ the two-storey pub is a joint venture from Peak District-based Thornbridge Brewery and York-based importer and distributor, Pivovar.
Pounds Park (SC1) – Foresters
A pub in the heart of the city. Part of the areas social scene since 1828. Consists of one main room with partitioned seating, a beer garden and an upstairs meeting room.
Pounds Park (SC1) – Vocation & Co
There are seating areas either side of the entrance corridor leading into the main bar area. Five handpumps, a 22 line keg wall and a display fridge showcase the Vocation beer range. A menu of burgers, wings and loaded fries is available Tuesday to Saturday.
11th July saw the Grade II listed, Royal Oak, host the launch of the Second Edition of the ‘Chesterfield Great Historic Pub Tour’ booklet.
Put together by graphic designer, Chris Fox and (mostly) written by local historian Shaun Stevenson, this publication includes copious detail, and images, of several centrally-located pubs and other historically important buildings.
The Royal Oak, for example, dates back to the 15th century. It was purchased, and renovated, by Sheffield-based William Stones in 1897 and includes many features from that time.
The 40 page, full colour, A5 booklet is on sale at local outlets. For retail enquiries and copies by post, contact greathistoricpubtours@gmail.com .
