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.
As the festive season approaches we have been busy conjuring up this year’s Christmas special: Blitzen Stout 5.0%. Blitzen is a chocolate and ginger flavoured stout using chocolate malt and cocoa to give a rich bitter chocolate taste along with root ginger added to both the copper and fermenter to leave a spicy ginger kick sure to warm the senses on a cold winter’s night.
On top of this we have not forgotten the hops this Christmas and have a few treats lined up. Firstly, on bars as Beer Matters hits the press is Chelan Blonde 3.9%showcasing a new variety of American hop Chelan with floral and citrus characteristics leading to a bitter finish.
We were really pleased to pick up the 3rd place award in the strong bitters category at Sheffield beer festival for Nycto Black IPA. It was our first attempt at a Black IPA and we were really pleased with the results however there is always room for improvement. So Blue Bee Black IPA mark II: Into the Abyss 6.0% has a slightly different malt base and even more Columbus, Simcoe and Moteuka hops and who knows a few Citra hops in each cask.
Blue Bee hopes everyone has a great Christmas and New Year, and remember, beer is for life not just for Christmas.
By the time Beer Matters hits the streets, the initial meeting to gauge interest and ideas will have taken place at the Three Tuns in Dronfield. They are looking for a number of local people to invest in the scheme, which will see a small brewery set up in the town available for use by shareholders (kind of a hub for cuckoo brewers), perhaps to supply local freehouses at reasonable prices with a proportion of the profits ploughed into initiatives in the local community such as cleaning up the river, sponsoring youth football teams etc.
More on this next issue!
The new version of Dronfield Pale Ale, which featured at the recent Steel City beer festival, has proved very popular. Rob still has plenty of Galaxy hops left so will be doing another brew of this beer in time for Christmas!
We are now starting the process to choose which pubs in our area will go in the next edition of the national Good Beer Guide. There are lots of good pubs in Sheffield & District and Dronfield & District, but not enough room in the book to feature them all, so we have to select the best of the best!
A voting paper will be available at the December branch meetings in both Sheffield and Dronfield for their respective areas with the results to be established at the January branch meetings (the deadline for returning Sheffield voting papers is 31st December, the Dronfield vote will take place at the January branch meeting).
Once the candidates have been voted for, there will be survey work to check those pubs are still maintaining the standards and to gather information for the guide entry, we will also take into account beer quality reports received via the CAMRA National Beer Scoring System. (This is where members rate the beer they drink in pubs and register the score via whatpub.com).
For more information on voting please see sheffield.camra.org.uk or www.dronfieldcamra.org.uk depending where you live.
Remember, the Champion Beer of Britain (CBOB) nomination period is open now and over 1,000 CAMRA members nationwide have already submitted beers from their region.
As last year, all CAMRA members can nominate their choices via the national CBOB voting website and take part in choosing the Champion Beer of Britain.
The beers judged in the national finals go through a very rigorous process to be selected, including a series of regional competitions in nine areas to find the best regional beer in each of the eleven beer style categories. In each region, the beers selected for the local competitions are determined by member nominations and Tasting Panel input.
How to Vote
Any CAMRA member can login into the CBOB website www.cbobvoting.org.uk using their member login details. If you have forgotten these details you can reset your password by clicking here. Alternatively, you can contact the Membership Services team by emailing membership@camra.org.uk or call 01727 798 8440.
Having logged in you will be able to access information about the nomination schedule.
If your Branch straddles more than one of the CBOB areas you will be able to vote, if you choose, in each area.
The CBOB nomination process is broken down initially into a Regional competition.
The website allows you to:
• Nominate up to five beers in each of the eleven categories to be put forward for the CBOB competition.
• If you only want to vote for a few beers that is permitted.
• You do not have to nominate all the beers in one go. You can alter your selections anytime up until the 30th November.
• Not all beers are eligible for CBOB, mainstream beer styles like Bitters, Best Bitters, and Strong Bitters & Golden Ales have to be available for at least 7 months of the year. Other beer styles have to be available for a lesser period depending on the rarity of the beer style.
The CBOB voting system gives every CAMRA member the opportunity to have a say in who wins and becomes CAMRA’s Champion Beer of Britain. Last year we had a large number of members voting and it was the 2nd most supported CAMRA activity after the Good Beer Guide pub selection process. This year I hope we can further build on that success. So get online and get involved now!
This year the nomination period runs until Saturday, 30th November 2014
Peak Ales new brewery at Ashford in the Water is now open with the regular beers now being brewed there. The old barn brewery on the Chatsworth Estate will be kept going to brew seasonal specials and there is an intention to add a visitor centre here.
The new brewery had an opening ceremony where the brewery was blessed and invited guests enjoyed beer and hot pork sandwiches!
A new beer venue is to open in Dronfield in early December on Callywhite Lane, behind the Post Office called the Beer Stop at Dronfield. This could be described as a micro-pub, it will basically be a bottled beer shop with a couple of cask ales available with an option to drink on the premises. The venue is on bus routes 44/44A and just around the corner from the railway station. It is also close to the Dronfield Arms and White Swan.
Christy Beardshaw has left the Blake and moved to the Wisewood Inn. Real Ale is available here again.
The Punchbowl at Gleadless is closed for 1 month. They have applied for a license extension to open at 7am, and open until 1am Friday/Saturday.
The Olive Grove is now a shop.
The Bell Jar and Delaneys are both closed and to lease.
The Royal Standard now has a third handpump on the bar resulting in an increased beer choice here.
The Rutland Arms on Brown Street are holding their annual Christmas Lights party on Thursday 4th December with a Magic Rock tap takeover included as one of the attractions.
After 2 successful years, Dronfield Arms Landlord Daniel is moving on to pastures new. Owner Chris Sinclair is delighted to announce that Edd Entwhistle, currently Manager at The Bath Hotel in Sheffield, will take over in December!
The Cross Scythes on Derbyshire Lane, Norton Lees, has lots planned for the Christmas period kicking off with family fun on Sunday 14th December, Christmas Carols on the 17th, brass band on the 20th, quiz on the 22nd and 29th and finally a New Years Eve party on the 31st with a vintage vinyl disco.
SIBA have announced their annual BeerX will be back in Sheffield for 2015, this encompasses their annual conference, trade show, beer awards and a beer festival open to the public. The venue is Ice Sheffield, which is located next to the Arena/Don Valley tram stop. The beer festival is open 20th and 21st March. See www.beerx.org.
Another festival confirmed as back for 2015 is the Three Valleys Festival, featuring multiple venues around Dronfield and the surrounding villages all with beer festivals and many with food and music, linked by a free bus service that also picks up at Dronfield railway station. The date for your diary is Saturday 6th June. Keep an eye on www.threevalleysfestival.org.uk.
The Three Tuns on Silver Street Head (Paradise Square) are now open on Sundays serving Sunday dinners 12pm to 6pm, as from 23rd November. They celebrated their first Sunday service by offering a free pint with every meal!
Our two Christmas beers will be making their last ever appearance this December. Fairytale of New York 4.2% a festive dark ale brewed with Belgian yeast. A welcome pint for the festive season. A dark full-bodied winter warmer brewed with a specially selected Belgian yeast, a trio of roasted malts and Slovenian hops resulting in a spicy, sweet toasted aroma with hints of dark chocolate and a lavish warming flavour.
The Adventures of Captain Chrimbo 5.4% strong IPA. A strong full flavoured IPA brewed with a blend of our favourite hops used throughout the year. The pungent hoppy aroma is more inviting than a kiss under the mistletoe. The fruity lychee and orange zest aroma is mixed with a full malty body and bitterness for a celebration of flavours perfect for the festive season.
As a prelude to our 25th anniversary we are producing a very special bottled beer. Anniversary 6.5% IPA will be available for Christmas by the case or in gift packs from the Kelham Brewery shop and selected independent retailers.
January brings the return of Blondie4.9% and the brand new Hi Ho Silver 3.4% Pale Ale.
Blondie is a 4.9% a West Coast Pale Ale brewed with an America Ale yeast specially selected to give a crisp clean fermentation which allows the massive hop aroma to come through. With a base of lager and wheat malt and a hint of crystal malt, this beer screams hop character. The New American Delta hops give a complex citrus, melon, grassy flavour and the classic US cluster hops add spiciness with chinook used for bitterness and an extra secondary aroma addition for floral notes.
Hi Ho Silver is a 3.4% fresh light pale ale specially crafted to celebrate the start of our 25th Anniversary year. The best British pale ale malt is selected for a subtle biscuit malt character complemented by the delicate aroma of German lager hops with floral hints and orange spice. The perfect beer to start the new year!
On top of all this brewing we’ve taken on a new pub. The Tap & Tankard (formerly the Sportsman), on Cambridge Street, should be open by early December. We’ve an ad in this issue so keep an eye on www.kelhambrewery.co.uk for news on the opening date.
A thanks to the following for supporting Sheffield CAMRA by donating prizes…
John Silburn, Andy & Julie Lee, Pete at The Brew Company, Blue Bee Brewery, Richard Ryan, Alan Gibbons, The Three Tuns, Peter Gardener, Susan Dolan, Sarah Mills, Rod & Hazel Sprigg and Sergey Ruzeinikov. Also, apologies if we have forgotten anyone.
We are always on the look out for more donations for future tombola’s, so please keep them coming.
Also a thankyou to Wentworth Brewery for donating prizes for the festival games.
