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.
Lost in West Bar may sound like some terrible B-Movie set in Sheffield but it is actually a new bar project from Helen Fay Seaton of Lost Industry Brewing, which launched on Friday 7 July.
Calm before the storm… Lost in West Bar almost ready before opening!
The bar is in the premises that was previously Bar Stewards and West Bar Tap, unfortunately they closed down after not working out financially. Lost in West Bar has seen the venue receive a little bit of a refit and the subtle changes have made better use of the space of this micropub, improving the seating capacity, atmosphere and storage space.
The yard at the rear has received a little bit of attention too with some flowers added to make it feel more like a beer garden.
The flowers in the beer garden
On the bar there is a range of 4 cask ales, 8 keg beers and a cider on tap, plus spirits and soft drinks. The beer range showcases Lost Industry brewing as you’d expect, along with some carefully chosen guests.
The launch night saw a band (Tombstone Buzzards) playing outside in the yard and a food stall provided by Pipers Artisan Sausages. It is anticipated a number of outdoor events will take place in the future featuring live music and food.
Whilst getting the bar open was supported by the whole Lost Industry family and friends, its a very small team running it, with the only member of staff being part timer Phob who you will often find behind the bar offering a friendly welcome.
You can find Lost in West Bar at 163 Gibralter Street, S3 8UA. Buses 57, 57a, 81, 82 and 86 go there. You can find out more on their Facebook page. Opening hours are Tue/Wed/Thu 1600-2200, Friday 1400-2300, Saturday 1200-2300 and Sunday 1200-2200.
The Royal Oak at Deepcar, which closed down in 2019, is advertising that it is reopening soon, however a firm date has not yet been announced. *UPDATE* opening 23 July.
The Cremorne on London Road from 14 July is offering a discount on beer to CAMRA members that produce a valid membership card at the time of orderings. The discount is 20% off cask ales, 10% off selected keg beers. The discount is not available on Sheffield United match days and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.
The Hillsborough Sports Shack has had a rebrand and has become the “Owls Nest bar”.
The Dog & Partridge launched their food service on 13 July. The menu includes sandwiches, burgers, chicken wings, lasagne, ploughmans and topped chips and is mostly home made.
This summer has seen two open top bus services introduced offering scenic rides around the Peak District National Park not far from Sheffield. Your editor had a ride round on the 1 July launch day and started thinking about the pubs and breweries along the route!
The afternoon began by catching the TM Travel bus 218 (Sheffield to Bakewell via Totley) as far as Baslow, where both the open top bus services call at the same stop. Baslow has a number of pubs, although most appear to be hotels with a public bar and restaurant.
Within just a few minutes of arriving at Baslow’s Nether End bus stop, one of the Stagecoach “Peak Sightseer” open top tour buses appeared. This operates on a circular route between Chatsworth House and Bakewell at 30 minutes intervals. Leaving Baslow, it is routed via Curbar to Calver, passing the Eyre Arms then doing a loop manoeuvre around the cross roads to then change direction and climbing up hill a little for the longer, mostly rural run to Bakewell, where I alighted.
In Bakewell I decided to spend half an hour before the next “Peak Sightseer” came through by enjoying a pint in the Joiners Arms. This small bar, which offers a range of craft beers on both cask and keg is under the same ownership as the Dronfield Arms which is home to Temper Brewing and it is one of their beers I chose. The day of my trip coincided with Bakewell Carnival so the town was busy and people had got their spots outside ready for the procession to come through later!
Boarding the other one of the two vehicles on the “Peak Sightseer” service, the bus left Bakewell via the A6 Buxton Road and passed the business park that is home to Thornbridge Brewery, where if I had more time I could have gone to visit their tap room to sample a few beers and order a pizza!
The next location along the route is Ashford in the Water where we passed two pubs across the road from one another, although one was closed with the now familiar pub company sign advertising it as available to lease. The Bulls Head however was open, this is an old coaching Inn owned by Robinsons Brewery.
The next landmark along the route is at Hassop where the bus crosses over the Monsal Trail, this used to be a railway running from London to Manchester via Matlock and Buxton but is now a popular walking and cycling trail and the old Hassop station is now a cafe. The bus continues via Pilsley and stops by the Chatsworth farm shop before turning off the main road and onto the Chatsworth estate, up the drive to the house.
The bus has a short 5 minute break at the Chatsworth House stop before setting off around the circular route again and heading down to Baslow, passing Peak Ales brewery as it heads down the hill!
Having completed the Peak Sightseer route, I wanted to try the other open top bus service, “The Breezer” operated by local independent bus company Hulleys of Baslow. This is a more traditional bus service rather than a circular tour, running from Baslow to Castleton via Calver Sough, Grindleford, Longshaw, Hathersage and Hope then returning the same way. Most people in Sheffield know about Surprise view before heading downhill into Hathersage and this offers the opportunity to enjoy it on an open top bus!
Unfortunately there was a good hour or so until the next “Breezer” leaving Baslow and was keen to get to the Hope Valley to do my Beer Matters magazine deliveries to a couple of pubs there so I joined the regular bus 257 after a wait of less than 10 minutes for a scenic ride on a modern single decker. The departure I joined was the one a day which goes a different route to normal, after Eyam if went via Foolow, Great Hucklow, Bradwell and Hope where it dropped me off.
There are three pubs in Hope. I had a pint and delivered Beer Matters magazines at the Old Hall Hotel which is known for hosting beer festivals most bank holiday weekends as well as the pub having a restaurant, tea room and accommodation. Just across the road is the Woodroffe Arms, owned by Greene King and a short walk down the Edale road will bring you to the Cheshire Cheese Inn, a classic rural pub with a good beer garden!
From Hope I joined “The Breezer” open top bus which had left Castleton a few minutes previous bound for Baslow and enjoyed a short run down the Hope Valley as far as Hathersage.
In Hathersage it was a visit to the Little John Hotel to deliver their Beer Matters magazine as well as enjoy a pint and a bite to eat.
There are a number of other venues in Hathersage including the George and Scotsman’s Pack in the village and the Plough Inn a little bit of a walk down the road to Leadmill Bridge, I could also have joined the final “Breezer” open top bus trip of the day back down to Baslow, however time was running out and I needed to be home to get ready for evening plans so joined a Sheffield bound train back from Hathersage!
BUS TICKETS
The Stagecoach “Peak Sightseer” open top bus tour costs £6 for adults and £4 for concessions with a ticket allowing you to hop on and hop off as much as you like during the day.
All the other normal local buses in the area, including the Hulleys “Breezer” open top service currently cost £2 per ride and also accept English National Concession Senior Citizen and disabled passes. Alternatively you can buy a “Derbyshire Wayfarer” pass for the day offering unlimited travel on most local buses in Derbyshire (including direct links from Sheffield) for £8, or there is an option also including trains for £14. With the Wayfarer pass you can buy the Peak Sightseer ticket at the discounted price of £4.
DAYS OF OPERATION
The “Peak Sightseer” runs daily until 30 September then weekends only up to Christmas Eve.
“The Breezer” runs on Saturdays and Sundays, plus weekdays during the school holidays, with the last day of operation 3 September. Please be aware that Hulleys only have one open top vehicle so from time to time this may be substituted with a regular bus.
Tramlines festival takes place in Hillsborough Park from 21 to 23 July with several stages of live music and comedy plus food vendors, rides, stalls, bars and more and tickets usually sell out.
However of more interest to many of our readers is the fringe – and not just the official fringe stages in the City Centre but what is going on in the many independent venues including pubs, some of which serve real ale.
At the time of going to press with Beer Matters not a lot had been announced, however events we do already know include
the Washington pub in the City Centre which has published their line up of live music which runs from 5pm on Friday, 2:30pm Saturday and Sunday. Entry is free of charge and the last band is on stage at 10pm with DJs on afterwards to continue the party through to 3am.
the Fat Cat where on the Saturday afternoon will have live performances from Sarah Mac and Tiny Barbara’s Surf Club with Rocketts playing on the Friday night.
the nice folk from the Dorothy Pax will be putting on a free music festival over the weekend at Heeley People’s Park.
The Dove & Rainbow kick the weekend off with live music on the Friday night
The Red Lion on Charles Street is planning 14 acts over 2 days.
As usual there is live music at places like Crookes Club, White Lion in Heeley, Church House etc.
It is highly likely that pubs like Shakespeares that always put on special events for Tramlines fringe will do so too.
A new beer from Grizzly Grains on cask is a little bit different to usual but combines the brewer’s appreciation of session beers and interest in different yeasts and Saisons. This is a 3.8% ABV session strength ale inspired by Kviek and Saison styles.
Collyfobble brewery, based in Barlow near Dronfield, continues to see new brewer Ash tweak and develop the beer range and a sales rep has been appointed to help get the beer out into pubs a little further afield. The relationship with former Dronfield CAMRA chairman Rob Barwell, who is a keen home brewer, also continues – his initial involvement saw his “Lawnmower Ale” home brew receipe scaled up to a commercial brew which made its deput at Sheffield’s Steel City Beer Festival, it proved popular and has become a permanant beer under a new name of Grindleford Grit. Rob’s latest challenge from Collyfobble was to try brewing at home tweaked versions of their session IPA and an updated version is being brewed using Mosaic and Centennial hops.
Eyam brewery have apparantly made some changes at the brewery which left them a load of hops to use up and a series of special limited edition summer ales for June, July and August is the result, starting off with 6/23 (as in June 2023) which is a 4.2% ABV cask pale ale with a light bitterness and fruity aromas.
Lost Industry Brewing we are told have something huge and exciting to announce. Unfortunately it wasn’t announced by the time Beer Matters went to press, keep an eye on their social media for news!
The Bradfield Brewery seasonal beer for July is elderflower ale brewed using freshly bloomed Elderflower locally sourced from their own farm fields, this brew is Pale in colour with an Elderflower flavour, giving way to a refreshingly dry finish.
Kelham Island Brewery has had a rebrand with a new style and the pump clips no longer claim the beer is brewed in Sheffield – the company office is based in Kelham Island but the beer is brewed at Thornbridge Brewery in Bakewell, Derbyshire. Pale Rider is now available in cask, keg and bottle and graced the bar at the Arctic Monkeys gig in Hillsborough park back in June!
Chantry Brewery are running brewery tour events on Friday 30 June. Tickets cost £13.20 online via See Tickets or £12 in person from the brewery, the price includes the guided tour and a number of beer tasters. The Tram Train from Sheffield Cathedral will take you to Parkgate, a few minutes walk from the brewery.
Neepsend Brew Co picked up a couple of awards at the Barrow Hill Rail Ale Festival – Ashta got gold in the strong dark ales category whilst Alphito having won the strong pale ale category scooped champion beer of the festival!
Nick Law of Emmanuales fame has been busy with his Hop Forward agency (marketing, design and branding consultancy) and also won an award from SIBA for his Hop Forward podcast, however he has now brewed some new beers – “Ascension” (Strawberry, Mint & Cucumber Saison · 5.6% ABV), “Divine Providence” (Belgian Blonde · 5.5% ABV) and “That Would Be An Ecumenical Matter” (Oud Bruin · 5.5% ABV) available in can and bottle from Walkley Beer Co, Beer Central and the Dram Shop.
Intrepid Brewing have produced a new batch of Faeger (4.5% ABV) with a tweaked recipe. It has been hopped with Saldek and Mandarina Bavaria, the Munich malt has been replaced with Vienna and it now brewed with a Kolsch yeast. Look out for it appearing in bottles in due course!
The Bankers Draft (JD Wetherspoon) is running a mini cider festival with a choice of 7 ciders throughout the summer at discounted prices.
The Tunnel Tap at Totley, a keg only micropub offering some craft options on tap as well a range of canned beers, temporarily closed during June for a refit following experience and customer feedback since opening. There will be a new keg wall, improved seating area downstairs and bar stools and standing room upstairs.
The Cross Scythes Hotel in Totley reopened on Monday 12 June as part of Stonegate’s “Pub & Dining” chain. They open from 9am daily with the bar closing 11pm midweek and midnight Friday & Saturday with food served all day until 9pm. Accommodation is also offered. The launch party was on the Friday 16 June including a beer tasting with Abbeydale Brewery and samples from the food menu.
The Three Tuns on Silver Street Head in Sheffield City Centre now has a Wednesday evening quiz. Get tables at 6:30pm for a 7pm start and it runs until about 10pm.
The Dog & Partridge on Trippet Lane sees the return of hot food including the infamous chips of doom along with burgers, sandwiches and curry from 6 July with landlord Conor in the kitchen. Until then pork pies and sausage rolls continue to be available as well as the usual crisps (Tayto from Ireland) and nuts and when the kitchen reopens it is expected the pork pies will also be available as part of a ploughman’s style platter. On the beer front their cask ale loyalty card scheme continues, get a stamp every time you buy a pint and exchange a full card for a free pint.
The White Lion at Heeley has reopened under the same management as the Crown (just up the road) following a refurbishment. This pub oozes with heritage and the character of this multi-room venue has not been lost, its just been smartened up and the opportunity taken to fix a few things. The quiz night is back on Wednesdays and live music features into the weekend with jam sessions on the Thursday and Sunday. New opening hours are from 2pm Monday to Friday, midday Saturday and 1pm Sunday, closing at 11pm Sunday and either 11:30pm or midnight the rest of the week.
The Brown Bear in Sheffield City Centre, A Samuel Smiths brewery pub, closed temporarily in early June and will reopen once a new live in management couple of recruited.
The Old Shoe bar in Orchard Square is aiming for an opening date of 30 June (so probably already launched by the time you read this in the printed edition of Beer Matters!). This is the joint venture between Mike Pomranz (from Cider Hole and Exemption Cider which has relocated to the new bar) and Matt who continues to run BEAR on Abbeydale Road. The bar will feature artisan cider, craft beer (including cask), natural wines and other nice drinks! The general manager is someone you may well recognise – Nath Hehir has been behind the bar of quite a few good beer pubs including Shakespeares, Bar Stewards, Three Tuns and Walkley beer Co as well as being involved with the University of Sheffield real ale society “back in the day”. Keep an eye on their Instagram account for the latest on the opening, special events and more.
Perch on Garden Street, on the edge of Sheffield City Centre, has a calendar of events planned for the year ahead, mostly for the yard at the rear. Next up is a beer festival the end of July, a Belgian beer showcase in early September, an Octoberfest in late September, a Steel City warm up beer festival in early October and a Christmas market in December.
The British Oak in Mosborough host their annual Oakstock from 7-8 July which sees a programme of live music outside the pub over the weekend. It is on Friday 5-10pm and Saturday midday to 10pm and also features an outside bar, food stalls, ice cream van and kids entertainment.
A planning application has been put in to turn the former Simmonites shop on Division Street into a micropub.
The Milestone at Crystal Peaks is hosting “Bobfest” over the weekend of 1 and 2 July, a free music festival raising funds for Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, featuring an outdoor stage and bar, stalls, raffle, real ales, carvery and more. The pub is next to the bus station and near the tram stop too.
Bradfield Brewery have renewed their sponsorship of the Sheffield Steeldogs ice hockey team.
Dead Parrot brewery have been brewing small batches almost exclusively for their own tap room this year but expect to start scaling up to supply the wider trade once again later in the year. They have been taking advantage of this to produce a wide range of test brews and visitors to their Perch bar recently have enjoyed a choice of up to 10 of their cask ales on the bar at the same time!
Fuggle Bunny Brew Housecontinue to open their tap room every Friday, additionally they are opening on Saturdays 28 May, 29 July and 26 August then holding an Oktoberfest on Saturday 30 September. They are also running a bus trip from the tap room for regulars fancying a change on 3 June!
Grizzly Grains have been keeping busy. Recently released in bottle is Bigger Dimples, a 5.7% stout which was parti-gyle brewed with Big Dimples Dark Mild offering flavour and body from the big mash, caramel, toffee, dark chocolate, subtle coffee and fruit cake balanced against a slightly hop bitterness. Since then they’ve been brewing an IPA and a Belgian braggot as well as producing a Bochet Mead!
Loxley Brewery will be selling merchandise at the Loxley Beer Festival, organised at their host pub the Wisewood Inn.
Neepsend Brewery have brewed a West Coast IPA, something they’ve been intending to do for a while! It is called Coyote, is 6.4% ABV with a chewy malt body and a satisfyingly punchy 58 IBUs. This sets the stage for the all star lineup of hops – Mosaic, Ekuanot, Sabro and an impromptu addition of Simcoe.
Tapped Brew co have been collaborating with Round Corner Brewing of Melton Mowbray during April. The away fixture saw an Amarillo hopped golden ale called Cadillac Ranch brewed, then back at the Sheffield Tap during the CAMRA Members’ Weekend a mild was brewed.
Intrepid Brewing‘s April open day saw the launch of a tweaked version of a previous beer – their Spring Pale, Var 4.5%. This years edition uses the same hops and malt but a different yeast blend of Belgian abbey yeast & New England yeast to release a more balanced yet complex flavour profile. Hop bursted and gently dry hopped this beer has more flavour than you’d expect. Since then Ben has hinted at a new project involving Perry Lees, Wooden Barrel, continental pale & time!
A recent cask release from Temper Brewing of Dronfield is a 4.8% ABV American Brown Ale called Face of the Earth. A rich malt character balances with hints of pine and citrus from Cascade and Willamette hops.
Collyfobble brewery, based at the Peacock in Barlow have been tweaking a number of their beers and the latest updated brew has been their Bob On Best Bitter. The brewer has been playing with the colour of this one and mixed up the malt bill to push it in more of a copper-amber direction. This should also bring some lovely, complex sweet malty flavours to balance out that solid bitterness.
The two Sheffield City Centre Stonegate pubs that closed for a minor refurbishment – the Beehive on West Street and Globe on Howard Street, are now both open again and operating as “Craft Union” venues, which are Stonegate wet let pubs run in partnership with self employed managers and their staff. The focus is on drinks deals and entertainment with the Beehive open until 2am at the weekend with a DJ on. Cask ale remains available at the Beehive with Timothy Taylor Landlord, Marston’s Hobgoblin Gold and Robinsons Dizzy Blonde on the bar on the opening weekend.
The Wharncliffe Arms is set to close temporarily at the end of May for renovation work which will see an extension of the seating area, installation of a commercial kitchen and relocation of the bar area.
The Ladybower Inn reopened at the beginning of April although just serving drinks – beers, wines, spirits, cocktails and hot drinks. The kitchen was scheduled to open on 17 May so by the time this issue of Beer Matters hits the pubs the food menu should have been launched! Also by the time you read this in print the rooms upstairs should be available to book for overnight stays.
The Cross Scythes Hotel in Totley, which was leased from the Stonegate pub company by a local independent operator, closed on the 18 April after 5 years being run by Ben & Scott – a good chunk of which was through the Coronavirus pandemic! The pub and restaurant reopens on 12 June following refurbishment as part of Stonegate Pub & Dining chain.
It has been announced which Dronfield area pubs and clubs are taking part in the annual One Valley festival on Saturday 3 June. The main town event involves the Victoria, Blue Stoops, Manor House Hotel, Green Dragon, White Swan, Dronfield Arms, Underdog, Jolly Farmer and Dronfield Woodhouse Sports & Social Club. Running alongside this is “One Valley Extra” at Drone Valley Brewery. There are four Stagecoach bus routes serving Dronfield and most of the venues – 15, 16, 43 and 44 with a “Silver DayRider” pass offering all day travel on Stagecoach services in the area for £5.90 per adult or £15 for a group of 5, this can be purchased and use on the Stagecoach app, alternatively a flat fare of £2 per ride applies, paid to the driver – see stagecoachbus.com for more information.
The Cremorne on London Road has a new manager and the pub is back on form with a good range of well kept cask ales and music has returned too!
The Cricketers Arms on Bramall Lane has been voted as a top fans pub for an award by football supporters. The pub only opens on match days and has lots of Blades memorabilia on display, Abbeydale Moonshine is on the bar at a reasonable price.
Whilst CAMRA is better known for banging the drum about real ale and pubs, we also campaign for better availability of proper cider and perry in pubs and bars and have two months a year – May and October – when we are asked to make a special effort to promote cider & perry and encourage drinkers to seek it out and try it. The reason those two months are chosen is October is typically when the apples and pears are harvested and pressed and May is usually when new batches of cider and perry are ready and released!
When we talk about “real” cider or perry, we mean products that are made by fermenting freshly pressed juice and using only natural, genuine flavours. The vast majority of ciders on the bars in the UK are industrial products manufactured from concentrate.
A flashback to 2017 and the Harlequin’s cider board
Sheffield isn’t exactly known for its cider scene but we do have a few people and places doing great things. The longer term stalwarts have been Liz at the Harlequin and Steph & Kev at the New Barrack Tavern which both stock a large range of bag in box ciders with a number of them fitting CAMRA’s definition of “real” and just over the border in Holmesfield, Derbyshire, we have Dick Shepley at Woodthorpe Hall making cider.
Ross on Wye cider tasting at Hop Hideout
Since then they’ve been joined by Hop Hideout in the Kommune food hall in Sheffield City Centre stocking an impressive selection of bottled ciders and perries as well as occasionally having a keg conditioned cider on tap and for national Cider Week in April a number of events were organised by Jules showcasing various producers and I attended a special tasting session with Albert from Ross on Wye cider. Whilst the majority of the differences in flavours and characters in the different ciders are down to which apple variety is used, they also make a number of interesting ciders that have been fermented in oak casks and also do blends of different vintages to maintain the right flavours.
Mike Pomranz at the Cider Hole
Finally, the newest show in town, Mike Pomranz, who opened the Cider Hole at Shalesmoor and started making his own cider there under the Exemption Ciderhouse banner. He’s also worked with us to host tutored tasting events at our Steel City Beer & Cider Festival and the CAMRA Members’ Weekend plus each year he works with Heist Brew Co. to put on an annual cider festival in their tap room, this year it is planned for 15 July. The end of May saw the Cider Hole close with it all relocating to a new City Centre bar – The Old Shoe in Orchard Square – opening in partnership with Matt from the Bear on Abbeydale Road (read more elsewhere in this issue).
Grizzly Grain’s Sheffield Mead
You may have noticed the headline also mentioned mead – an alcoholic drink made from fermented honey – and wondered where that fitted in. Well partly because I have memories of attending certain CAMRA beer festivals years ago where the cider bar randomly had bottles of mead tucked away at the end and I don’t ever recall seeing mead on sale at any pubs or bars in that era – but also because Grizzly Grain brewery has been making Sheffield mead in small batches using honey from Heeley City Farm with bottles available at their tap sessions. Interestingly as well as the traditional strong mead in big bottles they also offer a session mead at a more sensible strength with a hopped version available. Changes are afoot on the mead front however with beekeeping due to end at the farm so the honey will be sourced elsewhere with an opportunity to produce slightly bigger volumes as a result and there is talk of putting mead into cask for a pub to serve on handpump!
Summer of Pub is CAMRA’s summer-long campaign to promote pub and club-going, highlight the social and cultural importance of the UK’s pubs and social clubs. It launched in May and runs to September, when the 2024 edition of the Good Beer Guide is published.
It’s been a tough winter for the licensed trade with energy and business costs skyrocketing, so we feel now it is especially important to encourage you to get out and enjoy our great pubs and clubs this summer!
Summer of Pub kicked off on the second May bank holiday which didn’t exactly see great weather but it was the weekend of King Charles III’s Coronation. Pubs played a big role in facilitating communities getting together for “a bit of a do” whether that involved bunting, entertainment and showing the cermony on TV or providing an alternative event for those who weren’t interested – such as the Dog & Partridge who instead of a Coronation party ran a fundraiser for the Shelter homeless charity and a collection for the S6 food bank.
There are various pub based events coming up over the summer including beer and music festivals, organisers are invited to submit their events for national listing online at camra.org.uk/pubs-and-clubs/current-campaigns/summer-of-pub/ (or you can find our own festival guide here)
Annual beer festival at the Dronfield Arms, part of the “One Valley” event in June
If the weather does prove to be a bit more British and wet this summer then of course pubs are indoors and provide a great place to get together with friends, enjoy a nice beer and maybe a bite to eat! Alternatively if you are on your own and bored head to a pub with entertainment such as live music!
Live music at the Washington in Sheffield City Centre
