Author: Andy Cullen

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.

National lockdown from 5 January

Posted on by Andy Cullen

The government have announced a new national lockdown with an instruction to stay at home except for various permitted reasons such as shopping, work and excercise, which should be done locally to where you live.

Food and drink retail is classed as essential and you can continue to buy beer from supermarkets and off licences.

Pubs, bars and restaurants can continue to serve takeaway food and non-alcoholic drinks, however it appears from the new guidelines they can only include alcohol in home deliveries.

You can read the guidelines on the government website.

Pubs setting up a home delivery service that urgently need a website and app to take orders on may wish to consider brew2you.co.uk, the low cost platform set up by CAMRA and SIBA.

More on this subject soon… please continue to support pubs, local breweries and independent specialist beer shops where you can and also more importantly stay safe!

Breweries in our area offering home delivery of cans, bottles and minikegs

Pubs offering takeaway and/or delivery

Members’ Weekend, AGM & Conference

Posted on by Andy Cullen

We’d been really looking forward to hosting CAMRA’s national members weekend here in Sheffield in 2021, which is also CAMRA’s 50th birthday, this would have seen over a thousand beer tourists come to enjoy Sheffield’s beer scene as well as participate in debates to help direct CAMRA’s campaigning policy.

Sadly with the ongoing uncertainty with Coronavirus, the event at Sheffield City Hall is now cancelled with the AGM and Conference now to take place online instead. Members can register to participate online at camra.org.uk.

As soon as circumstances allow we will resume normal branch activity with meetings, award presentations, surveys, socials, beer tastings, brewery trips etc and we will also be focused on organising the 2021 Steel City Beer & Cider Festival which will hopefully take place in October at Kelham Island Museum after being unable to put on a 2020 event.

Brewery Brief

Posted on by Andy Cullen

Loxley Brewery will be at John Lewis in Sheffield City Centre from 7 to 13 December manning a stall selling their bottled beers and merchandise, handy for Christmas shoppers!

Grizzly Grain have brewed another batch of their Tilt Hammer Stout, which is now available in bottles.

Crosspool Ale Makers latest beer available in cans is Straight Outta Crosspool, a gluten-free West Coast IPA.

Drone Valley Brewery continue to offer home delivery of their bottled beers along with an increased selection of merchandise, additionally in the run up to Christmas they have opened a shop at their brewery in Unstone.

Little Mesters Brewing are now selling online for click and collect orders, the collection point is their brewery next door to Mitchell’s Wines at Meadowhead. Beers are available in cans or mini-kegs and the range includes a traditional 3.9% bitter, a hazy IPA and a lager. Merchandise including t-shirts is also available to order.

Abbeydale Brewery currently have a variety of 24 different beers available in cans and for those wanting to create a beer advent calendar for December they are offering a variety box containing one of each of the 24 beers to order online with free home delivery (alternatively click and collect is available from the brewery). The selection is diverse ranging from the 3.8% Daily Bread traditional bitter up to the 12.4% Strawberry Tigers and Rooftop Jacuzzis stout!  Some of the beers are also available individually in 9 pint mini casks.

Recent brews from Neepsend include Arion, a 5.4% Hopfenweizen and Bramble, a 4.8% Blackberry Porter.

Learn & Discover with CAMRA

Posted on by Andy Cullen

One of the most recent added CAMRA membership benefits is access to content in the CAMRA Learn & Discover hub, perfect to keep you occupied at home whilst the pubs are shut!

Whilst normally we would like to take CAMRA members on a voyage of discovery in the world of beer and cider at socials and meetings, hopefully this is the next best thing.

The latest addition to the content is a video about pairing beer with food including understanding how to taste beer and appreciate the flavour profiles that work well together.

To access this content, sign in as a member on the national CAMRA website.

Chapeltown gets all La-Di-Da

Posted on by Andy Cullen

La Di Da is a new specialist shop is opening in Chapeltown on 5 December, selling Quality Wines, Rare Malt Whisky, World Spirits, Craft Ales and a selection of Havana and International Cigars.

The man behind the shop is Wayne Griffin, he’s been a manager at Mitchell’s Wines of Meadowhead for 10 years, they have a great local reputation and it is likely Chapeltown will be benefiting from his experience there!

The beer range at La Di Da includes many local breweries plus craft beers from further afield both UK and international along with some of the classic Belgian beers.

La Di Da will also be selling online at sheffieldcigarsandwine.co.uk.

Tiers after lockdown

Posted on by Andy Cullen

Details on what will happen post lockdown, from 2 December, has now been announced by the Government.

We’ll be returning to a 3 tier system but with some changes to the rules.

In tier 1 areas pubs can open with the rule of 6 applying to group sizes both indoors and outdoors. In tier 2 areas as before mixing of households is not permitted indoors but additionally alcohol will only be served with a substantial meal (there are exceptions for theatres, cinemas, concert halls and sports grounds). Pubs that don’t serve food will have to remain closed. In tier 3 areas pubs and restaurants will be takeaway only.

South Yorkshire and Derbyshire has been put into tier 3 – this means pubs cannot open, except for take away sales (scroll down for a link to our list of pubs we have been advised are offering this).

In areas where pubs can open table service will continue to be a requirement as will social distancing, wearing face coverings when not seated, enhanced cleaning regimes, giving contact details for test and trace and the rest of the requirements to be considered Covid-Secure. The existing 10pm curfew is replaced by 10pm last orders with everyone out by 11pm

This isn’t looking great for pubs – outside tier 1 the majority of pubs cannot open, this is disappointing as we continue to believe that a well run pub in line with Covid-secure guidelines is the safest place to socialise and the hospitality sector seems to have been disproportionately hit with damaging restrictions and no evidence presented to justify this.

Traditionally December – Christmas party season – is the busiest time for pubs and for many pubs the money made in December is needed to survive the typically quiet January so if pubs cannot open or are allowed only very restricted trading in the run up to Christmas this could cause a lot of pubs to go out of business and close without increased government support. It looks like for pubs and pub-goers, Christmas is cancelled.

Details of new tier system from 2 December

Save our pubs campaign – email your MP.

Sheffield City Council Covid News – including business support

Local breweries offering home delivery

Pubs and bars open for food and drink takeaway/home delivery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New pub history course

Posted on by Andy Cullen

Brian Holmshaw, a local history tutor, is running his Social History of Sheffield Pubs course for the Workers Education Association again in February. It is a six week course held on Mondays at a cost of £38.40 using images, maps and documents of the period to examine the origins, architecture and ownership of pubs and brewing in Sheffield, the impact of heavy industry on the way people drank and how pubs were used as public
spaces, including the development of the temperance movement.

This time the tuition will be online via Zoom. To book visit the WEA website or for more information about the course’s content you can contact Brian by emailing holmshawbrian@gmail.com.

Majority of pub-goers feel safe

Posted on by Andy Cullen

CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, has called on governments to adapt the tier systems to let all pubs trade in December, after new YouGov research finds that the majority of pub-goers believe that pubs and other hospitality venues offer a Covid-secure environment.

The survey, conducted on the behalf of CAMRA, found that 82% of GB adults who have been to the pub at least once in the last six months felt hospitality businesses were Covid-secure environments, reflecting the huge investment many pubs have made to re-open during the pandemic.

Many pubs have invested thousands to utilise new technologies to introduce track and trace, table service, flexi glass screening, new sanitation stations and deep cleans. CAMRA has consistently called on government to offer evidence into virus transmissions within the pub setting and is asking ministers to publish the evidence on which decisions are being taken about what the tier system in England will look like after lockdown ends on 2 December.

The Campaign has also called on the Scottish Government to reexamine strict restrictions on pubs as part of its five tier system.

The consumer group now wants the UK Government to adapt the tier system in England to allow all pubs to open on the 3 December – regardless of whether they serve food or not – so that consumers can enjoy the personal wellbeing benefits of pub-going over the Christmas season.

CAMRA’s National Chairman Nik Antona said:

“Businesses should be allowed to open based on whether they can provide a Covid-secure environment – not based on whether they serve food. Publicans have invested thousands to keep their customers safe this year and comply with additional regulations and track and trace requirements, and this research shows that customers recognise this too.

“We are particularly concerned that wet-led pubs have been hit by forced closure in Tier 3 areas even before lockdown and have been left out from the VAT reductions that only apply to food and non-alcoholic drinks, despite needing support just as much as other hospitality venues.  It’s vital that they are given the chance to trade after lockdown ends. 

 “The Government also need to properly review curfew, which Sage scientists advise has a marginal effect on suppressing the virus and there are concerns that it leads to mingling in non-Covid-safe environments, such as people’s homes. With no evidence to suggest that curfews work, we believe the initiative should be scrapped – especially from the lower Tier levels when lockdown ends.“

“For a long time, CAMRA has championed community pubs as the home of responsible drinking. This Christmas, we believe pubs should be the Covid-safe home to enjoy a pint.” 


 		How often Pub Since pubs have reopened 
 Total Every day A few times a week Once a fortnight Once a month Once every 2 to 3 months Once every 6 months Never Don’t know/ can’t recall 
Weighted Sample20187102176233242176101468
Unweighted Sample 2018897170244255182100161
Thinking about places that you have visited since the coronavirus outbreak, how covid secure, if at all, do you feel in the following…Hospitality businesses e.g. pubs, bars, restaurants etc.)          
Very secure 1549332229221379
Fairly secure 401463625363582326
TOTAL SECURE556396848285713035
Not very secure 13184121511191310
Not secure at all 4180414656
TOTAL NOT SECURE17364161615251816
Not applicable – I have not visited this place since the coronavirus outbreak 280001045249

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2018 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 29-30 October 2020. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).

Save Our Pubs campaign – email your MP

Brewery Brief

Posted on by Andy Cullen

Neepsend now has a brewery shop selling their beer in cans and mini-kegs along with merchandise. You can also order online for home delivery. One of the beers recently canned is Paikea, a 4.4% New Zealand Pale and yes, they’ve spotted the typo on the label…

Crosspool Ale Makers have brewed a Gluten Free 4% ABV Pilsener called “He Ain’t Heavy”. It is available to order online in cans for collection or delivery.

Grizzly Grain‘s latest beer is Auto Barn, a 4.5% ABV Spelt and Rye Hefeweizen, available in bottles for home delivery. The next beer, currently being brewed, is an American Brown Ale.

Drone Valley Brewery are now offering Christmas gift packs, available to order online.

Triple Point Brewery now have a separate shop located in the warehouse next door to the brewery and bar which you can buy cans, minikegs, merchandise etc from without having to order in advance. Latest brews include Kokos, a coconut stout; Parkin, a 7.2% AVB Treacle and ginger ale; and Substantial Meal, a 4.5% session IPA.

Recent beer releases from Abbeydale Brewery include “Through The Sticks”, a 5.1% lightly smoky sour beer with rosemary & lemon brewed in collaboration with Little Earth Project and the latest version of “Indulgence”, this time a Honeycombe Chocolate Stout. Both beers are available in can and can be ordered online either to collect from the brewery or for home delivery.

The Kelham Island Brewery 30th anniversary special beer, which some of you may have tried on cask at the Fat Cat or other pubs, is now available in cans from the brewery shop or to order online for home delivery.

Sheffield Brewery Company temporarily closed their brewing operations at the start of lockdown v2 on 5 November, with their taproom already forced to close under tier 3 restrictions towards the end of October. They are hoping to be back in business in December after lockdown when the pubs are able to reopen. (UPDATE – from 27th November they will be commencing weekly deliveries for beer ordered online).

Little Critters beers are now available in cans and minikegs from selected off licences or to order direct from the brewery for delivery. The latest beer to be canned is “C-Monster”, their 6.5% Citrus IPA.

Little Mesters Brewing is up and running and their website is due to go live soon and are also promising an imminent announcement about beer and merchandise! They are based at the former Mitchell’s Hop House brewery, which is next door to Mitchell’s Wine Merchants at Meadowhead and have a tap room upstairs.

Eyam Brewery have introduced a “1665 series” which sees some of their regular beers jacked up a few notches. The latest release in this series is a Black Death Imperial Vanilla Stout at 11% (their regular Black Death Vanilla Stout is 7% ABV) offering deeper, more complex flavours than normal! It is available in 750ml bottles.

National lockdown from 5 November

Posted on by Andy Cullen

The government have announced that a second national Coronavirus lockdown, where you are asked to stay home as much as possible, will be in force from 5 November until at least 2 December.

Non essential retail and leisure will be closed down for the duration, which of course means pubs and bars will be closed for eating and drinking on the premises.

As a food and drink retailer, pubs will be allowed to do takeaway sales and home delivery (the same as supermarkets etc.) like in the first lockdown, however this time there is a requirement that all sales must be ordered ahead either online or by phone.

If your local pubs aren’t offering take home beer sales, it however doesn’t mean you are limited to what the supermarket chains have to offer – don’t forget you can get an interesting selection of quality beers including some from local breweries from the various independent specialist beer shops around our area or alternatively many brewers offer home delivery on bottles, cans, bag-in-box and mini-kegs!

THE FINAL DAY OF LOCKDOWN 2.0 IS 1 DECEMBER 2020. FROM 2 DECEMBER WE MOVE TO THE NEW TIER 3