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.
Discover the story of the how the Peak District ‘local’ made the journey from humble alehouse to modern public house and meet some of the regulars along the way, including lead miners, packhorse men and navvies, plus the odd highwayman and a fair sprinkling of ghosts.
The author Andrew McCloy lives in the Peak District and has written and edited over 20 books covering subjects such as the Pennine Way, Roman Britain and the Peak District Boundary Walk. He is currently Chair of the Peak District National Park Authority.
Whilst many pubs are closed and in Sheffield we aren’t generally allowed to meet friends & family we don’t live with, it being a tier 3 Covid alert area, you may be choosing to enjoy beer at home. That doesn’t have to mean supermarket booze though, a number of our local breweries sell beer in bottles, cans and minikegs and some will even deliver to your door if you order enough!
For those that do small pack but don’t deliver, don’t forget your friendly independent beer shop may sell it (including some that deliver such as Hop Hideout, Beer Central or the Beer Stop at Dronfield).
There are also some pubs (and also the Archer Road Beer Stop off-licence) that can sell you fresh hand-pulled cask beer to go in carry out cartons.
Here is a list of breweries based in Sheffield or close by that we know deliver to addresses in Sheffield:
Saturday 24 October sees Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster move up to tier 3 which means you aren’t allowed to mix with anyone outside your own household or support bubble except in parks and the countryside, additionally pubs are only allowed to remain open to serve meals.
You will still be able to go to the pub for food (and have a drink with your meal) but of course not with anyone you don’t live with.
This will see any pub that doesn’t serve food closed down and most that do starved of custom, putting them at risk of going out of business. Those that have to close get some government help with wages and possibly a small grant, but this is expected to be inadequate to keep them in business.
The situation has been described as heartbreaking that the hospitality sector is being targeted in this way when many others others haven’t despite investing a lot of effort and money adapting to be clean, safe and covid-secure.
Like with the 10pm curfew, there are likely to be side effects, for example encouraging groups of friends to eat and drink in potentially busy public parks where there isn’t the same kind of regulation as licenced premises.
We encourage all our members (and anyone else reading this!) to keep supporting local pubs and breweries through this wherever possible – consider going to the pub for lunch; or buying cans, bottles or minikegs to drink at home directly from local breweries.
If you haven’t already, please email your MP to call for proper government financial support for pubs to help them survive whilst doing their bit to keep everyone safe – the Save Our Pubs campaign page makes it easy to do.
Commenting on the announcement that Heineken UK’s pub arm, Star Pubs & Bars, has been fined £2m after being found to have seriously and repeatedly breached the Pubs Code, CAMRA National Chairman Nik Antona said:
“This is a good and deserved outcome for Star tenants – and a landmark moment for the Pubs Code Adjudicator. We are glad that the PCA has used their financial penalty powers for the first time.
“We hope this will send a clear message to regulated pub companies that they cannot get away with breaching the Code. In this case, the PCA found repeated breaches of the Code in multiple areas – we want to see further investigations from the PCA to make sure that other regulated pub companies are complying.
“The pub sector as we know it is currently under threat due to the ongoing Coronavirus crisis, and lack of proper financial support from central Government. Pub companies need to be supporting their tied tenants through this, and at a very minimum this should mean fulfilling their basic obligations under the Code. As we see further local lockdowns and forced closures periods, we are again calling on pub companies to do the right thing and cancel rent for publicans that are unable to trade.
“We are also looking forward to the publication on the Pubs Code Review, which we hope will expand the enforcement options available to the PCA so that they can act more quickly and decisively to clamp down on abuse of the Code in future.”
Abbeydale Brewery normally host Funkfest at the brewery in September, showcasing beers from their “Funk Dungeon” project along with other sour and mixed fermentation beers from guest brewers. With the Covid pandemic this hasn’t been possible, so they are taking it to people’s homes with limited edition Funkfest beer packs available to order from their website from 5th October and local bottle shops selling suggested guest beers. This will run alongside online tutored tastings and video tours of the brewery over the weekend of 30th October to 1st November!
Neepsend Brew Co have brought back a tweaked version of one of the beers from their back catalogue, Tabaldak is a New England style beer brewed with plenty of oats, wheat & dextrin malts and big flameout and dry hop additions.
Thornbridge Brewery are celebrating Jaipur IPA’s 15th anniversary with a special dry hopped edition, the return of Jaipur X and a gift pack available to order online.
Little Mesters is the new brewing company that have taken over the brewery attached to Mitchells Wines shop at Meadowhead, along with the upstairs tap room. Check out their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/littlemestersbrewing/.
Socially distanced layout and hand sanitising station at the Industry TapBar now behind safety screens at the Washington
New government rules came in from Thursday 24 September, which in addition to the existing Covid-secure guidelines (which are now law), includes a requirement for all pubs, clubs, restaurants and fast food outlets to be closed by no later than 10pm.
Publicans have put a lot of work, time and money into ensuring their venues are clean, safe and in line with government Covid-secure guidelines. This includes a reduced capacity (with reduced income!) to ensure tables are socially distanced, cleaning tables between every customer, signing customers in for NHS Test and Trace, everyone wearing face coverings when moving around the premises, installing perspex barriers where necessary, operating table service and more. They are also enforcing the ‘rule of six’ with groups of no more than six people allowed together and reminding customers they should not mix with other groups.
Back in 2005, Tony Blair’s government introduced reform of our licencing laws, which included the ability of pubs to apply for whatever opening hours suited the location instead of the established rules where every pub had to close at 11pm and nightclub at 2am, which saw large numbers leaving every venue at the same time putting huge pressure on late night fast food establishments and transport infrastructure with queues in takeaways, taxi ranks, bus stops etc. with arguments and disorder breaking out. Many of these problems were now history to some degree.
So back to the present, September 2020, with pubs, clubs, restaurants and fast food joints all closing their doors at the same time, 10pm… how were the first few days?
Many venues reported poor trade on Thursday and a disappointing Friday. The issue of course, for a viable evening out that finishes earlier, is it needs to start earlier – which isn’t always possible on days when people are at work or university all day. Saturday was a different story with areas such as the City Centre and Kelham Island buzzing by around 5pm and queues forming in some locations, with an hour wait for a table reported at the Benjamin Huntsman Wetherspoon as an example.
Note this week was Freshers’ Week, when the new university students have arrived and enjoying discovering their new home city ahead of the academic year starting next week.
Bargain Beers – 24 hour shop stayed open doing great trade supplying house parties long after the pubs shut!Sainsbury’s Local stays open until 11pm – an hour later than pubs
What was observed on both Friday and Saturday night was come 10pm when the pubs closed, the off licences and convenience stores – which have not been hit by any requirement to close early – were doing a roaring trade in alcohol and snacks to take back to house parties (which of course are totally unregulated and a much bigger health risk than a pub!). It is also worth noting that while fast food takeaways and restaurants have to close their doors by 10pm, they can still do home deliveries all night if they wish, catering for house parties quite nicely!
While public transport appears to have coped in Sheffield, there was clearly a higher than normal demand for taxis with Uber implementing surge pricing, charging double the normal fare. In some cities the crowds in the streets that had all left the pubs at the same time apparently formed impromptu street parties, although there doesn’t seem to have been any reports of this in Sheffield.
So the conclusion – the 10pm curfew is potentially killing hospitality businesses and the jobs in that trade as well as putting people at greater risk to Covid. I would encourage all to raise this with their MP and get this policy overturned.
CAMRA’s response to the government’s 10pm closure announcement
Whether you are a fresher arriving in the city for the first time or an established student returning for the new academic year following the summer break, welcome to Sheffield, a place packed full of great pubs, bars and breweries!
Unfortunately with Coronavirus restrictions in place to keep everyone safe, things aren’t quite the party they were and the pubgoing experience is a little different – however most of the good pubs, bars and tap rooms have reopened and are following government guidance to operate in a Covid-Safe way (please help them stay open and safe by following the rules!).
We’re here to help you on your adventure enjoying great beer and discovering fantastic places to drink it, check out the links below!
The team from Bar Stewards – the little craft beer bar on Gibraltar Street – have been to True North Brewery in Sheffield City Centre to join brewer Dean produce a special one off beer available in the bar this week.
“God Hates a Coward” is a 5.5% ABV New England IPA brewed with a variety of hops – Sabro, Mosaic, Nelson Sauvin and Loral – and plenty of them!
The beer launched on the Bar Steward’s keg wall on Wednesday 9th September with an exclusive one off cask version dry hopped with Citra following on handpump on Friday.
Another wave of pub re-openings following lockdown has happened in the last week or two, although of course still all a fairly different experience with Covid-Safe measures.
Out at Woodhouse Mill the Oxbow micropub has recommenced bar service for drinking on the premises after a period of operating as an off licence with a couple of tables added outside. Opening hours are reduced and it is contactless payment only, check their Facebook page for details.
Meanwhile in the City Centre Fagans, Beehive and the Washington have now reopened. The Washington now has table service and as government guidelines currently forbids dancing, the dance floor has been converted into a couple of cosy seating areas although a programme of DJs and live music of sorts is still taking place (at reduced volume!).
Down in the Kelham/Neepsend area Church – Temple of Fun has reopened with a bit of a reconfiguration of the venue, new vegan food menu and table service. A cask beer continues to be available on the bar, on the opening weekend this was Abbeydale Behemoth.
The Albion on London Road, run by Stancill Brewery, reopens on 18th September.
The Three Cranes in Sheffield City Centre has closed due to Covid.
The Hanover‘s lease is up for sale due to the current owner expecting a baby.
The Old Workshop bar on Hick Street, Neepsend, reopens on Friday 18th September as a fully vegan venue and will be the new home of Make No Bones vegan fast food, who were previously based at Church Temple of Fun (and before that had a little cafe in Heeley).
The Industry Tap bar in Sheffield City Centre celebrates its first birthday from 17th to 20th September with an extensive and special tap list.
The Fulwood Ale Club have received conditional planning permission for outdoor seating and awning until 9pm.
Triple Point Brewing‘s latest beer is “270 Degrees”, a 6.6% ABV West Coast Pale Ale bursting with Citra, Cascade and Centennial hops.
Abbeydale Brewery recently celebrated the 24th birthday of their Moonshine Pale Ale.
Thornbridge Brewery have also been celebrating an anniversary, it is 11 years since they opened their Riverside brewery in Bakewell, which was quite a step up from the little microbrewery in an outbuilding at Thornbridge Hall!
True North Brew Co launch their version of cask Stones Bitter at the Riverside on 3rd September at 5pm. This is the first time in around 20 years that the beer has been brewed in Sheffield and the event will have a bit of a retro feel to it!
Grizzly Grain Brewing have brewed what is intended to be an annual seasonal beer, brewed with fresh green hops grown at Heeley City Farm within 24 hours of being picked!
Sheffield Brewery Company reopen their on site tap room on Friday 18th September. It’ll be table service with payment by card and they plan to open every Friday from 4pm to 11pm and Saturdays from 1pm to 11pm.
Abbeydale Brewery normally host Funkfest at the brewery in September, showcasing beers from their “Funk Dungeon” project along with other sour and mixed fermentation beers from guest brewers. With the Covid pandemic this hasn’t been possible, so they are taking it to people’s homes with limited edition Funkfest beer packs available to order from their website from 5th October and local bottle shops selling suggested guest beers. This will run alongside online tutored tastings and video tours of the brewery over the weekend of 30th October to 1st November!
The team from 
