CAMRA Sheffield & District
Sheffield & District branch of CAMRA
Altered Beer, 4.4% Blueberry Stout – An oatmeal stout made with a select blend of roast malts and oats for a dark colour and hints of caramel and biscuit with added blueberries for a fresh fruity flavour.
IPA of the Dead, 5.9% IPA – An IPA to celebrate Mexico’s Day of the Dead. A lively blend of both old and new world hops gives you a fresh tangy aroma of citrus fruits and a pleasantly bittered palate. A beer that’s definitely full bodied.
Our 500th issue of Beer Matters magazine is published on Tuesday 27th August 2019.
We are celebrating with a bumper 48 page issue.
In addition to the usual pub, club and brewery news, awards, listings and trip reports we have a number of articles looking back over the years at how the real ale scene has changed as well as looking to the future.
The magazine arrives from the printers on Tuesday evening when our volunteers pick up their copies from the Dog & Partridge to distribute to pubs across our branch area. A .pdf version will also be available online to download.
If you would like a printed edition posting to you, copies are available to order online for £1.50 (to cover postal costs) by clicking here or on the image or button below.
Respected veteran beer writer Roger Protz is coming to Sheffield’s Steel City Beer & Cider Festival this year on the opening night to celebrate his new book “IPA – A Legend in our time”.
His book will be available to buy on our CAMRA book stall at the festival and there will be meet the author book signing events on Wednesday and Thursday.
Roger will also be leading a tutored tasting session where he will talk you through samples of 5 different IPAs from the festival list. This will be in a private room for a limited number of ticket holders only.
Tickets combining the standard entry package with the tutored tasting event are available to buy online in advance and include
Perhaps a less impressive milestone than that of this newsletter, but this month is the tenth anniversary for Steel City Brewing. One September day in 2009 Dave and Gazza went to what was then called The Brew Company, now Exit 33, to take the first steps to becoming ‘cuckoo brewing’ pioneers.
With much technical guidance and advice from Pete, we were able to get our first beer out despite the minor technicality of not having a brewery – and we still don’t! As many will know, Gazza left to start brewing full time at Hopcraft and since then back to cuckoo brewing as one half of Team Toxic/Mission Creep, but will hopefully be at the anniversary brew, along with Pete, and also our former partner Hannah, back then the landlady of the excellent Harlequin pub.
Looking back over that decade, it’s truly impressive just how far the UK beer scene has come. The brew that day was ‘Hop Manifesto’, in the style for which Steel City would become best known, dubbed by us ‘Transatlantic Pale Ale’ as it married a British-style 4-5%ish ABV malt base of pale malt and a bit of wheat (as opposed to ‘balancing’ with crystal malt, rye, etc and being 7%+ as was the style of the time Stateside) with very American hop dosage.
A sign of how the market has changed is that back then Hop Manifesto was seen as ‘extremely’ hoppy (or unbalanced, depending on viewpoint!), yet when we look back at the recipe today it would be somewhat underwhelming to today’s hopheads. Therefore the tenth anniversary brew ‘Manifesto Reloaded’ is a sort-of re-brew but also updated for a 2019 audience – same malt base, same bittering hops, and the same mix of flavour hops but twice the quantity!
Looking back it feels almost surreal to consider that what we wanted when we started brewing has mostly come true – it seems odd to think that it was genuinely difficult to find really hoppy beer, now that we see a new DIPA or DDH launch every five minutes. Similarly there was almost nothing in the way of sours, imperial stouts and all the other crazy stuff we now take for granted. Our pipedream was a US-style brewpub offering a wide range of styles rather than just a few very similar trad styles, at the time there really seemed to be no market for it in the UK, yet here we are just a few years later with brewpubs, taprooms and bars offering an amazing array of style.
The original Hop Manifesto was launched in October 2009, and Manifesto Reloaded will be launched at The Crow Inn on Saturday 5th October at a ‘Decade of Bitterness’ event featuring other new and one-off Steel City beers along with a couple of away collabs. Provisionally this will include the only ever cask of Emperor’s/Lost Industry collab Stout Wars: Rogue Five and the launch of two or three barrel-aged beers.
What will the next decade bring? Wouldn’t like to even guess…!
Working in a classroom can be enough to turn even the most dedicated of teachers to drink, but a former languages tutor has tapped into his love of the continent and craft beer to breathe a new lease of life into a former Rotherham-based DIY shop after tapping into help from alternative lending provider Finance For Enterprise.
After spending time working as a teacher, Simon Evans called time on life in the classroom, in favour of following a lifelong dream of running his own micropub. Simon first developed an interest in fine wines and independent breweries when he secured a job in an exclusive wine shop to pay his way as a student.
Encouraged by the success of Rotherham’s first micropub, the Wath Tap, when a former DIY shop, at the Stag Roundabout became available, the aspiring entrepreneur realised he had found the perfect premises for his new venture. Within just a few weeks, the empty shop had been transformed. Modelled on a French style bistro, featuring an eclectic range of furniture and six different hand pulled beers for customers to sample, the Dragon’s Tap fired into business. Such has been the popularity of the pub that it was crowned as Rotherham CAMRA’s Autumn Pub of the Season and has even secured a place in the Good Beer Guide.
Simon has been keen not to rest on his laurels either. Since opening the Dragon’s Tap he continued to invest in the premises, transforming the upstairs of the building into a live music venue, which is used regularly for private functions and he has continued to invest in expanding the range of drinks on offer to include an eye-watering selection of more than 60 gins, as well as a changing range of six real ales, four craft beers and ciders.
“Setting up the business was a leap of faith. It felt like I was on a bungee rope! But I knew that if the micropub was going to be viable, a cash injection was vital, enabling me to transform the empty shop into my dream pub. Many banks are reluctant to lend to new businesses with no proven trading history, and so I decided to contact Finance For Enterprise. “Working with an investment manager, they have been incredibly supportive and without their help, I suspect I’d still be wondering ‘what if’. Finance For Enterprise provides a range of tailored loans, aimed at helping SMEs throughout the Sheffield City Region and North East Lincolnshire. The company acts as a fund manager for the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund and Start Up Loans UK and provides business loans up to £250,000.
Pub of the Year Overall Winner – The Gardeners’ Rest
CAMRA members joined pub regulars, musicians and others at the Gardeners Rest for beer, food and music on the evening of Friday 21st June as our branch chairman presented their winners certificate.
District (Derbyshire) Pub of the Year – Three Stags Head, Wardlow Mires
On Saturday 6th July a number of Sheffield & District CAMRA members took a minibus trip out into the Derbyshire Peak District area of our branch to visit a number of pubs that are harder to get to and included a visit to the Three Stags Head at Wardlow Mires to present their certificate for winning our Pub of the Year award for the Derbyshire area.
This is a classic, unspoilt rural pub that serves good ale and is listed in CAMRA’s National Inventory of unspoilt pub interiors.
Photos: Patrick Johnson presenting the certificate to managers Kath and Andy. Taken by John Beardshaw and Dave Pickersgill.
Sheffield City Centre Pub of the Year – Rutland Arms
The Rutland was once a failed, boarded up Punch Taverns pub until that pub company sold the building to a local property businessman who converted the former B&B accommodation upstairs into a student flat and kept the pub part of the building to rent out to a local independent operator that set the pub going in its current direction – a classic pub with a slightly punk twist, real ale, fresh food, beer garden and juke box.
Two years ago Chris Bamford and Kate Major took over the Rutland along with the existing staff and manager Heather. The bar has been refitted and has a wider selection of craft beers on keg alongside the reorganised handpumps that feature a couple of house beers from Blue Bee along with numerous ever changing guest ales on cask. Regular special beer events take place with themed nights, tap takeovers and beer tastings often in the diary.
On the food front, good quality fresh cooking continues to feature with the printed menu offering a selection of bar snacks and the specials board offering bistro standard small plates, main meals and sandwiches. One of the more recent developments is the expansion of the choice of vegan dishes.
Look out for all the random things around the pub on the walls and shelves, reflecting both the diverse community of customers and staff humour.
As for that jukebox? – well you are still warned to pay attention to the forbidden music board…
Sheffield Kelham Island Pub of the Year – Kelham Island Tavern
A pub that needs no introduction having won many awards over the years!
When Trevor Wraith bought the pub in 2002 it was closed, boarded up and in the red light district although a number of other real ale pubs had been established in the area at the time.
Right from the word go, the formula and standards to expect was clear – the pub is clean, comfortable and friendly; a large range of real ales with all the main beer styles covered (so yes always a dark beer and a mild available!), reasonable prices, simple lunchtime food and a lovingly maintained beer garden.
Although the formula and traditional standards have remained unchanged over the years, there has been some innovation including the back room being built as an extension and the introduction of a regularly changing UK craft keg line.
At the end of last year Trevor retired and the management of the pub has been taken over by Josh and Louise – who also run Blue Bee Brewery and have been involved in Sheffield’s Steel City Beer & Cider Festival in the last few years. Josh is also no stranger to the Kelham, having worked behind the bar when he was at University.
Only subtle changes have been made under the new management – the lunchtime food menu has been overhauled and cask beer from some of the more fashionable brewers such as Cloudwater and Buxton has appeared on the bar for example whilst Bradfield Farmers Blonde has also given way to Blue Bee Reyt Blonde. The bar has recently benefited from a refit of the handpumps and taps, allowing an increased choice of beers.
Sheffield South Pub of the Year – Sheaf View, Heeley
Thursday 27th June saw CAMRA members and pub regulars head down to the Sheaf View at Heeley for their South Sheffield Pub of the Year certificate presentation, some fantastic beer and a much enjoyed buffet including hot pork sandwiches.
The Sheaf View has been operating under the current ownership for 19 years now, having been bought by James Birkett in 2000 as a failed, boarded up former Marstons pub. It reopened as a real ale freehouse and was a hit from the start. You can now always find beers from Neepsend brewery on the bar as it is under the same ownership, along with some great guest beers. The pub also hosts an impressive whiskey selection, usually has sandwiches available and there is a weekly quiz night.
Well done to Josh Hayton and team at the Sheaf View for running a great real ale pub and being voted the best in South Sheffield by CAMRA members.
Sheffield West Pub of the Year – Itchy Pig Alehouse
A number of CAMRA members and pub regulars gathered at the Itchy Pig Alehouse on Thursday 4th July for the presentation of the West Sheffield Pub of the Year certificate. They also enjoyed some great beers and tasty pasties and sausage rolls. Congratulations and thanks for the hospitality!
Pictured – Paul Crofts presenting the certificate to Ted Finley, Richard Storey and Richard Hollis. Photo by John Beardshaw.
Yorkshire Cider Pub of the Year – New Barrack Tavern
On Friday 7th June the New Barrack Tavern on Penistone Road celebrated being voted our Cider Pub of the Year with our Cider Champion Sarah Mills presenting the winners certificate, this was followed by an evening of live music and a few pints!
The New Barrack Tavern recently converted the former kitchen area into a new room of the pub that allowed the bar to be extended to accommodate an extended choice of traditional ciders. The pub has gone on to be named Yorkshire Cider Pub of the Year.
Sheffield Club of the Year – Royal British Legion Club, Chapeltown
The Legion is a members club located near Chapeltown railway station with a good
selection of guest ales, and many forms of entertainment. The club organises an annual BBQ & Beer Festival in July. Three handpumps offer Abbeydale Moonshine, one changing dark beer, and one other changing beer from a wide variety of local brewers, including Acorn, Chantry, Pennine, Sheffield, Stancill, and Toolmakers. During 2016 they had 124 different real ales from 14 different local breweries. The club organises race nights, Chase the Ace and occasional live music. There is a full-size snooker table, darts, and Sky & BT Sports for the big match.
Our Club of the Year award recognises a club making the effort to serve good real ale.
North Derbyshire Pub of the Year – Miners Arms, Hundall
The Miners Arms at Hundall, near Dronfield, has been named North Derbyshire Pub of the Year. This is a great community local in a rural spot with views over the valley. A choice of well priced real ales feature on the bar along with an extensive selection of cider and gin. Food is limited to a selection of simple pub snacks including sausage rolls and pasties. There are several distinctive areas to the pub – one with a pool table, one with sports on TV and a comfortable quieter lounge area along with a conservatory and beer garden.
Derbyshire Club of the Year – Pioneer Club, Dronfield
The Pioneer Club on Stonelow Road in Dronfield (which recently hosted Dronfield CAMRA’s beer festival), was named Derbyshire Club of the Year. The club is quite community focused hosting meetings and trips out as well as having a busy programme of events including quiz nights, bingo, pool league, sports teams and live music. The bar has 4 handpumps offering a mix of local and regional ales at reasonable prices.
The presentation at the Pioneer Club took place on a Friday evening in early August with a pie supper and entertainment included! 
