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.

CAMRA unveils top 16 pubs

Posted on by Andy Cullen

CAMRA has revealed the 16 regional and national winners in its Pub of the Year 2025 competition.

The shortlisted pubs have beaten thousands of entries to be crowned the best in their region or nation and will now battle it out for the chance to be named CAMRA’s overall Pub of the Year. The final four pubs in the running for the overall title will be announced in October with the winner revealed in January 2026.

With the Bank Holiday weekend approaching, CAMRA is encouraging people to get out and enjoy their local or seek out all of these great pubs for a quality pint in great surroundings.

Judges are looking for great atmosphere, décor, welcome, service, inclusivity, overall impression and, most importantly, quality cask beer, real cider and perry.

The 16 pubs have been recognised as the best of the best in the UK and their shortlisting for the competition is testament to their quality and commitment to their communities.

This year’s contest comes as many pubs across the UK face their toughest year yet. They face high costs, high costs, heavy tax burdens and crippling business rates. Pubs need sector specific support, including the reform of the business rates system, an extension of the draught beer and cider duty and a reduction in Employer National Insurance to help with staffing costs.

Andrea Briers, CAMRA’s Pub of the Year Co-ordinator said:

“It is a real pleasure to announce this year’s top 16 pubs, each of which has demonstrated exceptional quality, warmth and dedication to their communities. These pubs are shining examples of what makes the Great British pub so special, from perfectly kept pints to a genuine welcome for all.

“Achieving this in the face of rising costs and other pressures is no small feat, and we want to see these pubs, and thousands of others like them, continue to thrive. That’s why we’re calling on the Chancellor to give pubs a fair deal in the Autumn Budget, so they can keep serving their communities for many years to come.”

The top 16 pubs are:

  • East Anglia – Blackfriars Tavern, Great Yarmouth
  • East Central – Orange Tree, Baldock
  • East Midlands – Burnt Pig, Ilkeston
  • Greater London – Hope, Carshalton
  • Merseyside and Cheshire – Cricketers, St Helens
  • North East – Station House, Durham
  • North West – Cumberland Inn, Alston
  • Northern Ireland – Dog and Duck Inn, Lisbellaw
  • Scotland – Volunteer Arms (Staggs), Musselburgh
  • South Central – Bell Inn, Aldworth
  • South East – Royston, Broadstairs
  • South West – Hole in the Wall, Bodmin
  • Wales – Rhos yr Hafod Inn, Llanon
  • West Central – Pelican Inn, Gloucester
  • West Midlands – Tamworth Tap, Tamworth
  • Yorkshire – Beer Engine, Skipton

Inn Brief

Posted on by Andy Cullen

The Brothers Arms hold their Oktoberfest party on Saturday 4 October with live music from 2pm onwards, concluding with a DJ set by Tink & Annala. Bratwursts from Worrall Foods will be available too.

The Green Room in Sheffield City Centre now once again has cask ale on the bar after a long spell with no craft beer of any description. On the newly installed handpump is Abbeydale Moonshine and they now also have a couple of Abbeydale beers on the keg taps too. The bar has an open mic night on Mondays, DJs at the weekend and a back room filled with retro video games!

The JD Wetherspoons chain hold one of their regular real ale festivals from 1 to 12 October which involves a number of international collaborations. At the Rawson Spring in Hillsborough they are hosting a special preview day on 30 September with beer tastings, festival ales at just £2.15 a pint and a special 20% discount on food for CAMRA members that day. You can download a copy of the festival beer list from their website or pick up a printed copy in their pubs.

The Canary, Waverley – photo by Richard Allen

A new bar called the Canary opened on the Waverley estate on 12 September. It’s located at Olive Lane, the new shopping area. It has 3 cask ales on handpump along with a number of other craft beers on tap.

The Canary, Waverley, opening night! photo – Stuart Mathers

As usual for the time of year, a number of venues are hosting German themed Oktoberfest celebrations. This includes the Red Lion in Litton 26-27 September, Triple Point Brewing in Sheffield City Centre 3-4 October, Oxbow in Woodhouse Mill 20 September, The Beer Stop in Dronfield 25 September and the Broadfield from 20 September to 5 October.

The Sheaf View in Heeley are holding their annual Winter Ales festival 21-23 November.

There is a proposal to adapt a cafe in Greenhill to operate as a micropub in the evening. Sara’s Kitchen would morph into the “Greenhill Tap” come the evening, however the licence application has attracted a number of objections from local residents worried about noise and disturbance.

The Bath Hotel hosted a Titanic Brewery tap takeover on 12 September.

The King & Miller in Deepcar reopened following refurbishment on 22 August. The pub is run by Bradfield Brewery.

Abbeydale Ballroom, located in the basement of the old Abbeydale Picture House (previously known as Picture House Social) is being refurbished by True North and is due to open on 2 October. It is billed as offering cocktails, food, pool, live sport and a late night buzz.

Shakespeares Ale & Cider House hosted a Duration Brewery tap takeover on 13 September as part of their Ducks in a Row beer launch.

The Angel Inn in Holmesfield is now back open and serving food.

The Manor House Hotel bar in Dronfield has increased their food offering beyond breakfasts and cakes and is now doing bottomless brunches and Sunday lunches.

The Broomhill Tavern is hosting a Timothy Taylors tap takeover 25-28 September.

The Grouse at Longshaw reopened on 12 September following a period of temporary closure caused by issues with their water supply.

The Washington in Sheffield City Centre is one of the venues for Float Along Festival on 27 September and also as ever continues with their programme of free entry gigs. Upcoming events advertised so far inculdes Slackr and Hunchpower on 30 October, providing an evening of pop punk. The pub stays open until 3am every night (2am on Sunday nights) with a rotating roster of DJs keeping the dance floor going!

Jo Doyle, currently assistant manager at the Old Nag’s Head in Edale, is moving down the hill with husband Chris to run the Rambler Inn, which is under the same ownership. There will be some changes to the cask ale range with Abbeydale Deception introduced as a regular gluten free option alongside Timothy Taylors Landlord, Theakston Kinder Downfall (XB rebadged for the Edale area!) and rotating local guest beers. A traditional cider will also continue to be available. Occasional special events are planned such as whisky tastings, a monthly pub quiz and a summer beer festival in the garden. The Rambler is conveniently located right next to the railway station.

Award presentations

Posted on by Andy Cullen

A handful of the Sheffield & District branch committee went along to the Old Hall Hotel in Hope on the evening of Tuesday 29 July to present their District Pub of the Year award, which was followed by their regular quiz and buffet.

Photographed is our Beer Matters magazine editor Andy Cullen presenting Rick Ellison of Atlantik Inns, who run the Old Hall as well as a number of other Peak District pubs.

The Old Hall Hotel features a real ale bar, restaurant, tea room and Bed & Breakfast accommodation. The bar is also known for its extensive whisky collection as well as their regular bank holiday beer & cider festivals.

The pub is a 10 minute walk from Hope railway station or buses 173 and 272 pass the front door and it is set among some beautiful Peak District scenery!

The team at the Harlequin led by co-owner Chris Bamford are photographed receiving our August Pub of the Month award from Sheffield & District CAMRA chairman Paul Manning.

The pub was also still celebrating a year under its current management and was also marking the impending departure of Ethan, who has been a key member of the team there since it reopened, presenting him with his leaving present!

in his speech, Chris also paid tribute to the late, great Wendy Woodhouse who had originally bought the pub and turned it from the Manchester Hotel into the Harlequin.

As of 1 August, when the Harlequin celebrated their first birthday, the bar had so far featured 269 different cask ales, 165 different keg beers and 66 different ciders. They serve food and have also hosted a number of events including a whisky tasting, sake tasting, tap takeovers, taco night and also host a weekly quiz night.

An enjoyable evening was spent at the Harlequin on the presentation night (and birthday party and Ethans leaving do!) with some great drinks and a buffet, thanks to the team for the hospitality.

If you fancy a visit the pub is walkable from Sheffield City Centre or Kelham Island; alternatively buses 7, 8, 75 and 75a pass the front door.

Brewery bits

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Two of the Peak District breweries in our area held open days during August – Eyam Brewery on 15/16 August and Intrepid Brewery on 23 August. Both involved opening a bar in the brewery showcasing their range along with a food trader.

Bradfield Brewery have announced the 2025 brew of their popular fruit flavoured Christmas special, Belgian Blue, will launch on 3 November. If you couldn’t wait for that you may well have enjoyed their summer special, Blueberry Ale!

The Brewery of St Mars of the Desert (SMOD) are planning a special Stichfass pouring event again on a date still to be confirmed at the time of writing. Stichfass is a traditional German beer barrel similar to a British cask and the beer is packaged during fermentation. Dan and Martha at SMOD drove all the way to Franconia to pick theirs up!

Recent brews at Blue Bee Brewery include a 6% ABV Simcoe Krush IPA and also the latest iteration of their American 5 Hop pale ale (version 82!) alongside the routine brews of Reet Pale, Bessemer Blonde and Hillfoot Best Bitter.

As with previous years, Drone Valley Brewery will be taking their outside bar to the Bradway family fun day, organised by the local community action group. The event takes place on Bradway village green (on Bradway Road by the shops) on Saturday 6 September from 1:30 to 4:30pm. Bus 25 stops close by.

Duality Brew Co had a number of beers at the Old Shoe beer festival in Orchard Square on 16 August. These were “Partners In Crime”, a NE pale ale (5.1% ABV), “Double Imposter Syndrome”, a New England IPA (8.4% ABV) and “Berried Alive”, an 8% ABV raspberry sour.

The latest brew produced on the Burton Union set at Thornbridge Brewery was a collaboration with Oakham Ales. The beer is American Pale, a 5.2% ABV pale ale brewed with Maris Otter malt combined with a variety of US hops which delivers a beer bursting with citrus, tropical fruit and pine character. Oakham Ales are best known for their Citra pale ale and their JHB (Jeffrey Hudson Bitter).

Regional pub awards

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CAMRA run a national Pub of the Year and Club of the Year competition, this begins with each local branch putting forward an entry into the county competition of which the winners go on to be judged in the national competition.

We entered two pubs – the Kelham Island Tavern went into the Yorkshire judging and the Old Hall Hotel into the North Derbyshire judging. Unfortunately neither were successful beaten by some rather stiff competition in the wider region!

Here are the winners:

EAST MIDLANDS PUB OF THE YEAR – The Burnt Pig, Ilkeston

EAST MIDLANDS CLUB OF THE YEAR – The Royal British Legion Club, Parwich

YORKSHIRE PUB OF THE YEAR – The Beer Engine, Skipton

YORKSHIRE CLUB OF THE YEAR – Wortley Men’s Club, Wortley

Inn Brief

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SHEFFIELD

Bear on Abbeydale Road now has a permanent cask line! For the Abbeydale Road beer festival the beer was from Weekend Project, however it is expected that the usual brewery on the handpump will be Two by Two.

Mount Pleasant at Norton Lees reopened under new management on Friday 1 August, although cask ale wasn’t immediately available awaiting the delivery from the Heineken Star Pub Company who it is leased from, however they are now regularly available with a range including Bradfield Farmers Blonde, Timothy Taylors Landlord and Tetley Bitter. Wednesday 20 August saw a food trader, Curbside Cravings, at the pub with a view of making it a weekly event if popular.

Old Red Lion in Grenoside is hosting ‘Top Red 12 Years On’ family festival on Saturday 13 September 2-8pm with live music & DJ, food, kids games, bouncy castle and market stalls.

King & Miller in Deepcar closed for a week from 11 August for a bit of a refurbishment and the instillation of a new kitchen.

Old Shoe are to host ‘Oldshoeberfest’, their take on Oktoberfest, on 26 and 27 September.

Sheaf View in Heeley are hosting their final live music event of the summer on Saturday 30 August dubbed ‘Last of the Summer Music’ with a programme of 8 different artists performing at the pub from 3pm onwards.

Sportsman Inn at Lodge Moor was expected to reopen over the August bank holiday weekend. The pub jas been taken on by the same management as the Ship Inn.

Fat Cat in Kelham Island held their 44th birthday beer festival on 21 August.

The pubs and bars participating in this years Half Pint Marathon have been announced and it is quite a long list! They are Alder, Forum Cafe Bar, Hop Hideout, Hymn to Ninkasi, Kapital Beer Hall, Over The Yardarm, Riverside Kelham, Shakespeares Ale & Cider House, Brewery of St Mars of the Desert, Beer House S6, Blind Monkey, Broadfield, Common Room, Dog & Partridge, Gardeners Rest, Hallamshire House, Harlequin, Itchy Pig 2 Banner Cross, Old Grindstone, Punchbowl, Rising Sun, Stag’s Head, Wonky Labrador, Turner’s Bottle & Tap, Two Sheds and Two Thirds Beer Co.. The event runs throughout September and involves two special beers – a cask beer from True North and a keg beer from Abbeydale with a 25p donation from the sale of a pint going to Sheffield Mind. Take a collector card and get a stamp each time you order the special beer at a participating venue and when you’ve collected stamps from 13 different venues you can claim a limited edition print. Check out their website or social media for more details.

PEAK DISTRICT

Old Nag’s Head in Edale held a beer festival over the weekend of 15-17 August with a ‘Sheffield versus Manchester’ theme, along with live entertainment.

Miners Arms in Eyam held a beer festival and hog roast on the Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend.

DRONFIELD

Blue Stoops in Dronfield closed from 18 August for a refurbishment representing an investment by Chilled Pub Co of nearly a million pounds which they say will better bring out the natural charm and warmth of the old building!

The 29 and 30 August sees a final farewell weekend for Tom & Vee at the Hyde Park Inn at Dronfield Hill Top after which they are retiring from the pub trade. They have been running this pub for the last 11 years and feel part of the community but between them have 40 and 38 years experience in the industry. Tom is going on to be a bus driver and Stonegate pub company are advertising the Hyde Park’s lease for a new tenant to take it over.

ROTHERHAM

Blue Bell at Harthill is hosting Hartfest on 6 September with gates opening at 2pm and music kicking off from 3pm. Entry is £10 with the event raising funds for Harthill Football Club to restore the former Spens field pitch so they have somewhere in the village to play their home games.

Over in the Brecks area of Rotherham a new venture called Barrel & Bean is planning to open towards the end of September. It is a combined coffee shop and micropub where you can go in the morning for coffee and cakes or in the afternoon for beers on both cask and keg. They are having 4 handpumps installed with a range of three cask beers on rotation. Buses X1/X2, X11 and 19/19a go there.

Pub of the Year award presentation

Posted on by Andy Cullen

We presented our our overall Sheffield & District Pub of the Year award winner – the Kelham Island Tavern – with their certificate on Tuesday 8 July. A good turn out of CAMRA members and pub regulars enjoyed some excellent beer as our branch Chairman Paul Manning presented the certificates to Josh, Louise and the team. Complimentary pork pies and cheeses were enjoyed too! Congratulations on the well deserved award and thanks for the hospitality.

THE FULL LIST OF AWARD WINNERS

Overall Sheffield & District Pub of the Year – Kelham Island Tavern

District (Derbyshire) Pub of the Year – Old Hall Hotel, Hope

North Sheffield area Pub of the Year – Commercial, Chapeltown

East Sheffield area Pub of the Year – Oxbow micropub, Woodhouse Mill

South Sheffield area Pub of the Year – Brothers Arms, Heeley

West Sheffield area Pub of the Year – Rising Sun, Nether Green

City Centre area Pub of the Year – Bath Hotel

Kelham Island & Neepsend area Pub of the Year – Kelham Island Tavern

Cider Pub of the Year – The Old Shoe, Sheffield City Centre

Club of the Year – Crookes Social Club, Crookes.

Inn Brief

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The Brothers Arms have announced details of their “Summer Bash”. It is taking place on Saturday 30 August from 2pm to 1am with a musical line up of 6 live acts plus DJs Tink and Mojo.

The Old Shoe opened their Speakeasy wine bar “Not Open, Don’t Come” on 28 June. It is open every Friday and Saturday night from 7pm to 2am. The entrance is around the corner from the Old Shoe via what used to be a fire exit door in the red wall!

The Heeley Artisan bar is a new opening on Chesterfield Road in Heeley in a former restaurant premises. It is brought to you buy the same people as Mesters Tap in Woodseats and of course Little Mesters Brewing. A range of both mainstream and craft keg beers are available along with bar snacks including loaded wedges and burgers. The bar has a handpump installed with cask ale from Little Mesters new brewery in Attercliffe, the first being “Mesters Mate”, a hazy session pale ale.

Jabbarwocky on London Road in Highfield has had a change of ownership with a leaving party held over the weekend of 11/12 July followed by a week of being closed for a bit of a spruce up before relaunching in time for Tramlines festival fringe!

The Cremorne, also on London Road in Highfield, are proud of their hand painted A-Board produced by Greg of @ayup.art!

The Coach House Cafe in Hillsborough Park have withdrawn their planning application for an outside drinks kiosk.

The Bessemer in Sheffield City Centre has been closed for a refurbishment and was due to reopen on 18 July.

The Crown in Totley is celebrating the current management’s 10th anniversary on bank holiday Monday 25 August with festivities including live music, food truck, bouncy castle and kids games.

The new management, Dan & Casper, are now in at the White Lion in Great Longstone and the pub is open serving food and drink.

The Scotsman’s Pack in Hathersage hold their annual beer festival on Saturday 9 August. Then later on in the month on the bank holiday weekend the Old Hall Hotel in Hope hold one of their regular Hope Valley Beer & Cider festivals.

The Hathersage gala took place over a week at the beginning of July. This involves scarecrows being displayed around the village, numerous events and finally on the Saturday a carnival parade through the village and stalls on the football field. The Millstone, located in the hills above the village near Surprise Corner got involved too and did appear down in the village at events with a cask of Stancill Stainless!

The Anglers Rest in Bamford has introduced Friday ABC – Anglers Beer Club. This offers 20% off drinks between 4pm and 6pm each Friday. Meanwhile there have been some changes on the food side of things for the summer with a new country tapas menu introduced whilst the traditional roasts continue to be available on Sundays. Pizzas are available for the quiz night on Wednesdays until 9pm.

The Angel in Holmesfield should have reopened by the end of July following a minor refurbishment with Stonegate pub company running it themselves until a new tenant can be signed up.

The George & Dragon in Holmesfield, which is now run by Boston Brewery, has been presented the Summer of the Season award by the Dronfield & District CAMRA branch. They normally have 5 or more of their cask ales on the bar and on Wednesdays they are available for a bargain £3 a pint. Tuesday is quiz night.

Brewery Bits

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Eyam brewery’s second open day of this year is in the diary for Saturday 26 July, from 1pm to 7:30pm. This sees a bar open in the brewery serving a range of their beer on both cask and keg with bottles also available to buy to take home. Sunshine Pizza is also due to be in attendance if you want something to eat there and if the weather is good you can sit outside and take in the beautiful Peak District scenery (if not they’ll have seating inside the brewery!).

On the same weekend, not in our area but a short train ride away, Chin Chin brewery is hosting open days on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 July, 1pm to 9pm each day featuring beer, cider, food and music. The brewery is in South Kirkby, walkable from Moorthorpe railway station (Sheffield to Leeds/York via Rotherham train).

A recent seasonal brew from Bradfield Brewery is Farmers Blueberry Ale, a fruity little number at a sessionable 4.4% ABV.

Drone Valley Brewery recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of being registered as a community interest company. Beers recently featured at their weekend tap sessions include Bessemer American Pale Ale, First Gold IPA and Amarillo alongside the classics that includes Dronny Bottom Bitter and Dronfield Station Porter.

Recently spotted on the bars from Neepsend Brew Co is Consus, an espresso stout.

Thornbrige & Co is the small but growing pub chain that is a partnership between Thornbridge Brewery and Pivovar (of Sheffield Tap fame!) with pubs offering a range of Thornbridge beers, they’ve announced that work has begun on the Fargate Tap in Sheffield City Centre and they are aiming to have it open later this year.

Beer gardens

Posted on by Andy Cullen

As we arrive in peak summer and (hopefully) warm weather, something that becomes an attractive prospect is relaxing with a pint outside in a pub beer garden.

There are many pubs out in the Peak District offering stunning views of the countryside from your table whilst in the Sheffield suburbs there are hillside options like the Brothers Arms in Heeley offering an impressive view over the city. There are also some pubs overlooking the River Don in the Kelham Island/Neepsend area such as the Riverside Kelham and Gardeners Rest.

However, what if you are in the City Centre and are looking for that hidden oasis? Well, they do exist.. The classic of course is the University Arms that has a proper beer garden (with a lawn!) whilst a number of other pubs have patio/courtyard style outdoor drinking areas at the rear, these include the Washington, Red Deer, Grapes, Rutland Arms, Benjamin Huntsman, Triple Point Brewing and Roebuck Tavern. There are also a number of venues with a more continental attitude with tables out front on the pavement such as the Head of Steam, Vocation & Co., Sheffield Tap, Old Queen’s Head, Sheffield Water Works Company, Frog & Parrot, Dog & Partridge, Old Shoe and Two & Six Micropub.