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.

Stancill Brewery

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Spring specials from Stancill Brewery Stancill Brewery have been exploring the ebony and ivory of the beer world and have spent time developing a new, not-to-be-missed chocolate porter as well as experimenting with a new hop variety to create what promises to be one of their hoppiest beers to date. Jarrylo is a new pale 4.8% brew and takes its name from the US hop variety featured in the new beer. It is the first time Stancill has brewed with the Jarrylo hop variety and the result is a fruity, slightly spiced beer which is as refreshing as it is unusual. The hops are named after Jarilo, the Slavic God of springtime and in folklore the God is celebrated with spring festivals held in his honour. Unlike many US hop varieties which can often be intense and overpowering, the Jarrylo hops add plenty of subtle flavours, resulting in a dry aftertaste. Dean Pleasant, Head Brewer at Stancill Brewery said:  “Jarrylo is a relatively new variety of hop which provides a hint of banana and pear which also adds a little spiciness. It’s commonly used in saison and Belgian-style beers. The result of our latest brew is a very pale beer which is packed with flavour. Since unveiling the brew it’s created a lot of interest and I can’t see it hanging around for long” Coco no backgroundThe delicate flavours found in Jarrlyo are a stark contrast to Stancill Brewery’s other new spring special, which has been developed with chocoholics in mind! Coco is a new 5.0% chocolate porter, which brings together everything you should expect in a typical porter with an intense chocolate finish. Brewed using a selection of dark chocolate and cocoa nibs to intensify the flavours of the chocolate malts featured in the beer, the result is a well flavoured brew. The coffee flavours of the brew give way to a powerful chocolate finish, resulting in a well flavoured beer which is already shaping up to be something very special. Jarrylo and Coco are both available at Stancill’s brewery taps: The Norfolk Arms in Grenoside and The Horse and Jockey in Wadsley, as well as at selected pubs throughout Sheffield. CAMRA members can benefit from a 20% discount on Stancill ales in both pubs, which makes a pint just £2

Thornbridge Brewery

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Monday 10th April 2017 saw the worldwide launch, in bottle, of Thornbridge’ s Mango Halcyon. Halcyon Imperial IPA has been a successful core beer within the Thornbridge range for a number of years and has gained a committed and loyal following. So why brew a mango version? Rob Lovatt, head brewer at Thornbridge, tells us why. “One of the main fruit aromas I always get from Halcyon is mango and so it seemed a natural choice to use mangoes in trying to develop a fruit version of this IPA. To produce a beer like this is not without a challenge to ensure that when using real fruit, as we have done, that the sweetness does not clash with the bitterness. We want a harmony of flavours but in a drink that is still unmistakably a beer despite us using over a tonne of mangoes into 20,000 litres of beer during the secondary fermentation process. ” Rob and his team recognised that haze in a beer of this type was always going to be evident but that was part of the challenge. “It’s pointless even considering trying to get it bright,” says Lovatt “so we centrifuged the first third of the beer and then transferred the rest of the raw beer back on top. This results is the perfect level of haze and yeast count whilst still retaining bags of juicy mango flavour.” So a challenge yes but, one we think we have met and are delighted with the finished beer.” The marketing campaign surrounding this beer launch included the opportunity to win the experience of being a ‘faux Lord’!

Abbeydale Brewery

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If you are reading this before May 6th, don’t forget to buy your tickets for our ‘P*ss up In The Brewery’ (assuming there are tickets left!) for a unique experience to drink our beer just yards away from where it was brewed! If you are reading this after May 6th, then we hope you enjoyed yourself! Right then! Onto beer news! Our mega collaboration with Magic Rock, Northern Monk and Siren was a monumental success, with all cask and kegs being sold before the release date, and the cans selling out (from the brewery) fairly soon after! You should still be able to grab a one from your local reputable bottle shop. Abbeydale LarcenyAbbeydale RevelationWe’ve got some new specials and some old favourites returning, some with a facelift! Both Larceny (4.2%) and Revelation (4.1%) have had facelifts and a tweaking of the recipe, and we are delighted to be bringing them back to your local.  Fabulous new designs from Luke Bailey and Ross Evans, and you’re sure to see more of their distinctive work on our pump clips coming up. Last year, Pat and Sue took a trip to Barcelona, and on their travels happened upon a brewpub called Abirraderro who brew beers under the name Istituto de la Cerveza Artesana. They brew a beer to a Neolithic recipe that was unearthed at a nearby archeological dig. This was an unhopped ‘Gruit’ beer (meaning herb), very popular in medieval times prior to the Reinheitsgebot purity law in 1516. Pat and Sue were so impressed with this beer, they invited Daniel and Iñigo over to brew with us and we have done a slightly modified version! Instead of hops, we have used mugwort, yarrow, juniper berries and heather flowers, alongside some lightly smoked malt to emulate flavours garnered from more ancient malt drying techniques.  It’s ABV will be quite high at 7.4%, and has been fermented with both our own house yeast strain and a Belgian Abbaye strain. We are splitting the brew half into some oak barrels to be mixed with wild yeasts and bacteria to age for nearly a year, while the other half is has had copious amounts of fresh raspberries and Brett Lambicus. This will be our ‘Encantada’ and should be available from the start of the month.

Abbeydale Brewery

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After a busy start to 2017 with the launch of not just our new look core range, but also our brand new Brewers Emporium series, we show absolutely no sign of slowing down! BIG NEWS first… we are throwing open the doors of the brewery for the very first time, to hold a massive party on the premises on Saturday 6th May! This will be a ticket only event, intended to raise awareness for something even bigger. The brewery is 21 years old this year, you might say we’re all grown up and moving out! We have completely run out of space in our current premises and are bursting at the seams and in need of a new home. Come along to see just what we’ve been up to and hear about our exciting plans for the future, all alongside drinking plenty of beer as course! We’ll have some one-off casks and kegs of our own available alongside a cracking selection of guest beers from our good friends around the country. It’ll be a fantastic day with a real festival atmosphere – there’ll be food trucks outside and live music curated by Now Then magazine, as well as the opportunity for brewery tours and exclusive tastings. We are planning that by the time you read this, our project will be live! Search for Abbeydale Brewery on crowdfunder.co.uk or look on our website for the link and grab your tickets before they sell out. Phew! After that massive announcement I suppose we’d better get on with what beers we have available this month. Abbeydale MarauderOur Beer Head series returns with Marauder (3.9%), swashbuckling it’s way across the palate with Mount Hood and El Dorado hops, promising a delicate herbal aroma and flavours of grapefruit and apricot. We’ve also got the return of one of our most popular beers, Dr Morton’s Duck Baffler, a pale ale packed chock full of Citra hops for a light aroma with lemon and passionfruit, and a refreshing bitter finish. Next up, we’ve been so excited to tell you all about our next collaboration, Four Degrees of Separation – a reunion back here at Abbeydale for three guys who were here in the early days of their career, and are now at Northern Monk, Magic Rock and Siren! This one’s going to be a big, bold and oh so juicy IPA, weighing in at 7% and taking full advantage of our mammoth hop store with our favourite hops from around the globe. Abbeydale UnbelieverRounding off the month is our second iteration of sour beer Unbeliever – this time we’re releasing a Gose at 3.9% brewed with coriander seeds and sea salt for a classic gose flavour. Hope to see you all on May 6th!

Sheffield Brewery Company

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Spring has sprung, Sheffield is in bloom, and – most importantly – the World Snooker Championships are upon us. To celebrate and promote the internationally renowned event, we are launching Crucible Best with a brand new pump clip and set of beer mats. Be sure to sit down with a pint of our Best Bitter at The Museum, The Graduate and many other city centre pubs that stock our beers around the Crucible Theatre. Khaki Blanco-01Available this April is our latest special, Khaki Blanco. This 4.3% NEw Zealand Pale Ale carries through all the hallmarks of New World hops – passionfruit, pine, lemon zest and gooseberries – delivered by hefty amounts of Rakau, Moetueka and Nelson Sauvin. Be on the look out for our new range of bottle conditioned, limited edition beers. We’ve been busy bottling our range of Finely Polished Beers over the last month and will be releasing Razor Paste (5.6% IPA), Brightshine (4.0% Crisp Golden Pale), Knife Powder (4.7% American IPA) and Khaki Blanco (4.3% New Zealand Pale) in 330ml bottles very soon, available from the brewery and local stockists. We’re also pleased to announce that the brewery is now officially an off-license, meaning you can purchase beer direct from our doors. If you’re having a party, a wedding, an event, or just looking to purchase some beer for yourself, we sell a range of beers in different volumes including bottles, pins (40 pints) or even a full ferkin (80 pints). Call us on 0114 272 7256 to place an order or email sales@sheffieldbrewery.com Visit our new looking website for all the latest news and further details on our beers and fantastic brewery venue www.sheffieldbrewery.com

Drone Valley Community Brewery

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We have begun a range of ‘Brewer’s Choice’ bi-monthly specials, with the new 80/- Scottish Ale (4.5%) (‘Pint of Heavy’). Regular pales are the IPA (5.2%), Gosforth Gold (4.0%), and our most popular 4.8% Fanshawe Blonde. The two bitters Dronny Bottom Bitter (3.7%), and Dronfield Best 4.3% are in stock. And our famous Darks: Unstone Oat Stout, Coal Aston Porter (both 4.5%) and the majestic Stubley Stout (5.2%). All are also available in bottles. Our first cider ‘Treeshekker’ (7.65%) is going down well at a number of outlets. Hand crafted by our local volunteers, using locally ‘Shekken’ apples. If you are near the brewery on Saturday 25th March (10am to 3pm) you are welcome to our Open Day. A bar, and the full range of bottles will be available. Also on the 20th April. Discounts for Members. Join us, own a brewery. Just £10 for life.

Price of pints to rise after U-turn on tax

Posted on by Andy Cullen
Drinkers have been let down by the Chancellor’s decision to increase beer and cider duty in today’s Budget – which will see the price of their pints rise. The announced two penny a pint increase in beer duty is the first rise in five years. It marks a U-turn by the Chancellor as he risks returning to the days of the much-hated Beer Duty Escalator which contributed to 75,000 job losses, 3,700 pub closures and a 24% fall in beer sales in pubs. Colin Valentine, CAMRA’s National Chairman says: “UK beer drinkers, pubs and brewers have been let down by the Chancellor’s decision to increase beer duty for the first time in five years. “The announced two penny a pint increase marks a return to the days when the much-hated Beer Duty Escalator contributed to 75,000 job losses, 3,700 pub closures and a 24% fall in beer sales in pubs. The rise in beer duty will ultimately hit consumers in their pockets and lead to pub closures across the country. “The government’s U-turn on beer duty is a real missed opportunity to support consumers. The UK still pays one of the highest rates of duty across Europe, only consuming around 12% of the beer yet paying nearly 40% of all beer duty in the EU. Further beer duty increases will lead to unsustainable price increases in pubs. The decision completely ignores the pressures that are being faced by the beer and pub sectors.” Unique role of pubs in England recognised by business rate relief The Government has recognised the unique role that pubs play in our communities in England by introducing a new temporary £1,000 discount on business rates bills for all pubs with a rateable value of less than £100,000. CAMRA has warmly welcomed this relief and has called for it to be made permanent and increased further in future Budgets. While this discount will provide welcome relief for the majority of pubs, not all will benefit as the relief does not apply to the largest pubs so a minority are still faced with very large business rate increases. Colin Valentine, CAMRA’s National Chairman adds: “We are delighted that the Government has recognised the vital role that pubs play both in our local communities and our economy by introducing a new rate relief specifically for pubs in England. “The announcement of a new rate relief for pubs in England is a ground-breaking step which recognises both the importance of pubs and the unfair impact of the business rate system on pubs. This new relief offers huge assistance to pubs and is a step towards CAMRA’s ambition of securing a £5,000 rate relief reduction for all pubs. “While this is welcome news for most pubs, some of the largest pubs will be excluded from the new relief. For example, the CAMRA award winning Baum pub in Rochdale will be unaffected by this discount. The Baum pub’s rateable value is going up by 376.6%, and the pub will pay an additional £47,327 per year once transitional rate relief ends. “CAMRA is calling on local councils to use the new discretionary fund announced today to support those pubs that will still be hit by massive business rate increases over the coming years.

Fancy volunteering as a Brewery Liaison Officer?

Posted on by Andy Cullen
It is CAMRA’s aim to appoint a volunteer into a Brewery Liaison Officer (BLO) for every brewery producing real ale in Britain. The role is one of maintaining a good relationship and dialogue between CAMRA and the brewery, keeping our Brewery Information System up to date with beers regularly brewed and other information and to file a brewery news report to the regional co-ordinator on a quarterly basis. The BLO also ensures that the correct information about a brewery appears in the national Good Beer Guide and feeds in suggestions for the beer list at the Great British Beer Festival. Here in Sheffield and District we now have a large number of breweries and not enough volunteers to provide an effective BLO network and are looking for some more volunteers. If you fancy it drop an email to secretary@sheffieldcamra.org.uk to find out which breweries have vacancies.

Rutland Arms, Sheffield Centre

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The Rutland Arms pub business is now under new ownership! The lease has moved from Reet Ale Pubs to a company owned by Chris Bamford and Kate Major, who previously managed Shakespeare’s and the Three Tuns respectively. All the same staff are working at the pub, both on the bar and in the kitchen – including managers Pete & Heather – so major changes aren’t expected, more a gradual building on the established foundation of good beer, food and atmosphere already found at the Rutty. Chris and Kate plan to continue to offer Blue Bee as their regular beers but we can expect to see a more varied guest beer selection on both cask and keykeg. For Sheffield Beer Week a tap takeover was held with Norwegian brewery Lervig.