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.

Dronfield & District now has full CAMRA branch status!

Posted on by Andy Cullen
miners hundall POTY DAD-7-93490-dronfield-arms-200x150@2xTravellers cheesestravellers 3 valleys bus Dronfield & District CAMRA has attained full branch status. Formed in 2012 as a sub-branch of Sheffield CAMRA, with pubs in Apperknowle, Unstone, Sheepbridge, Troway, Millthorpe, Barlow  transferred from Sheffield and Chesterfield branches as appropriate, Dronfield CAMRA has quickly evolved into a lively active CAMRA group hosting a variety of social events and campaigning for pubs and cask ale, with plans for further development of the branch to follow. Dronfield and the surrounding areas are fortunate enough to have a number of good pubs serving strong ranges of cask ale, and in addition is now home to Hopjacker Brewery at the Dronfield Arms and is soon to be home to the local community brewery Drone Valley. The previous winners of the Dronfield & District Pub Of The Year are as follows 2013 – Three Tuns in Dronfield (The Three Tuns also went on to win Derbyshire CAMRA pub of the year in 2013) 2014 – Travellers Rest in Apperknowle 2015 – Travellers Rest in Apperknowle 2016 – Miners Arms in Hundall Dronfield CAMRA branch meets on the second Tuesday of each month. Thomas Sturgess  

More than a Pub: The Community Pub Business Support Programme

Posted on by Andy Cullen
The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has announced a new programme which allows assistance for communities to take over control of local pubs, with an allocation of £3.6 million over two years. More than a Pub: The Community Pub Business Support Programme is a £3.62 million, 2-year programme that will see a comprehensive package of business development support, advice, and loan and grant funding being delivered to community groups in England to help them establish community-owned pubs that can clearly demonstrate how they will bring significant social, economic and environmental benefits to their communities. Jointly funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government and Power to Change, the programme will be led by Plunkett Foundation and delivered in collaboration. The programme aims to support 80 community-owned pubs to open over 2 years and will offer a flexible package of support including access to an advice line, events, workshops, peer-to-peer study visits, and business development advice. It will also offer flexible bursary awards to fund very early stage activity, such as community consultation work, and a grant and loan package. Forty communities have already successfully taken ownership of their local pub under community ownership, and over 1,200 have been listed as ‘assets of community value’ under community rights, highlighting the important role that pubs play in local communities. The programme seeks to support pubs such as these, where they advance a charitable purpose to benefit their communities by, for example:
  • providing regeneration through access to public services and facilities to those who are socially excluded
  • promoting employment, education and training in areas of high social need
  • encouraging volunteering, citizenship and community development as a hub for community groups
A local example is the Anglers Rest in Bamford, Derbyshire, which was purchased in 2013 by over 300 people from the local area and is now run for community benefit. It not only houses the pub, but also a cafe and the local Post Office, and offers a much-needed community meeting venue, too. This has helped improve social cohesion and the regeneration of the village, and any profits generated by the Anglers Rest are reinvested back into the local community. Speaking at the Campaign For Real Ale Parliamentary reception, Community Pubs Minister Marcus Jones said: ‘The Great British pub is a national treasure and this new £3.6 million programme will give our communities support to keep pubs at the heart of local life.’ Vidhya Alakeson, Chief Executive of Power to Change, said: ‘We are delighted to be partners in this effort to accelerate the number of community-owned pubs that can tackle problems of urban and rural disadvantage.  By acting as hubs for a multitude of activities in their local communities, community-owned pubs can make a significant contribution to reducing isolation, improving well-being and providing access to basic services.  They can bring the heart back to many communities that have been hollowed out by the loss of local services.’ Peter Couchman, Chief Executive of Plunkett Foundation, said: ‘This programme will significantly increase the number of community-owned pubs open and trading, bringing far-reaching benefits to local people. For many communities, pubs are not just a place to drink; they are central to peoples’ sense of place and identity, they provide an important place for people to meet and help to build community cohesion.’

Dronfield CAMRA are winners!

Posted on by Andy Cullen
ZOE_0017 [673251] Dronfield and District CAMRA submitted a team to take part in the Dronfield Town Twinning Federation Quiz Night at the Civic Hall, and won the quiz! Congratulations to Dronfield CAMRA! For those that didn’t know, Dronfield has been twinned with Sindelfingen in Germany since 1981. The quiz night is a regular and popular event organised by the twinning committee and also involves a pie & pea supper and home made desserts. The branch members after the quiz night were reported to be heading towards nearby real ale pubs to celebrate their win!

Steel City Brewing

Posted on by Andy Cullen
TMB17 Bokaro [673244] Steel City finally got back in the brewhouse after a somewhat prolonged hiatus. India Pale Ales named after places in India seem to do well round these parts, so where could be more apt than Bokaro Steel City? Perhaps slightly more industrial than Jaipur, the brew itself is anything but industrial. As you might expect from Steel City, ‘BKSC’ features a very pale mash and three-figure IBU, flavour and aroma coming primarily from Galaxy and Kazbek hops. Finally, on a sadder note, the craft-as-heck* blue swingtop bottles are no more. Supplies have been exhausted, some ‘normal’ 330ml bottles will be acquired soon but in the short term the only bottles available are standard 500ml. How old fashioned, must remember not to brew brown twiggy beer to go in them… Dave Szwejkowski * OK, heck may not be exactly what Dave said.

Committee roles up for grabs at the AGM!

Posted on by Andy Cullen
Our branch AGM takes place at Shakespeares on Tuesday 5th April and one of the functions this fulfills is to assemble the committee that runs the branch for the year ahead. If there are multiple candidates for a role then an election will be held at the AGM, however a number of long standing members are wanting to scale down their involvement and help new faces get involved in order to give the branch a bit of new energy and enthusiasm. Fancy a voluntary role on the committee? Here are the jobs we have: Chairman Chairs the branch and committee meetings, guides the direction of the branch, ensures things that need to happen are happening, keeps up to date with campaigning policy  and acts as a public figure head for CAMRA in our area presenting awards etc. Secretary Takes minutes at meetings, prepares paperwork, shares information and acts as the contact point for the branch both for CAMRA HQ and the public. Treasurer Ensures branch accountancy is kept properly and up to date, manages the bank account, issues invoices for adverts in Beer Matters and collects in payments, pays expenses and bills, organises the finances for our beer festival, presents the accounts to the AGM and regularly files them with the regional director. Membership Secretary Regularly contacts our members to keep them informed and encourage them to join in branch activities, acts as a point of contact for local membership issues, maintains a stock of membership leaflets and holders for pubs, organises a recruitment stand at our beer festival. Social Secretary Organises and hosts a programme of social events for members throughout the year including guided pub crawls, brewery tours, beer tastings and more. Press Officer Spreads the word and ensures coverage of our events and campaigning themes, makes sure our viewpoint is reported when issues of our interest are topical, participates in media interviews, builds and maintains relationships with local journalists and influential opinion formers. Also assists with the branch social media output. Young Members Contact Acts as a local contact for the wider network of young members (aged 18-30), takes the initiative to get more of our younger members actively involved in the branch and attending socials – organising specific young members socials if neccessary – and maintains liaison with the University of Sheffield Real Ale Society. Pubs Officer Undertakes the administration work to Keep the Pubzilla database of pubs in our area up to date ensuring information on the WhatPub.com website is correct, organises survey work to gather fresh data if neccessary, keeps an eye on pub campaigning issues and any planning applications impacting on pubs in our area. Pub Preservation Officer Champions the cause of pub heritage in our area, maintains details of pubs with historic features, works with the regional CAMRA organisation on their heritage inventory, leads on applications for pubs to become listed as assets of community value, picks up on any relevant issues passed on by the Pubs Officer. Beer Matters Editor and Webmaster Responsible for the content of our branch magazine and website and building a working relationship with local breweries and publicans that supply news and adverts. Apple representative Champions the cause of real cider & perry, promotes the availability in our area, organises the Cider Pub of the Year competition and special cider events. Beer Festival Organiser Chairs the organising committee of our Steel City Beer & Cider Festival. Other smaller roles includes managing the advertising in our Beer Matters magazine, co-ordinating our Pub of the Month and Pub of the Year competitions, managing the selection of pubs for the Good Beer Guide, chairing the local beer tasting panel, running the LocAle scheme in our area, building and maintaining relationships with local councillors and MPs.    

Sheffield Brewery Company

Posted on by Andy Cullen
STEEL YOURSELF….SOMETHING’S BREWING….. RIDDLE TR’ALE 4.8% Number three of our top ten reasons we love Sheffield is homage to the city-region’s places of interest and what finer way than to celebrate the Botanical Gardens. We were going to name the beer Botanic’ale but there is a more intriguing link. Given the success of our Number Two, Ge’thi’sen Outdooerz, we thought why not do just that. So we’re encouraging folk to read up about the Riddle trail and soak up the gardens and beautiful conservatories before enjoying a pint in your local of our new  Riddle Tr’Ale: a mighty fine golden ale made from vienna malt and liberty hops. This should tingle on your taste buds with plenty of citrussy flavours.     riddle trale The Botanical Gardens and the Riddle Trail (extract courtesy of SHU) When the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Urban Parks Programme was established in 1996, the Sheffield Town Trust, Sheffield City Council, University of Sheffield, Friends of the Botanical Gardens, and Sheffield Botanical Gardens Trust formed a partnership to bid for funds to restore the Gardens. A year later, the Gardens were awarded just over £5 million with 25% matched funding; the only Botanical Gardens in the country to undertake complete restoration. Included in the restoration of gardens and buildings were some established and popular features: the Bear Pit, part of the original Victorian gardens and a Grade II Listed Monument, and ‘Spirit of the Wood’, a statue by an unidentified, but accomplished sculptor, installed in the Rose Gardens in 1953. The imposing Crimea Monument by George Goldie and Henry Lane (1863), sited in the Gardens when it was moved from the city more than 40 years earlier, was replaced by a fountain in order to be faithful to the Gardens’ original layout. New to the Gardens is ‘The Riddle Trail’, initiated by Sheffield’s ‘Off the Shelf Festival of Writing and Reading’ in 1999 in collaboration with the Botanical Gardens. The trail consists of eight newly commissioned artworks bearing riddles written by the poet Berlie Doherty http://www.berliedoherty.com/poetry.html. Doherty was funded by Signposts, an arts organisation in Sheffield. The purpose of The Riddle Trail is to lead visitors around the Gardens following a sequence of riddles incorporated into artwork of various forms, media, and locations. The Sheffield Brewery Beer Club – book our next event: a weekender – Fri April 1st and Sat 2nd 5pm – 11pm.   So, we had a go at switching to the first Friday and what a success! Massive thanks goes out to Graham McDonald for organising, and Silverdale school staff for making it such a brilliant atmosphere. Big thanks to Tom and, retiring teacher, Jack, and the rest of the OverCommitments for playing a fantastic set. We’re promising more from those guys in the future. Peddlers Market was also on and by all accounts ‘twas a fab weekend’s festival and a huge promotion for all that’s going on in Neepsend. It’ll also be on again that weekend, yay! Why not pop along to one of our events or maybe join the club and enjoy a choice of our cracking real ales or wines at a discount! Lookout for more in our Top Ten series which we’ll be releasing at the end of each month. Details of everything on our new website www.sheffieldbrewery.com THANK YOU AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE NEXT 10 YEARS OF CONTINUING TO BREW THE HALLMARK OF A PERFECT PINT!

Abbeydale Brewery

Posted on by Andy Cullen
Apologies for last edition’s missing news, so there is LOADS to talk about this month! Firstly check out Laura’s Brimstone eulogy, so I won’t repeat anything here. We are delighted to welcome both Scott and Christie to our production team, moving from Brewdog and The Closed Shop respectively.  I hope everyone enjoyed Sheffield Beer Week and SIBA BeerX, what fantastic way to showcase what this wonderful city has to offer in beery delights.
Onto our beers! Drumroll PLEASE!!! First up is my very own Signature beer! ‘Baker’s Wheat’ a 4.9% Hopfenweissen.  I love German wheat beers, I love American and Australian hops. Why not put the two together? Expect classic German wheat beer flavours from the authentic yeast strain used, subtle banana and clove giving way to a quartet of hops with lovely tropical and citrus fruit flavours.  As with all traditional German Wheat beers, this will be unfined and intentionally cloudy.
safety beer 16
Dr Morton is rather concerned about everyone’s welfare and therefore insists that you have some of his ‘Safety Beer’ to avoid any accidents! Pale beer brewed with a combination of Australian hops, Galaxy and Vic Secret. Bursting with grapefruit, pineapple and passionfruit flavours, this will have you rushing back to the bar for another!
give a toss clip
We have a long standing working relationship with Opus Independents and the Now Then Magazine, and are delighted to announce the return of ‘Why Not Give A Toss’ to support their Festival of Debate season.  A wonderfully pale, blonde session beer made with European and American hops. A distinct earthy and grassy, pine aroma leading to a sweet dark berry fruit flavour and subtle hints of peach. Also look out for ‘Why Not Give More Of A Toss’ for their Autumn season…
duck baffler 16
Dr Morton’s Duck Baffler will also be making a return. One of our favourite recipes that we keep coming back to.  A pale beer with light, passion fruit and lemon aromas and flavours and a refreshing bitter finish. Made with Citra hops from North America, dry hopped with even more Citra for good measure!
We might sneak out a few other new beers if we can between now and the end of the month plus keep your eyes peeled for an announcement about our Mosaic American Pale…
Until next month, cheers and rest in peace Brimstone.
Robin Baker
 

Abbeydale Brewery

Posted on by Andy Cullen

BYE BYE, BRIMSTONE… HELLO, DOUBLE BRIMSTONE!

We say a fond farewell to an Abbeydale classic, but not before one last hurrah… double brimstone badge Brimstone is a beer that’s been with us for over a decade. An American hopped take on the classic English bitter, it’s become renowned for its robust, well balanced flavour and of course the horny goat-like devil in a pentacle pump clip. It’s a much loved beer here at the brewery and one that our brewers always enjoy creating. However, there’s recently been a bit of a twist in Brimstone’s tale (or should that be tail?!). Many of you may be aware of the global hop crisis that’s going on at the moment. As a result, it’s becoming harder and harder to get our hands on certain hops. One of those most affected for us is Amarillo, the very backbone of our Brimstone brew. With such a distinctive character, we’ve had to have a major think about whether we want to allow our beloved Brimstone to quietly fade away as the hops diminish, or whether it’s best just to call it a day. Sadly, we’ve reached the difficult decision to lay this particular Beelzebub to rest. BUT! This isn’t a beast that’s going to die quietly, oh no! The first of our limited edition birthday beers is to be DOUBLE BRIMSTONE… a 7.8% American brown ale, with a mammoth malt grist, outrageous hop quantities and a special new yeast strain. We’re also thrilled to announce the winner of our competition to design the pump clip for Double Brimstone as Carl Flint. He’s managed to capture the spirit of our beloved beast and suitably soup it up. The “groovy red pentacle shades” really suit him, don’t ya think?! You can find out more about Carl and his work on his website, http://www.carlflint.com/. In further exciting news, and an absolute first for us here at Abbeydale, we’re going to be releasing a limited run of Double Brimstone in bottles! We’ve decided on 750ml bottles to make them perfect for sharing. Look out for them at select local retailers and our pubs, the Devonshire Cat and the Rising Sun, in the spring.