Author: Andy Cullen

A beer called Mothers Bruin has been brewed in collaboration with Sheffield food and drink bloggers Mashtun & Meow’  It is a gin inspired brown beer brewed with Belgian yeast, Belgian Malt and Juniper berries. The name of the beer is a reference to gin being nicknamed ‘Mothers Ruin’ and the Belgian ‘Bruin’ style of brown ale. It was launched at the Beer Engine in Sheffield on Wednesday 10th February with a cask versus keg event. Both versions were the same beer but the keg was served chilled and carbonated and drinkers were invited to vote on Twitter for which they preferred. The cask version on handpump drank like a smooth bitter with a big twang of flavour in the aftertaste, the keg version seemed light, sweet and fruity. They were like two different beers, despite the cask and keg actually containing the same thing! Your editor, in a shock bombshell, actually preferred the keg version, however Twitter spoke and the vote on the night was in favour of the cask version.

The last two years has seen Stancill Brewery go from strength to strength, with 2016 marking an important next step for the ambitious Sheffield brewery. Stancill are approaching their second anniversary and have seen the business grow and develop considerably during this time. Since acquiring the brewing equipment from Barnsley’s Oakwell Brewery, not only have founders Tom and Adam succeeded in recreating Oakwell’s legendary Barnsley Bitter, but they have won the Champion Bitter of Yorkshire for the past two years. Their range of core craft ales has grown, picking up a number of awards along the way.  Stainless 4.3% has developed into one of their most popular brews and has gathered a dedicated following of drinkers and landlords alike. In addition to expanding their core range of ales, Stancill are even responsible for creating Sheffield’s first ever pilsner. Sheffield Pilsner is available in a number of bars and pubs across Sheffield, with bottles available from selected retailers around the city. In February 2016, Stancill has undergone a rebrand with a new website to match. The iconic steel workers logo has had a slight rework, but the most noticeable changes are in the eye catching pump clip designs and their point of sale merchandising. The brewery continues to grow and while Stancill’s aim is to cement their status as one of the major players in the Sheffield brewing scene, they also have one eye on expanding outside of Yorkshire. Tom Gill, MD of Stancill, “I’d like to thank all of our loyal customers and landlords that have been enthusiastic about our beer since our very first brew, and also thank our suppliers and CAMRA for their support and encouragement”. Stancill also hold numerous events across the city; their most recent was a successful beer and gourmet food evening at the Showroom Cafe/Bar. They will be teaming up with the Red Deer as part of Sheffield Beer Week for a ‘Tap Takeover and meet the brewer session’ on the 17th March. Their core range of beers will be on offer with one or two specials available too.

Steel City have been named by Ratebeer as the best brewery in South Yorkshire for the second year in a row, and made it a hat-trick of best beer awards, this time for Christmas Is Cancelled http://www.ratebeer.com/RateBeerBest/BestBeers-State2016.asp Late April sees the 500^th anniversary of ‘Reinheitsgebot’, the German beer ‘purity’ law that restricted brewers to only malt, hops, yeast and water. More adventurous brewers worldwide are informally celebrating ‘Neinheitsgebot’ with beers that most definitely don’t conform to these restrictions! Find out more on Facebook, Anti-Reinheitsgebot event. Dave will be travelling to Hopcraft to brew a Germanic Insult to History. Hopefully it will appear at the Shakespeare along with a couple of non-conformist beers from Germany.