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.
2016 has begun and at Blue Bee we continue to produce a range of brand new beers, starting with a couple of single hopped IPAs. First up is Rakau IPA5.0% using New Zealand Rakau hops which impart passion fruit, pine needle and tropical fruit flavours. Secondly is Columbus IPA5.0%, Columbus is a hop we use quite a lot for bittering our beers due to its’ high alpha acid content. Therefore this IPA will be bitter in taste leading to citrus and sherbet flavours. On top the single hopped IPAs we also have a black IPA: Into the Void6.0% combining Motueka and Columbus hops to give citrus fruit flavours backed up with complex roast malt flavours.
If it is something a little weaker you are after we put our left over Mosaic and Galaxy hops to good use to create Trans Pacific Pale 3.7%. These two fantastic hops along with a touch of Rakau have produced a great session pale with big a tropical fruit flavour and a dry lingering finish. As well as this we have produced a beer with a blend of five malt varieties to give a deep ruby colour along with plenty of Southern Hemisphere hops to give a fruity hop flavour to create Oceanic Red4.7%.
Over the next couple of months we have a few extra specials beers in the pipeline including a milk coffee stout, an IPA with the addition of mangos and something showcasing the new and excellent Equinox hops. So watch this space!
Josh Jepson
After a whirlwind December as the new General manager at the Devonshire Cat I am keen to make this the place to be for all things beer related throughout 2016.
Having already added 70 new Items to our bottle and can selection (among others we now offer 9 different Gluten free beers). I would like you to be able to come and sample them not only with us, The Dev Cat Team but also with the brewers that make them. Lets really get our geek on and talk about everything from the malt base, hop profile and yeast strains to simply wether or not you think it tastes good.
Upcoming events in February include a charity quiz in aid of St Luke’s Hospice 02/02/2016 at 6.30pm. A lovingly prepared 2/3 course set menu for Valentines day courtesy of our new Head Chef Andy Mason. (See website for details). March is set to be action packed on the beer front from the very start On Tuesday 03/03/2015 we are pleased to host a tap takeover and brewery launch party for our friends at Lost Industry Brewing (the new kids on the block in the Sheffield beer scene who have just started brewing at their site in Hillsborough).
If you haven’t been living under a rock for the last few months you will know that Sheffield beer week runs from Monday 14/03/2016! Once again Sheffield plays host to The SIBA X festival during that time as such brewers from all over the globe will converge on our fair city. We will be running workshops throughout the week showcasing Abbeydale beers and giving an introduction to beer tasting. There will be drop in question and answer sessions with both myself and some of the Abbeydale team keep an eye on the website and our twitter feed for more info in the near future.
Cheers Liz
The Sheffield & District Pub of the Year competition has now begun. Out of all the pubs in our branch area that have either won a pub of the month award over the last year or got a listing in the current Good Beer Guide we choose an overall winner.
The selection process is two part.
The first part is where ALL our local members are invited to vote for which pubs they think are best. Voting forms will be sent out along with a branch AGM invite very soon – by email to those we have email addresses for, by post to the rest. (You can check we have your correct contact details by logging in to the members section of www.camra.org.uk). The members vote forms a shortlist of likely winners.
The second part is our team of judging volunteers visit the pubs on the shortlist, one at a time, and score the pubs on a variety of criteria – the same criteria used for the national competition. The number one criteria is the availability and consistent quality of the real ale. Other things considered are atmosphere, decor, welcome & service, clientele mix, value for money, cleanliness and sympathy with CAMRA’s aims.
we make two awards – a Sheffield Pub of the Year for pubs within the City boundaries – this winner gets put forward into the Yorkshire competition – and District Pub of the year for pubs in the Derbyshire part of our branch which goes forward into the Derbyshire competition. Winners of the county competition are then in the national competition.
Our winners in recent years include the Kelham Island Tavern, Shakespeare’s on Gibralter Street and the Anglers Rest in Millers Dale.
We will announce the winner of the 2016 competition at or before the branch AGM on 5th April.
Commonside is one of those classic Sheffield locations that stick in the mind as somewhere unique, especially as a beer drinker. You alight the number 95 bus on the crest of the Barber Road hill, outside the Dram Shop off-licence and New Cod on the Block fish & chip shop. If you are my age you nod at PA Jewellery (Old Bank, Commonside, Walkley) remembering how often their adverts and sponsorship were on Radio Hallam and walk up Commonside where two good pubs are opposite one another. You wonder why you don’t make the effort a little more often.
The Hallamshire House is one of those pubs. It is a Sheffield classic multi-room pub and when the long serving licencee retired the lease was taken over by Thornbridge Brewery. A refurbishment took place that gave the pub a more clean, smart and modern look without losing the classic character that people loved about the pub. The two snug like rooms at the front of the pub are still present and correct, as is the big back room with the full size snooker table – one of the few still left in Sheffield pubs – along with the lounge.
There is also now a fairly unique smokers room downstairs – an undercroft area with sofas and tables, which extends out into a small beer garden area at the rear.
Whatever type of pub you love, there is probably a room for you!
Meanwhile at the bar, managers Tom & Becky Ashfield and their team present a selection of craft beers across all the formats – cask real ales, keg, bottle and can; mainly from Thornbridge but complimented by interesting guests – always kept to a high standard. You can be alerted to exciting new beers appearing on the bar by following the pub on Twitter – @HallamshireHaus.
Bar snacks are available in the form of pork pies, sausage rolls and scotch eggs.
On the entertainment front, there is a monthly blues club, regular quiz nights and other special events. Otherwise it is just great beer served in a nice chilled out pub.
Join us for the award presentation evening, we’ll be there from about 8pm on Tuesday 9th February.
The Hallamshire House is open Monday to Wednesday 4pm to 11:30pm, Thursday noon to 11:30pm, Friday & Saturday noon to 12:30am and Sunday noon to 11:30pm. Website: www.myhallamshire.co.uk.
The Dronfield Arms on Chesterfield Road, Dronfield has been voted Dronfield & District CAMRA winter pub of the season.
Formerly the Old Sidings, this pub in the centre of Dronfield reopened as a free house in 2011 and has become a popular local favourite. In October 2015 the Dronfield Arms opened their own micro brewery, called HopJacker, who are making waves with their modern, hop-forward ales. Visitors to the Dronfield Arms can watch pub manager and brewer Edd Entwistle brewing in the cellar through a section of glass flooring.
In addition to a strong cask ale range, the Dronfield Arms also has bar snacks and a very good outdoor area.
TOM STURGESS
Thursday 28th January – Winter Pub of the Season award presentation
Our members have voted the Dronfield Arms the winner of our latest Pub of the Season award, join us for a pint or two as we present the certificate and enjoy the pub’s celebrations!
Tuesday 9th February – branch meeting
The monthly meeting where all local members are invited to come along and get involved with the branch, catch up on campaigning issues and share pub, club and brewery news – all over a pint or two of course. This month the venue is the Cross Daggers in Coal Aston (bus 44).
Saturday 20th February – train trip to National Winter Ales Festival in Derby
We meet on the 11:15 train from Dronfield, changing at Chesterfield for Derby (arriving 12:00, this is the train that leaves Sheffield at 11:29) and attend CAMRA’s annual National Winter Ales festival, which takes place in the College Roundhouse campus next to the railway station and features an excellent range of beers and ciders. We then have the option of visiting a few pubs in Derby before catching the train back north. A return train ticket is £11.30, admission to the festival for CAMRA members costs £2 (plus £3 deposit on the festival glass).
Tuesday 8th March – Branch AGM
The formal legally required annual general meeting which will see Dronfield & District launch as a full independent branch and elect the committee for the year ahead. The usual monthly branch meeting is also incorporated. The venue is the Pioneer Club in Dronfield.
SHEFFIELD & DISTRICT CAMRA BRANCH
Sheffield & District CAMRA is concerned that pubs continue to close at an alarming rate. Assets of Community Value (ACV) were introduced as part of the 2011 Localism Act to empower communities to protect assets that matter to them – including public houses. Nationally, there are currently around 1200 pubs listed as Assets of Community Value.
The Government’s intention is clear that Local Authorities should add assets to the list of successful nominations should the asset further (or has recently furthered) the community’s social wellbeing or social interests (which include cultural, sporting or recreational interests) and is likely to do so in the future.
Without ACV status, pubs can be converted or demolished without planning permission. This was the main motivation behind ACV applications submitted by Sheffield CAMRA during 2015.
We have submitted 13 applications – two to Derbyshire Dales and eleven to Sheffield City Council (SCC). After the statutory eight week period, Derbyshire Dales Council approved our applications to list both The Red Lion (Litton) and the Bull’s Head (Foolow) as an ACV.
However, Sheffield were slow in their response. Finally, nine decisions were posted on their website just before Christmas 2015, almost 5 months since the original Applications. The 2011 Localism Act states that Council have 8 weeks to determine ACV applications.
Sheffield City Council have rejected nine of our applications. The application for the Castle Inn (Bradway) is on hold and an eleventh application was submitted in December 2015. A decision is due in mid-February.
In our opinion the applications to SCC clearly reached the statutory test outlined by the Government and showed how the pubs furthered the social wellbeing and social interests of the community. This was confirmed by our colleagues at CAMRA HQ who compared our documentation to successful applications in other parts of the country.
We believe all our applications clearly met the key criteria:
– The pub is of community value and is the main use of the land nominated
– That the building is currently operating as a pub of community value (or has in the recent past)
– That there is a realistic prospect that the building being used as a pub of community value during the next five years
We believe that a number of items suggested by SCC to support our applications are unnecessary – such as providing surveys on how many people use the pub, supplying any form of business plans and including testimonials from local people.
Sheffield CC seem to be defining “community” as people living in the immediate vicinity of the pub. However, neither the Act nor the Regulations define the meaning of community in relation to ACVs. Hence, it seems reasonable to use a dictionary definition : “A group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common”. The latter arguably embraces people who regularly use a pub even if they don’t live nearby – what they have in common is that they like the pub. If the Council accept that then it ought just to be a matter of proving that the pub has a core of regular customers.
Our concern is that the Council are gold plating the requirements and that we will be unable to nominate pubs due to these boundaries. One specific example of this is the Council requesting evidence that a pub was “Sheffield’s most haunted pub,” a statement that was originally clearly included to provide additional context rather than a reason for the nomination.
Sheffield CAMRA will be making further ACV applications to SCC in the near future.
Dave PickersgillPub Heritage Officer, Sheffield and District CAMRA
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DRONFIELD & DISTRICT CAMRA BRANCH
The local ACV campaign to save the Fleur De Lys in Unstone is moving forward with enough signatures having been gained. This will now go to council for consideration. There is also the possibility of having the building listed.
Ruth Hepworth
A quiet autumn and winter at Steel City, mainly due to Dave spending a big chunk of it in America (he may even get round to writing an article for Beer Matters…) and the far east. Available now in bottles is War Pigs, an imperial-strength version of Craven’d Ale oat milk stout.
First collaborations of the new year formed a ‘brew sandwich’! On Friday Dave headed to The Dronfield Arms to mash in a kettle-sour with Edd at Hopjacker, then on Saturday to Raw to brew an ‘xtreme’ twist for both brewers, then on Sunday it was back to Dronfield to boil and ferment the sour…
The Raw brew Abandon All Hop Ye Who Enter Herefeatures no hops! Instead, bitterness and flavour are derived from yarrow, orange peel, lemongrass, nettle and camomile. Dark brown in colour and distinctly floral in flavour, this is like no Raw or Steel City beer you’ve ever tried.
The Hopjacker brew End of Daysis a variation on a Kentucky Common, itself an almost extinct beer style. The mash contained Chateau Biscuit malt and Flaked Maize, so far so traditional… However while traditionally Kentucky Commons were ‘slightly’ sour, End of Days was left to sour over the weekend with live yogurt, reaching a pre-boil acidity of pH 3.6 (IBUs are so 2012, it’s all about the pH now…). Bitterness was kept low as is traditional for the style but not the brewers! Finally a big (and untraditional!) flame-out charge of Simcoe, Mosaic and Cascade were added. Early tasting notes suggest a slightly toasty note from the Biscuit malt, huge hop flavour and a strong sour backbone. Hopefully a small batch of the brew will be secondary-fermented with Brettanomyces for a further twist.
The next collaboration is away again at Hopcraft, and will be the third Insult to History for both brewers, possibly a black steam beer.
Dave Szwejkowski
Things have been quite hectic down in Wombwell over a very busy Festive period and there’s been little let up in the early part of 2016.
January saw the return of our ever popular Winter Pale Ale a 4.5% pale golden ale with citrus and grapefruit aroma with a good bitterness. This was complemented by the deep ruby KASHMIR also 4.5%. A crisp, spicy ale with a malty taste and bitter fruit finish.
As February approaches we will be busy brewing Drop Kick a 4% pale beer to celebrate the Rugby 6 Nations Tournament and ever hopeful that the England will produce a better performance than in last year’s Rugby World Cup! Also in February Requiem is a rich malty premium bitter with predominately spicy, earthy overtones. This one’s a Steve Bunting recipe and brew, but clearly creating fantastic beers isn’t quite exciting enough for Steve as the intrepid adventurer is off on an African Safari this February. It’ll be interesting to see what beer ideas he comes back with after this next trip.
Steve in action with his new compact digital SLR he’s bought for the Safari
Steve being away will give the opportunity for Bruce to get a few more brews in, along with a couple of the other lads, and who knows we may see the maestro himself – Mr Hughes getting his wellies back on to create a gyle or two.
Acorn’s Brewery Tap – The Old No 7 in Barnsley closed its’ doors for a few days during January for the builders to come in and carry out some upgrading work to the facilities – in other words ‘New Loos for the New year ’. At the same time we took the opportunity to refresh some of the décor, but not too much, as some of our regulars didn’t want us to go and ‘spoil’ the old place by making too many changes.
Finally back to the beer – We’ve been really pleased with the most recent series of single German hopped IPA’s with the Mandarina and Hallertau Blanc proving really popular and we’ve great expectations for the Polaris.
All in all a really good start to 2016
The Dove and Rainbow has a new geeky games night on a Monday, with a range of old skool consuls to play on, and Guitar Hero live on stage! And every other Tuesday there’s Nat’s Open Mic / Jam night.
You’ll find regular live music, courtesy mainly of the local Riffids Bands, most Fridays from 12 Feb onwards, as well as other odds and ends that appear on the calendar from time to time. There is also a Fundraiser for the British Heart Foundation on Friday 5th Feb. For regular updates on what is happening, like or visit “Dove and Rainbow” on facebook.
The pub doesn’t have a separate function room, but is happy to book out the stage seating area, or smaller tables for birthdays etc, whenever it is free. Just message Dove and Rainbow on facebook if you want to book a birthday or other celebration, however large or small (it’s free of charge!), and you’ll also get a bottle of bubbly, and drinks offers and a free round of shots for the whole group.
There are 6 handpulls, as well as 3 bag-in-box Westons ciders, and the permanent ales are Hobgoblin and Easy Rider, with regular appearances from the likes of Trooper, Doom Bar, Moonshine, Blond Witch, Ghost ship, and Blue Bee Stout, along with a spattering of the wierd and wonderfully named ales that appear on the guest rotations.
Dawn and her team have been there over 9 years now, so if you’ve not been in for a while, don’t forget they are hidden away on Hartshead Square, at the end of Campo Lane. Just off the beaten track, but only yards from Castle Square (behind the bankers Draft), ideally suited for pre and post gigs drinkies if you are going to events at the O2 Academy or Arena, or even just a quick half while waiting for you bus!
cheers
Dawn
