Locally-based Little Mesters have relaunched. They first brewed in 2020 in the premises previously used by Mitchells Hop House (S8 7UJ) and have recently seen investment, expansion and relocation. In 2023, they opened their first bar, the Little Mesters Tap (Woodseats, S8 0SD). Then in late 2024, the brewery moved to Solpro Business Park in Attercliffe (S4 7WB), close to compatriots, St. Mars of the Desert. The relaunch event took place in late September: onion bhajis and samosas were enjoyed, all accompanied by a range of cask/keg beer from the adjacent brewery. In addition, there were several brewery tours.
The new brewery site is on the footprint of the 18th century, Royds Brewery. This large operation later became the Burton Weir Brewery of Thomas Marrian & Co. Ltd. (1850-1904). In Victorian times, Marrian’s were one of the biggest breweries in the area. Their No.2 beer store which held 10,000 barrels, claimed to be the largest cellar in Sheffield. In 1903, brothers F.A. and James Kelley acquired Marrian’s. The brewery was closed with their 66 pubs divided between Whitworth, Son & Nephew Ltd. (Wath Upon Dearne) and Whitmarsh, Watson & Co. Ltd. (South Street Moor, Sheffield). Marrian’s most well-known pub was probably the Bull & Mouth on Waingate (S3 8LB). This was acquired in March 1854 and later became part of the Tap & Spile chain.
By 1937, the Mesters brewery space was part of the Effingham Steelworks and Mills. Last November, the space was a derelict shell. Now, there is a mix of new and relocated brewery kit: including some from both Broadtown Brewery (Swindon) and Lost Industry (Wadsley Bridge, S6 1NA). The latter were in operation from 2015 until last summer.
The five, 1000 litre (6 Bbl.) fermenting vessels allow brewing to take place twice weekly with each brew comprising 40% cask, 40% keg and 20% cans. Two new conical fermenting vessels have just arrived: these will increase capacity.
Head Brewer is Sam Bennett, the driving force behind the highly rated Grizzly Grains Brewery: a one-person operation (2020-24) which produced award-winning beers initially from his house in Walkley then from March 2021, in a 4.5 Bbl. plant in an industrial unit near Bramall Lane. He is assisted by Tom Naylor.
The move and relaunch has brought a rebrand, involving design input from Nick Law (Emmanuales Brewery). The logo has been tweaked but continues to include the ‘Little Mester’ figure which advertises their ‘Mesterly Beers.’ A Little Mester was a self-employed worker who was involved in the cutlery trade: The Last Mester IPA (4.6%) and Stan’s Stout (4.8%) are tributes to the last Little Mester, Stan Shaw (1926-2021). The brewery originally chose their name, to honour those who helped to put Sheffield on the map. The reputation of skilled work and producing quality products, sums up how they feel about making beer.
In addition to the stout, the core beer range includes Mesters Royds Bitter (3.8%), and two hazy pales: Argent (4.2%) and Mesters Mate (4.5%). The red IPA, Mesters Rouge, (5%) is named after a fine polishing paste, Jewellers Rouge, which is used for buffing and shining up high quality knife blades. Made from iron oxide, the paste is dark red in colour. Other beer plans include a Kolsch, lager, a Christmas beer, and a Cherry IPA. As Co-owner, Neil Adgie explains: ‘The idea is to do some beers that aren’t necessarily experimental but to perhaps do things that haven’t been done for a while. We want to do some fruit beers. We’ve got five really big cherry trees on site and we’ve got permission to harvest all of the cherries, so at some point it’s likely we’ll do a Cherry IPA.’
Little Mesters beers are increasing seen across Sheffield and the local area. For example, two of their beers were recently showcased at the Barnsley CAMRA Beer Festival. One of their bigger customers is Sheffield Cathedral events. Neil explains: ‘We supply them with cans and kegs for all of the events they have in the cathedral, so they sell lots of beer.’ The brewery has also been involved with Sheffield Home of Football (SHoF), providing canned beers for their events. This charity promotes Sheffield as the home of modern-day football. Little Mesters are currently on the up: we wish them luck with their relaunch as the brewery continues to grow and develop.
