Congratulations to Matt Beety, Mike Pomranz and all at the Old Shoe for being voted the 2025 Sheffield and District CAMRA ‘Cider Pub of the Year.’ The Old Shoe (Unit 20, Orchard Square S1 2FB) opened in the summer of 2023 as the new home of Exemption Ciderhouse, when it relocated from its previous home at The Cider Hole.
The Old Shoe is a modern bar serving a variety of drinks from independent producers. In addition to both cask and keg beer from indie breweries, they also serve three draught ciders and a range of bottled options. These are almost invariably from smaller producers. For example: Against the Grain (London), Ascension (Sussex), Iford (Bradford on Avon), Temple (Dorset), Zapiain (Spain) and from Hertfordshire, Little Pomona, Oliver’s and Ross-on-Wye Cider Company. In addition, created on the premises, is Exemption.

The bar has vinyl records spinning all day and also has a well-stocked ‘Shoe Store.’ The latter provides art prints, bags, bottles, cans, chocolate, coffee beans, glasses, local pub heritage books, records and more. The name refers to the previous use of this ex-shop unit.
In 2015, Mike moved from Brooklyn (New York) to Sheffield. In the UK, he continued to produce cider, focusing on using locally-collected garden apples. In 2020, he launched drinks import company, ‘Quality Ferments.’ Then, in September 2021, came The Cider Hole (Shalesmoor), an urban microcidery, bar, and bottle shop – where he made and served his own Exemption Ciderhouse cider along with over 60 other hand-selected canned and bottled ciders, beer and natural wine. The Cider Hole was our 2023 Cider Pub of the Year. It then closed in order to make way for the Old Shoe.
