Nationally, CAMRA uses Brewery Liaison Officers (BLO) as a single point of contact between a brewery and CAMRA, someone who can act as a regular, knowledgeable and impartial link. Someone who will ensure that both the Good Beer Guide description and our information regarding their beers and are accurate. I am BLO for four Sheffield breweries: Abbeydale, Blue Bee, Bradfield and Loxley. Lockdown has affected these breweries in different ways. However, all are still brewing and working towards the future.
Abbeydale
Abbeydale started 2020 on a series of highs: three awards at the Champion Beer of Yorkshire competition held at Rotherham Real Ale and Music Festival (Voyager: Bronze award (Golden Ale), Black Mass: Silver (Stout) and Absolution: Gold (Premium Bitter)). Later in the month, Heresy won the Gold medal at the SIBA Regional Keg Awards.
From late-March, production initially went down from eight brews/week to one brew but has since steadily increased. By mid-May it was back to ~40% of normality. New brews and beer for long-term storage in wooden casks continued to happen. The brewery was able to divert some production originally destined for casks into minikegs, and prioritised brewing beers which could be go into can and KeyKeg in order to make the best use of their new canning line. Their top-seller, Moonshine, was made available in cans and some cask was also supplied to pubs.
From late-March, Abbeydale provided mail-order. A month later, online sales were described as having ‘gone through the roof.’ Over a quarter of staff were furloughed, production staff running the canning line and doing some local deliveries. As pubs reopen, Abbeydale expect cask sales to increase and online sales to fall. However, they expect the latter to remain at a much higher level than was the case earlier in the year.
Not all was positive news. On 22 June, it was announced that the Devonshire Cat would not be reopening as an Abbeydale pub. Abbeydale had leased the premises since 2014. In addition, SunFest (the annual Rising Sun BF in July) was cancelled and there will not be a 2020 repeat of the 2018 and 2019 Funk Festivals. Hopefully, 2021 will see a return of these two popular events.
However, more awards followed in July. The SIBA Digital Beer Awards saw Voyager win a regional Silver medal (IPA) and Daily Bread win both a regional Gold and National Bronze (Best Bitter).
Bradfield
It was a similar story at another of our larger breweries, Bradfield. Some staff were furloughed, and brewing continued in order to replenish bottle and mini-keg stocks. This included Belgian Blue which is usually only brewed at Christmas. From late-March, the Brewery Shop was closed but a well-used local home delivery service became available. When pubs reopened, they were able to divert fermenting beer which was originally planned for bottling into cask to ensure that good stocks of cask beer were available. August sees their planned brewery expansion continuing and their three pubs doing well.
Blue Bee
Blue Bee, one of the smaller Sheffield breweries closed initially, reopening in July. The beer range continues to diversify, hops remaining to the fore.
Loxley
Loxley took the opportunity to refurbish the Wisewood Inn, our April Pub of the Month. The presentation was delayed, finally happening, complete with social distancing, just before the pub reopened on 6 July.
Throughout lockdown, Loxley continued to brew their core range, at a reduced capacity, mainly to fill bottles for on-site bottle conditioning. Sales were through social media, local deliveries, shops, the Raven and a small amount of cask for another pub to off-sale. In addition, some new markets developed.
The brewery has now started brewing keg beer and are about to add two new fermenters thus doubling production capacity. Their beer range has also been rebranded to match the bottle branding:
- 3.8% Pacific Pale, Wisewood Eight is now Fearn
- 4% Blonde, Wisewood One is now Revill
- 4% Yorkshire Bitter, Wisewood Three is now Halliday
- 4.4% Five Hop, Wisewood Seven is now Lomas
- 4.8% Citra IPA, Wisewood Four is now Gunson
These four breweries offer a microcosm of what has happened to hundreds of UK breweries: furlough, increased off-sales, lower cask sales, renovation and innovation. We look forward to many more brews from each.
Dave Pickersgill
The Plough was rebuilt in 1929 and is an important example of an inter war public house which, according to Historic England, are ‘rare and overlooked buildings’. National planning policy recognises the importance of protecting historic assets and their ‘setting’. This was confirmed in the decision of the local authority to refuse the application from Sainsbury’s.
The recent planning history of a site is also a relevant consideration in planning decisions. In 2017, the local authority rejected Sainsbury’s application for change of use based on the Plough’s listing as an ACV and it accepted that there were no alternative community facilities within a reasonable distance. In 2018, following the sale of the Plough, the local authority re-listed the pub as an ACV. As there have been no material changes in the reasons why the Plough was listed as an ACV, this should remain an overriding consideration in any decision.
There are 
In 1903, “Re-built, Re-furbished and up-to-date.“ By 2014, run-down and failing: purchased by new owners, a sensitive refurbishment and Regional Inventory listing followed.
The latest chapter in the renovation is now in hand, planning permission for locally-needed hotel accommodation: nine en suite B&B rooms on the first floor. Historical elements such as the dumbwaiter and fireplaces will be kept and restored as sympathetically as possible.
The planning application also mentions praise from CAMRA for the sympathetic restoration of the ground floor public house. We anticipate that this positive ethos will be continued as the owners develop the first floor. See the entry on the 
August 1936, Sheffield saw one of few local referendums regarding licenced premises. Tenants on each of the nine largest of the new council housing estates which were replacing inner-city slums were asked by Sheffield City Council (SCC) if they were ‘in favour of licensed premises being provided on the estates.’
Turnout was low. There seemed to be a view on the smaller estates that as licensed premises were relatively close, there was no point in voting. Of the 34,204 electorate, only 7,275 voted (21.3%). Woodthorpe had a 61% turnout, the next highest was 26% (Arbourthorne) with five estates having a turnout of less than 20%. In favour were Arbourthorne, Manor, Shiregreen, Woodthorpe and Wybourn with High Wincobank, Longley and Norwood, Stubbin and Brushes and Wisewood voting against.
In 1938, SCC approved the granting of leases to six brewery companies for the building of public houses on municipal estates: Arbourthorne, Manor, Parson Cross, Shiregreen, Woodthorpe and Wybourn, each on 99-year leases. Parson Cross was not involved in the 1936 ballot.
The total building cost was given as £55,000. The six Sheffield breweries concerned were: Carter, Milner and Bird Ltd., Duncan Gilmour and Co.Ltd., William Stones Ltd., Tennant Bros. Ltd., Truswells Brewery Co.Ltd. and S.H.Ward and Co.Ltd. Construction, the responsibility of the brewery companies, commenced later in the year.
Pubs involved included the Arbourthorne Hotel (closed ~2015), the Manor Hotel (1990), the Parson Cross Hotel (~2016) and the Shiregreen Hotel (2008).
There have been other similar local referendum, over the question of whether buildings which had originally been built as coffee taverns (ie. pubs in all but the sale of alcohol) should become licensed premises. These include the Bridge Inn (Port Sunlight) where a 1903 vote saw over 80% voting for a liquor license and the Skittles Inn (Letchworth).
Thanks to Andrew Davison, Thelma Griffiths, and Jamie Thompson for responding to my earlier request for further information.
Dave Pickersgill 
For example: Torrside (New Mills) provided ‘Valour,’ a 7.7% Imperial Stout based on a 1917 recipe while London brewers, Orbit, provided an excellent Kolsh (4.8%) and a Belgian-style pale, ‘Cuvee de Bruxelles’ (4.8%). Closer to home, Sheffield brewers Lost Industry debuted an 8.7% ‘Wild Honey Braggott’ while St.Mars of the Desert (SMOD) exhibited the latest products from their Attercliffe hideaway. ‘Abbeydale BA 1868’ (11.7%), after three years in a cask, was a memorable, positive experience.
IBF also provided an increasing international selection. FrauGruber Craft from Augsberg, in Germany, made their UK debut bringing a selection of brews new to the UK. ‘An eye for an eye,’ a 10.5% Imperial Stout collaboration with Dutch brewers, De Moersleutel (Alkmaar) was particularly impressive. SMOD recently made the international Ratebeer top ten list of best new breweries, a compilation compiled from over 4.2 million customer and industry reviews.
One future innovation for IBF could be running a series of (silent) films on the big screen: perhaps beer related material from the last century. Such images would make an excellent contrast to the vibrant C21st.vibe emanating from the ample seating in the stalls. It would also be useful to have more opportunities to purchase take-aways: bottles and cans.
Yet again, IBF proved a positive start for Sheffield Beer Week: lots of innovative variety in an excellent developing venue – see you there next year!
As you are probably aware, as a pub, the ACV-rated, Carbrook Hall closed in March 2017 and over two years later reopened as ‘Starbucks Carbrook Hall.’ Just before Christmas, I finally visited. The Jacobean wood panelling in the ‘Old Oak Room’ has been retained and is in good condition. However, the ceiling has received a heavy dose of white paint. On my previous visit, in April 2019 while renovations were taking place, the ceiling was exhibiting the distinctive colourful design which had been in place for years.
