Author: Dominic Nelson

Nottingham House, Broomhill

Posted on by Dominic Nelson
The Nottingham House in Broomhill, known affectionately as the Notty, has just been refurbished bringing a nice freshness to the place without affecting the atmosphere. An outside drinking area with potted plants makes the area welcoming, and inside, nearly every corner, shelf and window ledge has a plant, shrub or fern growing, some of which seem to be getting bigger every visit. There is a dartboard, pool table and an interesting selection of board games. The pub is noted for its wide range of homemade pies which go down well with Abbeydale Moonshine (4.3%), Timothy Taylor Landlord (4.3%), Sharp’s Doom Bar (4.0%) and a rotating guest beer.  Buses 51, 52 and 52a pass just outside the door. John Beardshaw

Penistone Beer Festival

Posted on by Dominic Nelson
The White Heart in Penistone will be hosting the annual Penistone Beer Festival from 16-18 November. Following four successful years of hosting the festival, the line up will feature approximately 30 cask-conditioned beers and 15 craft ciders. A good mix of light and dark beers will be available with a range of ABVs. Penistone Brewers will also be showcasing their range of beers from the onsite brewery. As well as this, live music will be featured on each day and hot food available. The festival will be raising money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and will be open from 4pm onwards on Friday evening, and from midday on Saturday and Sunday. Chris Ward

Sentinel Brewing Co.

Posted on by Dominic Nelson
It was announced on Wednesday 12 September that the Sentinel Brewhouse on Shoreham Street (the tap room part of Sentinel Brewing Co.) had been put into liquidation the previous day and ceased trading with immediate effect. The brewing side of the business is set to continue and will provide cask and keg beer for other pubs throughout the city and beyond.
The Sentinel Brewhouse on Shoreham Street
The brewery and the tap room had been in operation since April 2016, but following their well-documented financial trouble last year the two were split into separate entities. Efforts to make the bar and restaurant business profitable proved unsuccessful, as did attempts to find a buyer, leading to this recent unfortunate decision. Meanwhile, Sentinel Brewing Co. continues to look for suitable partners or investors to take the business forward.

Champion Beer of Britain voting open

Posted on by Dominic Nelson
Voting is now open for first round of the the Champion Beer of Britain 2019 competition. All current CAMRA members are eligible to vote, and as Sheffield & District covers pubs in South Yorkshire and Derbyshire, our branch members can cast their votes for beers brewed in both the Yorkshire and East Midlands regions. There are 11 categories of beers and members can vote for up to five of their favourites in each one. For more mainstream beer styles, such as bitters or golden ales, a beer has to be in regular production and available for at least seven months of the year. Other beer styles have to be available for a lesser period depending on the rarity and seasonality of the style. The 2018 competition saw awards for two beers brewed in South Yorkshire: Sheffield’s very own Abbeydale Brewery came joint third in the Golden Ale category with Moonshine (4.3%), while Acorn Brewery from Barnsley also picked up a joint bronze in the Bitter category for their Barnsley Bitter (3.8%). The more people vote, the more chance local beers have of winning an award. To vote, simply head to bis.camra.org.uk/cbobvoting with your membership details. You don’t have to vote in every category and you can edit your choices at any time until voting closes at midnight on 1 November.

Sport Shack, Ecclesall Road

Posted on by Dominic Nelson
Former Champs owner Danny Grayson has teamed up with local businessman James Dobson to create Sheffield’s first micro sports bar. Sport Shack, located at 271 Ecclesall Road (opposite Marks & Spencer), will be opening in the old Country Club unit this September. The Sport Shack will be focussing on live sports showing both SKY and BT sports throughout the year on the latest 4K televisions. Sport Shack will be catering for sports fans and drinkers alike, with deals for students and local workers. The bar will offer locally sourced food and local cask ales, as well as mainstream keg lagers and beers. Danny Grayson said: “There is a niche in the market for this type of establishment, having owned Champs on Ecclesall Road for 6 years we found it hard to fill a big venue, the Sport Shack will be smaller but will focus on better atmosphere with our slogan being: ‘small on size, big on atmosphere’.” Find more information on Facebook: www.facebook.com/SportShackSheffield.

Champion Beer of Sheffield

Posted on by Dominic Nelson
This year at our Steel City Beer & Cider Festival we’ll be hosting the CAMRA Champion Beer of Sheffield competition with all the breweries in Sheffield & District invited to enter a cask beer. The winner will be chosen through a blind tasting process with panels of judges, including a number from the pub industry, tasting and rating all the beers entered. There are currently 22 brewing companies producing real ale in Sheffield, plus Intrepid out in the Peak District near Bradwell. The judging will take place on the first day of the festival, commencing during the Wednesday trade preview (we open to the public at 5pm but those in the pub and beer business are invited to apply in advance for guest list places to get in a little earlier) and we will announce the winning brewery at the festival early on Wednesday evening. If you aren’t there to hear the results on stage but want to try the award winning beer, look out for posters around the festival with details of the winner and which bar you can find it on (whilst stocks last!). As well as Champion Beer of Sheffield, we will be running a Visitors’ Choice award. On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday sessions you will be given a voting slip with your festival glass when you enter the festival, simply note your top three beers and ciders you enjoyed at the festival to vote for them. You can also put your email address on there to be entered into a prize draw to win some bottled beers. We will present an award to the beer and cider that gets the most votes from visitors with the results announced at the festival on Saturday afternoon. Andy Cullen

Three Tuns, City Centre

Posted on by Dominic Nelson
Another chapter in the tumultuous recent history of the Three Tuns has come to a close recently after it was announced that the pub had ceased trading over the August bank holiday weekend. The popular pub has been through several changes of ownership in recent years. It was formerly owned and managed by Reet Ale Pubs (who also had at various times the Punchbowl, the Closed Shop and the Old Crown) but following the demise of the parent company, the pub was forced to close in March 2017. Shaun Price took on the lease on a temporary tenancy from Star Pubs four months later, and for the last few months, the Tuns has been under the stewardship of Ed and assistant manager Kieron. However, after a difficult summer’s trading they have been forced to close to avoid getting into further debt. The hot weather and England’s World Cup success which were a boon for many pubs were unfortunately not so for many places without beer gardens, such as the Three Tuns. A statement on Facebook read: “The Three Tuns pub has ceased trading, myself and Kieron would like to thank all our regular customers for their support in the past year. I am sure the pub will be back open with a new tenant soon and wish them all the best with their new venture.” Dominic Nelson

Carbrook Hall

Posted on by Dominic Nelson
Carbrook Hall was purchased by a local company, West Street Leisure, from Punch Taverns in March 2017. Since then, it has been closed to the public. The pub became an Asset of Community Value (ACV) in May 2017 following a collaborative application from Sheaf Valley Heritage Group and Sheffield and District CAMRA. The last year has seen both a number of arson attempts and local press reports regarding the sale of contents from the building. In addition, all external signage (apart from the Lower Don Valley History Trails blue plaque) has been removed.
Carbrook Hall in 1910
Regarding the attempted sale of artefacts, the current owner, Sean Fogg, is on record as stating: “If anyone has got any items from the pub they’ve got it without our consent“. He is also quoted as stating that there was a “misunderstanding” between him and the man advertising the goods, who had been employed to clear fire-damaged material. This historic public house with its connections with the Bright family and the siege of Sheffield Castle includes the Grade II* listed stone wing that was added about 1620. The ‘Old Oak Room’ is an oak-panelled ground floor room with vine trail plaster frieze and enriched cross beam ceiling, also with vine trail. There is also an elaborate early oak chimney-piece with Corinthian columns and allegorical figures and Latin inscription on the over mantel. The motif represents ‘Wisdom trampling upon Ignorance’.
The 17th-century “Old Oak Room”. Credit: Mick Slaughter.
It also has framed panelling with painted decoration and a larger stone chimney-piece with corniced mantelshelf and over mantel flanked by unusual caryatids. There is also a door with shaped fielded panels, and three late C18th. panelled doors. This description is based on visits in 2016 and early 2017. We hope that this room remains intact. We also understand that planning/listed building applications to alter and change the use of the building are likely to be submitted in the near future. The long-term survival of Carbrook Hall requires a functioning business operating on the premises. This could be a pub, or it could have another use.
Fire damage in April 2018. Credit: Sheaf Valley Heritage.
However, the current situation is simply one of neglect – a Grade II* listed building with ACV status slowly rotting – this an embarrassment for the city. Dave Pickersgill

Sheffield’s Real Heritage Pubs

Posted on by Dominic Nelson
We are producing a second edition of this book, which sees an increase in pages from 81 to 96 with more entries, text and images. The second edition will again be available as a free download but will also include a limited edition of 1,000 printed copies (A5, cover price £5.99). Thanks to our three sponsors for making this happen: Abbeydale Brewery, the Rutland Arms and the White Lion. The launch will be in late October and will include three book signings:
  • Wednesday 24 October: Rising Sun, Nether Green: 18:00-20:00
  • Thursday 25 October: Rutland Arms: 18:00-20:00
  • Sunday 28 October: White Lion, Heeley: 16:00-18:00
Dave Pickersgill

Amber Valley

Posted on by Dominic Nelson
Coords not found for https://whatpub.com/pubs/AMV/1539/prospect-street-micropub-alfreton The first available train to Alfreton on a weekday using a Derbyshire Wayfarer is the 9:06 from Sheffield. Alighting 25 minutes later at Alfreton Station it is a short bus ride into the town centre and then on to Ripley. There are 4 pubs in the Market Square including the Red Lion (CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2018), where a Wetherspoon’s breakfast was partaken together with half a Lymestone Whimsical Waterstone (4.5%).
The next stop was the Old Cock Inn for a Brampton Pentrich Revolution Best Bitter (3.8%) from the choice of four ales and three hand-pulled ciders. Nearby is the Thorn Tree with six hand pumps and traditional cider on gravity. I had Falstaff Judson (4.2%). Also not far away is the Pear Tree, which looked like a former Greene King pub in the process of changing hands. Only two of the five hand pumps were in use and I had Greene King St. Edmunds Ale (4.2%).
Old Cock Inn, Ripley
A short bus ride on the 147 took me to the Holly Bush at Marehay. This used to be the home of Little Bush Brewery but from the choice of five ales I chose a half of Draught Bass. Back into Ripley now and Ripley’s Little Ale House which opened at 1pm. This is a fairly small micro pub on a pedestrianised street with six tables, five hand pumps and a fair few gins. I had halves of Langton Sovereign (4.2%) and Heritage Oatmeal Stout (4%). A little walk down Butterley Hill brought me to the Talbot (GBG 2018) with nine hand pumps and seven real ciders available. I chose Pentrich Downfall Architect Mosaic IPA (6%) and one from the Brew York X-Panda Session IPA series. From near here I caught the Rainbow 1 service to Codnor for the Poet & Castle. This is one of the Project William partnership pubs between Everards and Lincoln Green. There are 10 hand pumps containing five Lincoln Green beers and five guests. My selections were Mad Dog Third Eye Blind (3.8%) and Plain Ales Innspiration (4%).
Ripley’s Little Ale House
Another short Rainbow 1 bus ride further away from Ripley is the Tip Inn micro pub in Loscoe. There are two indoor seating areas here and a garden and from the six hand pumps I had Grasshopper Knee High (3.8%) and Abstract Jungle Pale (4.9%). The Rapid One service took me back to Ripley in order to catch the 9.1 service to Swanwick and The Steampacket Inn (GBG 2018 entry) for some Blue Monkey Raspbeerry (4.6%). Another 9.1 service took me back to Alfreton Bus Station. It is only a short walk to the Handlebar (Landlocked Brewery tap) and some of their own Experimental Lambic Sour (3.9%) and Island of the Singular C (4.7%). Midway back towards the rail station is the Prospect micropub tucked away in a residential street. From the selection I had Scribblers Rubecca (4.8%) and Amber Ales Session Pale (3.6%).
Tip Inn, Loscoe
The train back to Sheffield was on time so there was just time for a last half in the Sheffield Tap. Roosters Finkle & Einhorn (4.9%) was a fitting way to end an enjoyable day, even though it was by far the most expensive of the trip at £2.25 a half. Andy Morton