Author: Dominic Nelson

CAMRA Members’ Weekend & AGM 2021

Posted on by Dominic Nelson
We are delighted to announce that Sheffield has beaten off competition from a number of real ale cities to be chosen as the location of CAMRA’s national Members’ Weekend and AGM for 2021. As if that wasn’t enough of an honour, 2021 is a very significant year as it also marks the 50th anniversary of CAMRA’s creation. Having been chosen we now need to begin making preparations and putting together an organising committee. As it is a national event, we will also have help from volunteers from other branches but the main things we will need to put together include a members’ bar and catering; trips to local breweries and pubs; a handbook including a programme and local tourist information; and rooms and equipment for meetings and workshops. There will be planning meetings arranged in due course, so anybody interested in helping out should keep an eye on our branch diary. Sheffield City Hall has been booked for the Members’ Weekend and we will be having a look around the venue on Tuesday 21 May at 2pm. All interested in taking part are welcome to attend.

March Pub of the Month presentation

Posted on by Dominic Nelson
Nestled in the midst of all the Sheffield Beer Week celebrations around the city was our regular Pub of the Month presentation. March’s worthy winner was the Red Deer on Pitt Street, a veteran of the Sheffield real ale scene which last won the award back in August 2015. The torrid weather might have put a few of the pub’s regulars off, but those who made the journey were rewarded with a fine selection of beers, including regular offerings from the likes of Little Critters and Moorhouse’s alongside guests from local breweries such as Blue Bee and Welbeck Abbey. Branch chairman Glyn Mansell was on hand to make the presentation to manager Alix Riches-Barber and her team. Well done once more to everyone at the Red Deer on their latest award!

Commercial GBG presentation

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Tuesday 5 March saw Sheffield & District CAMRA members head en masse to Chapeltown for a special presentation celebrating the Commercial’s 20 continuous years of inclusion the Good Beer Guide. The presentation was combined with our regular monthly branch meeting, and with the pub hosting a whisky tasting event on the same evening, there was certainly a convivial atmosphere. A packed pub saw licensee Paul Menzies and his team presented with the special certificate by branch vice-chairman Patrick Johnson. There was a fantastic selection of eight real ales on offer and we were very kindly treated to some food too, excellent hospitality showing why the pub has been so highly rated over the years. Congratulations once again to Paul and everyone at the Commercial on their continued success!

Brewery Bits

Posted on by Dominic Nelson
Exit 33‘s special for April is Columbus IPA (5.0%), a single-hop India Pale Ale showcasing the Columbus variety. Floral and citrus notes in both the aroma and flavour, quite pungent, a great hop for late additions to the boil and a perfect choice for an IPA. Kelham Island Brewery have two specials making the rounds for April: Dead or Alive (4.2%) is a pale ale with grapefruit and spicy notes last brewed way back in 2007. Double Dragon (5.2%) is a cream ale made with a special blend of malts for a very pale colour and light refreshing flavour. HopJacker in Dronfield has resumed brewing part-time although as reported in Beer Matters several months ago, the brewery remains up for sale. Intrepid Brewing have recently released five new beers: Amica, 4.5% session IPA; Solito, 4.0% blonde; Vanilla Odin, 5.0% vanilla porter; Navio, 3.9% bitter with a new recipe for 2019; and Ekuanot, 5.0% single-hop pale ale. These have been on the pumps at several pubs in the Peak District, including the Red Lion at Litton and Ye Olde Nags Head in Castleton. Triple Point, the new brewery based in the former Sentinel Brewhouse on Shoreham Street, had their official preview evening on Friday 15 March.

On the Edge

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One of Sheffield’s smallest breweries, On the Edge, are hosting their semi-regular 9 Pin event on Saturday 27 April. Taking place at Regather (57-59 Club Garden Road, S11 8BU), the event offers the chance to try some unique (and mostly vegan-friendly) beers from this nano brewery. As the name suggests, there will be nine pins of beer available. A pin is a small cask, equal to half a firkin or 36 pints. The evening runs from 6pm until the beer runs out and entry is free to all. As well as the beer, there will be a selection of food and other beverages available, all provided by the Regather food co-operative. For more information about the evening, visit www.ontheedgebrew.com.

Poppy’s Sheffield roundup

Posted on by Dominic Nelson
At the end of March myself and Dom will be leaving Sheffield to spend some time exploring the beer scenes in Eastern Europe. Unlike many 20-somethings setting up in the city, I’m not from Sheffield nor have I studied at either of its universities. Though I never really thought about this before moving, it is something I have noticed to be quite significant, as the merit of Sheffield is its community feel, with these being the core ones for people my age. Through the Sheffield and District CAMRA committee I have been brought into one of the strongest communities going, the Sheffield beer scene. During last year’s Steel City Beer and Cider Festival, I noticed that one of our volunteers was sporting the GBBF volunteer t-shirt from 2018. The mantra read ‘Cask and Keg and Bottle and Can’. This really hit a chord with me and I think this perfectly sums up Sheffield! Cask For me, Sheffield is cask beer. From the 24 breweries in the branch region, to the hundreds of pubs that keep well, promote strongly and offer quality cask beer, to the activities of the local CAMRA branch in Pub of the Month (POTM) competitions and local events, cask beer is at its strongest in Sheffield. Neepsend, Blue Bee, Little Critters, Lost Industry, Steel City, Toolmakers, all of the breweries creating exciting and new and inventive cask beers while maintaining the classic styles of the more traditional brews, there can be no favourites with so much quality. You only have to attend our festival to see the range and class of cask offerings from the city. …and Keg So to completely contradict myself in saying there can be no favourites, for Keg beer I think you can get no finer brewery, not just in Sheffield but nationally, than Abbeydale. The range of styles, range of serves and sheer excitement and inventiveness of their beer has advanced my personal appreciation and knowledge no end. …and Bottle and Can I have found that introductions to good beer often happen at home. Sheffield is lucky to have places like Hop Hideout, Beer Central, Archer Road Beer Stop and Turners which stock a vast range of local, national and international beers in a variety of styles, strengths, combinations and collaborations. Sheffield also has some great pubs where bottles and cans form a major part of the overall offering. Places like the Bar Stewards, Ecclesall Ale Club, the Rutland Arms and the Devonshire Cat all have substantial ranges of bottles and cans offered alongside their hand pulls, which can be enjoyed in the pub. Poppy

Dom’s Casks of the Month

Posted on by Dominic Nelson
As you might have heard this could well be my last Casks of the Month column, for a while at least. I’ve had great fun over the last couple of years visiting all of Sheffield’s great pubs and sampling all the delicious beers on offer. Anyone who knows me knows that despite being a CAMRA member I’m not one of those people who thinks cask ale is good and everything else is rubbish; I’m a fan of good beer in general, whatever it’s served from. However, writing this column has really encouraged me to try more cask beer and learn to really appreciate the amount of skill and care that goes into brewing, storing and serving a consistently excellent product. I’m writing this just as Sheffield Beer Week is drawing to a close. It’s been another fantastic year and credit must go to everyone involved, not least the pubs, bars and bottle shops that come together to celebrate beer in its myriad forms. To mark the occasion, I’ve chosen some of my favourite beers from various events I’ve visited over the week – I’ve managed to whittle them down to three but there could have been many more. Here’s looking forward to next year! What: Mango Magic (6.0%) – Little Critters and Kelham Island (both Sheffield) Where: Old Queens Head When Kelham Island Brewery sent me their brewery news through for last month’s Beer Matters, there was news of a then-unnamed mango IPA in collaboration with another Sheffield brewery, Little Critters, which immediately piqued my interest. I think the combination of mango and beer really works, with the sweetness of the fruit balancing out the bitterness of the hops. There was so much mango that it almost looked like a milkshake, but it was the body and smoothness that made this very drinkable. What: Sligo (5.4%) – Welbeck Abbey (Worksop) Where: Red Deer Tuesday evening of Sheffield Beer Week took us to the Red Deer for our Pub of the Month presentation. The weather outside was abysmal, but fortunately there was a great selection of real ales to lift the spirits. This was the pick of the bunch for me, a deliciously smooth oatmeal stout. Deep black in colour with a small but creamy off-white head, on tasting this had the ideal blend of roasted malt and hints of caramel sweetness. The perfect warmer for a cold evening! What: Vision Quest (7.0%) – Turning Point (Kirkbymoorside) Where: Shakespeares I’d actually gone to Shakespeares for the Battle of the Beers event (well done again, Sean!) but it was this rather strong pale ale that won the night for me. North Yorkshire-based Turning Point are fast becoming one of my favourite breweries and this was another fine example of their craft. Crammed full of Mosaic hops, this was fresh and juicy with all the characteristic tropical fruit aromas and citrussy flavours. Definitely one to look out for again. Dominic Nelson

True North Brew Co

Posted on by Dominic Nelson
World-renowned artist Phlegm and local brewery True North Brew Co have teamed up to create a brand new stout. This exciting collaboration has been announced in celebration of Phlegm’s eagerly anticipated new exhibition ‘Mausoleum of the Giants’. The 6% stout is appropriately named Giants; seven malts combine creating an initial sweetness from the oats and wheat, which is quickly followed by dark chocolate and toffee, with hints of caramel and black coffee being balanced with a lasting bitterness from the Slovenian hops. This giant of a stout will be available to try in selected True North venues from 15 March. True North Brew Co head brewer Dean Hollingworth said: “We are proud to be a local brewery, based in Sheffield city centre, so to be able to collaborate with artist Phlegm to produce a brand new stout is a fantastic opportunity to truly showcase the talent Sheffield has to offer.” Phlegm also joined Dean in the brewery and discussed their take on the collaboration; “I was lucky enough to get a whistle stop tour of Dean’s brewing empire! A lot of time goes into just one brew, I’ll be drinking the humble pint with a whole new appreciation. It’s been a pleasure creating Giants with True North to coincide with Mausoleum of the Giants, a perfect opportunity to support local business and produce.” As part of the Phlegm x True North collaboration, his Giants design will be featured across four beer mats to make a single image. These are available to collect in selected True North venues meaning you can get your hands on your very own Phlegm design. As an added extra, the first person to collect all four beer mats and bring them to The Devonshire can claim a free pint of Giants stout! Phlegm himself will also be signing and doing a unique drawing on one set of the beer mats which will be framed and up for auction, with all the proceeds going to Sheffield Lord Mayor’s charity. Follow True North Brew Co on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to look out for the chance to bid. Phlegm enthusiasts will be able to recognise the collaboration in True North venues by the pump badge which adorns Phlegm’s distinguishable design. Giants stout will be available in the following venues: The Devonshire, Riverside Kelham, Waggon & Horses, The Broadfield, The York. Phlegm’s exhibition will take place from 15 March – 6 April, at Eye Witness Works, Milton Street, S3 7WJ. Follow the hashtag #phlegmgiants to keep up-to-date.

Abbeydale Brewery

Posted on by Dominic Nelson

First up, if you’re reading this after 7 April, a HUGE thank you to everyone who joined us at our second Piss Up in the Brewery event! We are loving welcoming you to our home and showing you our progress as we continue to evolve and grow. Next stop, Sunfest at the Rising Sun from 11-14 July… save the date! Thanks also if you joined us at our events during Sheffield Beer Week, and a big cheers to festival organiser Jules for another great celebration of beer in our wonderful city.

Anyway, on to April’s new beers! In between all of those Sheffield Beer Week events we managed to squeeze in a collaboration with our pals from Ridgeside Brewery and have created Wayward Son, a 5.0% dry hopped wheat beer.

From the Brewers Emporium range we have a couple of newbies – the next version of our Voyager IPA is the first time we’ve experimented with cryo-hops (super intense, concentrated hop powders) and we’ve sprinkled in A LOT of Citra, Ekuanot and Mosaic. So expect tons of beautifully fruity and resinous aromatics off of this one. We’ve also got a new iteration of Voyager’s baby sister Serenity (3.8%), this time showcasing Jarrylo hops which promise notes of oranges and pears with a spicy finish.

We’re also really looking forward to be supporting the Festival of Debate again, which runs throughout April and May and is organised by our good friends at Opus Independents. We are proud to be sponsoring the “Who We Are” strand so look out for details of all the events, and of course our beer brewed especially for the festival! It’s currently unnamed, but we have plans for a deliciously quaffable 4.0% pale.

And finally, you might have started seeing our first batches of what is to become Heresy lager popping up at the Devonshire Cat and the Rising Sun – trials are going really well and we’re now just working on those last little tweaks to the recipe.

Cheers! Laura

Bradfield Brewery

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So, 14 years ago on 26 April 2005, is when brewing at Bradfield Brewery began! The first beer to be brewed was the Farmers Bitter (3.9%), closely followed by the Farmers Stout (4.5%) and Farmers Pale Ale (5.0%).

The Brewery first produced a ‘special’ beer – Farmers Brown Cow (4.2%) on 12 July 2005, followed by Farmers Blonde (4.0%) the day after. These specials soon became part of the permanent range of ales due to their popularity. Farmers Blonde has gone on to be the brewery’s best seller! By October 2005, output had risen to 100 casks a week and three of the beers, Farmers Brown Cow, Farmers Stout and Farmers Blonde had all won industry awards.

Fourteen years later and the Farmers Ale range is still going strong with the 40bbl brewery producing an average of 100,000 pints of beer per week!

Sticking with our traditional credentials, next up on the seasonal offerings in celebration of St George’s Day is Ye Olde English Ale (4.6%). The badge has seen a facelift but the beer remains a traditional light copper coloured English ale with citrus and spice and dry aftertaste. Available in cask from 8 April.

Next on the table will be Farmers Cruci-Bull Ale, brewed annually for the Snooker World Championship tournament which takes place at the Crucible Theatre from 20 April to 6 May. A session ale at 4.1% ABV, this is an amber coloured best bitter with well-balanced malt and hop flavours. Available in cask from 15 April.

Jackie