Author: Dominic Nelson

Exit 33 Brewing

Posted on by Dominic Nelson
June sees the return of two old favourites into our range: Triple Hop (4.3%) and Hopnotised (4.0%). Both are pale session ales brewed with combinations of our favourite American hop varieties. In pub news, the Harlequin now has a dedicated cask ale pump serving vegan-friendly ales. The unfined beers will rotate through the Exit 33 range as well as guest ales. Pete Roberts

Carbrook Hall damaged in arson attack

Posted on by Dominic Nelson
Carbrook Hall, one of only two Grade II* listed pubs in Sheffield, was recently damaged by an arson attack. Petrol or oil was deliberately thrown through a window causing fire and smoke damage inside the building. At the time of writing, the full extent of damage to the 17th-century Jacobean panelled room was not known.
Boarded-up windows at the Carbrook Hall in the wake of the arson attack. Credit: Sheaf Valley Heritage.
The pub gained Asset of Community Value (ACV) status in early 2017. It was subsequently bought by West Street Leisure from Punch Taverns in February 2017 and has been closed since. West Street Leisure director, Sean Fogg, said: “I am devastated at the damage. The wood panelling and interiors are irreplaceable. We want it restored so that the whole of Sheffield can benefit and appreciate the splendour of the building again.”
Fire damage to the exterior of the pub. Credit: Sheaf Valley Heritage.
Brian Holmshaw, of Sheaf Valley Heritage, who campaigned for the building to become an  ACV, expressed his dismay at the arson attack: “We tried to keep it open as a pub because if you keep buildings like this open the likelihood of this sort of thing happening is far less likely. This is what happens when you board up historic buildings and leave them.” We hope that Carbrook Hall, situated in an up-and-coming area, will soon reopen to the public. In the interim, we believe that Historic England need to send a team in to assess the damage as there are areas inside where the heritage value is enormous. It would also be useful if the owners could clean-up the areas around the pub, thus lessening the likelihood of further arson attacks.
The 17th-century Jacobean panelled room at the Carbrook Hall. Credit: Mick Slaughter.
More information on the heritage aspects of Carbrook Hall is available in the downloadable Sheffield Pub Heritage book: www.sheffield.camra.org.uk/rhp. Dave Pickersgill

May is Mild Month

Posted on by Dominic Nelson
Throughout the month of May, CAMRA promotes mild. This ancient style of beer is usually dark in colour as a result of using well-roasted malts and barley, which also give mild its characteristic nutty and chocolate flavours. Although many milds tend to be lower in alcohol (around the 3.5% ABV mark), its name actually refers to the fact that these beers are only very lightly hopped, leading to a milder taste than most bitters. Mild’s popularity has declined sharply over the past few decades, but some notable examples still in production include Timothy Taylor’s Golden Best, Thwaites’ Nutty Black and Banks’s Original. Although cask-conditioned mild is certainly not the most popular style around Sheffield and the surrounding areas, there is still some to be found for those who want to try some this May. Many of the Thwaites pubs in the city (for example, the Old Queens Head on Pond Hill, the Peacock Inn at Stannington and the Old Horns Inn, High Bradfield) offer Nutty Black. The Kelham Island Tavern always has at least one mild available and milds have recently been found on the handpumps at both Shakespeares and the Rutland Arms. Why not give mild a chance this month? Dominic Nelson

Pub of the Month May 2018

Posted on by Dominic Nelson
We might have just announced all our annual winners but that doesn’t mean we’ve forgotten about our Pub of the Month competition. This month’s winner, voted for as always by Sheffield & District CAMRA branch members, is a pub that has been a permanent fixture on London Road since the 1780s: the White Lion. The pub last won this award in October 2016 and since then the standards have remained exceptionally high, making them worthy winners yet again. This historic hostelry has a rich past, but current landlords Jon Terry and Mandy Billings have brought the pub into the 21st century while remaining respectful of its history. In December 2017, they were named the best landlords in the Yorkshire and the Humber region by Punch Taverns, while in 2015 the White Lion was declared the best live music pub in the county. The building itself is Grade II listed and is included on CAMRA’s Yorkshire Regional Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors, recognising its sympathetic refurbishments over the years. The entrance corridor was recently the cover star of the hugely popular Sheffield’s Real Heritage Pubs e-book. Meanwhile, the pub’s position as a community hub was confirmed in November 2016 when it attained Asset of Community Value status. On the beer front, there are four regular cask ales on offer, with a mixture of local and national breweries featured. Abbeydale Moonshine is always available, while the house beer, Lion’s Main, is brewed by Kelham Island. Wychwood Hobgoblin and Tetley Bitter are also regulars on the pumps. Additionally, there are up to eight changing guest beers which often include an interesting range of styles such as stouts and IPAs. We will be presenting the award to the White Lion on Tuesday 8 May, arriving from 8pm onwards for a presentation around 9pm. The pub is located at 615 London Road, S2 4HT, and is well-served by buses (routes 10, 20, 24, 25, 43, 44, X17 all stop nearby). We hope you can join us! Dominic Nelson

Revitalisation – what does it mean?

Posted on by Dominic Nelson
The CAMRA 2018 national AGM & Conference and Members’ Weekend took place at the University of Warwick over the weekend of 20-22 April – at the time of writing this was still a couple of weeks away. A theme that dominates the conference this year is the Revitalisation Project which is designed to update CAMRA’s article of association, policies and objectives of an organisation that is over 40 years old to better reflect the modern world and re-enthuse the membership to get involved. The changes proposed aren’t too dramatic – CAMRA will still be a member-led consumer campaign organisation representing pub goers and promoting the availability of real ale, real cider and real perry. However, with a lot of campaigning these days being more about protecting pubs than saving real ale CAMRA wishes to be seen to represent all pub-goers. It also recognises that pubs are not the only on-trade premises for drinking good beer – for example, as well as clubs there has been a growth in specialist beer shops with tasting counters and brewery tap rooms. Another change over the years is we no longer have a situation of “real ale is good, all other beer is bad”, with the craft revolution there is so much more in-between with some of the better keg beers basically being real ale but with a higher level of carbonation (of course, not forgetting some craft beer in key keg actually is by definition real ale!). Whilst CAMRA will still be about keeping the real ale tradition alive, it will recognise that what else is out there these days isn’t all terrible! There are also indications that many CAMRA members want the organisation to offer something of an educational angle, an opportunity to learn more about beer – what is good and bad beer, the different styles available, what flavours to expect, how it is brewed, etc. – basically to enjoy and experience beer with like-minded individuals and understand more about the beers on a bar. You can read more about what was being proposed nationally at revitalisation.camra.org.uk and the results of the debates and voting at the Members’ Weekend are likely to become available very soon. Here in Sheffield & District branch we expect to be using inspiration from the Revitalisation project to make some subtle changes that we hope will see more people coming to meetings, attending socials, helping on the committee and generally getting involved. We will be planning a varied social programme for the year ahead and hopefully branch meetings will see some of the less interesting business side of things trimmed off and left for the committee to deal with at their separate meeting and the time used instead to do things like beer tastings and hearing from guest speakers. If you are a local member please get in touch to let us know what you’d like to see us doing as a branch. What actually is real ale? In the early 1970s CAMRA coined the term “real ale” for traditional draught cask beers to distinguish them from processed and highly carbonated beers being promoted by big brewers. CAMRA defines real ale as beer that is produced and stored in the traditional way and ferments in the dispense container to produce a reduction in gravity. It is also dispensed by a system that does not apply any gas or gas mixture to the beer other than by the traditional Scottish air pressure system. You can read more about this at camra.org.uk/about-real-ale. Andy Cullen

King & Miller, Deepcar

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Bradfield Brewery have taken ownership of the King & Miller in Deepcar. Formerly owned by Admiral Taverns, an opportunity knocked for Bradfield when they saw the establishment had been placed on the market for sale. With contracts now exchanged, the brewery are keen to get the doors open and give a warm welcome to customers old and new. Shortly to become a Bradfield Brewery tap, the King & Miller will feature at least six cask ales from the brewery’s Farmers Ales range, as well as a selection of fine wines, spirits and soft drinks. With open fires, a pool table and a spacious, enclosed beer garden – the pub will endeavour to offer a warm and friendly atmosphere where everyone will be welcome. Operating a public house venue is not something new for Bradfield who have enjoyed a decade of success at their existing brewery tap, The Nags Head at Loxley. John Gill, Director at Bradfield Brewery, said of the acquisition: “We are excited at the opportunity to serve another local community with a traditional style public house which will offer great products in a friendly atmosphere. A traditional pub is something we believe should remain a part of our society and we are pleased to be bringing this offering to the local community of Deepcar and Stocksbridge”. An exact date of reopening is yet to be confirmed but should be sometime during the summer. Further updates will be made available as we get them.

Inn Brief

Posted on by Dominic Nelson
From 9 April, the Sentinel Brewhouse on Shoreham Street will have extended opening hours: Mon-Thu 4pm-11pm, Fri 12pm-12am, Sat 11am-12pm, Sun 11am-8pm. The Blind Monkey (formerly the Firwood Cottage) has a revised opening date of 27 April. The Masons Arms in Crookes is currently being redecorated and signs are that the pub could reopen soon. Planning permission has been granted for the conversion of the Iberico Cafe into a micropub. Meanwhile, plans have also been approved for the opening of a new bar on Ecclesall Road. The Old Club will be located in the former Polish centre. The proposed new microbrewery in the old dairy on Broadfield Road is no longer going ahead. The Bulls Head at Fulwood has reopened having been taken over by Heather, who was previously at the Springvale on Commonside. Little Critters’ tenure at the Fox and Duck in Broomhill is set to come to an end, but the brewery will retain the lease of the Doctor’s Orders on Glossop Road.

April Pub of the Month presentation

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The second Tuesday of the month means it’s time for our Pub of the Month presentation and April’s award took us somewhere a little off the beaten track. For many of us, this was our first visit to the Ale House on Fraser Road, tucked away between Millhouses and Woodseats, but on this evidence it certainly won’t be the last! Locals and regulars who nominated the Ale House for the award turned out in their dozens to join CAMRA members for an evening of celebration. The atmosphere was jovial as landlady Sue Fawcett was presented with the certificate by vice-chairman Patrick Johnson. There was a real sense of camaraderie at this community pub, where many of the staff work voluntarily out of love for the place.
Left to right: Ellen Graveling, Val Avil, Chris Avil, Patrick Johnson, Sue Fawcett and Kay Smith.
On the six handpumps was an excellent range of mostly regional cask ales, with Saltaire, Dancing Duck and Brass Castle all appearing alongside Cornwall’s Harbour and Sussex’s Dark Star. A selection of sandwiches was also provided, which as always were very much appreciated. Congratulations once again to Sue and all the staff and regulars at the Ale House on their award! Dominic Nelson

Branch meetings

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One of the motions passed during the recent Annual General Meeting instructed the new committee to review the format of our monthly branch meetings. These are the meetings that take place on the first Tuesday of each month in a different pub around Sheffield, and to which all branch members are invited. However, current attendance levels have led to the conclusion that a change in format might be needed to attract more members to come along. Prior to the meeting, then-chairman Mick Saxton sent an email to all branch members asking for opinions on this subject. We have received some really useful feedback, so thank you to everyone who responded to the email or contributed to the discussion at the AGM – all your ideas are greatly appreciated. Suggestions included combining branch meetings with other events such as meet the brewer evenings, beer tastings or brewery visits; restructuring the format of the meetings so that more emphasis is on local pub and brewery news rather than administrative matters; and ensuring that the venues are varied and accessible. The new committee will take all these ideas forward into future committee meetings but we are always open to ideas to encourage more members to get actively involved. If you have any suggestions, please get in touch with any committee member (details can be found at the back of Beer Matters or on our website) or come along to the next branch meeting (please see the branch diary for venues and times). We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Dom’s Casks of the Month

Posted on by Dominic Nelson
Since the last time I wrote this column, we’ve been treated to a range of beer-focused events across Sheffield, not least Sheffield Beer Week, which once again was a great success. The various festivals and events have given me the opportunity to try a whole range of new and interesting beers from around the country (and rack up a few check-ins on my Untappd account)! As always, there’s been a great variety of well-kept and tasty real ales on offer, but three stood out above the rest for me. Here they are, in no particular order: What: Campania (5.0%) – Hopcraft (Pontyclun, South Wales) Where: Gardeners Rest, Neepsend The Gardeners Rest beer festival at the end of March showcased beers from a number of Welsh breweries, but the highlight for me was this Neapolitan ice cream-inspired milk stout from Hopcraft (whose brewer Gazza Prescott was, of course, previously with Steel City Brewing). In the glass, this had the classic stout appearance, black body with a creamy, tan head. The aroma had everything expected from Neapolitan ice cream, with chocolate, vanilla and strawberries all present. Upon tasting, the initial impression was sweet but this gave way to a pleasant roasted bitterness which balanced the flavours out perfectly. What: Liquorice (5.0%) – Ashover (near Chesterfield) Where: Dog & Partridge, Trippet Lane When we arrived on Good Friday, the Dog & Partridge was packed with folk dancers warming up for the Folk Sessions but we managed to find a seat in the corner. Another stout, this one was a little paler than the last but still looked appealing to the eye. Previously known as Liquorice Alesort, this beer is brewed with root liquorice in the boil and only gently hopped. The scent of liquorice was immediately apparent on the nose, along with the more traditional coffee aromas of this beer style. On the palate, it was very rich with the initial bitter flavours developing into the bitter-sweetness of dark chocolate. What: Caramel Stout (4.8%) – Grafton (Worksop) Where: White Lion, Heeley This pub visit might have been simply for a relaxing after-work pint rather than any special occasion, but the beer on offer was still worthy of celebration. Although this beer is a stout by name, its appearance was more akin to a brown ale. The caramel aroma was unmistakable, and hints of chocolate and malt were also present. As expected, this was sweeter than most stouts but the caramel flavour felt authentic, not artificial as many flavoured beers can be. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more beers from this brewery. Unintentional though it was, there was a definite theme in this month’s choices, so for next month’s edition I’m going to make a concerted effort to break with tradition and try some of the paler ales available on Sheffield’s handpumps. Find out next time how I got on! Dominic Nelson