Author: Dominic Nelson

Steel City Brewing

Posted on by Dominic Nelson
After a relatively quiet 2017, lots of action at Steel City in recent weeks! The rum barrel that was filled with Mayhem stout back in April was broached last month, and six months have certainly had an effect on the beer. Big rum aroma, then roasty and chocolatey flavour with a big rum aftertaste. 200 litres went into the barrel, only 190 litres came out… in whisky they call the 10 litres the ‘angel’s share’, perhaps in Steel City’s case ‘the demon’s share’ would be more appropriate. Four firkins of Scraping the Barrel went to Sheffield Beer Festival, the Rutland, the Shakespeare and Notyorkshire, while 72 bottles went to the usual outlets (Dave resisted the temptation to wax seal them to make them cost more look pretty). Another batch of Mayhem is currently maturing in a Bordeaux red wine barrel with roses and will surface in the winter as The Blood, The Wine, The Roses. Meanwhile in collaboration land at Imperial there has been Get In The C (Transatlantic Pale Ale with C-Hops), Drop The C Bomb (as above, with added dry-hops) and International Man of Misery (Dunkelhopfenweissbier featuring a traditional weissbier malt grist and yeast, with untraditional citrus hops), while at the North Riding ‘factory’ near Scarborough there is Raspberry Citra (we’ll give you one guess…). More collaborative fun with barrels at Lost Industry, with the creation of an Old Bruin and a Flemish-style red to be aged in barrels for a wedding next year. The Weird Beard collab God of the Cold White Silence was launched at Sheffield Beer Festival, and is a white stout with cacao, tonka and vanilla. Many people also commented on the huge coconut flavour, however there is no coconut in the brew, the flavour comes purely from the tonka beans and the Styrian Wolf hops. As well as doing the rounds in the autumn, some of the brew is tucked away in a rum barrel and will emerge in time for Sheffield Beer Week in March. Finally, the big news, after a long hiatus Steel City are finally back brewing under their own license. The first brew at the new home, Lost Industry, was Demons Are Back, a 5% Transatlantic Pale Ale. Flavour comes from Rakau hops in the copper and a liberal dry-hopping with Simcoe. Yet another barrel was pressed into use for another variant, this time a white wine barrel, along with 10kg of grapes, copious grape juice and a kilo of Hallertauer Blanc hops. Following on the My Dying Bride theme from The Blood, The Wine, The Roses, this will be named My Wine In Silence. Dave Unpronounceable

Exit 33 Brewing

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Exit 33 have launched a beer called Yellow Ribbon (4.0%) to help raise funds and awareness for the Sheffield Tree Action Group (STAG). Ten pence from every pint is donated to the group. The Harlequin pub held a launch night for the beer with John Shuttleworth singing a special song. The comedy actor pulled the first pint and presented it to STAG campaigner Calvin Payne who faced the courts. The Everly Pregnant Brothers also supported the event with a short set. Our December specials are Centennial IPA (5.0%), an India pale ale showcasing Centennial hops, and Mocha Coffee Milk Stout (6.5%) brewed using coffee we roasted and ground ourselves at Smith Street Coffee Roasters. Pete Roberts

Good Beer Guide 2019 Voting

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The recent release of the Good Beer Guide 2018 (an ideal Christmas present if you’re struggling for ideas, by the way) means it’s that time of year again when we have to decide our entries for next year’s edition. For the 2019 guide, we are expecting to be given the same number of entries again; 30 pubs within the Sheffield city boundaries and a further 6 from the Derbyshire part of the branch. All CAMRA members are able to take part in voting by selecting the allowed number of pubs on the form below. Alternatively, you may download the form and hand it in at any branch event or post it to the address given. All forms must be received by 31 December 2017 to allow the selection committee time to visit the nominated pubs to confirm they are eligible.

Sheffield (0 of 30 selected)

City Centre

Kelham Island

North

South

West

East

Villages

Derbyshire (0 of 6 selected)

Gardeners Rest, Neepsend

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The Gardeners Rest in Neepsend is set to continue serving Sheffield’s drinkers for the foreseeable future after the Gardeners Rest Community Society raised more than £237,000 to complete the purchase of the pub and preserve its identity. The society was formed last October after it was announced that former landlords Eddy Munnelly and Pat Wilson planned to retire. Several parties were interested in buying the pub, but amidst fears that developers might close it and convert the building into flats, a group of regulars banded together to try and save it. By November 2016, more than £100,000 had already been raised, and the remainder needed to complete the purchase has now been achieved. More than 400 investors, who each donated between £100 and £5,000, have bought community shares, and the group received a grant of £50,000 from the More Than A Pub foundation. The future of the Gardeners Rest looks bright, with the society planning to evolve the pub into a community hub. Alongside the current offerings of live music events, an activity centre and a place for local artists to exhibit their works, there are plans to provide facilities for people with mental health issues and learning disabilities. Of course, the pub will also continue to serve a fine selection of real ales from the Sheffield Brewery Co and guests. Congratulations to everyone involved! Dominic Nelson

Pub of the Month November 2017

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As always, it is a pleasure to reveal our Pub of the Month award winner for November. This month’s recipient is the Railway Hotel on Bramall Lane, a first-time winner of the accolade. Taken over and comprehensively refurbished by Jack Cater and his family in 2015, the Railway has shed its former identity as a “football pub” and established a reputation for serving a good selection of real ales at reasonable prices in friendly and relaxing surroundings. On the pumps, you will find five rotating cask beers, often showcasing local breweries such as Abbeydale, Kelham Island and Acorn. CAMRA members receive a very generous discount of 30p per pint. Draught cider is also available, along with a range of bottled world beers. A pub quiz is held every Thursday evening. The pub was nominated for the award by Sheffield & District CAMRA’s social media co-ordinator, Poppy Hayhurst: “I had recently relocated to Sheffield and at first found it difficult to orientate myself in the city. On one Monday afternoon on my way back from doing my shopping I got completely lost and being laden with multiple bags tried to find somewhere where I could sit, take a breath and work out where I was! That was the first time I visited the Railway Hotel. Perhaps unsurprisingly at 4pm on a Monday afternoon I was the only person in the pub, but still the barman was really welcoming and sensing my struggle directed me to the outdoor sitting area where he swiftly brought me my pint. It wasn’t until the Beer Census I got the opportunity to revisit the pub, this time on a Saturday afternoon. A few of my friends didn’t share my enthusiasm assuming it would be full of football fans being so close to Bramall Lane, but they all left the pub in agreement that future visits would definitely be on the cards. With a good and varied selection of real ales, kegs and bottles; free retro arcade games; one of the best beer gardens I have been to in Sheffield and a CAMRA discount on all pints of real ale this unassuming little pub really does for me offer it all.” We will be heading to the Railway Hotel to present the award on Tuesday 14 November, arriving from about 8:30pm for a presentation around 9pm. Buses 18, 19 and 252 all stop on Bramall Lane, about 100 metres from the pub. Our Pub of the Month award is voted for by CAMRA members and aims to recognise those pubs around Sheffield that consistently serve quality real ale in a welcoming environment. You can vote or nominate a pub for the award at any branch meeting, or via our website at sheffield.camra.org.uk/potm/vote. Dominic Nelson

Abbeydale Brewery

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We hope a good time was had by all at the Steel City Beer Festival down at Kelham Island Museum last month! It’s always a fantastic event and it was great to have the opportunity to show off so many of our new specials, including the Sheffield debut of 1868 (10.3%), our collaboration with Jules of Sheffield Beer Week and renowned beer historian Ron Pattinson.

abbeydale voyager

Onward to what we’ve got coming up! Setting sail this month we have Voyager 6 (5.7%), a juicy IPA with a heady fruit aroma – this time, Ekuanot, Cascade and Galaxy hops have been selected to pack in an abundance of tropical flavours.

Classic English pale Dr Morton’s Chicken Vindaloo (4.1%) is making a return, but with a bit of a kick this time as we’ve added some cayenne pepper to the recipe! Whilst the main batch is intended just to give a gentle tickle, we’ve got a bit of extra spice to ramp up a couple of casks, so look out for these special editions!

chicken Vindaloo

Now we’re into November I just can’t wait any longer to start talking about Christmas (sorry not sorry), and so we also have a few festive treats lined up for release later in the month. New to the Beerheads series we have a merry Caroller (3.8%), this time showcasing the Cashmere hop, which promises notes of tangerine, lemon, lime and honeydew melon. And our next stout, Salvation 6, will be themed around Christmas cake, being released just in time for stir up Sunday!

lost souls

We also have some hugely exciting upcoming beers from the Brewers Emporium range. We’re getting our brew on with our very first imperial stout – the recipe is still to be fully confirmed but we can tell you that Lost Souls (11.0%) will be a smooth, full bodied, boozy treat that’ll knock your socks off! As well as this we’ve got a couple of new releases from the Funk Dungeon, which will only be available in very limited quantities, so look out with particularly beady eyes for Methuselah 2 (8.1%), a wild stout with cherries and cocoa nibs, and Brett Tangerine, a superb dry yet fruity brett fermented pale.

Cheers!

Laura

Sheffield’s Real Heritage Pubs

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Download here: sheffield.camra.org.uk/rhp

This new publication, Sheffield’s Real Heritage Pubs: Pub Interiors of Historic Interest, the first CAMRA book about Heritage Pubs in Sheffield, is now available as a free download. This ground-breaking document is the first attempt to create a snapshot of the Sheffield Pub Heritage picture. SheffieldsRealHeritagePubsPoster Paul Ainsworth, Chair of the CAMRA National Pub Heritage Group: “Over the past 25 years, CAMRA has developed its national and regional inventories of historic pub interiors. These highlight the crème de la crème of interiors which have either escaped much alteration for many years or contain features of exceptional interest. We have, though, been aware that below these top tiers can be found a host of interiors which, whilst much changed, still offer a great deal worth seeing. The pioneering work carried out in Sheffield to locate and record these pubs has been an inspiring exercise. It enables compilation of this publication portraying the rich tapestry of Sheffield’s pubs from the nationally important to those where what remains, may be fragments, but is nevertheless to be cherished. A bonus, of course, is that many of these pubs sell great real ale. We hope this guide is the first of many.“ Included in over 80 pages are over 30,000 words, 300+ images and detailed comments on all of the 22 Sheffield pubs listed on the CAMRA Pub Heritage website. Also documented are both local pubs with some historical interest and many fragments of our historical brewery and pub heritage. The book is available to download from the Sheffield CAMRA website. SheffieldRHP 13 Grateful thanks are given to numerous individuals, the National CAMRA Pub Heritage Group and Sheffield Archives: the latter for providing access to unique historic documentation. Also thanks to Andy Shaw for the design and Mick Slaughter for many of the photos. Dave Pickersgill

Dom’s Casks of the Month

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I’ve tried so many good real ales at the fine establishments of the Steel City this month that it was very difficult to pick just three! Like last month, my top three all come from breweries based in and around Sheffield, which goes to show the consistent quality of the local real ale scene. Here they are: What: Baize (5.5%) – Thornbridge (Ashford-in-the-Water) Where: Stag’s Head Those who read this column regularly probably won’t be too surprised to see a stout featured, but this mint chocolate version promised something a little different. A deep black colour with a frothy tan head, the aroma was fairly traditional with the roasted malt dominating the hints of mint and dark chocolate. The taste, however, bore more than a passing resemblance to After Eight chocolates, but without being overly sweet. A very nice pint. What: Wanderer #2 Gooseberry Saison (4.0%) – Abbeydale (Sheffield) Where: Old Queen’s Head I am a huge fan of sour Belgian style beers such as saisons, gueuzes and lambics, so I was very intrested in trying Abbeydale’s take on a saison, the latest in their Brewers Emporium range. The appearance was hazy (it’s an unfined beer) with a light straw colour and a small head. On drinking, the beer had a refreshing sourness and was slightly dry, with the gooseberry providing a delightful finish. What: Independent (4.0%) – Mitchell’s Hop House (Sheffield) Where: Itchy Pig Ale House This was the first cask ale I had tried from this microbrewery and I was pleasantly surprised. Brewed with lager malts, this take on a blonde beer was a very good example of a session ale. The beer poured a straw colour with a white head, and the aroma offered a nice balance of malt and hops. The taste was crisp, with the hops imparting subtle citrus notes that complemented the malt perfectly. Whether you agree with my choices or think I’ve got no idea what I’m on about, feel free to get in touch! Next month’s column will be a little different as I will be choosing my three favourite cask ales from the Steel City Beer & Cider Festival. Dominic Nelson

October Pub of the Month presentation

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There was a huge turnout at the Itchy Pig Ale House on Glossop Road to see owner Ted Finlay and his team presented with Sheffield & District CAMRA’s Pub of the Month award for October by our social secretary, Patrick Johnson. The four staff delighted to receive the award were (pictured left to right) Rich, Ted, Rich and James. Five real ales were on offer on the evening, featuring local breweries Abbeydale, Exit 33 and Mitchell’s Hop House, as well as a couple from a little further afield. Guests were treated to an exquisite selection of pig-based treats, including pork pies, black pudding scotch eggs, crispy bacon and pork scratchings. Congratulations once again to Ted and everyone at the Itchy Pig on their success!

Penistone Autumn Beer Festival

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From Friday 17 to Sunday 19 November, The White Heart in Penistone will be hosting its 5th beer and cider festival, hoping to follow up the success of the previous four events. Over the three days, there will be 30 real ales and 10 craft ciders on offer, alongside food and live music performances each day. Four of the beers will be supplied by the pub’s very own micro-brewery, Penistone Brewers – something a little different to look out for! The rest of the beer is to be organised by Acorn Brewery and will feature a range of breweries. 78242 The White Heart is the oldest pub in Penistone, established in 1377 as a coaching house which would have brewed its own beer, a tradition that has been resurrected 640 years later. All the beers on the main pub bar are Cask Marque approved, and the pub was awarded Barnsley CAMRA’s Summer Pub of the Season in 2016. The pub is located on Bridge Street, Penistone, S36 7AH. There are hourly trains direct from Sheffield to Penistone (Sheffield to Huddersfield train), and the pub is about a 10-minute walk from the station. See you at the festival!