Author: Guest

Abbeydale Brewery, Sheffield’s longest established brewery, are celebrating this week, having been announced on the shortlist for three prestigious nationwide awards.

Firstly, they’ve scooped a spot in the top three in the Best Drinks Producer category in the famed BBC Food & Farming Awards. The three finalists in each category were chosen from thousands of nominations by a judging panel of experts, headed up by renowned chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. Abbeydale are the only brewery to be recognised on the shortlist this year, alongside sparkling wine company Nyetimber and the Yorkshire Wolds Apple Juice Co in this highly competitive category. 

In addition, they’ve been nominated for the title of Brewery of the Year in the 2025 Brewers Choice Awards, organised by industry magazine the Brewers Journal, where their much-loved beer Black Mass has also been shortlisted in the “Beer of the Year” category.

Founded in 1996, Abbeydale Brewery are well known for producing a huge range of beers (in particular their flagship pale ale, Moonshine), blending innovation with heritage and reflecting these values across their beers. These nominations all come as the brewery heads towards the first anniversary of becoming 100% employee owned, a pioneering change in ownership which has seen them gain a reputation as industry trailblazers, including winning the Employer of the Year title from the Society of Independent Brewers & Associates (SIBA).

Co-Managing Director Dan Baxter says of the nominations “I’m so proud of the team and what we have achieved in making the shortlist for these fantastic awards. Since becoming an EOT last year, our core values of working within our community, championing our employees, doing business the right way and dong it all with a sense of humour – as well as, of course, making excellent beer! – have been made ever more visible for more people to see, and it’s wonderful to see that recognised.” His fellow Co-MD, Toby Grattidge, echoes these sentiments, adding “We’re incredibly proud of our first year of employee ownership and how hard everyone has worked. Publicans and drinkers alike have been so supportive, and it feels fantastic to see this reflected by being shortlisted on a national scale”.

This month, as the evenings start to draw in, the light vs dark duo of Archangel and Dark Angel make a return – both 4.5% and hopped with the combination of Simcoe and Vic Secret, but there the similarity ends! In the pale version, expect a bright tropical character and a piney, fresh finish. In the stout, the hops meld with the rich malt backbone for tasty fruitcake flavours and a long-lasting bitter finish. 

Also hitting bars this month, Doctor Morton’s Angler Management (4.1%) is fishing for compliments with its pleasant floral aroma and delicate lychee flavours. Very refreshing with a pleasingly crisp bitterness. 

And our next collaboration is with the fantastic North Riding Brew Co, friends of ours for many years and joining us to create the latest in our acclaimed Travel Poster series. Ride North to Scarborough (4.2%). Columbus, Citra and Vic Secret hops combine in this classic, convivial pale with a vivid, citrussy character and a juicy finish.

From the Restoration series we’ll be releasing our first ever Ruby Mild (4.8%) – rich, smooth and full bodied, with unsung heroes of the UK hop world Fuggles giving a gently floral blackcurrant character to balance out the mellow and moreish malt bill. Subtle yet satisfying and the perfect choice as we head into autumn.

Hope to see lots of you at the Steel City Beer Festival!

Cheers,

Team Abbeydale

This year marks the 50^th anniversary of Sheffield CAMRA’s branch magazine. Here, Richard Hough looks back to the time when he, and wife Kathryn, could call themselves Beer Matters editors.

We edited for a couple of years towards the end of last century – I know… During one barely believable 6-month period, we witnessed upheaval that changed the Sheffield brewing scene beyond recognition.

Stones

In January 1999, production of Stones’ Bitter came to an end in Sheffield with the closure of the Cannon Brewery.

William Stones established the Rutland Road site when he bought the lease of Neepsend Brewery in 1868. (That’s right, you read that correctly. The current Neepsend operation down the road, where I brewed for a while, is a resurrection of an old brewery name.)

Over the years, the brewery expanded, and Stones’ became the country’s biggest selling bitter, with one in every ten pints drunk in Britain being Stones’. At its peak, the Cannon Brewery was producing 50,000 hectolitres of cask-conditioned Stones’ each year. (1 hec = 176 pints = that’s a LOT of beer.) Such was the demand that the brewery was paying up to £1.5 million PER MONTH in duty by 1991. After that, the quality – and strength – of Stones’ Bitter deteriorated, as Bass chose to promote Worthington instead.

Following the closure of the Cannon Brewery in January 1999, Stones’ became known as the ‘beer on wheels’ after Highgate (Walsall), Thwaites (Blackburn), and Everard’s (Leicester), all had a go at brewing it.

As for the brewery site, it is now a derelict shell, and a bit of an eyesore, although the Urban Artists of Sheffield would strongly disagree! The more modern reception centre is currently occupied by an accounting firm.

(The site is about to be redeveloped for housing, with a little encouragement from the South Yorkshire Mayor! – ed)

Years later, production of Stones’ returned to Sheffield, albeit on a much smaller scale. True North took on the name, the old recipe and, happily, returned the ABV to its original 4.1%.

So to Ward’s…

Ward’s

In 1868, Septimus Henry Ward moved to Sheffield and joined an ailing brewery. Due to his financial clout, the primary brand was named Ward’s Best Bitter. In 1876, they bought the Soho Brewery on Ecclesall Road and renamed it the Sheaf Island Brewery (after the brewery on Effingham Street); later the business became S. H. Ward & Co and the Eccy Road site became the Sheaf Brewery.

There was wartime suffering when, in 1940, three incendiary bombs landed on the brewery, killing 4 workers. Ward’s recovered post-war, and continued to brew their distinctive bitter, all the while improving and expanding their pub estate.

[This is from David Lloyd Parry’s excellent STINGO: “Then in 1973 a successful bid for the company was made by Vaux of Sunderland. Ward’s continued healthily up to the time of writing (1995) with 229 tied houses.”]

YOUR BEER – YOUR BREWERY said the gold lettering shining proudly atop the tower.

Then greed took over. In April 1999, it was announced that Ward’s Brewery was to close. At the time, the company was making £4 million profit a year. But the new owners, Swallow Hotels, wanted more. It closed in July 1999, and 600 jobs went to the wall.

“It was revealed later that the price achieved was several million pounds less than the buyout that would have saved the brewery.” Swallow Hotels, hang your heads in shame.

The old entrance arch still remains, but the site of the Sheaf Brewery has been converted to apartments, with the ground floor now occupied by a Wetherspoons pub, The Sheaf Island. A large metal sculpture of a hop cone serves as a reminder of the days when the aroma of brewing filled the air on Eccy Road.

The closure of Ward’s left the tiny Kelham Island as Sheffield’s largest brewery. It had only been established in 1990! Astonishing that they could now call themselves the biggest in the Steel City. Not far down the line, they became the best too, when their flagship Pale Rider was voted Champion Beer of Britain in 2004.

This brewery is sadly no more with Kelham Island branded beers now being brewed at Thornbridge in Bakewell.

Some breweriana from the old Ward’s site can be seen at the Millowner’s Arms at the Kelham Island Museum, while Chris at the Harlequin is collating an interesting collection of Ward’s memorabilia.

Suffice to say, our short period editing Beer Matters back then saw change beyond belief. Interestingly, this upheaval paved the way for Sheffield to become the Beer Capital of Britain – something I will explore in future issues.

RICHARD HOUGH

STOP PRESS! Last month it was announced that True North is to discontinue production of Stones’ Bitter – see elsewhere in this issue for details. What next for this famous Sheffield brand, we wonder?

Another new month and we’ve got a cornucopia of beers this month spanning the whole spectrum! On the light side of things, we’re starting September with Japanese Cedar (3.9%) – a citrussy sensation of a pale ale, hopped with Mosaic and Amarillo for zesty notes of orange and grapefruit and a pithy bitter finish. New to our Mythical Creatures inspired series slithers in the Basilisk (4.3%), a refreshing pale ale that’s smooth on the palate, with no scales in sight! And from the Doctor Morton’s range we’re welcoming back Mandarin Claw of Death, a 4.1% pale with – as the name may suggest – notes of mandarin from the Cascade and Amarillo hop combination.

From the Brewers’ Emporium, Parkin Stout (5.2%) is a seasonally appropriate addition to our Salvation range. A full bodied oatmeal stout with flavours of rich molasses and a tickle of punchy ginger, gently spiced to evoke our favourite regional seasonal treat, Yorkshire Parkin. Warming and wonderful! 

We’re really excited to be hosting local pals Triple Point Brewery for the return leg of our collaboration – together we’ll be creating Golden Peaks, a UK hopped IPA at 6.2%. We’ll be showcasing the new kids of the crop Harlequin and Olicana with their vibrant tropical flavours, which meld seamlessly with the classic orange and hedgerow character from Admiral and East Kent Goldings.

And finally, you must have known it was coming… towards the end of the month PILGRIM IS BACK! Tis the season for pumpkin spice and all things nice and we can’t wait for this classic to be back in our lives and on bars around Sheffield and beyond!

August is our birthday month! We turn 29 this year – it’s a privilege to have been here doing what we do for almost three whole decades and we’re so excited for what the future holds in our new chapter of being 100% employee owned. Thank you for joining us on this journey!

Anyway, enough of the emotional sentiments, here’s what we’ve got coming up this month. Live, Laugh, Loch Lomond (4.2%) is the return leg of our collaboration with Scott, previously part of our brewteam and now at, as the beer name suggests, Loch Lomond Brewery! A light biscuity base meets uniquely flavourful Krush hops to create a fruity little number with a luscious impact!

From the imaginarium of Doctor Morton we have the return of Proper Gander (4.1%), Get up really close and get a long, careful look at this Chinook and Pacific Gem hopped pale. Another returning beer to our line up is seasonal special Harvested, a 4.1% pale with Galaxy hops. Expect a fruity beer with refreshing tropical character alongside a clean, grapefruit bitterness and a subtle spiciness in the finish.

And on the Brewers Emporium side of things look out for Hazelnut Frappé Stout (5.2%) from our Salvation series, in collaboration with Castleton Coffee Co. Smooth and silky, with a bold coffee character balanced by sweet, nutty overtones and notes of chocolate and vanilla. And finally we have vibrant, juicy pale ale Trailblazer (4.4%) riding into town, with Amarillo, Simcoe and Galaxy hops.  

Thornbridge Brewery and Garrett Oliver collaborate on a special release to support The Michael James Jackson Foundation

Thornbridge Brewery is proud to announce a special collaboration with Garrett Oliver, Brewmaster of Brooklyn Brewery, to create a unique beer brewed on the world’s only operational Burton Union set. Proceeds from this limited-edition release will benefit The Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing and Distilling (MJF).

In 2024, Garrett Oliver played a pivotal role in assisting Thornbridge with the rescue and restoration of an historic Burton Union Set – a legendary system once central to British brewing. Now operational at Thornbridge’s brewery in Bakewell, it stands as the sole functioning example of its kind anywhere in the world.

Since its installation, Thornbridge has used the Union to explore heritage styles and innovative collaborations. This new release marks the first beer brewed on the system with Garrett Oliver himself: a Strong Dark Mild crafted with Maris Otter, premium Crystal and Chocolate malts, and West African Fonio, an ancient grain that contributes creaminess and subtle fruit character. Dark brewing sugars further enhance the beer with complex layers of caramel and richness.

In addition to its historical and technical significance, the collaboration supports a vital cause. Garrett Oliver founded The MJF, a non-profit organisation that funds technical education and career advancement for people of colour in the brewing and distilling industries. For every pint and can of this beer sold, 10 pence will be donated to the foundation.

“We were incredibly excited to brew with Garrett using the Union,” said Simon Webster, Co-Founder and CEO of Thornbridge Brewery. “To combine this brewing milestone with the opportunity to support such an important cause makes it all the more meaningful.”

Garrett Oliver continued …. “I’m 36 years into my brewing career, and yet this still counts as one of the most personally significant beers I’ve had the opportunity to brew. My journey into brewing started with British cask beers at the pub, and to brew on this singular and wondrous beast is a great privilege.”

This unique beer will be available in Thornbridge bars and Free Trade pubs around the UK.