CAMRA responds to the announcement of independent review of how pubs and hotels are valued for business rates in England and Wales
Ash Corbett-Collins, CAMRA chairman, said:
“This is another promising step from the new Government. Our pubs have suffered for far too long under the current ratings system, which punishes bricks and mortar businesses, and creates the ridiculous situation where global giants pay less per square metre for warehousing than a licensee does for their pub.
“An independent review is a great way to look at this, and we will definitely be taking part on behalf of beer drinkers and pubgoers. As always, the real difference will be dependent on the results. Hopefully, there will be fundamental changes to the out-of-date ratings system and publicans will have the certainty and incentive to grow their businesses.
“We hope the right stakeholders will be involved to make sure that the best outcome is found for publicans and pubgoers.
“Ordinary drinkers want their locals open, busy and at the centre of communities. Tackling our unfair business rates system will help if the review delivers lower and fairer bills.”
Locally, Sean Clarke of Business Sheffield has been encouraging local publicans to participate in the call for evidence which seeks views from businesses, representative bodies, valuation professionals and other interested stakeholders; this will help inform recommendations to Government ahead of the next revaluation. The documentation is available on the government website and responses need to be emailed to pubsandhotelreview@hmtreasury.gov.uk by 16 October.
The White Lion on Chesterfield Road has had a change of management. John left at the end of August for pastures new (Croatia sounds nice?), to be replaced by Lisa Brown.
Lisa originally hails from Portsmouth, but in December 2021 she moved to Sheffield. She worked at the excellent Cross Scythes on Derbyshire Lane (world’s tallest leprechaun) before stints at the Rose & Crown, Wadsley and the Nag’s Head at Bradfield.
No major changes are planned at the White: up to five cask ales on the pumps, and live music at weekends. Food is limited to snacks, but you are welcome to bring your own in.
It is a CAMRA heritage pub, with a very interesting interior. Be sure to pop in if you can; we are sure that Lisa will keep the White Lion roaring!
As mentioned last time, there have been some changes up and down Chesterfield Road. In Woodseats, Counter opened in mid-August (in the former Mesters Tap).
At the helm are Stuart and Sonia Nunn. Stuart was previously at Guzzle just up the road, while Sonia worked at the Red Lion (down the road) some years ago.
The pub has been smartened up and given a lick of paint (an appealing green called ‘Privet Hedge’!) There is some interesting artwork by local artists, such as the Ghost Cooling Towers.
On the beer front, two handpumps feature ever-changing ales, and there is real cider available. Plans are afoot to upgrade the toilets and rear outdoor area.
There is a quiz night on Thursdays, and occasional live music at the weekend.
The unusual pub name comes from the time when the premises were a chemist’s in the early 1900s – get your pills at the counter. Overall, a real improvement, and we wish Stuart and Sonia all the best in their new venture.
Picture it: you’ve just stepped out of the Sheffield Beer Museum’s latest engaging exhibit. You’re enjoying a locally made ale in its adjoining taproom, thinking about all of the interesting beer facts, history and culture you just learned about. You might tell a friend about this place and are already planning your next visit. What a fine way to spend an afternoon in the wonderful city of Sheffield.
The only problem? The museum doesn’t exist. Or at least not yet.
The Sheffield Beer Museum has now entered a public consultation phase, which means you get to help it take shape. Do you think the UK needs a beer museum? Would you visit a museum about beer? Do you think Sheffield is a good fit for such an attraction? Whether the answer to these questions is ‘yes’, ‘no’ or ‘not sure’, your views are vital in helping to move the project forward. For the Sheffield Beer Museum to truly be built for the community and by the community, the feedback of residents of Sheffield and beyond is fundamental.
The idea to open a beer museum in Sheffield
The Sheffield Beer Museum project began with a simple problem: a passionate collective of beer lovers wanted to visit a beer museum in the UK and realised there wasn’t one. From this initial spark came the crazy idea to do it ourselves. And many months later, that raw vision is starting to become a tangible reality.
At Sheffield Beer Museum, we think there’s more to beer than drinking. Beer is a thing to be explored, savoured, talked about and protected. It is steeped in history, from the earliest manifestations of brewing among ancient civilisations, all the way to your local micropub doing things with beer you didn’t think were possible, or necessary, but somehow are. It is as much a part of our culture as fish and chips, Morris dancing and queuing, and we think that deserves to be celebrated.
Getting involved
At this year’s Steel City 50 Beer & Cider Festival, be sure to come and find the Sheffield Beer Museum stall, where you can find out more about the project and get to know the team. Whether you’ve got a burning question, a brilliant idea, a crazy story about beer or simply want to drop by for a beer and a chat, we want to hear from you!
If you’re not going to make the festival this year, don’t panic! You’ll find plenty of other ways to get in touch below.
In the meantime, watch this space. Spread the word. Something is brewing in Sheffield, and we want you on board. Fill in our survey and join the mailing list.
’Tis the season and yep, you guessed it, Pilgrim is back! Our 5% pumpkin-spiced pale ale heralds the arrival of autumn and we can’t wait to see this one on bars again.
This year, our pilgrimage has become that little bit EXTRA as our autumnal icon has brought along a fun and frivolous friend! Introducing Marshmallow Pilgrim, a pumpkin-pie-inspired stout, also 5% ABV. Featuring the familiar lip-smacking blend of warming pumpkin pie spices, here enveloped in a cosy, roasty stout, with the addition of sweet, fluffy marshmallow that’ll have you coming back for s’more…
Of course, it’s not all pumpkin-spice-themed though, and we’ve got two completely new cask-only pale ales being released this month. In our lithograph-inspired series, we have Royal Agave, 4%, hopped with Cashmere and Wai-Iti. Expect refreshing lemon-lime notes along with soft, juicy melon and a smooth finish. And Nereideswill be a 4.2% pale ale with artwork from our mythical creatures-inspired series. This one uses Calypso hops, which fellow mythology nerds will understand is rather fitting! Flavour-wise, these bring along a tasty combination of orchard and tropical fruits. Vibrant peach and pineapple on the nose, followed up with elegant notes of apple and pear.
Finally, in terms of returning beers, we’re bringing back our classic UK-hopped ESB in the Restoration series (5.2%), and Dr Morton’s Aftersave (4.1%) will be making a reappearance too.
CAMRA is well-known for promoting great beer and pubs through various schemes including Pub of the Month/Year awards, Champion Beers at festivals and the Pub Design awards. But at its heart it is a consumer organisation; it Campaigns for better – better quality, better choice, better service and, of course, better value. (Note that cheaper does NOT necessarily mean better value). Beer Matters writer Richard Hough decided to investigate. He writes:
In one wild week earlier this year, I undertook the Jaipur Jaunt, to compare the prices of Thornbridge Jaipur across the pubs of Sheffield. On the Monday, I found myself to the south of the city. First stop – Woodseats Palace, a JD Wetherspoon pub in the old cinema building. 10 handpumps dispense an array of ales, with Jaipur always a regular. The price was a very reasonable £2.35 a pint Mon-Weds, rising to £2.99 the rest of the week. CAMRA members can use their voucher for a further 50pence off.
A short hop on a bus, and it was the Hardy Pick next. A large Greene King pub under the ‘Hungry Horse’ banner, where families, food and footie-on-the-screen are the order of the day (so not to everyone’s taste). The cask ales on offer were Abbeydale Moonshine, Titanic Plum Porter and Jaipur, with the latter at £4.60. Show your CAMRA membership card though, and receive 10% off. £4.14 a pint – steady. A vicious swan-neck means you will likely need a top-up. The beer quality was fine.
Next on the list was the White Lion, a multi-roomed pub with bags of character. A number of hand-pumps adorn the bar, always featuring something brewed locally. The ‘strong pump’ may feature the likes of Abbeydale Absolution or Dancing Duck Abduction, but tonight it was Jaipur, and £3.50 a pint (as was all cask). Prices rise through the week – to £3.80 Wed-Thur, and £5.10 Fri-Sun. That’s Monday done, and 3 pints for less than a tenner.
Tuesday. The Sheaf Island is another JDW pub, this one situated on the site of the former Ward’s Brewery on Eccy Road. In my opinion, one of the better ‘Spoons, with its high ceilings and large windows to let the light in. Jaipur is usually on, and today a bargain at £1.99. Again, prices rise later in the week (£2.49 Thur-Sun, don’t forget the 50p CAMRA voucher). While an enjoyable pub, and offering excellent value, I preferred it when it was the Brewery.
From there, the 82 bus drops you at The Greystones on Greystones Road. It is a Thornbridge-run pub with fantastic views from the garden, and also famed for the eclectic gigs in The Backroom. Amongst a wide range of the Brewery’s beers, Jaipur was chosen; the price was £5.60 a pint. Once again, a flash of the CAMRA card gets you 10% off. £5.04 – that’s better.
With a bit of time to spare, I decided to detour via the Itchy Pig, Banner Cross. An excellent micro pub with an ever-changing line-up of cask from near and far. One feature of the pub is that all ales are the same price, regardless of strength (£4.80).
A pleasant walk along leafy Psalter Lane took me to the final destination of the day, the Stag’s Head. It is a traditional pub run by Thornbridge, with eight of their beers on hand-pump. £5.70 for a pint of Jaipur was the most expensive of the day. I will suggest that if you don’t like the prices charged in Thornbridge’s own pubs, don’t pay them. There are plenty of cheaper pubs around. With the day’s Jaunt over, I decided to stay for one more – a strong dark ale from ‘The Union’. In 2024 Thornbridge acquired the famous Burton Union Sets from Marston’s. They now use it to recreate ales from bygone days; the Strong Dark Mild (6.5% ABV) was a perfect end to a busy day.
I began Wednesday’s Jaunt in the City Centre. The Benjamin Huntsman on Cambridge Street is yet another JDW pub, named in honour of the inventor of the world-changing Crucible Steel Process – you can read the history in the pub. While slightly more expensive than other ‘Spoons, it still represents good value, and your CAMRA vouchers give you a further 50p off. Some steel-inspired sculptures are worthy of note.
With a nod to the Jess Ennis gold pillar box (was that REALLY 14 years ago?) I headed to the Waterworks. It is a Lloyds (so Wetherspoons, then) in the old water pumping station building. The price of Jaipur matched that at the Ben Huntsman, and again prices rise as you approach the weekend. It will be interesting to see how great the exterior looks once the scaffolding is (eventually) removed.
I passed the statue honouring the Women of Steel on the way to the 95 bus. Next up, the Hallamshire House on Commonside. The fine stained-glass windows point to its past as a Ward’s pub, but these days it is run by Thornbridge. A multi-roomed establishment with plenty to recommend, including the increasingly rare sight of a full-size snooker table in the back room. Jaipur was £5.70 a pint, and yet again if you show your CAMRA membership card, you get 10% discount on cask ales. The Hally completed the first three days of the Jaunt. I took Thursday off for a bit of respite, but the journey will resume next time…
(note: since this article was researched, some prices have risen).
Returning from our Mythical Creatures inspired series this month we have Erlking – a flavourful 3.9% pale ale single hopped with Sabro, from the wild Neomexicanus hop family. Expect sweet citrus fruit flavours and a creamy hint of coconut in the finish.
In exciting collaboration news, we’ve had the amazing RedWIllow Brewery here after brewing Deceptionless at their place earlier in the year. For the return leg, we’ve created Meander Through Macclesfield – a 4.8% UK Hopped Pale Ale showcasing Olicana and Harlequin, including innovative Harlequin Abstrax Quantum “hop juice”! A burst of floral character is joined by vivid mango and pineapple notes, with a subtle herbal finish.
And we hope you’ll all be as excited as we are for the next in our Legacy Series, bringing back classic beers from the archives to help us celebrate our 30th anniversary – this time, it’s the turn of our much-loved American Brown Ale, Brimstone! An Amarillo hopped American Brown Ale, expect aromas of malt loaf and marmalade giving way to flavours of toffee and liquorice, followed by a lingering, pleasingly bitter finish. It won’t be around for long so don’t miss it!
Finally we’ve teamed up with hop suppliers Hopsteiner to create Dreamlike, a 5.6% IPA featuring Alora and Solero hops, both of which are new to us! They promise vibrant tropical notes, from mango to aromatic yuzu alongside sweet peach and passionfruit. The beer of your dreams?
We feel so lucky to have been part of the Sheffield beer scene for the past three decades, and to still be here doing what we do.We’re celebrating with a new version of Doctor Morton’s Birthday Extravaganza, which we first made for our silver anniversary in 2021. A classic 4.1% pale, the hop forward style we’re best known for. Enjoy the power and beauty of your pint.
And Moonshine has been our most popular beer since our very beginnings, so we wanted to celebrate that too. Lunar Moonshine is a special 4.5% version of our flagship brew – it’s designed to satisfy our regular drinkers, so it stays true to the original recipe, but with the addition of Luna hops for an extra layer of bright and vibrant tropical and citrus flavour.
Our returning seasonal special this month is Harvested (4.1%), an Australian hopped pale with a grapefruity bitterness and subtle spicy finish. And we have a new addition to our Restoration Series in the form of Burton Pale. Classic, smooth and well balanced with UK Fuggles and East Kent Goldings hops.
Thank you to everyone for your support over the last thirty years – here’s to the next!
The status quo needs to go: Beer and pub campaigners want Competition and Markets Authority to investigate the UK beer market
A new report, published today by CAMRA, shows how independent brewers are being excluded from bars across the UK, and sets out the case for the Competition and Markets Authority action.
‘Beer in the UK’ is the authoritative consumer view on how the UK beer scene actually works, or doesn’t work, for beer drinkers and independent brewers.
The report lays bare the stark state of British brewing – that it is dominated by four international conglomerates with little affinity with our brewing heritage, or what beer drinkers want.
Other headlines from the report include:
• Seven of the top ten selling ‘craft beers’ in the UK are made by just four global brewing conglomerates.
• Many of the UK’s favourite ‘continental’ and ‘import’ lagers are brewed in the UK.
• Data from the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) shows that the demand for independent beer is 280% higher than the share that they have of the pub market.
Ash Corbett-Collins, CAMRA Chairman said:
“Ordinary drinkers are being short changed when it comes to choice and quality at the bar. Our report proves how the global players are exploiting the status quo to squeeze out independent brewers, to the detriment of ordinary publicans and beer drinkers.
“The Government needs to step up, start taking the issue seriously, and take action that matches up to their statements about supporting pubs and the communities they serve.
“Andy Burnham recently said that ‘People need to be able to look forward to a night out’. The best way he can deliver on that is by ordering a proper market investigation to sort this mess out and deliver a fair deal for publicans and drinkers, and the independent brewers that they want to support.
“If this report makes you as angry as it makes me, that’s good. CAMRA is fighting for changes to the status quo, and I hope you’ll join us and get involved.”
Tim Webb, Report Editor, said:
“The fact that a narrow clique of multinational corporations dominates the UK brewing industry is a national embarrassment. They only make beers that suit their production facilities, ignoring the types that beer lovers want to drink. They do not know how to reverse beer’s downward spiral, make little profit, and brew nothing worth exporting. They cannot grow the UK economy.
“The way that better, independent, brewers are excluded from the on-trade beer market is scandalous. Brewing is a business that competition authorities need to investigate, take apart, and reassemble, so the UK can return to playing a leading role in the world of beer.”
Over a dozen people, mainly from CAMRA’s Wyre Forest branch in Worcestershire, chose Sheffield for their annual spring trip. Recent destinations have included Liverpool, Nottingham, Oxford, Scarborough and York.
The weather was kind, and the publicans of Sheffield extended a very warm welcome over two to three days towards the end of May. Between us, we must have visited several dozen of the city’s renowned pubs, both traditional and modern, enjoying many beers that are rarely if ever found in our own area.
Among the pubs to stand out as highlights – for different reasons – are the Bath Hotel, Dog & Partridge, Fargate, Fat Cat, Grapes, Harlequin, Head of Steam, Kelham Island Tavern, Perch, Shakespeares, Sheffield Tap, Two & Six, Vocation & Co and Wisewood.
Of course our spring trip is not just about beer and pubs, not quite anyway. The Kelham Island Museum was a highlight for many, and people also enjoyed Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet and the Botanical Gardens. The 7 Spices Balti hosted us for an excellent group meal.
We would like to thank our colleagues from Sheffield & District CAMRA – including Paul Manning, Mike Cook and Dave Pickersgill – who gave invaluable advice while we were in the planning stage. Even better, they and other locals joined us in the garden of the St.Mars of the Desert Brewery for a social afternoon.
Now that connections have been made, several from the visiting group are intending to return to Sheffield for the Steel City Beer Festival in October. We extend a cordial invitation to the ale drinkers of Yorkshire to visit our own (rather smaller) Kidderminster Beer & Cider Festival, which is taking place from 12th to 14th November, a well loved event at a time of year when few festivals are held.
