Richard, Simon and Briony attended the House of Commons for drinks on The Terrace in the company of MP’s and Lords. The event was organised by the Music Venue Trust as it was the launch of their Annual Review. They used this opportunity to discuss the difficulties in their industry and the very serious problems that Grassroots and pubs venues are facing in Sheffield and nationally.
You can download the Music Venue Trust’s annual report, which highlights issues impacting the viability of venues that include high energy prices, unfair business rates, VAT on tickets as well as drinks, planning policy and more.
A point is made that grassroots music venues, like pubs, are more than just a business and it is important that we don’t lose them – they provide easy access to live music, community cohesion, cultural exchange, a platform for artists and a social space to meet new people and share great times.
From Big Brewing to Local Brewing: What Place Does Sheffield’s Beer Industry have in the City Today?
Dr Nick Groat and Prof Phil Withington from the University of Sheffield give an update on their project, Place, Craft and Alcohol in Historical Perspective, which is exploring the many histories and meanings of alcohol in the city with the help of CAMRA members.
We’re developing a picture of the changing place and importance of alcohol in Sheffield both historically and since the emergence of new trends in brewing and beer marketing often labelled with the term ‘craft’. A key feature of this work is discussions with brewers, distillers, retailers, and consumers about their own experiences of – and views on – the city’s alcohol economy, including their take on the ‘craft’ alcohol movement.
We’re in the process of building a collection of about 20 longform oral histories, and at SC48 last October we recorded the thoughts of 62 visitors and spoke to many more curious enthusiasts about what they thought ‘craft’ means today and what they would like to see change in the city to support the industry.
We also hosted two events – Craft in Conversation with broadcaster Pete Brown and Pints of Interest: Pubs as Social Landmarks with a panel of landlords and pub-goers – which provided plenty of opportunity to hear views on these matters. The conversations highlighted that while there is some consensus that ‘craft’ is now a controversial label in the context of the brewing industry, the term nevertheless represents an ethos that values attentive, experimental, skilful, and locally orientated brewing practices. Moreover, many people still used ‘craft’to describe brewers in Sheffield offering beers that they regarded as distinct from other major breweries. Others suggested ‘independent’ as an alternative label, emphasising the importance of beer producers that position themselves outside of large corporations. By sheer coincidence, YouGov published the results of a survey the week after SC48 which overwhelmingly showed how consumers felt “misled” by seemingly small, independent ‘craft’ brewers which were really owned by multinational brewing conglomerates such as Heineken, Anheuser-Busch InBev, and Asahi. The survey suggests that ‘independent’ is an equally contentious identifier and it will be interesting to see how much of an impact that new initiatives such as the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates’ (SIBA) “Indie Beer mark” will have on how these terms are used in the future. For now, it seems that ‘craft’ is one term among several which people use to identity high-quality and skilfully brewed beer outside the monopoly of the global corporations.
This issue, unsurprisingly, extends to where alcohol is bought and consumed. In our conversations to date, local independent establishments have been repeatedly noted as a valued asset in Sheffield (and more generally across the country), with several pubs in the city repeatedly mentioned as ‘good’ places to spend time buying and drinking exceptional beers and ‘craft’ alcohols. Indeed, there seems to be a growing, albeit dispersed sense that the proliferation of micropubs and bottle-shops, together with independent and quality breweries and eateries, plus the unique heritage of the city and region, are distinctive and attractive enough to be a driver of the city’s service and tourist economy and a key feature of Sheffield’s image nationally and internationally. This is not to say, of course, there isn’t also room for big chain-owned pubs selling well-kept ‘real ales’ at affordable prices – people felt that in a city as large and diverse as Sheffield the one was not exclusive of the other, with many people appreciating the basic reliability of craft-orientated chains. It was clear from talking to people that locality and independence in brewing, and the values often associated with craft, do not necessarily translate to where beer is drunk.
The other main component of our project has been mapping Sheffield’s pubs, breweries, and other alcohol establishments to better understand the place and impact of the industry on the city’s many neighbourhoods over time. To date we’ve recorded 1022 ‘historic’ pubs in Sheffield: it’s exciting to map such a large and important feature of the city’s heritage and to visualise its changing dimensions. We’re also mapping Sheffield’s contemporary ‘alcohol topography’ to see where and how it sits alongside the historical geography, paying especial attention to places which align themselves to a ‘craft’ ethos. We hope the maps will serve as a useful tool for Sheffield’s growing independent alcohol sector, linking it to the city’s rich and powerful heritage, and to this end we plan to use the dataset to produce a series of maps and trails targeted to specific areas of the city. The datasets and maps will be available digitally later this year.
Place, Craft, and Alcohol is a collaborative project by and for people interested in beer and Sheffield. We’re always on the lookout for people to speak to about the place of alcohol in the city and its neighbourhoods (past and the present) and what that place will or should be in the future.
If you’d like to talk to us about your experiences and memories of Sheffield’s intoxicating history and/or your views on alcohol’s role and place in the city today and in the future please contact n.groat@sheffield.ac.uk or scan the QR code below to get in touch.
Various events are coming up at the ‘Quin. They are participating in Sheffield Beer Week (see our beer week feature for details) but they aren’t stopping there!
Thursday 20th March – not beer, but still brewed! the Harlequin is holding a sake tasting in collaboration with Starmore Boss. Look out on social media for details.
Friday 21st March: Beer tasting and meet the brewer with 3 Sons, over from Florida. Makers of Epic American beer, 3 Sons are over for a Collab with Emperor’s and Bang The Elephant and are popping up to Sheffield for an evening of frankly ridiculous beer. Details to follow.
Live music is now a regular feature again at The Harlequin. Keep an eye out on our social media (Facebook and Instagram) or look out for posters in the pub to see what’s on.
Steel City are still ‘between hosts’ but thanks to Bang the Elephant brewery kindly hosting, the long-awaited ‘Men of Steel’ collab is out very soon.
The beer is a collaboration with Ukrainian brewery Ten Men along with Bang the Elephant and the Crow Inn, as part of Ten Men’s ‘100 Collabs’ project (https://tenmen.beer/100-collabs/), to raise funds to rebuild their brewery after the original fell to the Russian invasion.
The brew is a fruited sour based on the Ukrainian drink Uzvar, a variety of kompot, and after fermentation saw Dave and former Steel City business partner Gazza, Crow manager Ellie, and label artist Lewy join Nigel and Michael at Bang the Elephant for a very scientific (ahem) tasting session involving a few litres of the base beer and a few glasses of apple, pear, plum, cherry and apricot juices/purees and trying various combinations of dosage rates.
Once the optimum ratio (top secret, obviously!) was ascertained, the fruits were added to the two conditioning tanks, while one was also dosed with Madagascan vanilla and lactose to make a smoothie version.
Both versions will be launched at the Crow as part of Sheffield Beer Week on Saturday 8th March. Cans will be available from various retailers including Beer Central. All profits from the brew will go to Ten Men’s fundraiser, link here for further donations https://tenmen.beer/brewhub/.
Due to popular demand, IT’S BACK! Dark Mild from our Restoration Series (4.0%) is making a comeback after a single year, rather than the decade it took us last time, and very pleased about it we are too. Expect smooth, balanced malt sweetness, a touch of roast character and hints of coffee. The ultimate classic British hop, Fuggles, provides a gentle bitterness.
From our beautiful Travel Poster series, our next collaboration is coming up with County Durham’s McColls Brewery. The name is currently TBC, but we do know it’ll be a 4.6% West Coast style pale ale, piney and resinous with Centennial and Citra hops. Punchy bitterness is balanced by rounded malt sweetness and a crisp, refreshing finish.
And towards the end of the month – praise be! From the depths of the Abbeydale archives, a much requested favourite returns, and still brewed to the original recipe! Marking the start of a series of “Legacy” beers as we approach our 30th anniversary, welcome back Holy Water (6.0%)! A wonderfully smooth and well-balanced premium pale ale made using Willamette, Citra and Centennial hops. Notes of zesty citrus backed up by delicately sweet orchard fruits, followed up with a gentle, lingering bitterness.
We hope to see you at Indie Beer Feast (7th-8th March) or at one of our Sheffield Beer Week events, please keep an eye on our website and social media to find out where we’ll be!
After sparking his interest in brewing from cider making from his own apple trees in 2012, Homebrewer Joe Lee has spent over 10 years working on his own recipes by starting with cider making and IPA Homebrew kits, to now recently becoming a competition winning homebrewer for his beer “When Willamette you again”.
Speaking about the start of his homebrewing career, Lee explains, “My wife bought me a home brew kit for Christmas and I tried a Young’s American IPA malt extract kit, which was excellent. It was not until Covid I got into all grain, gradually building up from 1 gallon batches on my kitchen hob to 5 gallon bathes in all one system”. He continues “I was hooked on all grain, amazed how good my first batch of a Citra IPA sated compared to my malt extract kits. I also really enjoyed the process and the nerdy and scientific rabbit hole you can go down with brewing!”
The competition would provide the winner the opportunity to brew their own recipe at the Huddersfield based brewery Mallinson’s Brewery Company and see it sold at collaborating pub, The Sportsman.
Speaking about the ideas behind his recipe, Lee explains, “I was planning on trying to brew beer similar to Abbeydale Moonshine (who doesn’t love Moonshine?) when I heard about the competition, so I decided to do this as it met well with style guidelines of the competition. The main hop in the beer was Willamette, hence the terrible pun that my wife suggested!”
After judges chose him as winner, Lee headed to Mallisons Brewery Company to create his beer into a product to be sold with friend and second place winner, Graeme Dodgson. Lee said, “It feels amazing to see my beer on the bar. As part of the prize, I was given eight pints of it that I shared with my friends. I was proud to see it on tap, seeing my friends and others enjoying it, and it being demolished so quickly” after he explained that the beer had only been put on that day and by the time he had left the pub, they had already started their third cask.
Lee took on the task of brewing his recipe with friend and second place winner, Graeme Dodgson who since bought a cask and took it to Elland Beer Festival in and following the beers initial success, the product then went on to be named the events’ ‘Beer of the Festival’. Making his home recipe, a double competition winner.
Lee adds, “I feel inspired to continue developing my recipes and enter more competitions”, as he shows no intent to slow down following his success, entering the Stockport and South Manchester CAMRA home brew competition to see how his own recipes bid elsewhere.
“I got into brewing seriously when I bought my first house in 2012 which had 3 apple trees in the garden, so I got into cider making. My wife then bought me a home brew kit for Christmas and I tried a Young’s American IPA malt extract kit, which was excellent. It was not until Covid I got into all grain, gradually building up from 1 gallon batches on my kitchen hob to 5 gallon bathes in all one system. I was hooked on all grain, amazed how good my first batch of a Citra IPA sated compared to my malt extract kits. I also really enjoyed the process and the nerdy and scientific rabbit hole you can go down with brewing!”
“I was planning on trying to brew beer similar to Abbeydale Moonshine (who doesn’t love Moonshine?) when I heard about the competition, so I decided to do this as it met well with style guidelines of the competition. The main hop in the beer was Willamette, hence the terrible pun that my wife suggested!”
“It feels amazing to see my beer on the bar. As part of the prize I was given 8 pints of it at The Sportsman that I shared with friends. I was really proud to see it on tap, seeing my friends and others enjoying it, and it being demolished so quickly (they were on the third cask of it by the time I left the pub having only put it on that day). Also, I get more leeway from the family now, so I can brew more!”
“I feel very inspired to continue developing my own recipes and enter more competitions. In fact, I have just entered the Stockport and South Manchester CAMRA home brew competition to see how my beers fair. I will be doing quite different beers in this one”.
The Homebrew Heroes competition was organised by The Sportsman Pub in Huddersfield, supported by Mallinsons Brewery Company.
Came first with Graeme Dodgson a very close second. Both me and Graeme did the brew day at Mallinsons.
Graeme bought one of the casks and took it to Elland Beer Festival where it won Beer of the Festival.
In December I visited friends in Istanbul with my wife. We’d lived there from 2020-23 for work and it’s always good to visit again – on this trip we stayed in the same apartment block we’d lived in, in Şişli.
I was fortunate enough to live nearby what you might consider Turkey’s home of ‘craft’ beer. Bomontiada was built in the late 1800s as a brewery by Swiss brewers the Bomonti brothers. Bomonti brewery was bought by Turkey’s Anadolu Efes macro-brewer in the 1990s and still exists as a spin-off ‘craft’ label – their Bomonti Filtresis (unfiltered lager, 4.8%) is widely available in both bottles and on taps in many restaurants and pubs in the city, and is my go-to when not in a craft beer bar.
Bomontiada is now home to several bars and restaurants, including Populist, my first stop on this trip – Populist is a chain of currently two brewpubs which, due to peculiarities of Turkish law meaning that a brewery cannot sell its beer direct to the public, serves exclusively beer from Torch Brewery.
Torch and Populist are legally distinct businesses, but all beer served in Populist is Torch. It’s a large space with a huge capacity, and serves what I’d describe as Turkish fusion pub food. Burgers, but also flatbread topped with kokoreç – chopped and spiced lamb intestines.
They brew a range of pale ales and IPAs which usually lean towards a more old school English or west coast IPA rather than the currently popular New England variety. They often have more than one variety of lager on (their 4.9% Kölsch is my go-to on a hot day), usually a nitro stout (5.8%) or occasionally an imperial stout (>8%). For their 1000th brew in 2022 they made a berry vanilla imperial stout at 8.6%. On this visit I had the 5.8% IPA on keg — 330ml for 265TL, or £6. Craft beer in Turkey is fairly expensive due to the various taxes and duties involved, and the cost of ingredients.
On my second day I visited another of Istanbul’s ‘brewery taps’ — SOMX’s Taproomx, in a very central location just off Istiklal. They’re a cuckoo brewery whose beer is brewed in 3 Kafadar’s brewery in Istanbul. I tried a single hop Idaho7 Pale (4.6%), then their Kent Caramel (5%), a brown ale with East Kent Goldings hops! I finished up with their new Nectarlicious NEIPA (6%) — hopped with Nectaron, of course. We then moved on to a local excellent Georgian restaurant, Galaktion.
On the third day (and again on the fourth to meet friends) I ended up in what should be any beer fan’s target when in Istanbul — Sanayi 1-A. They now have two branches and I began in their newer Nişantasi branch, which I hadn’t visited before. I had an Aşne Vişne by 3 Kafadar (5%) which is a sour cherry beer — I believe all its sourness comes from the fruit rather than the brew method.
Later that afternoon I visited the original Sanayi 1-A bar in Maslak, in an area called Atatürk Oto Sanayi. It’s an area full of car garages (oto sanayi means ‘auto industry’) and anyone who’s spent time wandering around industrial estates looking for a taproom will feel at home here. These bars are probably the only independent wholly craft beer bars in the country — many bars in busy areas will have occasional taps of craft beer or bottles in their fridges, but Sanayi is all craft (except for a few token Belfast lager bottles in their fridge).
The Maslak branch has 24 taps, which you’ll usually find occupied by at least 15 beers — all of them are fully engaged for special events. Every beer available is brewed by one of the 10+ breweries in Turkey. I started my visit with an English Gold (a 5% bitter), by 3 Kafadar, who are probably my favourite Turkish brewer.
It also has cats — lots of them lurking, often behind the bar, sometimes getting into little brawls. You can’t go anywhere in Turkey without running into cats, and Sanayi is no exception.
Sanayi 1-A doesn’t offer food other than crisps and nuts, but doesn’t at all mind if you pick up some food from the nearby food truck offering köfte and chips, or order from one of the many food delivery services.
On the following day I visited the Maslak Sanayi 1-A again to meet friends (current and former Sanayi staff) and finished the afternoon with a bottle share of two different years of Efes annual Grape Ale (8%). It’s particularly good, especially considering it’s from a macro brewer.
All in all a great trip, returning to my favourite spots in the city and finding time to ride a few ferries and visit excellent coffee shops, while catching up with friends.
Sheffield, UK – March 10th to 16th, 2025 – Get ready to raise a glass to Sheffield Beer Week! This city-wide celebration of craft beer will once again unite the community
This year, Sheffield Beer Week will shine a spotlight on the ‘Outdoor City’ it calls home during The Festival of the Outdoors and the unique blend of beer and food pairing. Showcasing the city’s vibrant culinary scene alongside its thriving craft beer industry. Expect a diverse program of events, including:
Brewery Tours & Tastings: Go behind the scenes at local breweries, learn about the brewing process, and sample their latest creations. Visit the wealth of pubs, bars, beer shops and taprooms to enjoy tastings and events.
Beer & Food Pairings: Indulge in expertly curated local menus featuring beers paired with delicious dishes
Pub Tours & Walking Trail Events: Discover the gems, explore the city’s diverse pub, bar, beer shop and beer scene with guided tours and self-guided trails.
Community Events: Participate in family-friendly events, charity fundraisers, workshops and book readings that celebrate the spirit of community.
Sheffield Beer Week will also delve into the city’s rich brewing heritage, exploring its historical significance”We are thrilled to bring back Sheffield Beer Week and invite the community to join us in celebrating the city’s vibrant beer culture,” said Jules Gray of Sheffield Beer Week “This year, we are focusing on the unique connection between beer and food, while also honoring our city’s brewing heritage and the stunning outdoor city we call home. We encourage everyone to come out and experience the best of Sheffield.”
On the weekend of 7th to 8thMarch, to start the week, Sheffield’s craft beer festival, Indie Beer Feast is back at Trafalgar Warehouse. It’s a celebration of great independent craft beer with brewery bars, street food, low intervention wines and fine cider. The beer festival champions and supports The Everyone Welcome initiative. British Guild of Beer Writers’ member and leading UK award-wining beer writer Adrian Tierney-Jones will be heading up, alongside Founder and Director of community initiative, Women in Beer, Amelie Tassin to host pop-up tastings.
Thornbridge Brewery celebrates 20 years of brewing in 2025
2025 marks the 20th anniversary of Thornbridge Brewery, and they couldn’t be more grateful to everyone who has supported them along the way. Their journey began in the small Stonemasons Workshop at Thornbridge Hall, and has grown into the state-of-the-art Riverside Brewery in Bakewell. Today, they produce 9 million pints of beer a year and annually welcome over 100,000 visitors to the Taproom.
Over the years, they have brewed hundreds of beers, from crisp lagers to complex barrel-aged sours, even being able to utilise their own Burton Union set, in doing all this they have amassed over 400 awards.
To commemorate 20 years, Thornbridge have created a special limited-edition logo that will be found on glassware, t-shirts, beer mats, and seasonal beers throughout 2025. As part of the 20th anniversary celebrations, they will be reviving several beloved classics. These will be available through Thornbridge Beer Club or as part of their Year of Beer programme for pubs and bars. They are thrilled to spend 2025 celebrating this incredible achievement and sharing it with everyone who has supported them over the years.
The brewery’s flagship beer, Jaipur IPA, will celebrate it’s 20th anniversary on 7 June 2025, among the early successes was an award win at Sheffield’s Steel City Beer & Cider Festival and for a few years Thornbridge Hall hosted a beer of the festival awards ceremony.
Next from our Mythical Creatures inspired series we have Hydra, a 3.9% pale ale single hopped with Elani. Vibrant and tropical, with aromas of guava and lime alongside a delicious peachy character and a zesty zing in the finish.
The light vs dark duo of Archangel and Dark Angel make a return – both 4.5% and hopped with Simcoe and Vic Secret, the beers partner each other perfectly. 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.
Through the Hopback – Superdelic (4.1%) is a delicious pale ale featuring an exciting and unique new hop! Fruit forward in flavour with notes of red berries and citrussy notes, paired with a sweet candy character.
And our 2024 vintage of Old Ale is on the way too – rich, mellow and well balanced, this release is a blend of two years of craftsmanship. Flavours of toffee, fruitcake and raisins meet a light wood character and a subtle spiciness from UK grown Fuggles and Olicana hops. Smooth and sensuous with a warm, lingering finish. 8.0% ABV, designed to be savoured.
