Author: Guest

July always marks the release of our annual charity beer, which this year is in support of Friends of the Porter Valley, and it’s a 4.1% pale ale called Golden Duck, in honour of their incredibly popular annual duck race! Chinook and Mosaic hops combine for a flavoursome citrussy character with notes of grapefruit, lemon and dare we say even mandarin. Do a runner to the bar for this one – it’s quacking! 10p from every pint sold is donated to the charity. 

Our seasonal specials see three more cask only pale ales making a return to our offering. Dr Morton’s 4 Yorkshiremen (4.1%) is light and orangey with Amarillo hops, we have the always popular Belfry (4.5%) which is single hopped with Cascade for characteristic fruity, floral aromas, and Phoenix from our Mythical Creatures inspired series, 4.1% with notes of elderflower and a delicate bitter finish.

Onto the Brewers Emporium and Steel & Grit (4.4%) sees us team up with fellow Sheffield independents, outdoor gear specialists Buffalo Systems, to create a globally inspired pale ale with a spirit of adventure. Showcasing Citra, Mosaic and new experimental hop HPA 065, expect a diverse flavour profile of juicy citrus fruits – notably grapefruit, alongside tropical pineapple and a spicy edge. Untamed and hazy with a tantalisingly crisp bitter finish.

And finally, in honour of our 30th anniversary, we’ve taken the flavours of a classic “Millionaire’s” shortbread and given them an extra layer of va va voom in Trillionaire Shortbread Stout, new to our Indulgence series! Luscious and full of flavour with biscuit malts, silky chocolate, unctuous caramel and rich vanilla.

It’s been a while since I last sent an Emmanuales update to Beer Matters, so thought it was about time to fill you in with where I’ve been up to with ’that Jesus beer’.  The last you may have heard, Emmanuales was operating on a 100L kit from a cellar of a terraced house in Walkley.  Since then, we’ve moved, upscaled and re-established the brewery on the outskirts of Sheffield.

Having bought an angle-grinder, many tins of anti-mould white paint and about 50L of epoxy resin, I spent the Christmas of 2025 doing up the space ready to install our new brew kit, which we purchased from Middle Child Brewing in Twickenham.  Before them, the kit was owned by Verdant Brewing Co – famed formatting some incredible IPAs – who started their brewery on it in 2014, which is when I started Emmanuales.

(I guess that means every beer I make now will taste like Putty, right?!)

Whilst Emmanuales has been out of action, I’ve also had the opportunity to work on the production team and a role in marketing at Mount St Bernard Trappist Brewery, aka Tynt Meadow. It’s been very nice working on a fully-automated German-built brewhouse and hone my beer-making skills producing Trappist beer… a far cry from making small batches of beer in my garage!

Finally, after having had the fallow period between Easter 2025-26, I brewed and released two new beers, Haze The Lord – a 5.2% Hazy Pale Ale, very much a homage to Verdant’s ‘Lightbulb’, which felt fitting given the kit launched their brewery – and an Old English Ale (8.0%), All Hail Redeemer Ale.  Additionally, two new beers should be landing just in time for summer – Hosanna in the Rye-est (a big, sticky West Coast Rye IPA) and Sanctus Tripel(a Saaz hopped Abbey style strong, golden ale… which may be called Blessed-malle if I can get away without trademark lawyers knocking on my door).

As ever, beers are available in 440ml cans and stocked in and around Sheffield, in venues such as The Old Shoe, Walkley Beer Co, The Dram Shop, etc.  Find out more about Emmanuales at www.emmanuales.co.uk and follow us on Instagram @emmanuales where I’ve taken up the challenge to become the brewing equivalent of @eatingwithtod

NICK LAW

As part of a programme of campaigns to highlight classic beer styles that some may consider to be endagered CAMRA has for many years championed Mild during May. Mild is a style that is designed to be easy drinking with subtle flavours and low bitterness. There are both dark and pale versions.

A couple of local breweries were promoting a mild in May with Stancill brewing a range of three!

Mild Steel 3.5%- If you like Stancill’s Stainless pale ale, you’ll love Mild Steel. With all the fresh, crisp character of their iconic core ale, but with a much milder ABV. Mild Steel is made with all-British hops.

Tom’s Mild 3.4%, Stancill’s regularly available signature mild, is named after their co-founder Tom! This is a smooth, creamy, dark mild with a nutty biscuit note. Tom’s Mild is characteristically sweet with a gentle late hop aroma. Well balanced, moreish and extremely drinkable.

Ruby Mild 4.9% – It’s been over five years since they brewed a Ruby Mild. This one is ruby red in colour with a strong nuttiness and flavours of berries. A velvety mouthfeel of melted milk chocolate make this a luxuriously pleasurable pint.

Meanwhile over at Thornbridge the May cask release in their year of beer programme of monthly seasonal specials was a mild, although perhaps a less traditional version being a coffee mild, although at 3.8% ABV is still easy drinking!

Joining our Legacy Series of fondly remembered beers from the archives as part of our 30^th anniversary celebrations, we’re bringing back Drop Hammer (4.3%) for a limited time only. A classic copper coloured bitter, satisfying and well-balanced.

We’ve got an exciting collaboration on the way with the excellent folk at Colbier, from Liverpool. In the Elements will be a 6.5% Baltic Porter brewed using a No. 19 Maris Otter, a special heritage floor malted version of our base grain, riffing alongside UK grown Olicana and Jester hops. Expect layers of robust, toasty flavours alongside smooth waves of caramel sweetness, with a rounded bitterness encore.

And of course we have our usual vast selection of delicious pale ales available too! Returning specials this month are Summer (3.9%), hopped with Vic Secret, Mosaic and Galaxy for a tropical, approachable and aromatic pale ale, and Doctor Morton’s Cask Paint (4.1%), with Amarillo and Chinook hops for notes of subtle tangerine and a punchy bitterness. Joining them we have a new addition to our botanical print inspired range, Sunsprite Rose (4.3%). This one is hopped with Styrian Dragon which holds delicate rose notes, and Styrian Eagle, bringing a pleasant citrussy character.

Here’s what we’ve got coming up this month… and hopefully, you’ll be able to come and try them at Abbeydale Beerworks, our new taproom on Abbeydale Road! At the time of writing work is well underway and we hope to be open by early May, but please do check before you make the journey. This is a really exciting time for us and we can’t wait to welcome you! Anyway, here’s what we will have available for pubs across the city and beyond…

Hop on the Penistone Line (4.0%) will be a collaboration with Woodland Brewing – where we’ll be welcoming back Ash, who has recently started working there after almost 5 years with Team Abbeydale! Citra, Riwaka and Nectaron hops combine in this tantalisingly tropical pale ale with notes of juicy peach and aromatic passionfruit.

From our Restoration series of classic styles we’ll have a 4.1% Yorkshire Bitter, well-balanced and easy drinking with a delicately floral flavour set alongside hints of pine, followed up with a pleasing bitterness in the finish.

There’s some kind of international sports ball tournament on the horizon so a new Willamette hopped pale ale, Dr Morton’s Verified Ale Recipient (4.1%), is here to ease the misery of constant kicking. It’s a game of two halves, no wait, that’s a pint.

And Cardon Cactus (3.9%) is new to our series with artwork inspired by vintage botanical prints. As this one features a giant Mexican cactus, we just had to go with a hop from the Neomexicanus subspecies! This tasty pale ale showcases Sabro, joined by spicy, grapefruity Chinook.

Finally there’s a couple of delicious stouts on the way too – the latest in our Salvation series will be a smooth, sweet and fruity 4.8% Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Stout. And as part of our 30^th anniversary year we’ve got the first imperial stout in a while due for release too, Lost Souls will be a big, bold and boozy 11.0% classic impy. Complex and carefully crafted, full bodied and warming with luscious vanilla bringing a hint of extravagance to the drinking experience.