Sheffield has retained its position as the real ale capital of the world, with the thriving brewing industry driving tourism and regeneration in the steel city, a new report reveals.
The new report, commissioned by the University of Sheffield, found the brewing scene in Sheffield and the wider South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority area is bucking the national trend for closures, despite the challenges of Covid and the cost-of-living crisis. The region is now home to 58 breweries, more per head of population than anywhere else in the country, producing around 1,800 different beers every year.
A strong culture of traditional pubs that “feel different” to elsewhere in the country, and which see over 600 different beers being served every day on its bars, means Sheffield is experiencing a beer tourism boom, the report found. Dozens of events are taking advantage of, and supporting, this pub culture.
First produced in 2016, the new report has been written by Norwich-based, award-winning beer writer, Pete Brown. The report surveyed breweries across Sheffield and the wider region about the state of the industry in the area. Key findings included:
Sheffield has four breweries per 100,000 head of population, many times higher than other cities. These breweries produce around 780 beers each year. Around 70% of the beer brewed by local brewers is drunk locally with 70% of cask ale brands sold in Sheffield brewed within 20 miles of the city centre. Around 300 different real ales are on sale in Sheffield on a daily basis, with the city and region’s breweries and pubs predominately cask focussed.
Sheffield remains the real ale capital of the world.
Author, Pete Brown, said: “Sheffield’s prowess as a beer city won’t come as a surprise to anyone who drinks here. But it’s fascinating that when you do the research and generate the numbers, the claim of being one of the best beer cities in the world really stands up.”
The report also notes that while breweries in the region have been resilient and adaptable thus far, they are in “survival mode”, with no capacity to expand. In 2016, two-thirds of the breweries surveyed said that they were planning significant expansion over the next twelve months; today that figure has dropped to around one in five. There is also a lack of support from local authorities which means that while Sheffield in many ways out-performs its brewing rivals, it could do even better with more active, broader involvement and promotion.
Professor Vanessa Toulmin, Director of City Culture and Public Engagement at the University of Sheffield, said: “Sheffield has always been a city of makers and what makes the report’s findings really interesting is the added value this industry of modern-day little mesters are bringing to the region. They are not just brewing beer; they are providing a huge tourism pull for people from far afield, while also regenerating neighbourhoods in organic, unplanned ways.
“To anyone living in Sheffield and visiting its pubs, it will come as no surprise that this new report has reaffirmed what we discovered in 2016; that Sheffield really can lay claim to being the ‘real ale capital of the world’.”
Can you believe it’s our tenth annual Sheffield Beer Week!?! 2024 is going to be an exciting year. Through a challenging climate, Sheffield’s beer businesses have survived in a buoyant local market.
2024 sees the revisiting of Sheffield University’s commisioned ‘Beer Report’ which has broadcaster Pete Brown reviewing the regional beer landscape once again. Look out for a launch during Sheffield Beer Week.
Key Beer Week strands include ‘Beer and Food’, ‘Community’ and ‘Heritage’; with ongoing organic strands including International Women’s Day events, 10 years of Beer Week, and celebrating our access to vital green spaces alongside The Festival of the Outdoors. Visit Sheffield’s The Festival of the Outdoors has become a vibrant month of annual activities in March. There’ll even be a running and beer event which includes a brewery tour during the beer week from Triple Point Brewery, Hop Hideout and Run Talk Run. Heist Brew Co are also collaborating with The Foundry Climbing Centre on a beer to go alongside their beer and climbing social.
There’ll be more special beers being released for Beer Week including Triple Point Brewery collaborating with Indie Beer Feast, Sheffield Beer Week and The Festival of the Outdoors to highlight the South Yorkshire green spaces and Peak District campaigner Ethel Haythornthwaite.
Lost Industry and Thornbridge are both brewing their own International Women’s Collab Brew Day beers. While Abbeydale are re-releasing their 2023 Sheffield Beer Week collab Cloud Peak due to demand; this year it will include a limited art print alongside.
Beer shop Hop Hideout is collaborating with Heist and Indie Beer Feast on a super limited sour-style beer. While new microbar The Wonky Labrador are collaborating with Triple Point on a birthday beer. Just to name a few!
With a influx of breweries heading to Indie Beer Feast, you’ll find a number of tap takeovers and meet the brewers happening at venues like Pangolin (Turning Point Brew Co), The Beer House S6 (Amity Brew Co) and Kelham Island Tavern (Siren), and more to be announced.
The Rutland Arms, The Crow Inn, Beer Central, The Riverside Kelham, Heist Brew Co Tap, Shakespeares Ale & Cider House, Hop Hideout, The Wonky Labrador, Dog & Partridge and The Old Shoe have all started to plan events and will be announcing in the coming weeks.
Thornbridge Brewery are set to host Bundobust, Newbarns and Red Willow at their pubs – The Greystones, Hallamshire House and The Stag’s Head. Brewery tap openings so far confirmed include Brewery of St Mars of the Desert, Fuggle Bunny Brew House, Heist Brew Co., Triple Point Brewing and Tapped Brew Co.
Beer historian Dr Christina Wade, who specialises in the hidden histories of women in the brewing trade, will be launching her new book – The Devil’s in the Draught Lines (published by CAMRA Books). Hop Hideout will be celebrating with a collaborative beer alongside Dr Wade and Torrside Brewing which takes its inspiration from historical women’s recipes featured in the book. In addition to hosting a Queer Brewing tap takeover (owner Lily was commissioned to take photographs for the book).
On the weekend of 1st to 2nd March, 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’ members and leading UK award-wining beer writers David Jesudason (current Beer Writer of the Year), Pete Brown and Adrian Tierney-Jones will be heading up to host pop-up tastings. David will be discussing his latest book ‘Desi Pubs’ and Pete will be launching ‘The Beer Report’. Hop supplier Barth Haas X have sponsored the talks and tastings and will also host their own trade panel discussion. Dr Christina Wade will be celebrating her new book launch and Henry Kirk of soon to launch new brewery, Sunken Knave, will be discussing his passion for Old Ales. Look out for more talks to be announced.
Breweries pouring include Sheffield outfits Heist, Triple Point, Kelham Island, Grizzly Grains and Abbeydale. In addition to Manchester’s Track, Liverpool’s Neptune, Leicester’s Round Corner, Reading’s Siren, Leeds’ Amity Brew Co and Tartarus, Wales’ Sobremesa Drinks, Derbyshire’s Thornbridge and Torrside, North Yorkshire’s Turning Point Brew Co and Hitchin’s Crossover Blendery.
Jules Gray, Sheffield Beer Week founder shared that, “A decade of showcasing great independent beer in Sheffield is something to be hugely proud of as a city and community. A city with a long-standing heritage of beer and brewing, that goes back hundreds of years. It’s a testament to everyone involved and everyone who supports the beer scene. Beer is part of the city’s fabric, it’s culture, it’s heritage, jobs, economy and keeping the high street vibrant.”
Jules Gray
For the latest information on Sheffield Beer Week events visit their website and follow their socials. Most of the events can be easily reached by public transport and the maximum single fare charged in Sheffield is currently £2 on buses and £2.80 on trams, alternatively a range of daily and weekly unlimited travel passes are available, see travelsouthyorkshire.com for all your timetables, maps and ticket information.
Events listed at time of publication (more likely to be added, check their website & socials). Note some events require tickets booking in advance.
Thursday 29 February:
12:00 The Devil’s in the Draught Lines Queer Brewing Tap Takeover & Torrside Beer Launch, Hop Hideout (City Centre)
12:00 Kernel Irish Whisky BA Imperial Brown Stout Launch, Rutland Arms (City Centre)
13:00 Amity Brewery Tap Takeover & Meet the Brewer, Beer House S6 (Hillsborough)
18:00 Turning Point Brew Co Tap Takeover & Meet the Brewer, Pangolin (Hillsborough Park)
19:00 Crossover Blendery Meet the Brewer, The Crow (West Bar)
Strengthening planning laws and enforcement powers would save more historic pubs, says CAMRA
The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is marking the six-month anniversary of the demolition of the Crooked House pub in Himley, Staffordshire by calling on government ministers to commit to extra protections for pubs to avoid them being illegally converted or demolished.
The consumer organisation, which last week met with Levelling Up minister Lee Rowley MP to discuss protecting the nation’s pubs, wants more enforcement powers for local councils in England to stop pubs being illegally converted or demolished – including the ability for councils to force demolished locals to be rebuilt brick by brick.
In England, changing the use of a pub or demolishing one requires planning permission – but figures compiled by CAMRA showed that last year up to a third of closures and demolitions may be happening without the required planning permission.
The Campaign is also calling for similar protections for pubs in the planning system in Wales which don’t currently exist, and for a tightening of loopholes in Scotland to prevent pubs being allowed to be demolished without planning permission.
CAMRA also produces a range of pub-saving guides offering advice for individuals and community groups looking to save their pub from conversion or demolition and is working with the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and Mayor Andy Street to list heritage pubs in that region to offer them better protections.
Commenting on the six-month anniversary since the fire and subsequent demolition of the Crooked House pub, CAMRA’s National Chairman Nik Antona said:
“Six months on, this national scandal rightly still angers people up and down the country. Our pubs are at the heart of community life across the UK and must be protected as a vital part of our social fabric.
“Local people deserve to have a chance, through the planning system, to save their local pub from demolition or conversion to another use. Where this is done illegally, it is vital that local authorities have the powers and resources to force buildings back into use as pubs – or for them to be rebuilt brick by brick if they have been knocked down.
“That’s why on this anniversary we are renewing calls for governments in Westminster, Cardiff and Edinburgh to commit to improving planning protection laws and to make sure local authority planning departments are equipped to stop pubs being illegally converted or demolished without permission. Otherwise, we risk seeing more beloved locals across the UK being illegally taken away from the communities they serve.”
In response to the news that Elland Brewery is facing liquidation, and reports that Adnams is looking at options to bolster its funding, CAMRA Chairman Nik Antona commented:
“To hear that Elland Brewery is facing liquidation just six months after their 1872 Porter was crowned CAMRA’s Champion Beer of Britain 2023 is a major cause for concern. This, coupled with the reports that Adnams has been working with a management consultancy to explore options to shore up its finances – including the possibility of an injection of private capital – is a one-two punch at the heart of the UK brewing industry.
“The news raises the issue of fair competition, access to market and consumer choice. CAMRA does not want any brewery or cider producer to close their doors for good, be it a contemporary small independent brewer or larger family-owned establishments with decades of history.
“The worrying news that two prestigious, award-winning breweries are both facing pressure to remain trading and survive is indicative of the wider problems the brewing and pub trade are experiencing. CAMRA, along with the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) and the Independent Family Brewers of Britain (IFBB), is calling on the Government to increase Draught Relief to 20% from its current figure of 9.2% in the Chancellor’s upcoming Budget. Cutting tax specifically on draught beer and cider in pubs would encourage people to support their community local and help secure jobs and businesses in the pub and beer sector – particularly small and independent breweries that sell more of their products into pubs and taprooms.
“CAMRA is encouraging everyone to email their MPs asking them to support the ‘Make it 20%’ campaign and call on the Government to show their support for pubs, social clubs, breweries and cider producers.”
March means it’s time for Sheffield Beer Week! We’re delighted to be playing a small part in the 10th anniversary celebrations of this fantastic citywide festival. We’ve got a few special beers to celebrate – our collaboration with Sheffield Beer Week itself, Cloud Peak (4.8% Cryo Session IPA) makes a welcome return, as does heritage pale ale Sheffield Rocks (4.1%) … joined this year by all-new Sheffield Stout! A 4.5% classic stout inspired by the history of the city we call home. Expect a pronounced roasty body and flavours reminiscent of rich dark chocolate. A gently spicy hop character provides balanced bitterness before rolling into a smooth and long-lasting finish.
From our Stained Glass series, we’re heralding the arrival of Springtime (4.1%). A light and tropical pale ale to welcome the new season! Vista hops bring sweet, fruity notes of tangerine, cantaloupe melon and orchard pear, with an aromatic hint of green tea alongside.
And from the Brewers’ Emporium, a new series is on the way. We’re diving into the world of new and and exciting hop products, with Aquanaut (4.6%) searching for hidden depths of aroma and flavour. Immerse yourself in the intense tropical notes of Spectrum Galaxy and Lupomax Azacca, followed up with a piney, resinous finish from Incognito Centennial.
Finally, we have a very special collaboration with the iconic Sheffield electronic music duo I Monster. Fly P.A. is a 4.7% dry hopped pale ale brewed to celebrate the 20th anniversary reissue of their album “Neveroddoreven” and their 2024 tour. Featuring Galaxy and Sabro hops for a tropical fruit explosion. A beer that’s perfect for dreaming amid the flowers, for a couple of hours, on a beautiful day.
Doctor Morton is back with a new brew, it’s 100% reliable Fake News (4.1%)! Juicy Idaho 7 hops are balanced by delicately resinous and earthy Savinjski Goldings. Completely ineffective against truth seekers, flat earthers and mardy Yorkshire folk who have already made their bloody mind up.
The “travel poster” inspired series which we launched last year continues by staying right at home – Visit Beauchief Abbey (4.1%) is a classic pale ale, single hopped with Galaxy. We also have more collaborations with other fantastic cask-led breweries to follow from this range, planned for a little later in the year.
And rounding off a trilogy of new pale ale specials this month, we have Through the Hopback Belma (4.0%) on the way. A new hop to us, Belma promises notes of melon and strawberry with a clean citrussy character alongside.
Onto returning beers and we see Sheffield Rocks (4.1%) back on bars, inspired by our wonderful city’s long heritage. And from our Brewers Emporium range, Irish Stout (4.5%) from our Salvation series makes a welcome return along with Sheffield Beer Week collaboration Cloud Peak (4.8%). Look out for more news on our plans for Sheffield Beer Week itself coming soon!
Each year students new to the BA Hons Illustration course at Sheffield Hallam University are given an introductory illustration brief which helps them to find out, and report back, on aspects of the cultural heritage of the city – this year the focus was to draw our fantastic Sheffield pubs.
The underpinning intention of the brief is for students to practice and celebrate their drawing ability while coupled with getting to know each other a bit better as they are invited to draw on location together. For students new to the city this helps them to orientate the city helping them to seek and find out a little more about what it has to offer more generally.
Students were asked to produce a large body of observational drawings of their favourite chosen pub then, through selection, apply one of their designs, including the pub name, to a drink’s coaster. The designs were then digitally printed on Campus at our Fitzalan Square, Head Post Office location by our brilliant technical team.
Some of our students even returned to the pubs and took photos of them in situ with several requests to purchase a set of the designs after they were posted on the course Instagram page.
Frazer Hudson, senior lecturer on the illustration course comments, “Our pubs are special meeting places not only to share the news of the day but where ideas are formed, bonds are made, and culture is created.”
It’s hard to believe it but 2024 marks 10 years of Biblical brews for Emmanuales. A lot has happened over that period for brewing, balding, modern monk Nick Law.
Starting off in his cellar in 2014 with a humble fermentation bucket, his first beer – Ale the Lamb – fermented hot and tasted like old hymnals with an aroma of fusty-churches thrown in for good measure. After honing his beers of biblical proportions and gaining local popularity, Nick assumed the role at The Sheffield Brewery Company as the Head Brewer.
By January 2018, was apparent that he could no longer support both Emmanuales and The Sheffield Brewery Company simultaneously and decided to put Emmanuales on hiatus whilst he figured out what to do next.
After away from The Sheffield Brewery Company, Nick sought to help other brewers through his many skills in branding, marketing, and business and set up consultancy and agency Hop Forward to help a variety of businesses, including Lincoln Green Brewing Company, Great Beyond Brewing Co in Hoxton, Nigeria’s first craft brewery Bature Brewery, and filmmaker Guy Ritchie’s Gritchie Brewing Company.
During Lockdown, Nick felt it was time to resurrect Emmanuales and set up a fully functioning nano-brewery in his Walkley cellar, where it resides today.
To celebrate 10 years of Emmanuales, Nick is kickstarting the year with two beers: Ale the Lamb (6.0%) – a homage (and much superior version!) of his first beer, an Extra Special Bitter – and the second incantation of Swinging The Incense (9.6%): a peated quadruple with sweet smoky flavours and fruity undertones.
As ever, the beers will be available from local stockists including Beer Central, The Green Shop, Walkley Beer Co and The Dram Shop. For more info on Emmanuales and where to pick up these divine beers, head over to www.emmanuales.co.uk or follow us on all the socials @emmanuales
I’m getting a sense of déjà vu writing about Shakespeares for Pub of the Month… There have been a few changes since my last piece, not least manager Lucienne moving on to a career on the brewery side of the trade, and Tom stepping into her place. The pub has also just won another accolade in the form of the annual Pints of Sheffield Battle of the Boozers on the Instagrams.
One of the things I love about the local beer scene is that while other cities have some great craft bars and some great traditional pubs selling trad beer, Sheffield is almost unique in having proper pubs selling top tier craft beers (as well as superb cask of course). Shakespeares is a perfect example of this, being a proper old school pub with cask beers from across the country rubbing shoulders with some of the biggest names in craft from around the world (and some more obscure of course!).
Only a few of the more senior members of the branch will remember the pub’s opening in 1821, since when it has passed through various breweries’ (notably Wards) and pubcos’ ownership, and closure, before opening as a fully independent free house in 2011. In its current guise over 7,500 different cask beers have been sold plus about 2,000 keg. Permanent fixtures on cask are Red Willow Feckless and Abbeydale Deception while the rest of the handpumps host the ever-changing guests. The keg taps feature beers from within a mile to the other side of the planet, almost always including an imperial stout, a sour or two, various IPAs and usually some crazy ****. If that really isn’t enough there’s a large list of cans and bottles available from the cellar. There is also an impressive selection of whiskies and a smaller selection of whiskeys and rums (the latter needs to expand, hint hint…).
The pub itself retains a multi-room layout with rooms on all four sides of the central bar area, including a bustling front bar area, a (usually) quieter ‘clock room’ to the side, and the ‘long room’ with bench seating and a dartboard. Upstairs are two function rooms, a larger one regularly featuring live bands and a smaller one sometimes used for pub games and a couple of times a year for the festival cask bar, often including beers not seen anywhere else on cask (or in some cases at all!). Outside is a large paved beer garden which catches the evening sunlight, with a small covered area for more typical British weather…
Oh, and the sofa is still my Spot, so anyone who isn’t me should keep out!
Abbeydale Brewery are celebrating twice over this week, after two of their permanently available beers scooped medals at the prestigious Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) Regional Bottle & Can Awards (North East Region).
Heresy Lager (a 4.5%, gluten free continental style lager) received a Bronze medal, and Black IPA Black Mass received a top class Gold award in the Speciality IPA category, meaning it scored over 90/100 and will go forward to the National Finals, due to be held in March next year. Just three of the highest level Gold awards were given out across the whole region.
This is the second year running that Black Mass, a 6.6% ABV, gluten free and vegan friendly Black IPA, has come out as the top Speciality IPA in the region. Following the award in 2022, the beer subsequently went on to win National Gold in category before being declared Overall Champion beer in can in the whole of the UK – so the team at Abbeydale Brewery will be eagerly waiting to find out if it can defend the title.
Black Mass has been one of Abbeydale Brewery’s permanently available beers since the business was founded in 1996, and the team believe it to be one of the world’s first and longest standing beers of this style in existence. Lead Brewer Jim Rangeley says of the award, “Black Mass has always been one of my favourite beers to both make and drink, and it’s great to see that the judges agree! I’m looking forward to celebrating with a can of it.”
The SIBA Bottle & Can Independent Beer Awards 2023 see beers marked against internationally recognised style guides for the different beer award categories – looking at appearance, aroma, flavour, aftertaste and saleability. The awards are judged by beer sommeliers, experienced beer judges and fellow brewers. Neil Walker, SIBA Head of Comms, praised this year’s winners: “This year’s SIBA Independent Beer Awards Bottle & Can competition was our biggest ever, including seven regions of the UK and hundreds of individual beers. The expert judging panel only give awards where deserved, so the winners listed really are the very best beers in the region.”
