Author: Guest

Finding Hope in Hops

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As the fight for survival continues across the UK hospitality industry, one speciality beer shop in Sheffield is celebrating 7 years in business and its founder is determined to keep looking forward.

Jules Gray

Jules Gray is not your average business owner. Way back in 2013 she founded Hop Hideout – one of the UKs first ‘drink in’ beer shops – and soon after went on to establish flagship events Sheffield Beer Week and Indie Beer Feast. In fact, Jules has led several significant ‘firsts’ in what continues to be a male dominated industry, and now she’s about to celebrate another – the 7th birthday of Hop Hideout.

2020 has been one hell of a rollercoaster ride for the beer industry. For Jules, the last 12 months have seen her going from the highs of celebrating the booming craft beer scene across her various projects, to the whiplash-inducing pandemic-driven emergency stop and the immensely challenging times that ensued. 

She’s always tried to remain positive, though, and through keeping in touch with her regulars and the support of the local community she’s found a way to invest her energy in hope.

Hop Hideout in Kommune – photo by Mark Newton

Jules has big plans for the rest of 2020: “I’m focused on celebrating Hop Hideout’s 7th anniversary in November, which feels momentous given the year we’ve had. We’ve organised a big Zoom virtual party on a beer and cats theme – showcasing a new design we had commissioned. We’ve got yoga, a virtual brewery tour, a beer label art talk by a well-known beer writer and a pub quiz with special guests – plus plenty of cat themed beers!

Looking beyond the birthday, I also want to make sure Christmas is as special as it can be this year. We’ve created some great craft beer and craft cider advent calendars and we have more goodies lined up.”

Jules’ positivity is what’s needed right now. With the hospitality sector experiencing the biggest loss of jobs than any other sector this year, there’s some way to go to get back to any kind of normal. According to UK Hospitality over 90% of fully COVID-secure hospitality and pub businesses are operating at a loss, and thousands of otherwise viable businesses in Tier 3 and Tier 2 areas have already closed. The leading trade association is calling for more Government support to ensure businesses can survive as they believe hospitality – a sector that, prior to Covid, directly provided 3.2 million jobs across every part of the UK, and a further 1 million in dependent supply chains – can lead the revival of the economy in 2021.

As ever, Jules is keeping her eyes firmly fixed on the future. With values strongly rooted in people, beer experiences, good causes, and community she’s already working on plans for 2021.

“Indie Beer Feast usually happens in March but I’m hoping we can maybe bring an autumn edition next year. In terms of Hop Hideout, product-wise we want to continue our focus on fine cider and natural wine which we’ve been investing a lot of energy in recently. I’m genuinely excited for the development of the UK craft cider sector. We also plan to explore new bricks and mortar sites – obviously this just got a whole lot more challenging but I do still have hope and I want to invest in local high streets, so watch this space.”

In terms of the wider industry, Jules is already no stranger to collaboration, peer support, and working to make beer a more diverse and equal space, but she hopes to see much more of this, post-pandemic: “If just some good can come from all this, I hope next year sees an increased collaborative approach across the independent beer sector, using these shared experiences to come together. I also hope that craft beer businesses continue to challenge themselves to be open and welcoming to all – from an actionable and economic foundation, not just marketing talk. There’s not only hope in hops; there’s a real opportunity to do good and help each other.”

~ENDS~

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Contact

Please contact rachel@weareraucous.co for high res images, interviews or further comment.

About the Hop Hideout 7th Birthday

Name: Paws Party aka #Caturday on Zoom

Date: Saturday 21st November 2020

Schedule:

10.30am Beginners Yoga with Vicki Baumann (Yoga with Vicki B)

1pm Virtual Brewery Tour with Saint Mars of the Desert

4pm The Art of Beer with Pete Brown (A talk on beer design and packaging)

7pm The Hope Hideout Quizzy Quiz with special guest, Stacey from Rock Leopard Brewing, London

A £25 special Birthday Surprise Beer Bundle is available, which gives access to sessions. 

Range of merchandise also available which also gives access to sessions

Sarah Nulty Power of Music Foundation

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A new charity has launched to support people across Sheffield in memory of Tramlines director Sarah Nulty.  You may recall we presented her an award to recognise that her music festival made an effort to also featured good beer.

The Sarah Nulty Power of Music Foundation provides grant funding to community groups, schools and socially and economically disadvantaged people to access the transformative power of music.  

From funding music therapy for community groups and grants to purchase instruments to enabling people to access online music classes throughout lockdown, The Sarah Nulty Power of Music Foundation aims to spread happiness, through music.  

Headed up by Sarah’s mum Julie Voisey, the Charity’s trustees include Sarah’s family members and friends.

Julie said: “Since we lost Sarah, we have been overwhelmed by the way her friends and the people across the city came together to support local charities in her memory.  In creating the Power of Music Foundation, we hope to spread happiness and joy throughout Sheffield in a new way. We know that music has the ability to improve people’s mental wellbeing and in these very difficult times, I truly hope we can make a difference to people’s lives.   

“Music was such an enormous part of Sarah’s life and something so close to her heart. This feels like the right way to remember her.” 

Speaking about the Foundation’s grant funding launch, Julia Waldron, Development Manager from Under The Stars, the arts and events charity for people with learning disabilities, said: “Sarah was a passionate supporter of Under The Stars, she gave our artists exposure on prominent stages they are often excluded from.  This fund will give lots more people with a disability in Sheffield opportunities in music that would otherwise be unavailable. We are really looking forward to working with the Sarah Nulty Power of Music Foundation in the future.”

TrusteeJulie Voisey added: “The Sarah Nulty Power of Music Foundation is now open for grant applications from charities, community groups and individuals across Sheffield. We support people of any age in the city who are socially or economically disadvantaged, and we work with individuals and organisations helping people with disabilities and complex needs, with children and schools, and with anyone experiencing hardship.  

“From funding music lessons to purchasing musical equipment and everything in between, we’re open to helping people to experience the power and joy that music can bring in whatever way that works for them.”   

Individuals and businesses across Sheffield can support by making regular or one-off donations via TotalGiving and by purchasing a range of limited-edition merchandise.  

In the Foundation’s shop online at www.thesarahnultypowerofmusicfoundation.co.uk, supporters can buy the iconic ‘Be More Nulty’ t-shirts as well as tote bags with an exclusive new design to represent the charity’s new beginnings. Tote bags are also now on sale with all proceeds going directly to the Foundation.   

Supporting organisations are invited to apply for the Power of Music Foundation’s first round of grant funding by visiting the Foundation’s website. Individual grants of up to around £300 will be considered and might be used to: 

·       Support children and adults to develop their musical talents by funding music lessons, clubs, instruments, and live music events 

·       Fund music therapies and musical experiences for people in the community; through groups supporting children and families experiencing hardship, people with disabilities, asylum seeker and refugee groups and similar 

·       Sponsor a school’s music room, by purchasing musical instruments and equipment, so children of all backgrounds and abilities can learn to play  

·       Provide funds for existing charitable groups to provide music-based activities and therapies for the people they support 

For more information on The Sarah Nulty Power of Music Foundation, how to get involved, donate or sponsor, contact Julie Voisey at thesarahnultypom@gmail.com. You can also visit the website at www.thesarahnultypowerofmusicfoundation.co.uk.

Loxley

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Loxley Brewery rebranded during the first Covid-19 lockdown. Their ‘numbered’ cask ales now have names, which comes as a shock to most but it really does make things easier – they promise! 

The micro-brewery started out in 2018 just casking ales, and soon expanded their knowledge and started bottling too. When the bottles proved popular, they had to build an on-site bottling plant!

You’d think there was a story behind the numbered cask ales, but really their isn’t, they just didn’t know what to call them and so aptly named them with numbers! This proved popular and made a lot of customers laugh – it really was a talking point. But as bottling commenced, they were inspired to name the bottled ales after local history and folklore surrounding harrowing tales and gruesome legends once told about murders and tragedies on Loxley Common and surrounding areas. Revill, Lomas, Halliday, Fearn & Gunson the bottles were named…and now so are the casks!

Handy guide to know Loxley Ales:
Wisewood One – Revill 
Wisewood Three – Halliday (no relation to our good friend James!)
Wisewood Four – Gunson
Wisewood Seven – Lomas
Wisewood Eight – Fearn 

Wisewood Two, Five & Six were scrapped prior to the name change as they were the least popular brews. Renaming the beers also made sense so that the numbers didn’t jump! 

So – where did the names come from?

Halliday – Thomas Halliday built a Cave House on the Loxley Common.

Revill – In the evening of 30th December 1812 Mary Revill was murdered in the Cave House, which stood lonely on Loxley Common.

Lomas – Marys husband, Lomas Revill, a game keeper, hadn’t come home that night. He had been seen in the local inn and was found the next morning in the gamekeeper’s cabin.

Gunson – The surname of the chief engineer with the Sheffield Waterworks Company. John Gunson engineered the Dale Dyke Dam which burst and flooded Sheffield in 1864, killing many people.

Frank Fearn was hung in 1782, for the murder of a watchmaker. He told the watchmaker a story of a pocket watch club (where customers would save weekly towards the cost of a pocket watch) in High Bradfield. En route, Fearn clubbed and stabbed the watchmaker to death on Kirk Edge Road and hid his body in a nearby copse.

*Bottle delivery available – visit http://www.loxleybrewery.co.uk/shop/ to place your order OR VISIT The Raven Inn / The Wisewood Inn for a proper pint!’*

Hannah Hebb 

Chefless pub kitchen service

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City Grab, the food delivery arm of City Taxis, have teamed up with their sister company ChefChef.store and event caterers PJ Taste, to create options for those brave or desperate enough to trade through these next few weeks.

Now that a substantial meal is a prerequisite for visiting a pub, the thorny question of how to open properly remains unresolved. Many simply won’t be able to afford the wages of kitchen staff, either at all, or during quieter shifts.

As pubs weigh up their options, City Grab have three opportunities for venues who decide to try and operate but are unable to open a kitchen. For all options we are promoting the idea of a ‘plateage fee’. Allowing pubs to charge a back to front version of corkage – the mainstay of BYOB venues over the years.

One option is to join a buddy system with one of City Grab’s outlets. The bar
effectively becomes a broker for the customer and orders meals via City Grab for consumption in the next hour. City Grab will offer a ’99p per mile’ delivery as a two week introductory offer from Go Live. Diners can expect their food to arrive within half an hour, with the pub charging a surcharge for the table. This can help keep two independents viable at the same time.

Alternatively, or to compliment the above, with ChefChef.store and PJ Taste we have developed a lunchtime and evening ready meal package. Lunch time meals are budget frozen meals, with evening meals pre-booked off a five plate menu and delivered ready to heat on the night.

All of the above will be supported by extensive marketing through the City Grab marketing, PR and social media channels.

We know it’s not ideal and it might not be enough – but if it helps one or two venues get through these crazy times then we reckon it’s worth it. if you are interested in joining the scheme or finding out more, get in touch with the team on hayley.hirst@citytaxis.com.

NOTE: This was the old tier 3, which is now tier 2, where pubs can only open if they operate as a restaurant. It will become relevant again if our area is moved to tier 2.

Bradfield

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The 5,000th brew has kick started a return to the seasonal ale calendar for us at Bradfield Brewery. After the great success of our 5K brew and keen interest in our seasonal ale availability from both the pubs and our fans at home, we’ve decided that the rest of the seasonal ale lineup for 2020 WILL go ahead!

So next up is Farmers Jack-O-Lantern, a popular Autumnal seasonal ale, lightly hopped and amber coloured at 4.5%. This will be available from 5 October in nine and 18 gallon cask with the five litre mini kegs to follow shortly after.

While there may not be any remembrance event gatherings being held this year, it will not stop us commemorating our fallen soldiers with our Farmers Poppy Ale. 10p from every pint sold of this fruity golden ale is donated to the Royal British Legion and will be available in nine and 18 gallon casks from mid-October, with five litre mini kegs available shortly after.

And then before we know it… the ‘C’ word. I’ll just leave that there.

Jackie

New restrictions hit pubs from Thursday

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In response to the Government announcement that pubs and restaurants will be forced to close at 10pm from Thursday 24th September onwards, CAMRA National Chairman Nik Antona commented:

“As things stand this morning, hospitality is the only sector to be subject to new restrictions. This will be devastating news for thousands of publicans across England who have been willing to do whatever is necessary to provide a safe, Covid-secure place for people to enjoy the wellbeing benefits of having a pint with friends and family.

“The Government should not impose arbitrary restrictions that target one sector without explanation or evidence, which, so far, we have not seen. We are now calling for a new financial support package to be introduced for pubs immediately, which includes the extension of the furlough scheme and the cancellation of business rates for another year, or they risk countless pub closures and job losses.”

In addition to the 10pm close, pubs are now required to operate table service and both customers and staff are required to wear face coverings whenever not seated.

Click here for our rough guide to Covid Safe pub going.

 

 

Collobracadabra back but barrel aged

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*note this is taken from their Facebook event page

They had taken a break from beer events for a little while but wanted to celebrate a special little weekend held at Shakespeare’s that got slightly overshadowed by a certain global crisis but took a ridiculous amount of work to pull off and produced some incredible beers.

Right on the cusp of everything going doolally and the whole world changing we held a beer festival of 15 beers we had collaboratively brewed ourselves. One of these was the events flagship beer, if you will, Collabracadabra, a honey, vanilla and Apricot pastry braggot brewed at Steel City with help from Abbeydale, Neepsend, Blue Bee, and Lost Industry.

It all seems 5 minutes ago since we had a BBQ and chucked a lot of apricot in this but it turns out it has actually been months – and during those months a little run off has been ageing in a white wine barrel to make CollabracadaBA.

Being Shakespeare’s, we obviously wanted to get the barrel aged braggot in cask, so we did. Along side it we have what we think is probably the last remaining keg of the original beer too so you can quaff them together to compare and contrast.

While we’re at it we’ve stuck with the honey theme and also have Steel City’s Hive Mind honey saison, and stuck with the mad theme with something extra special as a little nod of appreciation to our lovely pals up the road at the Crow Inn. We love our recently acquired pub neighbours all the time but we’re especially chuffed for them getting Zwanze day this same weekend. We’ve got a blend of Collabracadabra and Corvus Corone in Bordeaux – a red wine barrel aged sour brut IPA brewed by the Crow lot. Put them together and what do you get? We don’t know but were hedging bets it will be delicious.

So there you have it, 3 beers with the same beer that are all totally different and one with similar ingredients that is also completely different – genuinely.

This event is at Shakespeare’s on Saturday 26th September from 3pm.

Bradfield celebrates milestone

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Whilst we’ve been busy running the Covid curveball gauntlet, we didn’t forget an all important milestone! Mid September has seen our 5,000th brew take place and we hope you’ll agree, that’s something to celebrate.

Now usually we’d all be saying ‘let’s raise a drink together to celebrate!’ but let’s face it, we shouldn’t really be encouraging crowd gatherings at the moment so we’ve thought of a different way to mark the occasion.

This momentous brew will be celebrated with a 24 hour brewathon which will begin on 22 September, and we’ll be blogging along the way for all to enjoy! Brewers Sam, Bruce and Kieran will be doing five consecutive brews starting at 5pm on the 22 September and finishing at 5pm on Wednesday 23 September.

With our seasonal calendar being turned upside down, we had planned for a brand new brew in May this year, using our very own, home grown hops. Not wanting these hops to go to waste and with the milestone brew coming up, it lended us the opportunity to go forth and deliver!

So with our homegrown hops included, the 5K brew was brewed using five different hops, five different malts, courtesy of our new malt supplier, Paul’s Malt, and if you’ve not guessed it, the beer is 5% ABV.

A well hopped and nicely balanced IPA, the 5K is available in cask from the 21 September and will be available in five litre mini kegs soon.

Follow us on social media to check out the 24 hour brewathon!

Jackie

Small Brewers Relief

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CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, has urged the Government to change their plans to increase the amount of tax that small brewers across the UK will have to pay.  

In a letter to Kemi Badenoch MP, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, the Campaign’s Chairman and Chief Executive laid out their concerns over the move to reduce the level of production at which small brewers receive the full level of tax relief – in order to allow larger brewers to pay less. 

Nik Antona, CAMRA National Chairman, said: 

“Small Brewers’ Relief has been instrumental in creating the brewing boom that we have seen over the past two decades and is vital to maintaining a thriving and diverse beer market, and choice for consumers. 

“The news of these poorly considered reforms to the Small Brewers’ Relief Scheme could not come at a worse time for our small brewers, who are already facing financial uncertainty due to the coronavirus crisis.  

“That’s why CAMRA is joining calls for the Government to rethink its plans to remove tax relief from the smallest brewers to allow larger brewers to pay less, and to publish more information about any other proposed changes to the scheme as soon as possible.” 

Petition

Meanwhile both SIBA and CAMRA are encouraging members as individuals to sign the petition from brewers Anspach & Hobday on the CAMRA website or at this Parliament link https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/334066.

More Information

You can find out more about this campaign at https://camra.org.uk/beer-and-cider/campaigns/sbr/

Kelham Island

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The latest seasonal special is “Overseer”, an IPA combining a trio of US hops in the kettle and ever greater volumes dry hopped for an even more powerful hop kick and flavour. And if that wasn’t enough, they have left the beer unfined and unfiltered to help retain the big hop flavour so whilst the beer will be hazy the flavour and hop character won’t be.