July already! And that means it’s time for the release of our annual charity beer, which this year is supporting the work of wonderful local cause Ben’s Centre. Ben’s Bazaar will be a classic, cask only, hop forward 4.1% pale ale. Please do visit our website to read more about this partnership, it’s such a unique and worthy charity and we’d love to raise as much awareness and funds as we can.
From our travel poster themed collaboration series, we’re looking forward to welcome our friends at Brampton Brewery to Abbeydale HQ to brew Inspired in Chesterfield (4.3%), with hints of pine and gentle pepper alongside punchy passionfruit citrussy notes from the combination of Columbus, Centennial and Vic Secret hops.
Dr Morton’s Demon Drink 4.2% is making a reappearance to our selection, a tasty and refreshing golden beer with aromas of berry fruits and citrus overlying a caramel and biscuit malt character. And new to the stained glass series will be Invocation (4.2%), melding Citra and Pacific Gem hops for a refreshing beer with notes of zesty citrus and blackberry, rounded off with a clean cutting bitterness in the finish.
From the Brewers Emporium, look out for the return of Dry-Hopped Deception, an amped up iteration of our familiar Nelson Sauvin hopped NZ pale which was incredibly popular last time we released it. And from the Salvation Series we have a smooth and inviting Oatmeal Stout (4.5%) on the way too.
Although I have lived in Sheffield since the late eighties, my formative drinking days were in Bristol, and I go back for family and friends fairly frequently.
As such I’ve followed the beer scene in Bristol along side that of Sheffield. Bristol is of a similar size to Sheffield, and has in common the loss of the breweries that I knew well from my younger days, Courage and Smiles in Bristol’s case, Wards and Stones here. The Bristol beer scene is however vibrant, and has a surprising number of breweries, so much so that there is a biannual East Bristol brewery trail weekend, encompassing 6 venues. The trail covers Little Martha, Moor, Good Chemistry, Left Handed Giant, Wiper and True, and Arbor, with it possible to walk the trail with a little planning (follow this order, or do in reverse!).
This years first event was on Saturday and Sunday, May 3rd and 4th. My wife and I were down and on a surprisingly sunny day for a bank holiday weekend and arrived in Bristol Temple Meads railway station just after midday to start the trail.
Just round the corner from the station is Little Martha Brewing, their taproom situated in a converted railway arch. Originally primarily a bar, and less than four years old, the brewing operation has expanded to the point they could offer 12 beers on draft, all keg. In what would become a theme on a hot sunny day I chose a lighter option called “Halo Orbit”, a 4.8% session IPA, and my wife “Chasing Pulsars” their lager. Both lasted no time at all, always a good sign, and we set off too the next venue.
Moor brewery started in 2007, and has always been a favourite of mine. They pride themselves on unfined, unfiltered and unpasteurised beer in all dispense forms – cask, keg, can and bottle, which makes them more CAMRA friendly than most “craft” breweries. I can recommend Old Freddie Walker, a 7.4 % old strong ale, but that was too much for the early stages of the trail, so we tried the “Illumination” 4.3% English pale ale on cask, and “Kellerbier lager”. They take the lager seriously, such that the storage tanks for the “lager” stage are installed on their side to improve the process. It works, because we ended up having a second, so impressed were we. Worth noting that Moor taproom is a music venue too, with a strong emphasis on rock and punk in all forms, which we would have been happy to listen to, but hadn’t started in the early afternoon of our visit. Quick shout out to Stoked Mexican street eats, for some delicious loaded nachos.
Next a short walk to Good Chemistry brewing, the only taproom that is not frequently open. As was the case for most of the breweries there were cask options, and I tried the “Marmalade waves” 4% pale ale. Described as having “marmalade floral biscuit” flavours, this was exactly how it came across, and probably the most memorable beers I had on the trail. The orangey taste was spot on for a sunny afternoon.
Half way in, and on we went to Left Handed Giant. Now a larger brewery on the Bristol scene, with another large taproom in the city centre. At this stage it was apparent that the trail was a popular option, with a queue for beer, and no seating until people moved on. We had “Go On Then”, a 4.2% cask pale ale, and “Alpina” lager. Both perfectly pleasant, but the crowds and the first instance of the Bristol staple Drum and Bass through the sound system meant we just had the one. I will give them additional credit as the only taproom serving in glass, despite the large crowd.
Wiper and True surprised me, in that it was at a new large brewery location, not the smaller one I’d visited on the trail previously. They do brew some Stouts I love (Milk Shake, Hard Shake, Espresso Martini Shake), but none were on draft, so we had “Today” Munich Lager and “Kaleidoscope” a 4.2% Pale, mainly because they were on a smaller bar with much shorter queues than the main one. Call me old, but it made sense at the time!
So on to the final brewery, and another favourite of mine, Arbor. I choose “Mosaic” 4.0% pale to start followed by “Citrus Maxima” a 4.0% lemon and lime pale, and my wife “Helles” lager. All very drinkable on a sunny afternoon, and highly recommendable. Again it was now very busy, and the Drum and Bass was in full effect, but at that stage we didn’t care so much. I love a black IPA and “The Devil Made Me Brew it” is a great example, but it wasn’t on draft, so I bought a (pint) can of it, plus a can of “Rubber Dingy Rapids” 10% impy stout, not least for the Sheffield connection……
A short walk to the Laurence Hill station and back into town at the end of a highly enjoyable session.
I can’t say the trail is picturesque, think Attercliffe industrial units, but six breweries in close proximity is impressive, with a wide beer choice (there were options other than pales and lager!) and I recommend it if you are interested, with the next weekend trail on the 23rd and 24th August.
CAMRA’s Members Weekend presented a problem for those of us who volunteer for the Discovery Bars: How to show what we do without coming across as patronising.
For those who don’t know them, the Discovery Bars are part of CAMRA’s Learning & Discovery arm, the area of the campaign that sets about to educate people about beers, ciders and perries, pubs, pints, people, and the industry as a whole. There’s lots of different things that it does, but I only really deal with the Discovery Bars that go to beer festivals around the country; getting people to think more about what they’re drinking and in turn appreciate it more.
We usually do this with our partner breweries for the day, guiding festival goers through a theme. The themes are quite diverse but always fun and always involve free samples of beer. Comparing cask and keg versions of the same beer side by side is always an interesting one where we get to explain how the packaging differs and what that actually does to the beer as it comes to the drinker. Hop varieties are another great one, having hops on hand to get the drinkers opening them up to see the lupulin, to rub and sniff the cones and pellets to get the direct aroma from the oils, and then tasting beers made with those varieties to see how those oils come across in the final beer. And malts too always make for an interesting chat with people, getting them to chew some Maris Otter for its biscuity flavours and then some Chocolate malt for its taste of old ashtrays (I’m not a fan), before pouring them samples of beers made with those malts so they can see how the flavours of the malts can come through, and how they all affect the colour of the finished beer.
But the problem with CAMRA’s Members Weekend is that the attendees will most likely have done those things before. Several times. So how to showcase the effectiveness of the Discovery Bars and get people interested in hosting them at their local festivals in a way that’s more than just a slideshow full of photos of people enjoying themselves?
Well, the team excelled themselves with a new theme: Settling The Sparkler Debate.
Let’s be honest, people have views when it comes to the use of sparklers on their beer. And their views are usually very ingrained and never going to change. It’s either Sparkler Good or Sparkler Bad, there is no middle ground.
But what sort of sparkler? And what do they actually do to the beer? And how do they actually work? These are just some of the questions we thought we’d try and get people to think about and we needed a way to achieve that. We don’t teach people at the Discovery Bars, we don’t lecture them. We try to get them to think, we provide them with the information they need to educate themselves. It works better.
So how to achieve that?
It turned out to be quite simple, we attached a single cask of beer to a gravity tap and four hand pulls. It looked a bit bodged together, and being honest it was. We had no idea going into this if it would be popular or if we might do it again, so a bit of behind the scenes bodging was perfectly fine for this one occasion, and if it was popular, we could then invest in the more expensive kit to do it again.
This allowed us to present attendees with five samples from the same cask: gravity, hand pull with no sparkler, with a “flat” sparkler, a 1mm sparkler, and a vortex creamer. All five samples poured one after the other and set out in a line on the bar.
We were then able to talk people through the beers, getting them to focus on the mouthfeel of each, and on the bitterness and flavours that they picked up. As we went through the samples we talked about how the hand pulls worked, a simple beer engine that pushes the beer into the glass, quicker than just opening the gravity tap. How the flat sparkler has an internal cone and two large holes, forcing the beer out and to the sides of the glass. How the 1mm sparkler had lots of little holes (all 1mm in diameter, hence the name) and squirted the beer through at a higher pressure onto the bottom of the glass, and how the vortex creamer had even smaller holes and then a cone on the outside of the nozzle that caused the beer being poured into the glass to form a swirling vortex as it hit the bottom.
As we did this we got people to give us their thoughts on the difference between the beer they were sampling and the previous one. In general these were small increments, slightly less flavour and bitterness, slightly more body and smoothness. Then when we’d sampled the fifth one, we got them to try the first again, the gravity pour. Each increment between samples may have been small (which is why we chose those sparklers we were using), but the difference between the first and last samples was “like night and day” and “you’d not believe it was the same beer, let alone the same cask” according to those who came and chatted (and drank) with us.
By talking with people, and getting them to understand how sparklers work, and what each type of sparkler actually did to the beer, we got them to form their own opinions and come to their own conclusions. And the conclusion they came to wasn’t sparkler good or sparkler bad, but was instead whether they preferred their beers with more or less of a smooth body to it or more or less bitterness. The sparkler is just a tool to achieve that.
We then followed on our chats with people, going into how breweries can add extra hops to their beers so that when the sparkler strips out some of those hop flavours and bitterness, there’s still enough left to achieve what the brewer planned the end pint to taste like. About how it’s not just hop bitterness that the sparklers remove, but also malt astringency making them good for stouts. And also how they can remove the “tired” flavours of ageing beer, giving them a new lease of shelf life.
We didn’t know whether our little stand tucked away in the far corner of the Members Bar would be popular, but it was. We went through our entire cask in the first afternoon. Two and a half intense hours and we’d run out of beer. We had to “borrow” a second cask from the main bar itself just so that we’d be able to do it all again the following day. That one lasted three hours and we finished early. It seemed that the decision to present five different types of sparkled/unsparkled beers side by side was incredibly popular, something none of those who came to us had ever had the chance to try before. Amongst the chat about the sparklers we got to chat about the Discovery Bars and festivals, and there is a definite desire for them amongst the CAMRA branches, so expect to start seeing them around more.
Perhaps for me though the best comment of the weekend was from one member after we’d gone through the samples: “I have to admit, I came over here really sceptical but it’s been great and I’ve learned something.” And that’s all we can hope for, that people enjoy what we do, and that they go away a little bit more knowledgeable about what they’re drinking.
As for what people preferred, it’s really down to personal tastes.
First up this month we have Linden, a 4.1% pale ale single hopped with Most, our first time using this hop. Most are a new variety grown due to a collaboration between our hop suppliers Charles Faram here in the UK, and growers based in the Czech Republic – the word “most” is Czech for bridge, so the name represents this union. Expect an aromatic beer with notes of tropical and berry fruits, and a clean, sweet finish.
Next in our Mythical Creatures inspired series we have the mighty minotaur! Asterion (4.0%) is a fruit forward and floral pale ale with the delicious combination of Amarillo, Nelson Sauvin and Galaxy hops. And It’s all systems go with the Dr’s latest stellar sup! Dr Morton’s Rocket Surgery (4.1%) is crafted with UK grown Olicana and Bullion hops to straighten tail fins and reorient your nose cone, all without any disruption to your flight path or launch window.
From our collaboration range with artwork inspired by vintage travel posters, look out for Heading into Harrogate (4.6%). We’re honoured to be hosting fellow UK beer pioneers Roosters Brewery to create a West Coast style pale ale, piney and resinous with Centennial and Citra hops.
And from the Brewers Emporium we’re excited to be releasing our first ever Kölsch! Top fermented like an ale but cold fermented like a lager, this hybrid beer (4.8%) is clean and crisp with a light hop character and a soft crackerbread sweetness. Plus, it’s a welcome return for Tranquility, a 3.8% soft and pillowy New England style Session IPA, and finally a sweet treat in the form of a Coconut Macaroon Stout (5.4%), a new addition to our dessert inspired Indulgence series.
CAMRA warns of more shuttered pubs as double whammy of tax changes come into force
The consumer group fears that more pubs will close their doors because of the extra costs of National Insurance rises and an increase in business rates bills in England coming into force this week.
CAMRA is warning that rates of pub business closures and conversions could be on the up this year as licensees face extra costs from the increase in Employer National Insurance contributions which begin on Thursday 6 April.
Pubs in England will also see an increase in the cost of their business rates bills this week, as business rates relief provided by the Government is reduced from 75% to 40% as of 1 April. Some pubs in Scotland and Wales will also receive 40% relief on business rates bills. CAMRA is calling on governments in all nations of the UK to introduce new, fairer business rates systems that are fairer to pubs.
CAMRA’s pub data shows that in 2024, 1,062 pub businesses across Great Britain were no longer operating, with buildings standing empty. A further 210 pub buildings have been converted into other uses like shops or housing.
In the first three months of 2025, 303 pub businesses across England, Scotland and Wales closed – whilst a further 46 pubs have been converted into other uses.
CAMRA Chairman Ash Corbett-Collins said:
“Hundreds of pubs have already stopped trading this year. How many more need to shut before the Government takes notice? With big increases in costs from higher National Insurance contributions starting this week, and hikes in business rates bills for pubs in England too, it’s important for customers to remember that price hikes at the bar are the fault of the Government, not hard-working publicans.
“Pubgoers are calling on the Chancellor to look closely at the rate of pub closures between now and the Budget in the Autumn, to think again on the Employer National Insurance hike for pubs and to cut rates of VAT and duty charged on beer and cider served in pubs.
“Without action from governments in all four nations, we risk losing more pubs which are a vital part of our social fabric and are at the heart of community life up and down the UK.”
I’ve tried mead on and off for many years – I recall my first time was while watching the extended Lord of the Rings trilogy in 2002, and mostly associating it with National Trust gift shops. Later, I discovered better meads – from the various honey types used by UK and German brewers, to those enhanced with fruit or spices.
When visiting the Crow Inn in February 2024, I spotted a small chalkboard advertising local mead. I gave it a try – it was called Salvation and billed as a traditional mead. It was light and fresh-tasting, and when I enquired about it, I was told the brewer had a taproom in the middle of its soft launch.
Tim Young was an English teacher overseas, teaching in Vietnam when the pandemic hit in 2020. While unable to teach, he began brewing mead. On his return, Tim – originally from Essex – chose Sheffield as his new home. Still home-brewing at the time, he decided in late 2023 to give full-time brewing a go.
Paradise Garage, his meadery, is named after a long-closed nightclub in New York – and each of the meads follows suit. Salvation is Tim’s first and only ‘classic’ mead, with the others becoming increasingly adventurous: Roxy, with blackcurrant and peppercorn; Funhouse, featuring chilli, apricot and hibiscus; and AM/PM, the latest addition, made with plum and Lapsang Souchong tea.
Paradise Garage mead can always be found at the taproom in Merchant’s Court (43 Mowbray St), open Fridays 6–10pm and Saturdays 2–7pm. In keeping with the musical theme, there’s even a record player on hand.
It’s also available by the glass at various Sheffield venues (most commonly the Old Shoe), and Paradise Garage had a stand at the recent Indie Beer Feast – so keep an eye on the website, paradisegaragebrewing.com.
While attending the Bear’s beer and cheese event during Sheffield Beer Week, owner Matt pointed out an overly large pump clip on the wall, saying ‘you know what that means’. I did – but I wasn’t sure how he intended to serve it. The Bear has no cask lines.
Founded in 2021 by Matt Beety, the Bear is a cosy bottle shop at the top of Abbeydale Road, specialising primarily in craft beer. It boasts a wall of fridges and a bar with six keg lines. The Bear holds regular meet the brewer events, and the clip Matt pointed out was for Weekend Project’s appearance in mid-March.
This was the Bear’s first foray into cask (though its sister bar, the Old Shoe, has two lines), and the first issue to overcome was the complete absence of any serving mechanism for cask beer.
Matt brought in local company SR Beer Co to help set up a temporary handpull at the end of the bar, and relied on a bucket and some ice to keep the nine-gallon cask cool.
The event was attended by Will from Weekend Project, along with sausage dog Oliver and seven of their beers – and, of course, about 25 drinkers. First up, and star of the show, was Planet Caravan on the new pump, ably poured by Sooty (with some help from his friend Jonny).
It was an evening full of tales from breweries both foreign and domestic – and quite a lot of beer.
The Bear has a steady stream of meet the brewer events advertised on its social media platforms, which tend to sell out quickly – and perhaps we can hope that future editions might feature some cask offerings too.
Sheffield based Abbeydale Brewery has been named the Employer of the Year by the Society of Independent Brewers & Associates (SIBA). This accolade celebrates the pioneering transition of the business to becoming 100% employee owned in 2024, recognising the commitment made by founders and selling owners Pat and Sue Morton to ensure a true legacy of independence and cement the team right at the very heart of the business.
The awards were hosted by Sunday Times Beer Columnist and acclaimed author and broadcaster Pete Brown, who said of the award “the judging panel were unanimous in their praise for Abbeydale who this year were trailblazers in the UK as the first employee-owned brewery, building a future for this much-loved brewery whilst giving back to the team who built it.”
The SIBA Business Awards aim to highlight the UK’s very best brewing businesses, pubs and retailers of independent beer, in an annual celebration known as the “Oscars of the beer industry” and judged by a panel of industry experts.
The award was collected on behalf of the brewery by Christie McIntosh and Finlay MacDonald, who sit on the new Board of Trustees as Employee Representatives, plus their colleagues and Co-Owners Laura Rangeley and Lily Pickles. Alongside the Employee Ownership Trust, the award recognised the company’s long-standing commitment to training, education and emphasis on listening to the employee voice, an ethos which the business has held throughout its existence and has resulted in a loyal and enthusiastic workforce.
McIntosh, who is also a brewer and the Quality Manager at Abbeydale Brewery, said of the EOT; “There are some major perks and holistic benefits which could come with our new status – but we all know we have to put the work in to get there, which is a great motivator. I feel like I can speak for everyone when I say it doesn’t automatically make us the best company in the industry to work for – to become that is now entirely down to us. Thank you to Pat and Sue for their leadership and their trust in our team – this award is for them.”
The “District” bit of Sheffield & District branch is the part in Derbyshire which includes Killamarsh, Ridgeway and a big chunk of the Peak District National Park, predominantly the Hope Valley, out as far as Millers Dale and Edale. As with the Yorkshire pubs in Sheffield, a number of judges go out and score the two pubs that came out top in the members vote to pick an overall winner, which gets put forward into the North Derbyshire entry round of the national competition. Our District winner is the Old Hall Hotel in Hope. The venue combines a pub, restaurant, tea room and bed & breakfast accommodation with the bar offering a range of cask ales plus an extensive selection of scotch single malt whiskies.
Our festival secretary Jess Cawley, reports on his visit:
“Located in the Hope valley the Old Hall public house located in the picturesque village of Hope and nestled below Lose Hill that’s at one end of the famous Lose Hill ridge. The first mention of the current building was a rebuilding in 1703and forms the current “Old Hall” pub that became a listed building in 1984.
Internally the pub has a traditional air with oak panelled walls exhibiting a welcoming and convivial atmosphere. A lunch-time meal was French Onion soup and a beef sandwich, both of which went down well. There were a good half dozen real ales to choose from with Theakston “Old Peculiar” a well known favourite. My Theakston’s Best was very palatable.
The pub runs a beer festival on bank holidays and was frequented by tourists and locals alike. Facilities were fine and there is an extensive menu, reasonably priced”.
Join us for the award presentation on the evening of Tuesday 29 July. Regular trains run from Sheffield to Hope and bus 272 also goes there.
On Tuesday 11 March, 8pm at the Sheaf View in Heeley was the calm after the storm with the pub having been packed with Sheffield United fans enjoying a pre match pint, they were replaced by a bunch of CAMRA members and locals as we presented Dom and the team with their Pub of the Month award!
Sheffield & District CAMRA’s Phil Ellett presents Dominic Durham with the March 2025 Pub of the Month award with members of staff looking on! Photo: John Beardshaw.
