First up for July we have Through the Hopback – Willamette (4.2%) – a single hopped pale ale featuring the superstar hop of our beloved Moonshine, here given space in the spotlight on its very own! Renowned for vibrant citrussy notes, hints of spice and a floral finish.
This month sees the return of Doctor Morton’s Safety Beer (4.1%) featuring the Australian duo of Galaxy and Vic Secret hops. And in response to high demand for dark beers we have a cask only release of Steadfast Stout from our Salvation series, a classic 4.8% no messing about kinda stout.
Tis the season for the ever-popular Belfry to make a comeback too, a 4.5% pale golden ale single hopped with American grown Cascade. Smooth and biscuity with a characteristic fruity, floral aroma and a crisp, refreshing finish.
So far featuring a mystery hop (we haven’t quite finalised the recipe yet!) we have Erlking on the way from our new series inspired by mythical creatures from around the globe. This one will be 3.9% and pale.
And towards the end of the month we hope to release our annual charity beer! We’ve decided to continue our relationship with Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust throughout 2024, which means Swifty is coming back for another year, just like the birds that inspired it! A 4.2% quaffable pale ale featuring UK grown hops alongside African grains of paradise to represent the migratory journey of the swift. 10p from each pint sold will be donated to Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust so please do look out for this one on the bar!
Pangolinare hosting a tap takeover with Pig Love of Leeds on Friday 21 June while every Wednesday it is chess club at 8pm.
Old Shoelaunched this year’s batch of Exemption cider on the bar on Saturday 25 May which a choice of two available – one being Generous Flavours, a dry, bitter cider made with Sheffield windfall apples whilst the other The Fox & Lazy Dog is a blend involving juice from Ross Cider (50% Foxwhelp apple) and Sheffield windfall apples.
King & Millerin Deepcar is now serving food again. The menu includes classic pub dishes such as steaks, burgers, pies, sausage & mash, fish & chips and chilli.
Farmyard Inn at Youlgrave is hosting their annual Pommie Fest 9-11 August.
Peak Hotel in Castleton will again be hosting their Peaktober fest in September, details to be confirmed.
Tunnel Tapin Totley has had a handpump installed and started serving real ale from 7 June. It will be used for beer from Thornbridge Brewery and started with the Wild Swan session pale ale.
Kiveton Tap, which has been operating as a specialist off licence since opening, now has the appropriate permissions to expand and offer the option of drinking in. By the time this issue of Beer Matters is out, the bar area should be open with a range of craft beers on tap to enjoy, and a choice of bottles and cans in the shop area, with a small extra charge to drink in.
Harlequinon Nursery Street has now closed following a career change for landlady Liz! Some building maintenance is forthcoming and the pub is expected to reopen later in the year under new management.
Tramlines music festival takes place at Hillsborough Park over the weekend of 26-28 July, this also sees the Tramlines fringe take place in various venues including pubs in and near the City Centre. Not much had been announced at the time of going to press. Shakespeares on Gibraltar Street are running their very popular annual Shakelines event with a busy programme of live music upstairs over the weekend. Washington on Fitzwilliam Street are also hosting a busy weekend of free live music in the pub along with the usual late night DJs. However, expect all the usual places that regularly host live music to be doing something.
Traveller’s Rest in Apperknowle has opened a farm shop alongside the pub car park.
Dog & Partridgeon Trippet Lane in the City Centre is very much hoping for a positive change of government as a result of the election and, on the Friday 5 July, is holding a party at the pub hosted by drag artist Bipolar Abdul and fundraising for S6 Food Bank. Check out the details on their Facebook page and get yourself down there for a few beers!
Yorkin Broomhill closed for a refurbishment as soon as the students went home for the summer holiday and is expected to reopen on 27 June, with a relaunch event planned for 5 July. As well as a refreshed interior there will be a new food menu.
Building on the success of their Wednesday chip butty night (which features a weekly changing special topping!), Commercialin Chapeltown has launched a Thursday tacho night. Choose from tacos or nachos loaded with a choice of beef, chicken, mushrooms or pulled pork, served with lettuce, tomato, Mexican coleslaw, cheese, potato wedges and dips. A range of real ales are of course available to wash them down!
Laura Hadland wins CAMRA’s Campaigner of the Year 2024 award
Laura Hadland, campaigner of the year. Photo by Lily Waite.
Drinks writer Laura Hadland (pictured above) has been awarded CAMRA’s top campaigning award at the organisation’s Members’ Weekend, AGM and Conference in Dundee. Her nomination spoke of a long list of impressive achievements this year, particularly her commitment to inclusiveness, responsible drinking and her work championing small producers and venues.
Laura was a key voice in calling national attention to the destruction of the Crooked House through her blog, interviews about pub protection for local radio stations across the country, and on social media. The Crooked House case began in August of last year, when the famously wonky 260-year-old pub near Himley in the West Midlands was heavily damaged in a fire and then abruptly bulldozed without authorisation by its new owners. Through Laura’s campaigning, more people were made aware of this scandal and in February the owners were ordered to rebuild the pub.
Her nomination also praised her work on her award-winning book, 50 years of CAMRA where members’ stories and memories of CAMRA were recorded. The nominator highlighted that this research preserved oral histories which would otherwise have been lost.
The award also recognised for her championing of cask beer, introducing it to new audiences through her advocacy, and by hosting beer-tastings including the first ever dedicated cask tasting at Ludlow Slow Food Festival last summer. She is a beer judge for prestigious national and international competitions, including the Champion Beer of Britain, SIBA and Great Taste awards and a trusted voice in the world of food and drink.
CAMRA Campaigning Awards Director Laura Emson said:
“Laura was the clear winner, even with all the other fantastic nominations this year. Her campaigning has been a fantastic help in raising awareness for the Crooked House scandal as well as consistently putting her voice out there via local radio stations to help protect our pubs.
“It’s a pleasure to formally recognise her hard work and dedication to making sure that pubs are protected in this most challenging of times for the industry.
“This Campaigner of the Year Award is a testament to the positive impact that Laura has had on the industry, and I look forward to seeing her work in the years to come.”
Accepting the award, Laura Hadland said:
“A huge thank you for bestowing this amazing honour on me. It’s just wonderful how I’ve been welcomed into the CAMRA community.
“Back in 2019, when I first got the commission to write 50 Years of CAMRA, I never expected that my involvement with the organisation would really become so all consuming, but it’s just a huge part of my life now.
“I hope that that we can all keep spreading the good word about cask ale. I think there is loads of great work we can all continue to do, and it’s really, really kind that you’ve recognised the work that I have been doing up until now. I hope that all of you within CAMRA keeps supporting diverse voices, talking about great beer.”
Summer is finally here and to celebrate we’re brewing erm… Summer, a 3.9% cask only release hopped with Vic Secret, Enigma and Galaxy for a tropical, approachable and aromatic pale ale.
Also heading to a bar near you this month is Doctor Morton’s Ship’s Biscuit (4.1%) – a classic, clean and mellow easy-drinking pale with Galena hops. Light and fruity with a pleasant berry and blackcurrant character.
And our new series inspired by Mythical Creatures from around the globe continues with the sea-witch Caecelia. Galaxy and Cascade hops give tropical and stone fruit notes including peach and passionfruit, coupled with a gentle spiciness and an enticing bitter finish in this 4.0% pale.
From the Brewer’s Emporium and available in cask, keg and can, we’ve got something special which is all new from the Indulgence series. In collaboration with Trupig vegan chocolatiers we have Trublerone Stout (5.5%), recreating their take on a triangular treat in beer form! Sweet, silky and moreish with decadent notes of cocoa and roast almond encompassed in a velvety-smooth finish. Plus, it’s time for the bi-annual return of the ever popular Mosaic single hopped Cryo Heathen (5.0%). And finally, this one’s unlikely to make an appearance in cask but from our sour series Unbeliever we have a 4.5% Passionfruit Sour on the way. Tangy, juicy and tropical with a mouth-watering zesty finish.
Doctor Morton has an all-new beer on the way from his Chrononautical essentials range – Dinosaur Sedative (4.1%) is the only solution you need to keep your pterodactyl under control. Hopped with Cascade and Vic Secret for notes of zesty citrus fruits coupled with a refreshing pine character and a moreish bitter finish.
From our beautiful series of collaborations with artwork inspired by vintage railway travel posters, we’ve teamed up with our friends at Fell Brewery to create Fall for the Lake District (see what we did there?!) – a 4.5% transatlantic pale where UK grown Harlequin hops meet American classics Simcoe and Chinook for a vibrant beer with notes of pine, passion fruit, peach and pineapple.
And from the Brewers Emporium, we’ve got the return of our ever-popular Splendour (4.4%), a dry-hopped pale ale with the addition of literally buckets full of fresh oranges, and West Coast pale ale Pine Range (4.5%), floral and full-bodied with a clean malt bill allowing the big-hitting hop combination of Columbus, Cascade, Chinook and Mosaic to shine through.
Finally, it’s not being released this month, but we are planning a very special brewday with one of our most iconic beers making a very welcome return – Last Rites will soon be on the way…
Founded in 1990, the Inn Sign Society raises awareness of the nation’s pub signs and compiles a record for the benefit of future generations. Many pub names have links with events from the past or personalities of national and local importance, and the Society provides a forum for members to research the history of inns and pub names.
It has an active web site and a quarterly full-colour journal to which members are encouraged to submit articles, pictures of pub signs and news from their areas.
As inns and pubs close at an alarming rate, much local heritage is in danger of being lost forever. Pubs are not just a place to enjoy a drink, they are often at the heart of the community and can reflect its history. Many members take a general interest in all signs, with some specialising in particular breweries, counties, aircraft or railways, to name but a few.
The Inn Sign Society is seeking to recruit more members and bring in new blood to help continue the good work done over the last 34 years. For more information, including on how to join, see the website at innsignsociety.com If the Inn Sign Society doesn’t research, capture and save our pub sign heritage, perhaps no-one else will.
All Points North Pub Company, the new Yorkshire based pub company, has announced its 2nd pub acquisition, The York in Sheffield. All Points North Pub Co is the new joint venture pub company set up by Steve Holt founder of Kirkstall Brewery and Ed Mason, founder of Five Points Brewing and Whitelock’s Ale House.
The York is a free-of-tie Victorian public house in the Broomhill area of Sheffield and has been acquired from Sheffield-based True North Brew Co.
The York will showcase Kirkstall and Five Points beers alongside guest Sheffield craft and independent breweries, drinks and food suppliers.
Ed Mason said “we are delighted to be spreading our wings to Sheffield and for The York to be joining our growing portfolio of pubs. Kane and his team at True North have done a great job of establishing the York as a welcoming and popular pub in Broomhill and we look forward to building on their achievements”
Steve Holt added “Ed and I believe in running friendly, welcoming pubs with an emphasis on a wide range of well-kept beer and a quality food menu – respecting the pub’s history, supporting local suppliers and providing a warm welcome to a diverse range of the local community”.
Kane Yeardley added “We are thrilled to be handing over the ropes to All Points North Pub Co. The York has a very special place in our hearts and we’re confident they will do a fantastic job. Welcome to the Sheffield pub scene.”
All Points North will be keeping on the existing front of house and kitchen teams, and will continue to trade the pub before a refurbishment planned for Summer 2024.
The York pub follows on the heels of their recent acquisition of the Grade II-listed Victoria & Commercial pub in Leeds city centre, which is due to re-open in Autumn 2024 following a refurbishment. Meanwhile Steve Holt of Kirkstall recently added the North Brew Co brands to his growing portfolio of beer brands.
First up is our big news for the month… almost a decade after we last brewed one (3,577 days to be precise), WE’RE MAKING A MILD! This one’s made it into the plan at the behest of our marketing team, who’ve had a petition on the go since 2021. From our Restoration series, it’s a classic 4.0% Dark Mild, characterised by a smooth, malt-driven sweetness, balanced by a touch of roast character and hints of coffee. The ultimate British hop, Fuggles, provides a gentle bitter finish. Comforting, rounded and mellow. Mildly excited for this one.
After that bombshell, back to the pale, hoppy beers we’re most well-known for! And we’ve got a cornucopia of them coming up this month – our single hopped series returns with Through the Hopback Citra, 4.0% and with an overt citrussy character and a thirst-quenching finish. We’re bringing back our Ossett Brewery collaboration, Discover Ossett (4.1%), too – this was our quickest selling special last year, a beer created from a mixture of the recipes for Deception and White Rat, with Nelson Sauvin, Amarillo and Columbus hops.
The ever-popular Alchemy (4.2%) is due to make its annual appearance, our very own liquid gold single hopped with Amarillo for a lovely satsuma-esque flavour. And finally, we’ll have the first in a new series out at the end of the month. It’s still under development as I type but will be themed around mythical creatures from around the globe!
And finally from our Brewers Emporium, look out for a couple of soft and juicy hazy pales which will both be available in cask as well as keg and can – Hinterland, a 4.5% Sabro and Vic Secret New England style session IPA, and the latest from our Wanderer series, a single hopped Mosaic NEIPA at 6.2%.
Throughout May, the Dorothy Pax at Victoria Quays will be home to an art display with a difference: PUMP-CLIPS. Richard Hough (noted local Brewer, and ale toper) will take you on a journey to some of the beers he has brewed in the past – via the medium of art we know as The Pump-clip.
This humble item provides a splash of colour on the bar, and vital information as well. They are the first point-of-sale for millions of pints sold in pubs across the UK every day.
Yet so often overlooked, every pump-clip has its own story to tell.
Rich has some gaps in the collection. If any of you hoarders out there have copies of BM411, BM415, BM418, BM426 for the art installation at DPx, please get in touch. Your copies of Beer Matters will be returned after the event. Many thanks!
Our Pale Ale series, which is brewed and bottled onsite here in the Loxley Valley, now have been accredited to the new CAMRA One To Try scheme, which promotes the sale of live beer in small pack. All these, plus our core range, which are all bottle conditioned, are now available in 500ml bottles from all good beer shops and online, www.loxleybrewery.co.uk
