Boys’ Bridlington Beano

After a good night watching an Oasis tribute in the local WMC, but with no real ale. We were looking forward to our Bridlington trip to seek out some GBG establishments. It was nice to see since my last visit to see The Stone Eoses, the place has received a bit of a spruce up, and pubs have embraced real ale.

A timely train got into the station at 12:05, just 25 minutes before the Owls lunchtime KO. Heading into town, many of the pubs were only showing the Man City game. Until we happened on the Three Brass Monkeys on Prince Street. 

The bar is spacious and long with multiple screens showing 3-4 games. A decent choice of 3 ales, White Rat, Old Peculiar and Black Sheep Bitter. My friend started on the Old Peculiar, a dark, fruity beer packing a 5.6% ABV. I chose Ossett’s White Rat, a triple hopped pale at a more sensible 4%. As we watched the game, which to be honest wasn’t going great, we decided to have another pint and see it out. Both of us plumped for the Black Sheep Bitter, a nicely hopped, Amber beer of 3.8%. 

Despite a last minute winner for the opposition, we weren’t dispirited and set out to the well respected Three Bs on Marshall Avenue. Easy to find in a quite compact town centre, the pub has a distinctive red frontage. 

On entry, there was a warm welcome from the owner, Mark. The choice of 3 handpumps had us choose  Shiny’s Disco Balls, an American IPA, one of the nicest hazy pales I’ve had and weighing in at 5.3%. The bar is very similar to our favourite Sheffield micro pubs, decked out with old photos of Bridlinton, beermats of the now 978, and counting, beers since opening and beer posters. The conversation with Mark and different customers was friendly, informative and useful. Mark has plans to move shortly, to a venue round the corner in town. The pub will be slightly larger, but not have the small seated lounge currently available upstairs. So if visiting, keep an eye on where he is.

Armed with a couple of recommendations, we set off again. This is when we discovered The Brunswick Hotel, Manor St, a nicely decorated, warm pub which had 4 pumps, although only 3 were on. The two we tried were both Wold Top, a local Driffileld brewery. A Wold Gold, a nice blonde, almost wheat style beer with Golding and Syrian hops in at 4.8%. We followed this with a Scarborough Fair IPA, British style and quite citrusy, full bodied at 6% too. 

Hunger was now taking hold, so we went in search of a chippy. We found a decent one a few minutes away, and here is where a contentious issue arises. We in Sheffield class a fishcake as 2 slices of potato with fish in the middle, and deeply fried, not Bridlington! I ordered one in a butty and was deeply disappointed to find it was a rissole. Yes, the mashed potato and fish version in breadcrumbs. Now I know it is in the East Riding of Yorkshire, but oi Bridlington, noooo!

Right, rant over, we then had little time for the trip up to The Board, Pack Horse or Old Ship Inn.  The train is cheap enough for a summer/autumn month trip, we will definitely go again to this vastly improved seaside destination, starting at the above venues around 25 minutes from the station and working back to town. 

Shame it’s outside our regional social event time restraints at 2hrs, but for individuals and friends, it’s an ideal day/overnight trip with a good choice of ales and chippy teas.  

Northern operate regular train services from Sheffield to Scarborough via Hull that call at Bridlington, there are often cheaper tickets available if you buy in advance to travel at a set time – see northernrailway.co.uk.

Sherbets & Sherlocks

It’s not every month a local Sheffield band plays a gig in their pub in Lincoln. So when I was emailed of this gig, I jumped at the chance. A Senior Railcard ticket of £10.50, and an absolute bargain of an Airbnb of £24, sealed the deal. 

I woke early to get ready for the 10:41 train departing at Midland Station, fortunately although the bus was late I had given myself plenty of time. The train departed a minute after schedule for the direct route taking 70 minutes through some pleasant countryside. On arrival and a short hop over the bridge, I was in the city. 

It was fortunate I remembered the route from our Steel City Beer Festival volunteers trip last year, although I was seeking some pubs not visited on that trip. I exited right at the station and immediately arrived on the High Street. Now it may have been one of Lincoln’s council to cancel the Christmas market, but it was still heaving with locals and visitors. The local chapel was holding an indoor fete, but outside were the fantastic Lincoln Owl Rescue and their magnificent array of birds, which are very tame and can be stroked. 

After that, I headed down and arrived at my first hostelry, the Treaty of Commerce, more or less the first pub on that side of High Street, a Batemans pub with a very nice selection of four handpumps. I plumped for the Gold (also known as Yella Belly) firstly, a nice pale of 3.9% that was just right fort the first pint. The owner and the locals were very chatty and I gained some knowledge of pubs in the area. Before leaving, I was recommended to try the Dark M, 3.4%, a beer not normally seen? I am glad I did as the texture and taste was fantastic. 

I then moved on to the Tiny Tavern,  again on High Street, one I had visited with the mysterious “Ring bell for entry” on one door, the exit on the other side. Again a good selection of 6 pumps, including my choice of Milestone – Crusader, a safe Blonde/Golden of 4.4%. 

As I was nearing check-in time, I walked to the accommodation, just over the Foss Dyke Canal and very near to the Lincoln City ground, Sincil Bank. After a quick spruce up, I ordered an Uber to visit one of the recommended pubs the Birdcage, located on Baggholme Road.  A lovely little traditional pub with three beers on pump, and not too far from the gig venue. I went for the FAB (Ferry Ales Brewery) Merry Imp, a pale of 3.4% and brewed in the local microbrewery in the city.

With the aid of Google Maps, I set off for the Jolly Brewer on Broadgate. It was literally a ten minute walk and seemed a very nice venue. It had two ales among the myriad of gassy keg, and as one was Abbott, I plumped for the Bridgehouse Brewery Rum Raisin Stout at 4.9%, thin but packed with flavour, this was so nice I had to drink four pints of it. After a couple of supports, The Sherlocks made their entrance to the 200 capacity rear yard. They played a mixture of older lesser played songs, and a couple of new from the new album due in February.

 After the finish, there was time for one more before bed, so I headed to Wetherspoons, the Ritz on the High Street which as the title suggests is a former cinema.  They had a choice of five ales, four being Christmas themed. I selected the Milestone Donner & Blitzed, a 4.5% winter ale. Home and bed as I had to get up at 08:30 to shower and gather my stuff. 

Next morning I was out of the house for 09:00, and off to Spoons for a breakfast. Service was quick and the Miners Benedict was fantastic. Basically Eggs Benedict with a nice slice of black pudding underneath. My train was at 14:10, so I had time for a couple of halves before, so visited the Cardinal’s Hat on the slight incline of High Street, after a ten minute delay at the rail crossing for a passenger, and very long freight, train to pass  through. As usual a great selection of beers, so the two I chose were Wilde Child’s Sneaky Peak, 4.5% milk stout and Brew York’s Fairytale of Brew York, a lovely 4.9% milk stout. 

The time was approaching to leave the city, and on arriving at the station, there was only a ten minute wait for the on-time train home. A pleasant journey, but I was starting to feel tired, so passed on the opportunity to have a pint on arrival home. 

Until next time, Lincoln. There is still one or two new ones to visit.  

Christmas social

Sheffield CAMRA gathered once again at the Ball, Crookes for their Christmas meal. We were a week early this year to avoid a clash with either football teams fixtures, ensuring a healthy 17 turnout.

Proceedings got off well with a choice of starters, with a choice of pâté, creamy garlic mushrooms or chicken goujon strips. Accompanying this was local Stancill Ginger Pale, a 4% spicy pale ale for myself, and was popular with others.

We gave it ten minutes before the main, a veritable Christmas dinner. Turkey, and the works. Nice gravy and cranberry sauce to compliment it.

After the generous helping, an even bigger rest was required before desserts, so trips to the bar were made. I plumped for the Peak Ales Chatsworth Gold, a nice pale of 4.6%, but Jaipur and other ales were on offer. The desserts, or puddings if local, rolled out, again a good choice of Christmas pudding, brownie or cheesecake with brandy sauce, custard or ice cream.

We felt sated at a bargain £20 for three courses. Will the Ball Inn make it a hattrick next year, who knows, but the good food and fine selection of ales make it a frontrunner.

A few of us made our goodbyes, although we have a branch meet before Christmas, and for some the annual last minute present rush.

Craft beer festival

Craftwerk

Arriving in Neepsend 40 minutes early, I took the opportunity to visit Alder for a couple of halves. Set in the old shoe polish works, they have 5 cask ales available. I sampled the Pomona Island – Tarquill and Quafftide, a 3.8% and 4.5% respectively.  

I then popped over to Peddlar Warehouse to find a relatively small queue, that was dealt with quickly. On entering, you were given a tickers lanyard and a half-pint glass. My first drink was a 5% Bombay Honey from The Indian Brewery, very Jaipur ish, with added sweetness. I then moved on to my second of the 16 brewers on display from around the UK, these included Lancaster, Surrey and Sussex, Kidderminster’s Copper Beach Brewing Company with a nice 4.6% APA. I then sat and had a chat with 2 guys who had travelled up from Nottiingham for the festival, I recommended that should they had room, and the legs for another, Kelham was just a short hop after the 23:00 closure. 

Next was Lune Brew Co and their LB201, a Citra, Centennial and Mosaic hopped pale of 4.1%. These beers were going down well accompanied by a DJ playing Indie classics. The next selection brought a change of flavour with a Pineapple and Passion Fruit Palaver, a 4.5% fruited pale ale. This also brought a change of entertainment with a singer/guitarist covering reggae to Indie rock. 

Seeing that beers were covered by the admission charge, it would have been rude not to try as many as possible. So, I then moved on to Bayonet Brewing – Delta Lima Six, a New England hazy pale at a sensible 4%. Next came my favourite of the festival, Only With Love’s Oh Yeah, an ice cream soda pale ale, but here’s what won it they topped it with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sprinkles. so nice I had 2 before it ran out. Even at this stage of the night with the hall full, there was never big queues and service was typically a minute or so. 

Next came our local Thornbridge – Kipling, New Zealand Pale Ale at 5.2%. The next ones in succession were Siren Craft Brew – Juicy Details, a New England hazy 6%, Jimbrew Brewing Co – Maybe It Was Two Times, a 4.8 Gluten-free pale, Disruption Is Brewing – Digital Code at 5.5%. With beer comes munchies, so I went into the courtyard to see what was on offer and decided on the Jamica food stall serving very tasty pattys,  I had the beef and it hit the spot. 

Being fed, it was back to the beer and more music in the form of a young Indie covers band. The accompanying beer was Cloudwater’s Fuzzy, another hazy New England pale. This was followed by Only With Love’s – Bongo Tropic IPA at 4.5%, yet another New England style Brew. Next was Siren’s Soundwave, an American IPA of 5.6%. 

As closing was coming up quickly, there was time for one last half from Pennine Brewing Co with Scapegoat, a Blonde Golden of 4.2%. 

All in all, a very well run and value for money festival. The range of brews in taste and geographical locations was well thought out, as well as brewers willing to chat. 

Here’s to next year. 

Presentation night at the Crow

The evening of Tuesday 10 September saw Adam Swithenbank, along with staff Amber, Michael, Kizzie, Trudi, and Charl, receive a Sheffield CAMRA September Pub of the Month Award.

The pub that started life as the Crown Inn, or Old Crown, was mentioned during the 1840s Chartist protests. The Outrages saw the murder of James Lindley, a saw grinder, in the Crown Inn. The gang wars prevalent in the Shalesmoor area during the 1920s also gained the pub some notoriety.

Fortunately, the pub has evolved far beyond that unrest and violence. Today, the boutique hotel and bar offers five real ales, many keg options on an ever-changing blackboard, and a couple of specialist German lagers.

The business owners, Kate and Chris, also run the Harlequin and Rutland Arms, two real ale staples in Sheffield. 

Paul Manning Sheffield CAMRA Chair presenting the award to Adam Swithenbank and staff. 
Manager Adam Swithenbank receives the award from Sheffield CAMRA Chairman Paul Manning. Photo by John Beardshaw.

Charity Musicthon

Gardeners Rest, Neepsend is holding a Musicthon on Wednesday 18 September. This is a 12 hour mammoth music session aimed at raising money for Prostate Cancer UK. The event is not a series of concerts but a continuous musical session running from noon to midnight. As well as raising money for our nominated charity it will be a celebration of the pub’s past and contemporary music tradition. The entire day is free and open to anyone who wants to come and support us. If you are a player, singer or just a lover of music you will be most welcome to attend.

In conjunction with this Sheffield CAMRA will be holding a MusicAle social starting at 7.30pm there, then visiting a few local bars before returning to finish the night. Buses 7/8 serve the pub, while the Supertram stop is less than ten minutes away at Infirmary Road. 

Heritage Open Days launch

Dave Pickersgill and I represented CAMRA Sheffield & District at Sheffield Town Hall (Silver Room) for one of many Heritage Days in September. We were joined by Paul Crofts and his wife, Tina. Our goal, like other heritage projects, is to campaign for the preservation of historic buildings and their features for future generations.

Stalls included a wide range of organizations such as the Sheffield Castle Project, The General Cemetery, and The Home of Football, along with relative newcomers like the University of Sheffield’s The Wave building.

A gathering of around 60 people heard a speech from the Right Worshipful Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Jayne Dunn, who launched the month-long programme of events. The launch was toasted with Prosecco or orange juice.

Heritage pub guided walk outside the Fat Cat – photo by Pete Mudd

Our contribution to the Heritage Open Days programme is Dave Pickersgill’s ever-popular guided pub walks, where he shares insights into pub history and points out key heritage features.

Full details at sheffieldhods.com.

August Pub of the Month presentation

Andrew Cater and son Jack are no strangers to the Pub of the Month Award for a pub called the Railway, as they won one when running the Bramall Lane establishment.

This however, is a first for the Sheffield 6 venue on Penistone Road North since opening in September 2022, after the previous landlady Jean’s retirement, from the licensed trade.

Andy and Jack went to work on making the pub a fun place to be. Arcade games were introduced (Andy’s other business is renting games machines from Walkley Road premises), along with sports TV and live music.

The whole pub has been revamped including seating, the bar, opening the whole concert room up and introducing two pool tables, and dartboards on the stage. The pub also hosts home and away fans on match days, peacefully may I add.

Andrew Cater and bar member Shaun being awarded his PotM award by Sheffield CAMRA Press Officer, Kevin Thompson.

Branch social trip to Barnsley

Arriving in town a little before the train departing at 11:44, I decided to see what The Bankers Draft had to offer. As it happened they had a rather nice Salamander Golden on, a nice blonde /Golden of 4.5%. 

Nearing departure, I walked down to Midland Station. The queue is always a little long, as they only have 2 ticket staff on a Saturday. However, they got through people quickly and this gave me time for a half in The Sheffield Tap. As always, there is a good choice of 6-7 wickets. I went for one I had not drank before, a Mad Ape – Twistin’ My Melon Man, a delightful wheat beer coming in at 4.8%. 

So, off to platform 4a for the train that was travelling to Leeds via Barnsley. I saw Malcolm and Graham before boarding and we began the journey, only stopping at Meadowhall. On alighting we met Malc Anderson, who had boarded, but due to being sardined in, he couldn’t move to find us. 

Setting off at midday for our first destination, Spiral City in The Arcade. We were met by nice surroundings, including a vinyl record shop, but only 2 ales. We all plumped for the Stancill -Sweet Caroline, a pale at 4.1%. 

Bang across at the Jolly Tap, we were glad to see around 6-7 beers from the Jolly Boys’ Brewery. This is where Andy C and Rob caught up. I had a nice APA called Supa-Citra, packing a decent punch of 4.2%. If that wasn’t your thing though, they had bitter, a stout and pales to suit. 

Up to the top of The Arcade and round the corner sits one of Barnsley’s institutions, the Old #7. Recently under new management, but still with 6 wickets to choose from, mainly local beers from Acorn, Thornbridge etc. I always like to try one I haven’t had before, so Little Critters – Luna Peach Pale Ale fitted the bill. A very nice refreshing pint for a summers day. 

Now, this is where the fun started. 3 of us were a little peckish and needed sustenance. I remember there used to be a chip shop near The Kestral, so using Google Maps on my phone, we set off for there. Big mistake, as my phone took us all the way round to where we started. We actually gave up and got a snack from Pound Bakery to fill the gap. Then, setting off to meet the rest of the group at The Nailmaker Tap #2, Malcolm’s phone took us the wrong way round, when we could have cut a fair bit off. A few phone calls, and a mile later, we arrived, but at least Graham had a good moan about getting his steps in. 

We were joined there by Malc’s partner, Ally. Again, a decent little range, and choosing the Craven Brew Co – Beyond the Pale we sat out in the sun. Next on the list was the George and Dragon, a more traditional establishment, albeit with a nice beer garden to bake in. A smaller selection, but the Stancill – Dr Rudi, an EPA of 4% was a good choice for the warm day. 

We then had the short walk to another nice bar, The Tarn End Tap. Modern, but quirky with a musical theme. The beers were solid with my tipple being a Durham Brewery – Pina Colada, an IPA Milkshake of 4.5%, fruity as hell and delicious. An ideal beer to sing the Rupert Holmes song to ( You have to be of a certain age). 

We were still on the periphery of town, so we made the effort to call at Heaven & Ale, again a quirky pub that Barnsley seem to have a knack of creating. The North Riding – Single Hop APA Comet, at 4.2%, then a Brew61 – Spring Meadow 4.7% IPA,  kept things relatively sensible. Here we bid farewell to Malcolm and Graham who wished to depart a little earlier.

Time was ticking, and we had a couple more visits ro complete. Andy C, Rob and myself popped in the Garrison, no real ale, but Brewdog Hazy Jane as good as it got. Not a bad bar though, busy and live music present. The last bar was Bar Ruelle on Regent Street South, bang opposite the Interchange. I forgot to log my beer, but they had a nice selection of Pale, Porter and bitter. 

Catching the train home, we made the executive decision to get off at Chapletown to have beer and food. Graham, the sly old devil had the same idea and we saw him outside after getting our Neepsend – Blonde, 4%. With their Loaded Chip butty calling to us, we ordered the bacon, cheese and black pudding versions. They are huge and cooked beautifully, not bad for around £7. 

Getting into early evening, I chose to catch the 83 to Southey Library and walk down the hill, rather than the train into town which Andy and Rob did. 

All in all, Barnsley is emerging as a great little real ale stomping ground with its reasonably compact layout. Well worth the £5-7 train ticket for a day out. The service is frequent and fairly fast too. The 7 of us enjoyed it massively. 

Trains are operated by Northern and run from Sheffield to Barnsley up to 4 times an hour, taking around 20-30 minutes depending on the number of stops. An off peak return costs £7 or an anytime return costs £8.30 with discounts sometimes available if specific times are booked in advance. A “South Yorkshire Connect Plus” ticket is also available offering a day of unlimited bus, train and tram travel in the county for £10.70.

Blake Hotel presentation

The Blake Hotel towered (literally) above its North Sheffield rivals to win the Pub of the Year 2024 (North) on Thursday 18 July.

Situated at the top of one of Sheffield’s steepest hills, the Blake serves a range of six-seven cask ales to both regulars, and younger student drinkers. You can even take your pooch with you. There is also a large range of single malts and rums for the spirits connoisseur. Outside sees a nice beer garden to enjoy the sun. 

In 2009, the pub was resurrected from it being boarded up. The cellar was dug out, the floor relaid and the décor revived. It is now a traditional local, without the usual trappings such as trinkets and horse brasses. 

The pub serves a very good range of casks ales, at reasonable prices. There are also pork pies to accompany the beer. 

Dom (pictured) receiving the award from Sheffield CAMRA Branch Secretary, Phil Ellet.