Category: Cider Pub of the Year Winners

As a real haven for cider lovers in the city, it’s no surprise that The Old Shoe has again been crowned our Cider Pub Of The Year.

Despite only being open for 3 years, it has become a popular destination in the city centre for fans of cider, beer and wine alike, thanks to co-owners Mike Pomranz and Matt Beety.

Mike brings his experience running The Cider Hole, previously at Shalesmoor, and Matt also owns micropub The Bear on Abbeydale Road.

A recent revamp has increased the amount of seating to accommodate it’s rising popularity.

21 taps and 2 cask lines, dispense a wide range of drinks, including 5 ciders, and some low alcohol options. Wine lovers can choose from an incredible 13 options by the glass, and there’s usually a mead on offer too!

Join us on Wednesday 13^th May when we present their award. The evening starts at 8pm with the actual presentation at 9.

Congratulations to Matt Beety, Mike Pomranz and all at the Old Shoe for being voted the 2025 Sheffield and District CAMRA ‘Cider Pub of the Year.’ The Old Shoe (Unit 20, Orchard Square S1 2FB) opened in the summer of 2023 as the new home of Exemption Ciderhouse, when it relocated from its previous home at The Cider Hole.

The Old Shoe is a modern bar serving a variety of drinks from independent producers. In addition to both cask and keg beer from indie breweries, they also serve three draught ciders and a range of bottled options. These are almost invariably from smaller producers. For example: Against the Grain (London), Ascension (Sussex), Iford (Bradford on Avon), Temple (Dorset), Zapiain (Spain) and from Hertfordshire, Little Pomona, Oliver’s and Ross-on-Wye Cider Company. In addition, created on the premises, is Exemption.

The bar has vinyl records spinning all day and also has a well-stocked ‘Shoe Store.’ The latter provides art prints, bags, bottles, cans, chocolate, coffee beans, glasses, local pub heritage books, records and more. The name refers to the previous use of this ex-shop unit.

In 2015, Mike moved from Brooklyn (New York) to Sheffield. In the UK, he continued to produce cider, focusing on using locally-collected garden apples. In 2020, he launched drinks import company, ‘Quality Ferments.’ Then, in September 2021, came The Cider Hole (Shalesmoor), an urban microcidery, bar, and bottle shop – where he made and served his own Exemption Ciderhouse cider along with over 60 other hand-selected canned and bottled ciders, beer and natural wine. The Cider Hole was our 2023 Cider Pub of the Year. It then closed in order to make way for the Old Shoe.

The New Barrack Tavern on Penistone Road, although standing out on its own away from the centre of Hillsborough and the trendy hotspot of Kelham Island, has been a local stalwart on the real ale scene for many years now.

Also well established is Kev, Steph and daughter Rebecca being at the helm making it something of a family business with regulars that attend nearby sporting events at Hillsborough and Owlerton stadiums almost becoming part of an extended family!

Real ale drinkers are catered for with beers from Castle Rock brewery plus guests and regular live entertainment events are hosted including live music and a comedy club in this classic multi-roomed roadhouse style pub which also has an excellent beer garden (with outdoor stage!). It also has a function/meeting room with its own bar and a pool table.

The pub is also on CAMRA’s heritage pub inventory as a one star listing with an interior of special national historic interest.

The award we are presenting however recognises what a great destination the pub is for cider drinkers. Investment has been made replacing the kitchen with a cider cellar adjacent to the bar and a large range is available covering both traditional and flavoured options and the availability of cider is well promoted!

Our local CAMRA members in Sheffield & District voted the New Barrack Tavern as our branch Cider Pub of the Year, as a result it went forward into the Yorkshire competition in which it was runner up.

Join us there on Saturday 3 August from 7pm for a drink or two as we present both award certificates.

Congratulations to Mike Pomranz and all at the Cider Hole (unit 1.3, Krynkl, Shalesmoor, S3 8UL) for being voted the Sheffield and District CAMRA ‘Cider Pub of the Year’ 2023.

Since 2006, Mike has been writing about beer professionally, appearing in a wide array of publications including Time, People, Travel + Leisure, VinePair, and Playboy. He joined the staff of Food & Wine Magazine in 2014 and soon expanded into covering cider. He first experimented with making cider in 2015 and became a Certified Cider Professional in 2017.

In 2016, Mike moved from Brooklyn, New York, to Sheffield, where he continued his interest in cidermaking, focusing on using locally-collected garden apples. In 2020, he launched Quality Ferments and began importing cider and other alcoholic beverages from around the world.

Then, on 17th September 2021, The Cider Hole opened – an urban microcidery, bar, and bottle shop – where he makes and serves his own Exemption Ciderhouse cider along with over 60 other hand-selected canned and bottled ciders, craft beer and natural wine. In June 2022, Mike organised the first Sheffield Craft Cider Festival.

Last October he led a tutored tasting at the Sheffield CAMRA Steel City Beer Festival and more recently led a similar event at the national CAMRA Members’ Weekend.

Please join us for this well-deserved presentation on Saturday 27^th May at 15:00. This is likely to be the last day of opening for the Cider Hole as Mike will shortly be moving into bigger premises on Orchard Square: The Old Shoe, a joint venture with the Bear (Abbeydale Road, S7 1FE),  will offer 20 taps, three cask lines and a wide selection of artisan ciders, cans and bottles. It will also become the new home of Exemption Ciderhouse.

Sheffield & District CAMRA is delighted to announce that its Cider Pub of the Year award for 2018 goes to the Clubhouse on London Road. The Clubhouse is a sports bar housed within a fairly traditional pub building and can get very busy when there is a big game being shown on TV or when Sheffield United play at home. While it ticks the boxes for a good sports bar (TV screens, pool table, burgers etc) and beer (range of reasonably priced real ales) it is cider for which we are presenting them with an award. Although many would argue Sheffield might be the real ale capital of the UK, it certainly isn’t known for proper cider – either making it or drinking it – and there are very few pubs in the city that make the effort with cider and perry to offer a varied range and promote them. There are of course some honourable exceptions, including the Harlequin which won last year’s award. The Clubhouse dedicates three handpumps to cider, and the selection changes regularly so there is often something new to try. There are quite a number of cider drinkers among their regular customers and sometimes what appears on the pumps has been one of their requests! Aside from the cider, the Clubhouse has a good atmosphere helped by friendly staff and a food menu is served featuring a number of pub classics, but the headline act here is the range of burgers with various toppings and served with home made chips. Occasionally a promotion is run offering a free pint with your burger, watch their Facebook page for news on that! Note that for the very busy sporting events the management may limit numbers coming in the pub to maintain a pleasant environment. At these times priority is given to regulars who have obtained a ticket in advance from the bar. Our branch Cider Champion Sarah Mills will be presenting the winner’s certificate at the Clubhouse on Thursday 10 May. All are welcome to come along and join us from 8pm onwards to show support and enjoy what the pub has to offer!