Our District Pub of the Season award is handed out four times per year and aims to recognise those pubs in the Derbyshire part of the branch that consistently serve quality real ale in a welcoming and pleasant atmosphere. It is our pleasure to announce that the very deserving winner of the Summer 2018 award is the Monsal Head Hotel, Little Longstone.
Extremely popular with walkers and cyclists traversing the Monsal Trail, this traditional country inn offers a combination of locally brewed cask ale, good food and comfortable accommodation. The drinking area of the hotel is the Stables Bar to the rear, a delightfully rustic building which originally housed the horses that carried passengers from the railway station at the bottom of the valley. Nowadays though, you’re more likely to find hand pumps than horse tack.
The beer garden at the rear of the Stables Bar
The bar features three real ales: the house beer Stables Best Bitter is provided by Stancill and is joined by two rotating guests, often including breweries such as Pennine and Ashover. When the weather is nice, these can be enjoyed in the extensive beer garden while taking in the breathtaking views over Monsal Dale and the Monsal Viaduct.
We are running a minibus trip out to the Peak District to present the award on Saturday 20 October. We will be picked up at the Old Queens Head on Pond Hill at 1pm and visit the Pioneer Club in Dronfield and a couple of pubs in Tideswell before making our way to the Monsal Head Hotel for the presentation. Places on the minibus cost £5 and should be booked in advance via our social secretary, Andy Cullen.
Meanwhile, nominations are now open for next season’s competition so if you are a CAMRA member who regularly visits any of our Derbyshire pubs, please get involved by nominating your favourites! This can be done via our website or at any branch meeting.
Dominic Nelson
If it’s Abbeydale beer you’re after then the brewery’s second tap pub, the Devonshire Cat, is probably a good place to start.
This city centre venue, first opened in 2001 and bought by the brewery back in 2013 following the retirement of the previous landlord, had been a long-term fixture in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide and has continued to be included every year since the change of ownership. Sheffield & District branch members clearly agree on its merits, having voted the Devonshire Cat our Pub of the Month for September 2018.
The pub underwent a complete renovation a couple of years ago and the new-look pub features a central horseshoe-shaped bar with three distinct seating areas surrounding it. On the bar there are 12 handpumps, half of which serve Abbeydale’s own range of core and seasonal brews, while the other half feature interesting guest casks from local and national breweries.
For those of a craftier persuasion, there is also an excellent range of keg beers from microbreweries near and far, as well as a selection of more than 100 bottles and cans. Tap takeovers are a regular occurrence at the Devonshire Cat, and recent breweries featured have included Scotland’s Fyne Ales, Leeds’ Ridgeside and London’s Brick Brewery.
Of course, no article about the “Dev Cat” would be complete without mention of the excellent food menu on offer which is well worth a try, and they are happy to recommend beers to match the food. For music fans, the Honey Bee Blues Club takes place on the last Friday of every month and features the best of contemporary local blues music.
Come and join us at the Devonshire Cat (49 Wellington Street, S1 4HG) for the Pub of the Month presentation on Tuesday 11 September, arriving from 8pm for a presentation at 9pm. Hope to see you there!
On Saturday 14 July, a handful of branch members headed out to the Peak District to celebrate a couple of our more rural pubs, with the Spring 2018 District Pub of the Season and the District Pub of the Year 2018 presentations both on the agenda.
We were unable to secure a minibus for the trip this time, so we kicked off with a short hop on the number 65 bus to Stoney Middleton for the first presentation at the Moon Inn. The pub was very quiet when we arrived but the staff were friendly and the ale was well kept. Stancill India was the pick of the three beers on offer. Branch chairman Glyn Mansell presented the certificate to manager Kevin Bite and his team.
The next stop on our route was this year’s District Pub of the Year, the Red Lion at Litton. It was back on the 65 for the second leg of the journey, which again handily dropped us right outside the door of the pub. The Red Lion was a complete contrast to the Moon, full of customers enjoying their lunch on a hot summer’s day. There were four real ales available here, including one of the first beers I ever tried growing up in East Lancashire, Moorhouse’s Pride of Pendle. Chairman Glyn made a rare outdoors presentation to landlady Jeanne, who was delighted with her award.
Well done once again to both pubs on their awards!
Dominic Nelson
August marked the twelfth month in a row we have been able to present our Pub of the Month award to a deserving pub in the Sheffield & District branch region, so thank you to all who continue to nominate and vote for their favourite venues. Long may it continue!
This month’s presentation took us to the Beer Engine on Cemetery Road, which had last won the accolade exactly two years earlier. Around a dozen branch members made their way down to see vice-chairman Patrick Johnson present the certificate to the Beer Engine team.
There was an excellent selection of six real ales available on the night, although this was down to four by the end of the evening. Particular highlights of mine included Almasty DDH Nelson Waimea Pale and Summer Wine Vic Secret, two very tasty pale ales showcasing Antipodean hops. The Beer Engine is also known for its great food and the complimentary tapas were very much appreciated.
A huge congratulations once again to Tom and everyone at the Beer Engine!
It’s good news once again for Sheffield’s Kelham Island Tavern, which has been named joint runner-up in the Yorkshire CAMRA Pub of the Year 2018 competition.
The pub, which has been voted Sheffield & District CAMRA’s Pub of the Year 14 out of the last 15 years, was up against the winners from all of Yorkshire’s branches. With up to 12 real ales available at any time, always including a mild, a porter and a stout, the Kelham Island Tavern is famous among real ale fans nationwide and continues to uphold excellent standards.
For the third year running, the winning establishment was the George & Dragon at Hudswell, near Richmond. The pub, which also won the national CAMRA Pub of the Year award in 2016, was the first community pub in the county and is now a thriving venue serving five cask ales on rotation.
George & Dragon, Hudswell
Joining the Kelham Island Tavern in joint second place was the Victorian Craft Beer Café in Halifax. Opened in 2014, this trendy pub serves 10 hand-pulled real ales and ciders, along with up to 12 craft keg lines and a wide range of continental bottled beers.
Meanwhile, the winner of the Yorkshire Club of the Year award was the Wortley Men’s Club from Barnsley branch, which has now won the accolade five years in a row. The Oakworth Social Club near Keighley was named runner-up.
We would like to extend our congratulations to all the winners. Presentations are set to be arranged for Saturday afternoons during the autumn and we will release details for these online and in Beer Matters as soon as they are known.
Our Pub of the Month award for August 2018, voted for as always by Sheffield & District CAMRA members, goes to the Beer Engine on Cemetery Road. The pub may only have opened in March 2015 but this is the second time it has been voted our branch’s Pub of the Month, having previously won the honour in August 2016.
The man who created the Beer Engine in its current guise (it was formerly a music bar called Delaney’s, amongst other things) is Tom Harrington, who previously worked at Thornbridge and the Hillsborough Hotel. This was his first pub venture, although he is now also involved with the Old Workshop on Hicks Street too.
The Beer Engine is in essence a traditional pub with a focus on serving high-quality real ales in a relaxing environment, but there is a modern twist in the form of ever-changing craft keg beers and an interesting range of spirits. The pub is furnished and decorated simply but is laid out to appeal to all – a main open area around the bar and a couple of smaller, cosier rooms. There’s a nice beer garden out the back which has been extremely popular during the recent hot weather.
The bar features six handpumps, one of which dispenses the ever-available Neepsend Blonde. The remaining five feature a changing range of ales from breweries such as Exit 33, Bad Seed and North Riding, and sometimes a real cider. The staff are friendly and knowledgable and are happy to offer tasters and advice.
No article about the Beer Engine would be complete without a mention of the pub’s food offerings. Monday to Saturday is pub tapas, with a selection of around 8 dishes on a menu which changes weekly. On a Sunday, the Beer Engine offers home-cooked roast dinners with a choice of meat of the week, vegetarian and vegan options.
We will be presenting the award certificate at the Beer Engine on Tuesday 14 August. Join us from 8pm onwards for a presentation at 9pm. For those travelling by public transport, the 3/3a, 4/4a, 20, 43, 44, 75, 76, 86, 97, 98 and 218 all stop nearby. We hope to see you there!
Sheffield & District CAMRA members headed to the Wellington, Shalesmoor, on 10 July for the presentation of the July 2018 Pub of the Month award. Competition from the first of the World Cup semi-finals meant attendance was perhaps a little lower than it might otherwise have been, but there was still a great atmosphere in the pub as branch vice-chairman Patrick Johnson handed over the certificate to manager Niall Byrne, owner James Birkett and all the staff.
Patrick Johnson (left) presents the certificate to pub manager Niall Byrne.
It should come as no surprise that there was a great selection of real ales available on the evening. Four of the seven handpumps showcased beers from Neepsend Brewery, including the fantastic Comosus (4.6%), a very tasty pineapple pale ale. The other three featured guest ales from Atom, Anarchy and Imperial. There were also some great craft keg beers from Steel City and Wylam.
The Wellington continued the recent tradition of putting on a buffet for everyone who made it down for the presentation, with a nice selection of sandwiches, cocktail sausages, pork pies and something I had never tried before – cold black pudding!
Congratulations once again to everyone at the Wellington on their award! CAMRA members, don’t forget to vote for your next Pub of the Month. Or if your favourite isn’t on the list, you can nominate it on the website or at any branch meeting.
If travelling by tram for a pub crawl in the Kelham Island area, first call will usually be the Wellington on the corner of Henry Street and Infirmary Road, which is almost adjacent to the Shalesmoor (for Kelham Island) tram stop. The pub was built around 1840 for A. H. Smith’s Don Brewery, which was nearby. Following the usual sequence of takeovers, from the 1960’s the Wellington was part of the Whitbread estate.
As a result of the Beer Orders of the early nineties, Whitbread began to reduce their pub holdings, and the Wellington was sold ‘free of tie’ in 1992. For some 20 years it flourished as a free house, winning Sheffield CAMRA Pub of the Year 2001 as the Cask & Cutler, but suffering from a lack of investment it eventually became a bit tired. In 2016 it was acquired by James Birkett’s Sheaf Inns and after a much-needed yet sympathetic refurbishment it reopened on 19 October 2016.
Niall Byrne moved from the Sheaf View to become the new manager, and the Wellington became the brewery tap for the Neepsend Brewery (formerly Little Ale Cart), which had also been taken over by James Birkett. As a result the pub’s eight handpumps usually dispense three or four Neepsend beers, always including Neepsend Blonde, and three or four guest beers mostly from small breweries, together with a changing real cider. Brewers often featured include Bad Seed, North Riding, Pictish and Saltaire, and there is a decent range of gins and malt whiskies available. Opening hours are 3-11pm in the week, 12-12 Friday and Saturday and 12-10.30 Sunday. Food is limited to the usual bar snacks together with pork pies.
The pub still retains two separate rooms, one opened out into the corridor bar area, and several features survive from an inter war redevelopment, including some leaded windows. The walls throughout are decorated with an eclectic collection of breweriana, including mirrors and advertising placards. The rooms are comfortably furnished and welcoming, and with no TV, gaming machines or music, at weekends the Wellington is a welcome refuge from the noisier pubs in the area. All in all a well deserved winner of the Pub of the Month for July. As well as the tram, there is a nearby bus stop served by routes 57, 81, 82, 86 and 135.
Alan Gibbons
Sheffield & District CAMRA members headed to the Fat Cat on Tuesday 12 June to celebrate the Pub of the Month award for June 2018. With its huge range of real ales (although you would expect nothing less from the pub where Sheffield’s real ale revolution started!) and convivial atmosphere, the pub was a worthy winner. The Fat Cat last won Pub of the Month in September 2010 and will add this latest award to the long list of accolades they have won over the years.
Branch vice-chairman Patrick Johnson (second from right) presented licensee Duncan Shaw (left) and his staff with the certificate, which we are sure will take pride of place.
CAMRA isn’t just all about real ale; we also support those pubs offering quality real cider and perry, made by traditional methods. Every year, Sheffield & District CAMRA chooses one pub in our branch region that has made a particular contribution to the cider scene around the city.
On Thursday 10 May, we headed down to the Clubhouse on London Road to hand over the Cider Pub of the Year certificate. Branch cider champion Sarah Mills made the presentation to manager Rachel Waite. There were three ciders and a perry on the handpumps on the evening, proving just why the pub won the accolade.
Cider champion Sarah Mills (left) with Clubhouse manager Rachel Waite
Well done once again to Rachel and all the staff at the Clubhouse on their award.
We were unable to secure a minibus for the trip this time, so we kicked off with a short hop on the number 65 bus to Stoney Middleton for the first presentation at the Moon Inn. The pub was very quiet when we arrived but the staff were friendly and the ale was well kept. Stancill India was the pick of the three beers on offer. Branch chairman Glyn Mansell presented the certificate to manager Kevin Bite and his team.
The next stop on our route was this year’s District Pub of the Year, the Red Lion at Litton. It was back on the 65 for the second leg of the journey, which again handily dropped us right outside the door of the pub. The Red Lion was a complete contrast to the Moon, full of customers enjoying their lunch on a hot summer’s day. There were four real ales available here, including one of the first beers I ever tried growing up in East Lancashire, Moorhouse’s Pride of Pendle. Chairman Glyn made a rare outdoors presentation to landlady Jeanne, who was delighted with her award.
Well done once again to both pubs on their awards!
Dominic Nelson 
There was an excellent selection of six real ales available on the night, although this was down to four by the end of the evening. Particular highlights of mine included Almasty DDH Nelson Waimea Pale and Summer Wine Vic Secret, two very tasty pale ales showcasing Antipodean hops. The Beer Engine is also known for its great food and the complimentary tapas were very much appreciated.
A huge congratulations once again to Tom and everyone at the Beer Engine! 
The Beer Engine is in essence a traditional pub with a focus on serving high-quality real ales in a relaxing environment, but there is a modern twist in the form of ever-changing craft keg beers and an interesting range of spirits. The pub is furnished and decorated simply but is laid out to appeal to all – a main open area around the bar and a couple of smaller, cosier rooms. There’s a nice beer garden out the back which has been extremely popular during the recent hot weather.
The bar features six handpumps, one of which dispenses the ever-available Neepsend Blonde. The remaining five feature a changing range of ales from breweries such as Exit 33, Bad Seed and North Riding, and sometimes a real cider. The staff are friendly and knowledgable and are happy to offer tasters and advice.
No article about the Beer Engine would be complete without a mention of the pub’s food offerings. Monday to Saturday is pub tapas, with a selection of around 8 dishes on a menu which changes weekly. On a Sunday, the Beer Engine offers home-cooked roast dinners with a choice of meat of the week, vegetarian and vegan options.
We will be presenting the award certificate at the Beer Engine on Tuesday 14 August. Join us from 8pm onwards for a presentation at 9pm. For those travelling by public transport, the 3/3a, 4/4a, 20, 43, 44, 75, 76, 86, 97, 98 and 218 all stop nearby. We hope to see you there! 
Branch vice-chairman Patrick Johnson (second from right) presented licensee Duncan Shaw (left) and his staff with the certificate, which we are sure will take pride of place.
