Vice-chairman Patrick Johnson handed over the certificate, which will take pride of place alongside the pub’s host of previous Pub of the Month and Cider Pub of the Year awards, to licensee Liz Aspden and Exit 33 brewer Pete Roberts.
Congratulations once again to everyone at the Harlequin on their award! October Pub of the Month presentation
On the eve of the 44th Steel City Beer & Cider Festival, we kicked off the week of festivities with our October 2018 Pub of the Month presentation at the Harlequin.
Branch members, some of whom had made the short walk from the Kelham Island Museum where they had been setting up the festival, joined pub regulars to enjoy the excellent range of Exit 33 beers on offer, as well as the famous cider selection.
Vice-chairman Patrick Johnson handed over the certificate, which will take pride of place alongside the pub’s host of previous Pub of the Month and Cider Pub of the Year awards, to licensee Liz Aspden and Exit 33 brewer Pete Roberts.
Congratulations once again to everyone at the Harlequin on their award!
Vice-chairman Patrick Johnson handed over the certificate, which will take pride of place alongside the pub’s host of previous Pub of the Month and Cider Pub of the Year awards, to licensee Liz Aspden and Exit 33 brewer Pete Roberts.
Congratulations once again to everyone at the Harlequin on their award! 
The bar features up to 10 well-kept real ales with the regular beers (Blonde and Northern Best) provided by Exit 33. All the latest seasonal and one-off Exit 33 brews feature too, as well as quality rotating guest ales, generally from Yorkshire and the North East. There is also a range of craft keg and bottled beers including an international selection, mainly German and Belgian.
A regular winner of our Cider Pub of the Year award, the Harlequin is considered one of the best pubs in Sheffield for apple fans. Landlady Liz’s passion for cider is clear for all to see with as many as 14 different boxed ciders available, plus more in bottle and on keg. Keep an eye out (it’s hard to miss!) for the cider board with the current choice including descriptions and tasting notes.
A popular quiz (affectionately known as the Harlequiz, of course) is hosted on Wednesdays, while live music features on Friday and Saturdays with rock bands normally dominating the Saturday slot. The second Thursday of each month is jazz and swing night and all music nights are free to attend.
The Harlequin is a short walk from the City Centre or Kelham Island, or there is a bus stop right outside the pub served by routes 3, 7 and 8. We will be presenting the award on Tuesday 9 October, arriving from around 8pm for a presentation at 9pm. 
All CAMRA members who attended were offered a complimentary half pint of the newly released Voyager #12 IPA (5.6%), which was of course very much appreciated. There was, as always, a varied and interesting selection of cask ales on offer, with Abbeydale’s core offerings joined by a range of seasonal beers and guests from breweries such as Thornbridge and Hawkshead.
Congratulations again to Liz and all the Dev Cat team on their success! 
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! 
