Category: Awards

Our Pub of the Month winner for February 2018, voted for as always by CAMRA members, is a pub that needs little introduction. Since being refurbished and reopened as a freehouse in 2000 by James Birkett (who also owns the Wellington at Shalesmoor and the Blake Hotel in Walkley), the Sheaf View in Heeley has won our monthly award several times, most recently back in June 2015. Anyone who has visited the Sheaf View will know that the priority here is the provision of high-quality drinks, especially real ales. Kelham Island’s Easy Rider is always available, as well as a seasonal beer from Neepsend Brewery and a selection of up to six guests from around Yorkshire (and further afield) on offer at any time. The pub is decorated with a fantastic range of brewing memorabilia and the layout, including the conservatory to the rear, provides the ideal setting to drink and relax. As well as cask ales, there is an extensive selection of bottled beers available, including several Belgian beers, at least one real cider and a good selection of Scotch malt whiskies. A regular entry in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide, the Sheaf View attracts real ale aficionados from all over the country and is popular with Sheffield United fans, so it can get quite busy on match days. There is also a well-attended pub quiz which takes place every Wednesday evening. The award celebration will take place on Tuesday 13 February, with the presentation of the certificate around 9pm. For those travelling by public transport, the pub is 200 yards from Gleadless Road bus stop on London Road (routes 10, 20, 25, 43 and 44), or about the same distance from Richards Road stop (routes 18, 19 and 56). We look forward to seeing you there.

We are delighted to announce that our first Pub of the Month award for 2018 goes to one of the more remote pubs in our branch area, the Eyre Arms in Hassop. In reaching the required 10 votes, it has become the first of our Derbyshire pubs to win the award since the Angler’s Rest in Bamford did so back in April 2015. This 300-year-old ale house has hardly changed over the centuries, and still features the impressive arms of the Eyre family above an open fireplace. It is a true country pub, with a cosy interior, immaculate beer garden and high-quality, home-cooked food – not forgetting the real ale on offer. The bar features regular cask beers from Derby’s Brunswick Brewery and the Peak District’s own Peak Ales alongside up to two guest beers, which often include Sheffield breweries such as Bradfield and Kelham Island. At the time of going to print, the date of the presentation is yet to be arranged although owing to the pub’s rural location it is likely we will arrange a minibus for one Saturday in January, weather permitting. Keep an eye out on our website and social media channels for more information. Dominic Nelson

Every month (votes permitting), we try to recognise one pub in the Sheffield & District CAMRA branch area that consistently serves high-quality real ale in a pleasant environment. We are pleased to reveal that our Pub of the Month award for December 2017 goes to one of the newer pubs in the city centre, the Head of Steam on Norfolk Street. In a building that started out life as a bank before becoming a pub (previous incarnations include the Fraternity House and the Old Monk), the Head of Steam is part of a chain of similarly branded pubs owned by the Hartlepool-based Camerons Brewery and was opened in its current guise on 14 April 2016. With up to 10 real ales and ciders, generally a mixture of the brewery’s own offerings plus guest beers from around Yorkshire, there’s plenty of choice for drinkers. CAMRA members enjoy a discount of 20p per pint on all cask ales. The pub also offers a wide selection of craft keg beers and an extensive range of bottled continental brews and there’s plenty of food available, with modern takes on pub classics alongside a few more exotic choices. You can join us for the award presentation at the Head of Steam on Tuesday 12 December, arriving from around 8pm for a presentation about an hour later. With the Arundel Gate bus interchange just around the corner, there are plenty of options for public transport, and it is also the last social before Christmas so we are hoping for a good turnout. See you there! Dominic Nelson

As always, it is a pleasure to reveal our Pub of the Month award winner for November. This month’s recipient is the Railway Hotel on Bramall Lane, a first-time winner of the accolade. Taken over and comprehensively refurbished by Jack Cater and his family in 2015, the Railway has shed its former identity as a “football pub” and established a reputation for serving a good selection of real ales at reasonable prices in friendly and relaxing surroundings. On the pumps, you will find five rotating cask beers, often showcasing local breweries such as Abbeydale, Kelham Island and Acorn. CAMRA members receive a very generous discount of 30p per pint. Draught cider is also available, along with a range of bottled world beers. A pub quiz is held every Thursday evening. The pub was nominated for the award by Sheffield & District CAMRA’s social media co-ordinator, Poppy Hayhurst: “I had recently relocated to Sheffield and at first found it difficult to orientate myself in the city. On one Monday afternoon on my way back from doing my shopping I got completely lost and being laden with multiple bags tried to find somewhere where I could sit, take a breath and work out where I was! That was the first time I visited the Railway Hotel. Perhaps unsurprisingly at 4pm on a Monday afternoon I was the only person in the pub, but still the barman was really welcoming and sensing my struggle directed me to the outdoor sitting area where he swiftly brought me my pint. It wasn’t until the Beer Census I got the opportunity to revisit the pub, this time on a Saturday afternoon. A few of my friends didn’t share my enthusiasm assuming it would be full of football fans being so close to Bramall Lane, but they all left the pub in agreement that future visits would definitely be on the cards. With a good and varied selection of real ales, kegs and bottles; free retro arcade games; one of the best beer gardens I have been to in Sheffield and a CAMRA discount on all pints of real ale this unassuming little pub really does for me offer it all.” We will be heading to the Railway Hotel to present the award on Tuesday 14 November, arriving from about 8:30pm for a presentation around 9pm. Buses 18, 19 and 252 all stop on Bramall Lane, about 100 metres from the pub. Our Pub of the Month award is voted for by CAMRA members and aims to recognise those pubs around Sheffield that consistently serve quality real ale in a welcoming environment. You can vote or nominate a pub for the award at any branch meeting, or via our website at sheffield.camra.org.uk/potm/vote. Dominic Nelson