Blue Bee Brewery are now onto version 90 of the American Five Hop series, as of mid June. Following that brew was something a bit special to celebrate their 1000th brew which was yet to be announced at the time of going to press but may be on the bars by the time you read this!
Thornbridge have been celebrating the 21st birthday of their flagship Jaipur IPA and making an appearance at their tap room in Bakewell was a one off wooden cask containing a batch of Jaipur that had been brewed on the Burton Union.
Eyam Brewery like many others have produced special beers badged up with a football world cup theme. Eyam’s beer is a 4.2% ABV pale ale and available with two different pump clips – “Surely It’s Coming Home” and “Jules Rimet Still Gleaming, 60 years of Hurt”. Meanwhile at the tap room in Tideswell investment is going into the venue now they’ve got planning permission and a full time licence. New furniture and doors are in with new toilets are on the way as initial signs of development!
Bradfield Brewery have released a bottled version of their Holy Cow IPA called Zebu. This is 8% ABV and has been aged in a rum barrel.
Many of the breweries in our branch area have their own bar, in some cases on site, or a pub they regularly supply, that is a great place to go and try their beers. Here is our guide to them to help you enjoy a session on the locally brewed ales!
ABBEYDALE BREWERY
The original Abbeydale Brewery pub is the Rising Sun at Nether Green which has been extended over the years offering a bar showcasing a huge number of Abbeydale beers on cask and keg along with guest ales, it also has a dining room serving good quality fresh food and an outdoor drinking area. 471 Fulwood Road, Nether Green, S10 3QA. Buses 83 or 120.
This has now been joined by their Beerworks micropub on Abbeydale Road, just around the corner from the brewery, as the official Abbeydale tap room. This features a selection of Abbeydale beers on cask and keg plus a fridge full of cans available to drink in or take away. 298 Abbeydale Road, S7 1FL. Buses 75/76, 86 or 97/98.
BLUE BEE BREWERY
The brewery is based in a small industrial unit in Neepsend and doesn’t have an official tap, however it does have some common management with the Kelham Island Tavern where you’ll always find some of their cask beers on the bar among a wide range of ales. The pub has two rooms, beer garden and a no swearing policy. 62 Russell Street, Kelham Island, S3 8RW. Buses 57/57a, 81/82 or 86.
BRADFIELD BREWERY
Their original tap pub is the Nags Head near Loxley in a rural spot just down the hill from the brewery, which was originally set up on a dairy farm as a diversification project for the family business. The Nags Head is a two room pub offering a reasonably priced range of Bradfield beers and good, simple home cooked pub grub. Stacey Bank, Loxley, S6 6SJ. Bus 61/62.
Bradfield have since taken on two more tap pubs, the King & Miller in Deepcar and the Wharncliffe Arms on Wharncliffe Side
DEAD PARROT BREWERY
The brewery and its tap – Perch – is located on the same complex around a yard that doubles up as their beer garden and events space. The name of the brewery is a little bit of an in joke with the kit and pipework coming from two breweries that are no longer with us – Henry’s Brewhouse and the Frog & Parrot, the latter pub now managed by the brewery owners brother.
Perch is in premises that was once home to the council parking enforcement officers but has now been converted into a modern bar which offers Dead Parrot beers on cask, mainstream keg beer brands and a fridge full of Belgian and other beers in bottle and can. 44 Garden Street, Sheffield S1 4BJ.
EYAM BREWERY
Eyam brewery started out life in the famous plague village before moving to bigger premises in the neighbouring village of Great Hucklow. Many of the beer names reference Eyam village’s history! The newly opened tap room is of the modern style in an adapted industrial unit in the Peak District village of Tideswell, a few miles away from the brewery. Here you can find a range of their beers on both cask and keg along with a shop selling bottles, cans and merchandise such as t-shirts and hoodies. The bar is open at the weekend Friday to Sunday and on some Saturdays a food trader pops up outside. Eyam Brewery tap, 7a Meverill Road, Tideswell, SK17 8PY. Buses 65 or 173.
FUGGLE BUNNY BREWHOUSE
Fuggle Bunny brew a range of mainly easy drinking session beers that tell a story with the pump clips designed like book marks. The brewery is in an industrial unit just off the main road between Halfway tram terminus and Killamarsh and contains a bar that opens every Friday plus special events held on the last Saturday of the month. Unit 1, Meadowbrook Park Ind. Est, Station Road, Halfway, S20 3PJ. Buses 26/26a or 120k.
LITTLE MESTERS
Little Mesters relocated started out in a small shop unit at Meadowhead but have since relocated to proper industrial premises with bigger kit in Attercliffe. Their tap bar, Mesters Tap, remains in Woodseats. 706 Chesterfield Road, Woodseats, S8 0SD. Buses 24/25, 43/44, 75/76/M76 or X17.
LOXLEY BREWERY
Loxley Brewery is based at the Wisewood Inn and as you’d expect a range of their beers are on the bar. Food is also served and there is a beer garden. 539 Loxley Road, Loxley, S6 6RR. Buses 52a or 61/62.
NEEPSEND BREWERY
The Wellington pub next to Shalesmoor tram stop is Neepsend’s tap offering a range of their beers on both cask and keg as well as guest ales and cheap sandwiches! Classic multi roomed venue also featuring an outdoor drinking area. You can buy mini kegs of Neepsend beer to take home. 1 Henry Street, Sheffield S3 7EQ. Blue or Yellow tram; buses 57/57a, 81/82 or 86.
ST MARS OF THE DESERT
SMOD open the tap room at their brewery in Attercliffe every weekend except in winter. 90 Stevenson Road, Attercliffe S9 3XG. Buses 9/9a, 52/52a, 207 or X3.
TAPPED BREW CO
The brewery is located in the Sheffield Tap bar on the railway station, you can see the brewery as you sit drinking in the back room! Platform 1b Sheffield Station, Sheaf Street, Sheffield S1 2BP. Blue or Purple tram, various buses and trains.
TOOLMAKERS
Toolmakers is a small batch brewery supplying cask ales to the Forest pub next door on Rutland Road, near Neepsend. The brewery also has a separate tap room that hosts events including live music and comedy. Rutland Street, Neepsend, S3 9PA
TRIPLE POINT
Modern complex hosting brewery, bar, burger kitchen and beer garden with a range of their cask and keg beers on the bar. Cans and merch available to take home. 178 Shoreham Street, Sheffield S1 4SQ. Buses 1, 24/25, 47/48 or 51.
The Hope Brewery (Claywheels Lane, S6 1LZ) was built for Thomas Carter’s Hope Brewery, opening in 1939. Following Luftwaffe damage at their Anchor Brewery, Henry Tomlinson and Company (founded 1891) merged with the Hope Brewery in 1942, forming Hope and Anchor Breweries.
They were famed for a Sheffield legend: Jubilee Stout. A 1952 reciprocal agreement with Canadian Breweries (CBL), led by President E.P. (Eddie) Taylor saw Jubilee Stout on sale in Canada and the initial entry of Carling Lager to the UK. By 1960 the company had ~250 tied outlets and the telegram address: Jubilee Sheffield.
Advertising included Kenneth Steel paintings which were reproduced on beer-mats, trays and posters. They also employed well-known magician, David Nixon (1919-1978), in a TV advert for Jubilee Stout. At the height of his career, Nixon was among the best-known magicians in the UK.
The brewery closed in 1994, by which time it was part of the Bass empire. The previous year, they produced the ‘Sheffield at Wembley’ celebration beer.
Brewery Closures – Local Quality or National Mediocrity ?
On 26th May, the BBC ran a story with the headline: ‘Beer boom goes flat as breweries call last orders.’ This was featured on their website and even led to a pre-breakfast interview on Radio Sheffield with one of our Committee. Their story was based on a mix of Companies House and national CAMRA data and stated that:
‘In April, the number of UK beer brewing companies fell to 2,320. It peaked at 2,594 in 2022.’
‘Across the UK 320 businesses shut last year, Companies House data shows. Yet only 170 opened, resulting in a net loss of 150.’
The story takes no account of the many nuances which are hidden in the figures. For example, Grizzly Grains ran successfully for four years from 2020. It closed when the owner and sole employee, Sam Bennett, became Head Brewer at Little Mesters as they moved to their new premises in Attercliffe. The result was a net loss of one brewery but an increase in both numbers employed and beer production. It’s also worth mentioning that the effect of one closure can vary dramatically. In February, Molson Coors announced the closure of Sharp’s Brewery in Cornwall with the loss of 50 jobs.
It would also be interesting to see more depth. Perhaps, only consider, breweries which have existed for over five years? Sheffield currently has 17 independent working breweries. Of these, 15 have been in operation for over 5 years: they are established, have a working business model, and, most importantly, customers. In the last five years, another three breweries have come and gone (BrewSocial, Heist and HQ Brew).
Local independent breweries have many pressures: post-covid, energy costs, the rising cost of ingredients, the effects of Brexit … however, the main challenge is getting to market, making their beers available for sale. If you visit a big supermarket, how many indie beers are on the shelves?
Sheffield City Council missed an opportunity with the Cambridge Street Collective. The ‘largest food hall in Europe’ has very little local indie beer on the bars, However, recently, the council do seem to have seen the errors of their ways. One of the key strands of their Sheffield Inspires marketing campaign is ‘The Craft of Beer’
Taxation is another issue. It’s difficult not just for breweries, but for all small independent businesses. However, breweries do seem to have to engage with a perhaps excessive amount of paperwork: perhaps the indie beer companies need a special overseer who will bring things together?
It’s also worth noting in addition to 20% VAT, alcohol is also subject to specific duties. The UK tax on beer is one of the highest in Europe. For example, a 4.5% beer sold at £4/pint : beer duty 13% , VAT 17% : 30% of your spend is on tax (£1.31). A reduction in alcohol tax would be welcomed by our local independent breweries.
The BBC did note that both Bristol and Sheffield have one of the densest brewery scenes in the country, each with over 10 breweries within a mile of each other. Sheffield is a strong beer city due to local co-operation, collaboration and support. In short, the things that make Sheffield a great city, make it, possibly the best beer city in the world.
As co-founder of Triple Point, George Brook said in the BBC piece: “One of the reasons why I love this city, and also Bristol, both are so much more accepting of independents than anywhere else I have been or lived. The culture of drinking local beer is one of the things that makes Sheffield great.”
Choosing an independent pint genuinely makes a difference. It supports local businesses, local employment and is also good for the environment. Do you really want to drink Doom Bar which has travelled over 300 miles from Cornwall, when there is a choice of many excellent, locally-made beers? The difficulty for the small brewery is getting to market, not the quality of their beer. Consumers deserve the opportunity to choose: local quality or multinational mediocrity.
Dave Pickersgill
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Current Sheffield Breweries:
Abbeydale 1996 – established
Bradfield 2005
Blue Bee 2011
Tapped 2013
Toolmakers 2013
Emmanuales 2014
Fuggle Bunny 2014
Stancill 2014
Neepsend 2015
True North 2015 (brewery available for outside use)
Little Critters 2016
Loxley 2018
Dead Parrot 2018
Saint Mars of the Desert (SMOD) 2018
Triple Point 2019
Little Mesters 2020
Duality 2024
AleChemist 2025
NOT IN SHEFFIELD BUT STILL IN SHEFFIELD & DISTRICT CAMRA BRANCH AREA:
Two beers in the Stancill brewery core range won awards at the recent Barrow Hill Rail Ale Beer Festival 2026. Our No7 and Barnsley Bitter won Gold and Silver respectively in the same category (Low Gravity Copper/Golden 4.5% and below).
Special Brews: The latest special brews are inspired by the locations of the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament taking place this summer across the USA, Canada and Mexico. All single-hopped pale ales, each offers something a little different – For the USA we have Willamette-hopped Rutherford (4.2%), for Canada we have Columbus-hopped Canuck (4%) and for Mexico we have Golazo (4.4%), a more golden hued ale appropriately featuring El Dorado hops. More details about the inspiration behind these beers can be found on their website. Of course, fan favourite Sweet Caroline (4.1%) will also be available throughout the tournament!
July always marks the release of our annual charity beer, which this year is in support of Friends of the Porter Valley, and it’s a 4.1% pale ale called Golden Duck, in honour of their incredibly popular annual duck race! Chinook and Mosaic hops combine for a flavoursome citrussy character with notes of grapefruit, lemon and dare we say even mandarin. Do a runner to the bar for this one – it’s quacking! 10p from every pint sold is donated to the charity.
Our seasonal specials see three more cask only pale ales making a return to our offering. Dr Morton’s 4 Yorkshiremen (4.1%) is light and orangey with Amarillo hops, we have the always popular Belfry (4.5%) which is single hopped with Cascade for characteristic fruity, floral aromas, and Phoenix from our Mythical Creatures inspired series, 4.1% with notes of elderflower and a delicate bitter finish.
Onto the Brewers Emporium and Steel & Grit (4.4%) sees us team up with fellow Sheffield independents, outdoor gear specialists Buffalo Systems, to create a globally inspired pale ale with a spirit of adventure. Showcasing Citra, Mosaic and new experimental hop HPA 065, expect a diverse flavour profile of juicy citrus fruits – notably grapefruit, alongside tropical pineapple and a spicy edge. Untamed and hazy with a tantalisingly crisp bitter finish.
And finally, in honour of our 30th anniversary, we’ve taken the flavours of a classic “Millionaire’s” shortbread and given them an extra layer of va va voom in Trillionaire Shortbread Stout, new to our Indulgence series! Luscious and full of flavour with biscuit malts, silky chocolate, unctuous caramel and rich vanilla.
St Mars of the Desert has some new releases. Owd Eerie, An old ale inspired by the great traditional British beer style, a dark but drinkable, all-British, complex ale, 6.2%. Clamp, their returning Mosaic and Waimea-hopped koelship IPA. Fresh, zingy, and fruity, 5.5% Also Lovely Saint Winefride is a golden barleywine, a beer style invented in Sheffield. It contains all British ingredients, with Goldings hops and Maris Otter barley, 8.3%
Additionally dates for their Annual SMODFEST lager celebration have been announced – 31st July/1st August, 7th/8th August and 14th/15th August
It’s been a while since I last sent an Emmanuales update to Beer Matters, so thought it was about time to fill you in with where I’ve been up to with ’that Jesus beer’. The last you may have heard, Emmanuales was operating on a 100L kit from a cellar of a terraced house in Walkley. Since then, we’ve moved, upscaled and re-established the brewery on the outskirts of Sheffield.
Having bought an angle-grinder, many tins of anti-mould white paint and about 50L of epoxy resin, I spent the Christmas of 2025 doing up the space ready to install our new brew kit, which we purchased from Middle Child Brewing in Twickenham. Before them, the kit was owned by Verdant Brewing Co – famed formatting some incredible IPAs – who started their brewery on it in 2014, which is when I started Emmanuales.
(I guess that means every beer I make now will taste like Putty, right?!)
Whilst Emmanuales has been out of action, I’ve also had the opportunity to work on the production team and a role in marketing at Mount St Bernard Trappist Brewery, aka Tynt Meadow. It’s been very nice working on a fully-automated German-built brewhouse and hone my beer-making skills producing Trappist beer… a far cry from making small batches of beer in my garage!
Finally, after having had the fallow period between Easter 2025-26, I brewed and released two new beers, Haze The Lord – a 5.2% Hazy Pale Ale, very much a homage to Verdant’s ‘Lightbulb’, which felt fitting given the kit launched their brewery – and an Old English Ale (8.0%), All Hail Redeemer Ale. Additionally, two new beers should be landing just in time for summer – Hosanna in the Rye-est (a big, sticky West Coast Rye IPA) and Sanctus Tripel(a Saaz hopped Abbey style strong, golden ale… which may be called Blessed-malle if I can get away without trademark lawyers knocking on my door).
As ever, beers are available in 440ml cans and stocked in and around Sheffield, in venues such as The Old Shoe, Walkley Beer Co, The Dram Shop, etc. Find out more about Emmanuales at www.emmanuales.co.uk and follow us on Instagram @emmanuales where I’ve taken up the challenge to become the brewing equivalent of @eatingwithtod
Saint Mars of the Desert is in preparation for this summer’s SMOD fest with the acquisition of two Holzfass barrels that they are in the process of repitching.
These traditional German wooden serving vessels contain beer packaged during fermentation, and the beer is known as “ungespundet” in Germany.
In the meantime new releases include Welcome to the neighbourhood a pale NZ-hopped IPA with Nelson Sauvin and Nectaron, 5%. and fresh Jack D’Or their original hoppy golden Belgian-inspired saison beer, 7.4%.
A new beer from Dead Parrot Brewery spotted on the bar at Perch in May was Repeat, a 4.2% ABV Mosaic hopped pale ale.
Beers coming out of Blue Bee‘s brewhouse in April and May include a session pale ale brewed with the new Pink hop variety, a new IPA hopped with Idaho7 and Krush, American Five Hop version 89 and the special for Kelham Pride which is a west coast pale hopped with Simcoe and Pink Boots. Also making a comeback is their Ginger Beer, although only a small batch so get it while you can!
Bradfield Brewery‘s seasonal special in May was Nettle Nectar which will be followed by Farmers World Cup Ale which is described as a light pale hoppy beer with a kick of fruit and a refreshing taste.
New from Intrepid Brewing is Roke, named after the old dialect for the valley mists often experienced in our part of the Peak District. The beer falls into the stronger end of the session strengths at 4.8% and is hopped with Centennial and Citra in the whirlpool, Idaho 7 at pitch then dry hopped with more Citra and Idaho 7. The beer is fermented with saturated yeast for those peachy esters.
They held their first brewery open day on Saturday 2 May with a range of their beers on the bar, seating out in the year and Sunshine Pizza trading outside.
Eyam Brewery have again brewed the 11% ABV imperial edition of their Black Death Vanilla Stout and it is available in bottles from their brewery shop, with a click and collect facility available. The regular Black Death is 7% ABV and is available across cask, keg and bottle. Other dark beers offered include Bring Out Your Dead, a 4.4% ABV cappuccino stout and Eyam Plague, a 4.8% traditional stout. Their brewery is in Great Hucklow and the tap room is in Tideswell.
Fuggle Bunny Brew House continue to open for additionally tap days on the last Saturday of the month, usually with a food trader and live music planned.
Little Mesters have won an award for their Royd’s Bitter in a recent SIBA competition.
Kelham Island have been collaborating with Blackjack Brew Co to produce The Beautiful North, a 4.8% ABV pale ale. The away fixture saw the keg version brewed whilst the version brewed back home at Thornbridge was the cask version, which was launched on 20 May at the Botanical Arms micropub on Ecclesall Road.
As part of a programme of campaigns to highlight classic beer styles that some may consider to be endagered CAMRA has for many years championed Mild during May. Mild is a style that is designed to be easy drinking with subtle flavours and low bitterness. There are both dark and pale versions.
A couple of local breweries were promoting a mild in May with Stancill brewing a range of three!
Mild Steel 3.5%- If you like Stancill’s Stainless pale ale, you’ll love Mild Steel. With all the fresh, crisp character of their iconic core ale, but with a much milder ABV. Mild Steel is made with all-British hops.
Tom’s Mild 3.4%, Stancill’s regularly available signature mild, is named after their co-founder Tom! This is a smooth, creamy, dark mild with a nutty biscuit note. Tom’s Mild is characteristically sweet with a gentle late hop aroma. Well balanced, moreish and extremely drinkable.
Ruby Mild 4.9% – It’s been over five years since they brewed a Ruby Mild. This one is ruby red in colour with a strong nuttiness and flavours of berries. A velvety mouthfeel of melted milk chocolate make this a luxuriously pleasurable pint.
Meanwhile over at Thornbridge the May cask release in their year of beer programme of monthly seasonal specials was a mild, although perhaps a less traditional version being a coffee mild, although at 3.8% ABV is still easy drinking!
