Category: Breweries

On a Sunday in August that marked Abbeydale Brewery’s 30th birthday, a select crowd that had managed to get tickets gathered at their Beerworks tap room for a guided Funk Dungeon beer tasting led by the dungeon master himself, Jim Rangely, along with Laura Rangely, Abbeydale’s marketing manager.

Funk Dungeon is Abbeydale’s project that experiments with things like barrel-ageing, alternative fermentation and sour beer styles.

The tasting event focused on the Funk Dungeon’s story so far with bottled beers that have been laid away over the last few years and in some cases were the last ones remaining at the brewery.

There was a range of three beers produced for the ‘Funk Fest’, held at the brewery, including a bretted saison – both the original beer and a version aged in red wine barrels – along with a beer that had been live-brewed at the event using a portable koelship for spontaneous fermentation from wild yeast in the air. In total seven beers were sampled in the tasting.

To finish off all, were offered a slice of birthday cake along with the opportunity to sample more recent brews on cask and keg that were on the bar that day!

’Tis the season and yep, you guessed it, Pilgrim is back! Our 5% pumpkin-spiced pale ale heralds the arrival of autumn and we can’t wait to see this one on bars again.

This year, our pilgrimage has become that little bit EXTRA as our autumnal icon has brought along a fun and frivolous friend! Introducing Marshmallow Pilgrim, a pumpkin-pie-inspired stout, also 5% ABV. Featuring the familiar lip-smacking blend of warming pumpkin pie spices, here enveloped in a cosy, roasty stout, with the addition of sweet, fluffy marshmallow that’ll have you coming back for s’more… 

Of course, it’s not all pumpkin-spice-themed though, and we’ve got two completely new cask-only pale ales being released this month. In our lithograph-inspired series, we have Royal Agave, 4%, hopped with Cashmere and Wai-Iti. Expect refreshing lemon-lime notes along with soft, juicy melon and a smooth finish. And Nereides will be a 4.2% pale ale with artwork from our mythical creatures-inspired series. This one uses Calypso hops, which fellow mythology nerds will understand is rather fitting! Flavour-wise, these bring along a tasty combination of orchard and tropical fruits. Vibrant peach and pineapple on the nose, followed up with elegant notes of apple and pear.

Finally, in terms of returning beers, we’re bringing back our classic UK-hopped ESB in the Restoration series (5.2%), and Dr Morton’s Aftersave (4.1%) will be making a reappearance too.

As part of their 30th anniversary, Abbeydale Brewery recently held a brewery open day, complete with birthday cake! On Saturday 15 August, one day before the official birthday, the brewery saw a special shop opening, plus a series of brewery tours. The event was enjoyed by all: we look forward to another 30 years!

Returning from our Mythical Creatures inspired series this month we have Erlking – a flavourful 3.9% pale ale single hopped with Sabro, from the wild Neomexicanus hop family. Expect sweet citrus fruit flavours and a creamy hint of coconut in the finish. 

In exciting collaboration news, we’ve had the amazing RedWIllow Brewery here after brewing Deceptionless at their place earlier in the year. For the return leg, we’ve created Meander Through Macclesfield – a 4.8% UK Hopped Pale Ale showcasing Olicana and Harlequin, including innovative Harlequin Abstrax Quantum “hop juice”! A burst of floral character is joined by vivid mango and pineapple notes, with a subtle herbal finish.

And we hope you’ll all be as excited as we are for the next in our Legacy Series, bringing back classic beers from the archives to help us celebrate our 30^th anniversary – this time, it’s the turn of our much-loved American Brown Ale, Brimstone! An Amarillo hopped American Brown Ale, expect aromas of malt loaf and marmalade giving way to flavours of toffee and liquorice, followed by a lingering, pleasingly bitter finish. It won’t be around for long so don’t miss it! 

Finally we’ve teamed up with hop suppliers Hopsteiner to create Dreamlike, a 5.6% IPA featuring Alora and Solero hops, both of which are new to us! They promise vibrant tropical notes, from mango to aromatic yuzu alongside sweet peach and passionfruit. The beer of your dreams?

Blue Bee‘s brew number 1,000 is an East India Porter, initially brewed with Columbus, Ekuanot and Chinook hops then dry hopped. Also recently brewed is the fifth iteration of their Five Malt Mild and a Citra Pale.

Drone Valley Brewery are hosting a music festival at their tap on Sunday 6 September from midday until 7pm. Tickets cost £12.50 and are available to buy online in advance. Meanwhile a new beer has been brewed – Summer Fayre, a refreshing pale ale at a sessionable 3.7% ABV brewed with Columbus, Harlequin and Jester hops.

Eyam Brewery have launched a new website and you can order their cans, bottles and merch on line for courier delivery. Meanwhile at their tap room they have new toilets!

Thornbridge‘s Year of Beer scheduled of monthly small batch releases continues, July’s cask offering was “Twin Peaks”, a 5% ABV Anglo American pale ale. August’s cask is “Ravenna”, a Mosaic hopped pale ale then to look forward to in September is “Worker Bee”, a blonde bitter.

Mallinsons Brewery of Huddersfield had a topical beer at a festival recently called “Count Beerface”

July saw Acorn Brewery of Barnsley celebrate their 23rd birthday. Coming soon is a new 3.4% ABV pale ale in their decades series named after a song from the 2000s, which song will depend on suggestions received in a competition they have been running!

Seasonal beers from Bradfield Brewery available in July included Farmers Elderflower Ale and Farmers Cherry Beer with others to look forward to including Farmers Dust Settler (3.4% ABV pale ale brewed with Styrian Dragon hops), Farmers XX Best Bitter and Farmers Imperial Milk Stout (7.4% ABV with specialty malts and lactose).

IT’S OUR 30^TH ANNIVERSARY MONTH!

We feel so lucky to have been part of the Sheffield beer scene for the past three decades, and to still be here doing what we do.We’re celebrating with a new version of Doctor Morton’s Birthday Extravaganza, which we first made for our silver anniversary in 2021. A classic 4.1% pale, the hop forward style we’re best known for. Enjoy the power and beauty of your pint.

And Moonshine has been our most popular beer since our very beginnings, so we wanted to celebrate that too. Lunar Moonshine is a special 4.5% version of our flagship brew – it’s designed to satisfy our regular drinkers, so it stays true to the original recipe, but with the addition of Luna hops for an extra layer of bright and vibrant tropical and citrus flavour. 

Our returning seasonal special this month is Harvested (4.1%), an Australian hopped pale with a grapefruity bitterness and subtle spicy finish. And we have a new addition to our Restoration Series in the form of Burton Pale. Classic, smooth and well balanced with UK Fuggles and East Kent Goldings hops.

Thank you to everyone for your support over the last thirty years – here’s to the next!

Little Critters employee, and Steel City Beer Festival volunteer. John Starey, recently jumped out of a plane to raise money for Weston Park Hospital Development Fund. Luckily there was a parachute involved, and he returned safely to earth!

After being diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer in August 2024, John was treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy at Weston Park and has nothing but praise for their staff. “The quality of care and attention I have received is nothing short of incredible”.

Little Critters themselves were only too keen to get involved to support John’s efforts, and brewed a special beer, Weston Park Pale, with a percentage of profits going to the charity.

The jump took place at Hibaldstow in Lincolnshire, and has raised over £2,500 so far.

Search ‘John Starery’ on justgiving.com to donate.

To celebrate 150 years of Sheffield Children’s, Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity is embarking on its biggest-ever fundraising campaign by presenting the UK’s most ambitious sculpture trail. This year, alongside their ongoing charitable fundraising efforts, Thornbridge are proud to sponsor both a lion and a lioness as part of the Pride of Yorkshire initiative.

This sponsorship forms part of Thornbridge’s wider commitment to raise £15,000 for Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity throughout the year. Fundraising activities include individual initiatives, customer donations across their pub estate, contributions from pizzas sold at the Taproom and donations from meals enjoyed at their gastropub, the Cricket Inn in Sheffield, alongside support for the Pride of Yorkshire trail itself.

Simon Webster, CEO and Co-Founder of Thornbridge Brewery, said: “Sheffield Children’s Hospital is incredibly important to the city and the surrounding region. We see first-hand the vital role it plays in the lives of so many families, and we are proud to support its fundraising efforts. Sponsoring two of these statues gives us an opportunity not only to contribute to a fantastic cause, but also to be part of a truly special project that will bring people together across Yorkshire.”

One of Thornbridge’s sculptures is located outside their flagship city-centre pub, the Fargate. Named Snooker Loopy and designed by Lisa O’Hara. Thornbridge’s second sculpture, designed by Tom J. Newell and called Dandy Lioness, can be found just inside the Hunters Bar entrance to Endcliffe Park, conveniently situated between The Stag’s Head and the Greystones.

Both sculptures have already welcomed a steady stream of visitors, showcasing the creativity of their artists while helping to raise awareness and support for the vital work carried out by Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity.

If you fancy spending a weekend travelling around South Yorkshire ticking off the lions, a special weekend travel pass is available for all the buses, trams and trains in the county on the Travelmaster app.