Category: Breweries

Stancill Brewery‘s classic American pale ale American Beauty is back!  All-American hops – Cascade & Citra – provide soft floral aromas and citrus flavours with a punchy, peppery finish. It is also a fairly sensible strength at 4.8% ABV. 

Recent beers from Neepsend Brewery available in cask include Dema, a 3.8% session pale hopped with Azacca & Sabro; Pitthea, a 4.2% hazy pale; Cybele a 4.7% Amercian Pale hopped with Ekuanote and HBC431 (which promises to be a fruity, tropical little number).

Bradfield Brewery have a new beer out, Elderflower Ale. This is a one off small batch brew produced with fresh elderflowers giving it a subtle summery floral aroma, balanced by zesty citrus and grapefruit notes from the hops, finishing with a slight bitterness. It should be a perfect refreshing beer for a hot summer evening! Once all that has gone the next seasonal beer to look forward to is the return of Farmers Blueberry Ale, which some may describe as summer’s answer to Belgian Blue!

Little Critters continue with their series of single batch cask specials, the latest is the third in the series and is a 4.5% session IPA hopped with Galaxy and Sabro.

New from St Mars of the Desert is a Victorian inspired Golden Mild using bramling cross and whitbread goldings hops with British malt and historical invert sugars, brewed by Scarlet the brewery’s apprentice brewer.

Grizzly Grain have been busy brewing interesting new beers including Pine Martin, an English Pale Ale; NZ Pale brewed with Rakau and Wai-iti hops; Get Down, a pale ale brewed with Citra and Amarillo hops. They’ve also been making a mixed fermentation braggot using fresh organic UK cherries.

We’re welcoming back Alchemy (4.2%) this month! It will have new artwork (due to a revamp of this series by our in house designer, James Murphy), but the same recipe, which is always a popular one – single hopped with Amarillo for notes of juicy orange and tropical fruits. And also in the pale ale corner will be Exodus (3.9%) – at the time of writing, the hops for this one are yet to be decided, but it’s sure to be a light and easy drinking refresher!

And we’re getting back into the swing of collaborations at the moment and have Wanderer – Mountain IPA (6.5%) on the way. This one sees us teaming up with Heist Brew Co – their head brewer, Scott, previously worked for us, so we just had to invite him back for the day! Having visited Heist last year and brewing Battle of the Axes there, we’ve reused the same recipe to see how it works on our kit, rustling up a hybrid between a West Coast IPA and a NEIPA, with Citra, Centennial and Idaho 7 hops. Expect resinous pine sitting alongside notes of black tea, juicy mango and pink grapefruit. 

We hope you’ll all be as excited as we are to hear that we’re brewing a riff on our “People’s Champion” New Zealand Pale Ale, and have Dry Hopped Deception (4.1%) coming soon! Our regular Deception recipe, still at the same sessionable ABV, but turned up to 11 with a double dry-hopping of Nelson Sauvin for flavours of white grape, gooseberry and elderflower in absolute abundance. 

And finally, there are two new releases from the Funk Dungeon to look out for – Pull of Gravity (5.6%), a graf (apple raw ale, brewed in collaboration with Ascension Cider Co) and Ryes Again (6.0%) – a reimagining of Ryes From the Grave, which some of you may remember was the first ever full release from our mixed fermentation project. A blend of beers aged in barrel for up to four years, fruited with sour cherries, raspberries and blackcurrants. We reckon this one’s pretty special.

Remember a few years ago when Steel City blagged a collab at Weird Beard?

Well finally it was time for the return fixture! While Weird Beard has undergone a change of ownership and is currently relocating from up that London to up north, founder Bryan remains fully involved, and came to Sheffield to brew a proper DIPA with actual bitterness – remember them?

Dave and Bryan are both big fans of old skool IPAs with lots of bitterness and citrussy hops, and rue the lack of them these days. The recipe drew on Weird Beard’s ‘Holy Hoppin Hell’ and old Steel City recipes, and features a mix of American and Polish hops.

The result is ‘Russian warship, Go F**k Yourself’, a pale 9.8% brew, bone dry, with high bitterness (126IBU!) and citrus flavours. The brew was Steel City’s second for #brewforUkraine, with profits again donated to the DEC Ukraine Appeal. Between this and the earlier ‘Vlad the Invader’, nearly £1,500 has been raised for Ukraine humanitarian aid.

The long awaited opening of Chantry Brewery‘s on site tap room takes place on Thursday 23 June at 6pm. It is located upstairs on a mezzanine level overlooking the brewing areas and has a bar showcasing the range of Chantry beers.

The bar is open to the public on Thursday evenings 6-11pm and Saturdays 1-11pm whilst on Fridays they will be hosting ticketed live music gigs with the doors open 7pm and bands on from 8pm. On those Fridays without a gig the bar will open to the public 5pm-11pm.

The brewery is in Parkgate, a short walk from the tram train terminus.

True North Brew Co. have unveiled a brand new mural at their Eldon Street Brewery painted by local artist, Rob Lee.

The mural, painted in Lee’s instantly recognisable use of pattern, repetition, and abstraction, stretches from the edge of Forum Kitchen + Bar, across to the True North Brewery on Eldon Street, and is part of the ’30 Years of Us’ celebrations across True North Brew Co. in 2022.

Kane Yardley, founder and owner of True North Brew Co., said: “I’m so proud of the business we’ve built over the last thirty years. We commissioned this mural to give something back to the local community who have supported us since 1992; it looks incredible and really brightens up Devonshire Green.”

The mural was unveiled during the Eldon Street Party, part of the ’30 Years of Us’ celebrations happening at True North Brew Co. in 2022, which is part of their “Summer of Love Tour” across their venues.

The mural is supported by the release of Sheffield Dry Gin’s ‘Celebration Gin’, a limited edition Sheffield Dry Gin featuring a special label created by Rob Lee, and True North Brew Co.’s ‘Celebration Ale’, a 5% pale ale brewed with 30 hops.

Nicky Geraghty, Senior Marketing Executive at True North Brew Co. said: “Thirty years of True North is such a massive milestone, we thought it deserved a big celebration to match!”

“By teaming up with Rob Lee, we’ve created a work of art for the public, but also a work of art to collect and keep on our Sheffield Dry Gin bottles.” You can try the limited edition produce on the bar at True North venues or buy a bottle of Celebration Gin online or at the True North Store, found in Forum Shops + Boutiques.

We’re excited to announce that our charity partners for this year are Roundabout, a local housing charity who provide shelter, support and life skills to under 25s who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. And whilst we aren’t able to host our Sunfest beer festival this year, we’ve still brewed a big batch of beer which would traditionally have launched there, in aid of our charity partners. Please keep your eyes peeled for Fresh Start, a 4.1% pale ale with 10p from every pint going to support the incredibly valuable work that Roundabout do in our community.

Our new single hopped series Obsession is back for a second release, this time showcasing Ekuanot hops in a 5.9% IPA. We’ve gone West Coast style for this one, so expect a lovely robust bitterness to back up the luscious lemon lime character found within these wonderful hops. Also single hopped is Hopback Azacca (4.2%), promising notes of juicy mango and a cornucopia of tropical fruits.

We’re paying homage to an iconic beer that started off the beery journeys of many of our team here with Restoration – Golden Steam Ale (4.9%). Expect a lovely caramel malt sweetness, with Chinook hops adding a light grassy aroma and hints of earthy pine.  

And rounding off the month we have Dr Morton’s Four Yorkshiremen, a classic 4.1% pale ale with Simcoe & Amarillo hops, and the ever-popular Salvation – Cappuccino Stout (5.5%) making a welcome return too.

Located in a railway arch in Attercliffe, brewSocial is the newest Sheffield brewery. Head Brewer, Richard Hough estimates that the two 4.5 Bbl. fermenting vessels will produce around 30 (nine gallon) firkins/week. With assistance, Richard is currently organising the space, testing the kit and ensuring the legal requirements are in place. The planned first commercial beer is an unfined, vegan 4.0% pale.

Their distinctive red and yellow casks were sourced from Eccles-based First Chop, their colour suggesting the branding which utilises a similar red/yellow palette. The brew kit was previously used by Port Mahon Brewery, then Little Ale Cart in the ‘Brick Shed’ located behind the Wellington (Shalesmoor). It has recently been restored by Gary Sheriff (White Rose Brewery).

Richard Is a very experienced brewer. His CV includes Abbeydale at the time when Moonshine became the top-selling cask ale in Sheffield. He was also co-founder of Blue Bee Brewery before stints at Acorn, Lenton Lane and Shiny. He is looking forward to the challenges of working as part of the wider Yes2Ventures (Y2V) umbrella.

brewSocial are linked to Y2V, a locally-based social firm development agency who aim to create employment and training opportunities for people who are disadvantaged in the labour market.

brewSocial has the same community ethos, providing a variety of local employment opportunities: brewery work, cleaning, delivery, logistics, marketing and many others. Dan Carter, Manager of the associated Travel Service put it neatly – ‘Lots of different people do lots of different things.’

Y2V originated 23 years ago as The Anthony Davison Trust, providing accommodation for adults with learning disabilities. The name change came in 2002. Successful projects include Buster’s Coffee Company (cafés in Doncaster, Leeds, and Sheffield); a Travel Support service; Viewpoint Research, a telephone-based research service and Yes2Work, a New Deal for Disabled People job broker.

Y2V also manage theSocial (24-26 Snig Hill). Opened in August 2021: in addition to the bar, the complex also encompasses an art gallery and performance space. Licensee Juliet Portchmouth, is looking forward to hosting the launch of the first casks from beerSocial – ‘I am excited to have our new beer on the pumps at theSocial! It will compliment our varied range.’

As Y2V Founder Director, Mark Powell states: ‘Having a job and feeling good about it – that’s an experience the people we work with have rarely had. They don’t fit conventional job descriptions, but I bet they’ll brew good beer.’

Welbeck Abbey Brewery are delighted to announce that the revamp of its core-range beers has been a great success, with positive feedback all round for the three brand-new beers and new-look designs.

The beers have been well received by both trade customers and the general public, and this has been validated by the winning of a number of different awards in a variety of regional and national beer competitions over the last few months.

The good news began shortly after the launch event, with wins for all three new beers at the Farm Shop & Deli Show, held from 25-27^th April at the NEC in Birmingham.  The Product Awards were a new addition to the show’s line-up, adding unrivalled value to regional food and drink producers and showcasing excellence in the industry. Scores of suppliers were judged by an exacting panel of industry experts who considered criteria including sustainability, ethical brand stories and provenance. Skylight and Hennymoor both scooped a Bronze Award, with Atlas taking home a Silver.

The awards continued to roll in, with Red Feather taking Gold and Skylight taking Bronze in their respective categories at the local Barrow Hill Roundhouse Rail Ale Festival in Chesterfield. The festival was held from 19^th-21^st May, with over 350 beers on offer for revellers to sample. The competition entries were blind tasted by a panel of judges with the gold category winners going forward to a final blind ‘drink off’ to choose the Champion Beer. Apparently, the judges had a very hard time choosing the champion beer, which doesn’t come as a surprise with beers like Red Feather in the running!

Last, but certainly not least, Welbeck’s new Ultra Hopped West Coast IPA, ‘Atlas’, won the coveted Gold Award in the pale cask category at the SIBA Midlands Independent Beer Awards. The SIBA Independent Beer Awards judge a huge range of beers across a number of styles in separate cask and keg competitions. As the awards are judged mostly by brewers, industry experts and beer journalists, they are very much seen as the prestigious ‘Brewers’ choice Awards’ by the industry. Roy Allkin, SIBA Chairman, says; “The winners of the SIBA competition are officially the best independent craft beers in the region, something brewers should be extremely proud of.”

Managing Director, Claire Monk, says; “Reinventing the core range of beers was a bold move, and one which I was still apprehensive about, however with the awards rolling in we are all breathing a sigh of relief. I knew the brewers had come up with cracking new beers and I’m delighted that their efforts have been recognised by industry experts across the country.”

Claire and her team are now concentrating on the rest of the year ahead, with more awards hopefully in the pipeline, as all four beers have been entered into the popular Great Taste Awards, the results of which will be announced in August. Watch this space!

If you’d like to try these award-winning beers for yourself, you can purchase them online for delivery within the local area (see website below) or visit one of the many pubs and beer shops that stock Welbeck Abbey Brewery. Trade customers contact Claire directly on 01909 512539 for orders.

You may already be familiar with theSocial bar on Snig Hill, run by Yes2Ventures, a social enterprise all about training people who are disadvantaged in the labour market. Much of what they do – art gallery, kitchen, bar and craft workshop is located at the Social premises.

The newest venture in the process of being launched is BrewSocial, a new brewery with the same community ethos training up new brewers. It is located in a railway arch unit in the Attercliffe area and the brew kit is repurposed from the old Little Ale Cart brewery that used to be located behind the Wellington pub at Shalesmoor (that ultimately was relocated and upgraded to bigger kit as Neepsend Brewery).

The guy leading the brewery is Richard Hough who has been around the beer scene for many years with a history that includes brewing at Abbeydale when Moonshine was launched and setting up Blue Bee Brewery.

There will be a little wait yet until their beer is seen on bars around the area as they are still putting the kit together and sorting out paperwork and licences, however test brewing will hopefully commence soon to establish recipes and become familiar with the kit before the beer is sold commercially.

On Friday 6 May it was announced that having brewed their final batch of Pale Rider, Kelham Island Brewery will be going into voluntary liquidation and closing.

Under the instigation of Dave Wickett, their original brewery, the first new independent brewery in Sheffield for over fifty years, opened in 1990. This building is now an extra outside bar for the adjacent Fat Cat pub. The current brewery came into operation in 1999, Pale Rider (5.2% abv) becoming CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain (CBOB) in 2004. It remains the only South Yorkshire brewed beer to reach the top three in this competition.
Ex-Kelham Island brewers have been involved in a growing number of influential breweries. Among many others, these include: Abbeydale, Brewdog, Tapped, Thornbridge and Welbeck.

The Brewery comments: ‘It is with deep sadness that we are having to announce that we and the brewery will shortly be closing. We would like to thank everybody who supported us over the last 32 years- especially our staff and customers. The Fat Cat will remain open, with Kelham Island Brewery beer available on cask and in Bottles/Cans whilst stocks last.’