Category: Breweries

Steel City’s latest brew was a ‘super-collab’, with several of Sheffield’s craft-est breweries gathering along with Lucienne off of the Shakespeare to brew Collabracadabra for that pub’s eponymous event in Beer Week (Friday 13/03). Lucienne had been on a tour of the country brewing a dozen collabs for the event then a little closer to home arranged the super-collab hosted by Steel City with Lost industry, Abbeydale, Blue Bee and Neepsend visiting. After much discussion the brewers settled on an Apricot Vanilla braggot, brewed with 60kg of apricot, Madagascan vanilla and slightly more local Sheffield honey. Much beer was enjoyed on the day as well as a barbecue, oh and the brewing went pretty well too. 200 litres of the brew have been squirreled away in a Bordeaux red wine barrel with another 20kg of apricot and even more vanilla, this will launch at Sheffield Beer Week 2021. In other news, the brewery is finally getting round to exporting, with a shared pallet with Lost Industry making its way to Koeln (Cologne) where the beers will be featured at Craftbeer Corner Coeln as well as making their way deeper into Germany. The quest for world domination starts here…

March sees the return of Sheffield Beer Week and we can’t wait to enjoy some of the great beery events planned throughout the city. We were really pleased to welcome Luicenne from the Shakespeare down to the brewery to brew a beer for their Collabracadabra brew fest, the beer in question is a style we have not brewed for a while, a Black IPA showcasing American Ekuanot hops. At the time of writing the full details had not been decided but expect a dark ale packed full of hoppy bitterness. We also headed down to Steel City/ Lost Industry to join the Shakespeare team, Abbeydale and Neepsend to brew a beer for the event and can’t wait for Friday 13^th March to try both beers at the Shakespeare. Other beers we have available for March are the new American 5 Hop version 43 4.3% this time combining Amarillo, Columbus, Cascade, Centennial and Mosaic. We also managed to get our hands on some Australian Galaxy hops for the first time in a long time and have combined it with Mosaic to create a citrusy and fruity West Coast IPA with a bitter finish, inventively named Galaxy Mosaic IPA 5.8%. On top of this we have Citra and Simcoe session New England Pale Ale in the pipeline so watch this space.

You may recall in our issue 500 one of our correspondents providing memories of their time in Sheffield beer talked about when the Wards brand returned. The following brings things up to date.

In your review of Sheffield Brewing in BM 500 you mention that Robinsons have taken over brewing Wards which is not strictly true. Yes, we franchised the brewing of the keg version to Robinsons brewery some time ago as we did not have those facilities at the time – but we remain the Brand owner here at Maxim Brewery at Houghton le Spring in County Durham and continue to brew the cask version. We have however removed the yeasty sulphur smell that Wards did sometimes have. Do try it again if you’re up our way.

For my part I started at Wards in 1985 before moving to Sunderland to become Wards and Vaux Breweries finance Director in 1995 and was there at the end when the City of London asset stripped both breweries and closed them on 2nd July 1999. I was part of the MBO team that attempted to buy Vaux Brewery and a number of pubs in 1999. In 2000, I was able to salvage a portfolio of the brands and their recipes including Double Maxim and Wards Best Bitter and founded the Maxim Brewery.

This year marked the 20 year anniversary of the closure and we sponsored a film that has been made by an independent film company – Lonely Tower Films. It’s called a ‘passion for Vaux’ – but does include a bit on Wards and the tragedy of that closure.  Its available on Amazon  – £13.99

Here’s the challenge – In an ideal world we would now look to a quality Sheffield brewer who would want to brew the cask (and bottle/can) going forward which would be a great story for the City. Anyone interested?

Mark Anderson, Managing Director, Maxim Brewery

Sheffield Brewery Company are having regular film nights on Thursdays from 26^th March in association with Kelham Island Film Club and their bar is now open every weekend, from 4pm Fridays and 2pm Saturdays. Brewery tours are being relaunched soon. Neepsend are on the move! The brewery tap session held on the February Peddlers weekend was the final one on the old site and at the time of writing the floor at the new premises was complete and they were about to move all the kit! The new brewery isn’t far away, just around the corner at 92 Burton Street, the same complex where Peddlers Night Market takes place on the first weekend of the month. The latest beer from Acorn Brewery is “Bullseye”, a 4.5% ABV rich red coloured bitter brewed with dark Crystal Malt and English Challenger hops. A new micro brewery, Grizzly Grains, has started up, using the old kit from Crosspool Ale Makers. Having sold the kit, Crosspool Ale Makers are looking for a  brewery to cuckoo at in order to scale up their production. Recent brews from Blue Bee include a couple of beers celebrating particular hop varities, Rakau Pale at a sessionable 3.9% ABV and a still fairly sensible Centennial American Pale Ale at 4.7% ABV.

One of Sheffield’s very own breweries has been named among the top 10 best new breweries in the world by popular beer scoring website, RateBeer. Saint Mars of the Desert (SMOD), run by husband and wife team Dann and Martha Paquette, started brewing in Attercliffe in late 2018 and quickly gained a reputation for brewing top-quality beer. The awards are based on scores across a variety of categories, including average scores throughout the last year, performance across a range of beer styles, and scores from outside the brewer’s local region to ensure that the beer travels well. SMOD was also named South Yorkshire’s highest-rated brewery, while their New England-style IPA, Clamp (5.3%), was revealed as South Yorkshire’s best beer of 2020 in the awards, which are celebrating the website’s 20 th anniversary. Having been closed for brewing and maintenance throughout January and February, SMOD’s much-loved taproom sessions are set to return in March. Full details will be revealed through their website, beerofsmod.co.uk, and on social media. Dominic Nelson Update – tap room sessions resume for 2020 from Friday 13th March (which is also Sheffield Beer Week). The norm is opening every Friday and Saturday 2pm to 8pm but it is advisable to check SMOD’s social media beforehand as this can sometimes change (Find them on Facebook here or Twitter here). The brewery is on Stevenson Road in Attercliffe, buses 9, 52 and 52a drop off at the end of the road just a couple of minutes walk away, alternatively the tram stop is 5-10 minutes walk from the brewery.

Another couple of specials are being brewed for March. Vanilla Thriller – This rich stout packs a punch, with a combination of four different malts to create complex dark roasty palate balanced by the sweetness of vanilla. Sonic Non Youth – A refreshing crisp pale ale so amazing it will put you in a spin. Clean and Fresh on the palate, with a hint of citrus and a dry finish. Joe Beirns

Farmers Irish Dexter returns to our cask ale line up for March 2020, its 14th year appearance as a seasonal contender. This sweet malty ale inherits its name from the Dexter breed of cattle originating from Ireland – a perfect combination for a brew to celebrate St Patrick’s Day! Farmers Plum Bitter, the first seasonal fruity ale of the year from our schedule will be available from the 16th March. This smooth dark ale is a popular offering with the fruity ale fans. The Bradfield Brewery Book – ‘Mine’s a Pint’ will be reduced in price to celebrate World Book Day, 5th March. This great book combining the story of Bradfield Brewery with some great traditional recipes from the Famous Magpie Café in Whitby, will be available throughout March from the Brewery Shop for an absolute steal at £5.

March heralds the arrival of Sheffield Beer Week, and we’re launching a couple of special beers for the occasion. First up, we’ve got a cask only pale ale brewed in collaboration with Lily Waite’s Queer Brewing Project and Out & About (4.3%), using Amarillo, Chinook and Mosaic hops. We’ve also trialled the use of “Super F” vegan finings in this one and added Brewers Clarex, to make it as accessible to as many beer drinkers as we can.

And launching at Indie Beer Feast (6^th-7^th March at Abbeydale Picture House, tickets still available at the time of writing!) we’re bringing back our Deliverance IPA with a bang! To welcome it back into our range after a fairly lengthy absence, we’ve teamed up with acclaimed hop suppliers Yakima Chief to use a trio of hops from the wild Neomexicanus subspecies – Sabro, and two experimental varieties currently named HBC 472 and HBC 692. Expect aromas and flavours of juicy citrus, creamy coconut and a hint of bourbon character from this 7.0% IPA. This one will be available in cask, keg and can.

Turning to the dark side, we’re going to be Crossing the Threshold with a 6.7% dessert stout brewed in collaboration with our London based friends Orbit Beers and inspired by our brewers’ travels to Vietnam. Paying homage to our shared love of street food, this silky and indulgent stout is based on a Bánh bò steamed rice cake, with rice in the grist, plus coconut, coconut milk and Sorachi Ace hops.

We’re also launching a new series celebrating the “Hidden Treasures” of our wonderful city. The first of these is called Family Heirlooms & Tuneful Endings, and will be a 4.1% pale ale. The artwork is a nod to brewery owner Pat’s life before Abbeydale… it’s a story that won’t fit here, so give us a week or so and check our website for a blog post with alllll the details!

And just to finish off the month, our springtime dry-hopped pale ale Reverie is making a comeback (4.2%), and our lovely new Hopback series continues with a Tradition hopped pale (4.1%).

Cheers!

Laura

As the trees are coming into leaf and the buds of spring are starting to bloom we have three very unique monthly specials. Sligo is a 5.4% Irish Stout. This dark ale is a velvety smooth, chocolatey brew, created using the finest roast British malts and rolled oats. The Welbeck estate is famous for its network of underground tunnels which were built by the great philanthropist, the fifth Duke of Portland. This traditional brew remembers the Irish workers who helped construct the network, their campsite being nicknamed ‘little Sligo’.   Our second offering for March is The Loyal Duke, a bold golden ale at 4.0%. William Cavendish, ancestor of the Welbeck dynasty, was known as the Loyal Duke. He was so trusted, that the Duke was appointed as commander-in-chief of the Loyalist forces in the North by Charlies I. This is a luxuriously smooth and biscuity four-grain golden ale, brewed using the very finest transcontinental hops to compliment these British malts.   Finally, we have our next Brewers Choice brew, Helen’s Let’s Get Fiscal. Helen holds the purse strings in our microbrewery, and having worked with us for several years is a firm real ale convert. Her favourite Welbeck beer is Harley, although her guilty pleasure is Bacardi and coke! A fresh, vibrant New Zealand pale ale this 5.3% brew is full of syrupy sweet canned-pineapple flavours.

Steel City’s collab with Freigeist ‘Mein Herz Brennt’ is doing the rounds now after a launch in cask form at the Shakespeare winter fest. Sweet malt balances sharp acidity and fruity hops in this resurrection of the extinct Berliner Braunbier style. Also currently in the wild is the Reise Reise variant with the addition of redcurrant and cranberry, while Blitzkriek has been tucked away in a red wine barrel with cherry and redcurrant. The first brew of 2020 was on the minikit. Following the surprise totally expected success of the barbecue stout Lucienne off of the Shakespeare was invited back along with McGregor off of the Facebooks to brew a Hoi Sin Stout. Too Drunk to Duck has a similar profile to the BBQ, but this time the adjuncts are plum, five spice, cardamom, chilli, and muscovado sugar. The second brew is an exciting development but patience is needed – London Beer Factory are bringing their mobile coolship giving SCB and Lost Industry an introduction to the world of spontaneous fermentation. Two brews will be done, the first is in three wine barrels in Sheffield and the second is going back to That London to ferment in wine barrels there. The brew is part of a series by LBF where they brew a broadly similar recipe at various breweries and take the coolship out to pick up local wild yeasts. Steel City will be keeping the barrels for at least a year, and are looking at the possibility of repeating the process in 2021 and 2022, with the eventual aim being to blend the 1, 2, and 3 year old beers to make a ‘Yorkshire Ersatz-Lambiek’.