Category: Breweries

It’s been a mad first few weeks at the brewery of SMOD. We’ve enjoyed meeting so many of you during Sheffield beer week, at the brilliant Indie Beer Feast and in our own taproom. If you haven’t made the trip out to Attercliffe yet, we hope to meet you soon. Right now we have both of our Attercliffe Industrial Hop Series beers available. Both being of the hazy “New England” variety – a DIPA with Rakau and Citra and a Grapefruit Pale with Amarillo and Chinook hops along with the zest of 200 grapefruits added in our coolship. What’s up and coming you ask? Well, hopefully along with warmer weather will be more opening hours in the taproom. Check social media for that as times do change. Google maps also has our correct hours. This week we’re brewing a brown stout that’ll be the first beer resting in our new 1200 litre reconditioned oak foudre. Thank you to parliament for delaying Brexit, allowing this vessel to be delivered to us on time (hopefully this week as well)! Lastly, our new “paasbier” should be coming out very shortly for the Easter season. Look out for this Belgian inspired dual-strain beer at 6.3% called “Springtime on Mars” soon. Whatever your plans, join us for a beer in our friendly taproom sometime this spring and join our burgeoning “smodsquad”! Cheers from Dann & Martha

Arguably the most popular Doctor Morton’s beer of all time, this month witnesses the return of Duck Baffler (4.1%), a Citra hopped pale ale. As with all of the recent releases within the range, it’s coming back with a bit of a new look, but don’t worry, it’s still approved by 9 mallards out of 10.

We’ve got a couple more exciting collaborations coming up, including a Black IPA brewed with our pals at Thornbridge. A much underrated beer style, we reckon, so we’re on a little mission to raise it’s profile! And on a much less local level we have Amor Artis joining us all the way from South Carolina. We’ll be using one brewday to whip up two distinct beers – the first a grisette coming soon, and secondly a barrel fermented spiced saison which will follow later in the year.

And finally, we’re very pleased to be bringing back our beautiful Birdhouse Tea Beer (4.2%) made using our very own bespoke blend including green tea, jasmine and hibiscus. This one always flies out so do keep your eyes peeled!

Laura @ Abbeydale Brewery

A big warm hello Sheffield from Kelham Island Brewery! Sheffield’s original independent brewers. We are excited to launch our new logo and artwork this month. Brand new Kelham, with the same great taste.

We also want to welcome our newest member of the team Joe, who can’t wait to meet you and get to the know the people of this great beer city.

Now onto the good stuff, this month’s new beers. We are launching Steel Rider, a full flavoured dry hopped 5.4% pale ale. Its massive juicy palate will light up your taste buds as if they were struck by the lord of thunder and the mighty Mjolnir.

For those of you who enjoy the dark roasts we have something for you too. Night Shift, a 4.6% Coffee Porter. Hints of Toffee and Chocolate among the blend of dark roasts, with a hit of ground coffee. Perfect for dark nights on the town.

Ed Wickett @ Kelham Island Brewery

Let’s be clear about vegan beer This spring we have launched our very first vegan beer, New Dawn. Full of fruity hops, New Dawn has a juicy and fresh taste with a hint of citrus. It’s a refreshing burst of flavour, perfect for spring and summertime drinking. As readers will know, traditionally, the quality of a good beer is often judged by its clarity. To achieve a clear beer, ‘finings’ are used towards the end of the brewing process, substances that are commonly made from an animal product, such as gelatine or isinglass. So, in deciding to develop our first vegan friendly beer, we faced a quandary: how can we achieve the same clarity without using the very product that would make it vegan un-friendly? Instead we took a bold decision. We decided to focus all our efforts on creating a vegan beer that tastes magnificent. We accepted that by using a different process, we would create a different product, because change is a good thing! New Dawn is unfined, naturally hazy and totally vegan. When you see a pint of New Dawn poured, don’t be put off by its cloudiness – be intrigued. You can take our word for it, it tastes great and it is available to buy now from our brewery shop in Neepsend, in bottles and kegs. Berlin Black bags gold We were delighted to bag a gold award from SIBA Beer X last month, for our Berlin Black in the Best British Strong Dark Beer category. We’ve been busy brewing up a dark storm of Berlin Black, made with Weyermann smoked malt and topped off with cold brewed coffee from our friends over at Frazers Coffee. It will be available at the end of April in bottles and kegs from our brewery shop, keep an eye out. Sheffield Brewery Co. on tour We took real ale to the masses this month, delivering a beer masterclass and revealing some of the secrets of running a microbrewery. This was part of Meadowhall’s new programme of ‘Sessions’, designed to give an insight into the many different industries and crafts that are prominent in Sheffield. Our Beer Session went well, and we had very happy punters at the end of it who had not only tasted great beer but had learnt about what makes a great beer. We’ll be running more sessions with Meadowhall over the next few months, keep an eye on our Twitter and Facebook pages for details. Claire @ Sheffield Brewery Company

Exit 33‘s special for April is Columbus IPA (5.0%), a single-hop India Pale Ale showcasing the Columbus variety. Floral and citrus notes in both the aroma and flavour, quite pungent, a great hop for late additions to the boil and a perfect choice for an IPA. Kelham Island Brewery have two specials making the rounds for April: Dead or Alive (4.2%) is a pale ale with grapefruit and spicy notes last brewed way back in 2007. Double Dragon (5.2%) is a cream ale made with a special blend of malts for a very pale colour and light refreshing flavour. HopJacker in Dronfield has resumed brewing part-time although as reported in Beer Matters several months ago, the brewery remains up for sale. Intrepid Brewing have recently released five new beers: Amica, 4.5% session IPA; Solito, 4.0% blonde; Vanilla Odin, 5.0% vanilla porter; Navio, 3.9% bitter with a new recipe for 2019; and Ekuanot, 5.0% single-hop pale ale. These have been on the pumps at several pubs in the Peak District, including the Red Lion at Litton and Ye Olde Nags Head in Castleton. Triple Point, the new brewery based in the former Sentinel Brewhouse on Shoreham Street, had their official preview evening on Friday 15 March.

One of Sheffield’s smallest breweries, On the Edge, are hosting their semi-regular 9 Pin event on Saturday 27 April. Taking place at Regather (57-59 Club Garden Road, S11 8BU), the event offers the chance to try some unique (and mostly vegan-friendly) beers from this nano brewery. As the name suggests, there will be nine pins of beer available. A pin is a small cask, equal to half a firkin or 36 pints. The evening runs from 6pm until the beer runs out and entry is free to all. As well as the beer, there will be a selection of food and other beverages available, all provided by the Regather food co-operative. For more information about the evening, visit www.ontheedgebrew.com.

World-renowned artist Phlegm and local brewery True North Brew Co have teamed up to create a brand new stout. This exciting collaboration has been announced in celebration of Phlegm’s eagerly anticipated new exhibition ‘Mausoleum of the Giants’. The 6% stout is appropriately named Giants; seven malts combine creating an initial sweetness from the oats and wheat, which is quickly followed by dark chocolate and toffee, with hints of caramel and black coffee being balanced with a lasting bitterness from the Slovenian hops. This giant of a stout will be available to try in selected True North venues from 15 March. True North Brew Co head brewer Dean Hollingworth said: “We are proud to be a local brewery, based in Sheffield city centre, so to be able to collaborate with artist Phlegm to produce a brand new stout is a fantastic opportunity to truly showcase the talent Sheffield has to offer.” Phlegm also joined Dean in the brewery and discussed their take on the collaboration; “I was lucky enough to get a whistle stop tour of Dean’s brewing empire! A lot of time goes into just one brew, I’ll be drinking the humble pint with a whole new appreciation. It’s been a pleasure creating Giants with True North to coincide with Mausoleum of the Giants, a perfect opportunity to support local business and produce.” As part of the Phlegm x True North collaboration, his Giants design will be featured across four beer mats to make a single image. These are available to collect in selected True North venues meaning you can get your hands on your very own Phlegm design. As an added extra, the first person to collect all four beer mats and bring them to The Devonshire can claim a free pint of Giants stout! Phlegm himself will also be signing and doing a unique drawing on one set of the beer mats which will be framed and up for auction, with all the proceeds going to Sheffield Lord Mayor’s charity. Follow True North Brew Co on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to look out for the chance to bid. Phlegm enthusiasts will be able to recognise the collaboration in True North venues by the pump badge which adorns Phlegm’s distinguishable design. Giants stout will be available in the following venues: The Devonshire, Riverside Kelham, Waggon & Horses, The Broadfield, The York. Phlegm’s exhibition will take place from 15 March – 6 April, at Eye Witness Works, Milton Street, S3 7WJ. Follow the hashtag #phlegmgiants to keep up-to-date.

First up, if you’re reading this after 7 April, a HUGE thank you to everyone who joined us at our second Piss Up in the Brewery event! We are loving welcoming you to our home and showing you our progress as we continue to evolve and grow. Next stop, Sunfest at the Rising Sun from 11-14 July… save the date! Thanks also if you joined us at our events during Sheffield Beer Week, and a big cheers to festival organiser Jules for another great celebration of beer in our wonderful city.

Anyway, on to April’s new beers! In between all of those Sheffield Beer Week events we managed to squeeze in a collaboration with our pals from Ridgeside Brewery and have created Wayward Son, a 5.0% dry hopped wheat beer.

From the Brewers Emporium range we have a couple of newbies – the next version of our Voyager IPA is the first time we’ve experimented with cryo-hops (super intense, concentrated hop powders) and we’ve sprinkled in A LOT of Citra, Ekuanot and Mosaic. So expect tons of beautifully fruity and resinous aromatics off of this one. We’ve also got a new iteration of Voyager’s baby sister Serenity (3.8%), this time showcasing Jarrylo hops which promise notes of oranges and pears with a spicy finish.

We’re also really looking forward to be supporting the Festival of Debate again, which runs throughout April and May and is organised by our good friends at Opus Independents. We are proud to be sponsoring the “Who We Are” strand so look out for details of all the events, and of course our beer brewed especially for the festival! It’s currently unnamed, but we have plans for a deliciously quaffable 4.0% pale.

And finally, you might have started seeing our first batches of what is to become Heresy lager popping up at the Devonshire Cat and the Rising Sun – trials are going really well and we’re now just working on those last little tweaks to the recipe.

Cheers! Laura

So, 14 years ago on 26 April 2005, is when brewing at Bradfield Brewery began! The first beer to be brewed was the Farmers Bitter (3.9%), closely followed by the Farmers Stout (4.5%) and Farmers Pale Ale (5.0%).

The Brewery first produced a ‘special’ beer – Farmers Brown Cow (4.2%) on 12 July 2005, followed by Farmers Blonde (4.0%) the day after. These specials soon became part of the permanent range of ales due to their popularity. Farmers Blonde has gone on to be the brewery’s best seller! By October 2005, output had risen to 100 casks a week and three of the beers, Farmers Brown Cow, Farmers Stout and Farmers Blonde had all won industry awards.

Fourteen years later and the Farmers Ale range is still going strong with the 40bbl brewery producing an average of 100,000 pints of beer per week!

Sticking with our traditional credentials, next up on the seasonal offerings in celebration of St George’s Day is Ye Olde English Ale (4.6%). The badge has seen a facelift but the beer remains a traditional light copper coloured English ale with citrus and spice and dry aftertaste. Available in cask from 8 April.

Next on the table will be Farmers Cruci-Bull Ale, brewed annually for the Snooker World Championship tournament which takes place at the Crucible Theatre from 20 April to 6 May. A session ale at 4.1% ABV, this is an amber coloured best bitter with well-balanced malt and hop flavours. Available in cask from 15 April.

Jackie

Burn the Kirsch, the cherrywood-smoked rauchbier collab with Lost Industry and Boutilliers, is now doing the rounds in cask, keg and bottle. Four versions were produced, each named after a church burnt down by Norway’s ‘Satanic Terrorists’, pioneers of the black metal scene. Skjold (5.7%) is a straight pale rauchbier, but much fruitier and less phenolic than beechwood or peat smoked examples. Fantoft (6.2%) had a shedload of sour cherries added, and has turned a vivid red as a result. Asane (6.66%) had sour cherries and honey added, is a similar colour to Fantoft but with a sweeter taste. Holmenkollen (6.66%) will be out in the summer, it’s essentially Fantoft aged in a red wine barrel with yet more cherries. There’s also a one-off cask of Storetveit, which is Fantoft with chillies (no smoke without fire!).

The latest brew is a collaboration with the new Crow Inn; Kate, Chris and Adam came up to brew Corvus Corone, a 7.2% dry-hopped sour brut IPA. This was Steel City’s first use of the enzyme Glucoamylase, safe to say it worked as the Final Gravity was 1.000! The result is a sour, dry IPA rather reminiscent of grapefruit juice. A one-off keg of a black version will be available at the launch of the pub, and some of the base beer is now in a Bordeaux wine barrel with grapes.

The launch for the final Stout Wars trilogy has been confirmed for Star Wars day, May the Fourth be with you. The venue has not been announced yet but should be known by time of publication. The main trilogy will be available on cask while the sour spin-off Solo will be on keg, along with a couple of very exclusive bottles. One of the bottled versions is Eisbock Planet of Hoth, Steel City & Lost Industry’s first venture into the world of Eisbock (freeze concentrated beer), 5 litres of the sherry-barrel aged stout were condensed down to 2.2 litres, so only six bottles will ever exist. Could this be the strongest ever beer brewed in Sheffield?

Dave Unpronounceable