Category: Breweries

I’ve tried mead on and off for many years – I recall my first time was while watching the extended Lord of the Rings trilogy in 2002, and mostly associating it with National Trust gift shops. Later, I discovered better meads – from the various honey types used by UK and German brewers, to those enhanced with fruit or spices.

When visiting the Crow Inn in February 2024, I spotted a small chalkboard advertising local mead. I gave it a try – it was called Salvation and billed as a traditional mead. It was light and fresh-tasting, and when I enquired about it, I was told the brewer had a taproom in the middle of its soft launch.

Tim Young was an English teacher overseas, teaching in Vietnam when the pandemic hit in 2020. While unable to teach, he began brewing mead. On his return, Tim – originally from Essex – chose Sheffield as his new home. Still home-brewing at the time, he decided in late 2023 to give full-time brewing a go.

Paradise Garage, his meadery, is named after a long-closed nightclub in New York – and each of the meads follows suit. Salvation is Tim’s first and only ‘classic’ mead, with the others becoming increasingly adventurous: Roxy, with blackcurrant and peppercorn; Funhouse, featuring chilli, apricot and hibiscus; and AM/PM, the latest addition, made with plum and Lapsang Souchong tea.

Paradise Garage mead can always be found at the taproom in Merchant’s Court (43 Mowbray St), open Fridays 6–10pm and Saturdays 2–7pm. In keeping with the musical theme, there’s even a record player on hand.

It’s also available by the glass at various Sheffield venues (most commonly the Old Shoe), and Paradise Garage had a stand at the recent Indie Beer Feast – so keep an eye on the website, paradisegaragebrewing.com.

Dan Rowe

First up this month we’ve got Nuggle (4.2%), a balanced and easy-drinking pale ale, featuring the UK grown hop combo of Nugget and Fuggle! UK hops have come a long way and we reckon they deserve a moment in the spotlight. This one’s from our Mythical Creatures series and is inspired by a magical miniature water horse from Shetland folklore.

And trust we’ll be releasing Dr Morton’s Fake News (4.1%) – a 100% reliable pale ale, featuring juicy Idaho 7 hops balanced by delicately resinous and earthy Savinjski Goldings. Plus we’ve got Through the Hopback – Chinook on the way (4.0%). A vibrant pale ale single hopped with bold and bright Chinook hops. Fruity, piney and spicy all in one, with a clean bitterness in the finish.

Lastly on the cask only side of things we’re really looking forward to hosting a collaboration with superstars Roosters Brewing Co. Heading into Harrogate will be a 4.6% West Coast style pale, with predominantly Centennial hops.

And from the Brewers Emporium we’ve got a couple of tasty treats too – New Zealand hopped pale ale Ōkārito (4.5%) makes a welcome return, and we’ve got a new addition to our Unbeliever series in the form of a 4.7% Mango Sour. A throwback to the first EVER sour we made here, it’s packed with succulent mango, backed up by bold and fruity Galaxy hops. Sweet, tart and tropical.

Sheffield based Abbeydale Brewery has been named the Employer of the Year by the Society of Independent Brewers & Associates (SIBA). This accolade celebrates the pioneering transition of the business to becoming 100% employee owned in 2024, recognising the commitment made by founders and selling owners Pat and Sue Morton to ensure a true legacy of independence and cement the team right at the very heart of the business.

The awards were hosted by Sunday Times Beer Columnist and acclaimed author and broadcaster Pete Brown, who said of the award “the judging panel were unanimous in their praise for Abbeydale who this year were trailblazers in the UK as the first employee-owned brewery, building a future for this much-loved brewery whilst giving back to the team who built it.” 

The SIBA Business Awards aim to highlight the UK’s very best brewing businesses, pubs and retailers of independent beer, in an annual celebration known as the “Oscars of the beer industry” and judged by a panel of industry experts.

The award was collected on behalf of the brewery by Christie McIntosh and Finlay MacDonald, who sit on the new Board of Trustees as Employee Representatives, plus their colleagues and Co-Owners Laura Rangeley and Lily Pickles. Alongside the Employee Ownership Trust, the award recognised the company’s long-standing commitment to training, education and emphasis on listening to the employee voice, an ethos which the business has held throughout its existence and has resulted in a loyal and enthusiastic workforce.

McIntosh, who is also a brewer and the Quality Manager at Abbeydale Brewery, said of the EOT; “There are some major perks and holistic benefits which could come with our new status – but we all know we have to put the work in to get there, which is a great motivator. I feel like I can speak for everyone when I say it doesn’t automatically make us the best company in the industry to work for – to become that is now entirely down to us. Thank you to Pat and Sue for their leadership and their trust in our team – this award is for them.”

How time flies…

Can you believe it’s been 20 years since the first brew was crafted at Watt House Farm, marking the birth of Bradfield Brewery?

What started as a side project to supplement the declining income from our dairy farming quickly became a success. As brewing took off beyond our expectations, we soon found ourselves at a crossroads—there simply weren’t enough hours in the day to juggle both dairy farming and brewing. With a heavy heart, we made the tough decision to stop milk production and focus entirely on our growing brewery. As the saying goes, we’ve never looked back!

Fast forward 20 years, and we’re now brewing over 100,000 pints of beer each week! With a dedicated team of 25 at the brewery and another 20 at our brewery pubs, the beers keep flowing – fresh from grain to glass.

Our farming roots remain a huge part of our identity, and we love celebrating this through our beers. Farmers Blonde, which became our flagship ale, was named after the Blonde d’Aquitaine breed of cow, and many of our other beers follow the same theme.

While we embrace new trends and innovations, our brand is all about keeping cherished traditions alive – meeting friends at the pub, pint in hand, and having a natter. Our session ales are the perfect companion for these moments – a true taste of tradition.

From all of us at Bradfield Brewery, a heartfelt thank you to everyone – our suppliers, our hardworking team, and of course, our loyal customers near and far. Your support means the world to us. Cheers to the next 20 years!

We’ve got some exciting things in store to celebrate our 20th anniversary, we’re celebrating firstly by paying homage to our very first brew Farmers Bitter with a brand new brew, Farmers XX Best! This new 4.6% abv beer for Bradfield Brewery has been Brewed with Maris Otter amber and chocolate malts, giving a full bodied and complex mouthfeel, complimented by a robust bitterness and dark fruit flavours from the hops. Available in cask & 330ml bottles from the end of March, this new brew is the first of more exciting things to come for 2025!

As part of Sheffield Beer Week, the Kelham Island Tavern showcased a number of new beers from Blue Bee Brewery. These included a coffee mild, french oak aged red ale and charred oak aged export stout as well as the usual hoppy pales that Blue Bee are more commonly known for!

Bradfield Brewery have released a special edition of their cask Farmers Stout with the stronger ABV of 8.4%.

As is now traditional, Sheffield Beer Week marked the Brewery of St Mars of the Desert‘s tap room coming out its winter hibernation and it is now open most Fridays and Saturdays, 2pm to 8pm. It is now bar service and card payment only, it continues to be dog friendly. The brewery is just a few minutes walk from the main road through Attercliffe, served by buses 9/9a, 52/52a, 207 and X3.

Fuggle Bunny Brew House is introducing a monthly Saturday tap session in addition to the weekly Friday bar opening. The programme of “Fuggle Saturdays” kick off on Easter Saturday then take place on the last Saturday of each month from 31 May to 29 November with the bar in the brewery open 3pm to 9pm and live music at 5pm. They also plan to host a food trader at the Saturday events.

Triple Point Brewing celebrated their 6th birthday on the 14 and 15 March, neatly coinciding with Sheffield Beer Week! The Friday night involved live music and dancing whilst on the Saturday they screened the Six Nations rugby. A new beer has also launched – Geyser, a 4.3% ABV pale ale brewed with Olicans, Simcoe and Cryo Talus hops offering bold citrus flavours and like most of their beers it is gluten free and vegan.

Due for release from Abbeydale Brewery this month, Dr Morton’s Rogue Apostrophe (4.1%) is back to irritate the grammatically minded amongst us. An easy drinking pale with Pacific Gem and Azacca hop’s, combining to give flavours of tropical fruit’s and berrys. Joining it on bars throughout April is Through the Hopback – Cascade, a 3.9% pale ale and a hop we can’t quite believe we haven’t showcased in this series before! Citrussy grapefruit in abundance on the aroma, with a gentle spicy character and a smooth bitterness. 

Fen Violet is the first in a new cask only range for us, with artwork inspired by vintage botanical prints and lithographs. This one will be a 4.3% pale ale with Vic Secret and Columbus hops. We’re expecting lovely aromatic qualities in this one, with gentle herbal notes of marjoram in the background and some fruity tropical flavours up front.

And from our Brewers Emporium we have a couple of exciting new specials on the way too. Cherry Bakewell Stout (5.0%) is a new special in our Salvation series, featuring the enticing combination of ripe, juicy cherry and flavours of frangipane. And from our single-hopped Obsession series, look out for Citra NEIPA (6.5%). A rockstar of the hop world, Citra is famed for an intensely citrussy character. Expect a potent, zesty aroma and a lip-smacking lemony flavour, smooth and fruity with a juicy finish.

Duality Brewery have recently relocated to Sheffield. Registered, by Ben and Brendan, in Todwick in March 2024 after winning a home brew competition, the duo are now producing their beers in a unit located on Percy Street in Neepsend, next door to Alder bar. 

Many of their beers are styles where hops dominate such as a New England IPA, however they’ve also been known to produce other beers too and they showcased their range in Sheffield recently by hosting a brewery bar at the Neepsend Craft beer festival.

At the moment Duality continues to be a part time operation with Ben and Brendon working a day job during the week then brewing on a Saturday, however with them making a name for themselves quite quickly who knows how that may change in the future!

Little Mesters have acquired the former Lost Industry brewing kit and moved away from Mitchells at Meadowhead to a new location in the Attercliffe area.

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Thornbridge Brewery‘s Dominic Driscoll has collaborated with fellow 2024 British Guild of Beer Writer award winner Ruvani de Silva to brew a limited edition cask ale celebrating their recognition. Dominic was awarded brewer of the year whilst Ruvani won the Michael Jackson Beer Writer of the Year award.

Ruvani is the first woman of colour and the first queer person of colour to win the Michael Jackson Beer Writer of the Year award, and the first writer to win in five categories in the same year. Her work tells stories of beer culture, history and community, with a focus on issues including DEI, sustainability and innovation, with an international perspective.

The beer, which will be released on March 3rd, is a nod to Ruvani’s Sri Lankan heritage and Thornbridge’s ongoing commitment to quality and innovation – combining classic modern IPA flavours of Amarillo and Citra hops with a Maris Otter-forward malt blend and two traditional Sri Lankan spices.

The RUVANI was inspired by a homebrew that Ruvani made with her husband during lockdown, and combines two South Asian spices with contrasting but complementary flavours, both known for their healing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Ginger’s tangy sweet heat is often paired with turmeric’s warm, earthy bitterness in dishes including teas, curries, soups, health drinks and even desserts – so why not beer? Thornbridge have used their brewing experience and expertise to adapt Ruvani’s concept into a British-South Asian fusion IPA bursting with bright hops and an exciting new-to-beer spice blend.

Steel City are still ‘between hosts’ but thanks to Bang the Elephant brewery kindly hosting, the long-awaited ‘Men of Steel’ collab is out very soon.

The beer is a collaboration with Ukrainian brewery Ten Men along with Bang the Elephant and the Crow Inn, as part of Ten Men’s ‘100 Collabs’ project (https://tenmen.beer/100-collabs/), to raise funds to rebuild their brewery after the original fell to the Russian invasion.

The brew is a fruited sour based on the Ukrainian drink Uzvar, a variety of kompot, and after fermentation saw Dave and former Steel City business partner Gazza, Crow manager Ellie, and label artist Lewy join Nigel and Michael at Bang the Elephant for a very scientific (ahem) tasting session involving a few litres of the base beer and a few glasses of apple, pear, plum, cherry and apricot juices/purees and trying various combinations of dosage rates.

Once the optimum ratio (top secret, obviously!) was ascertained, the fruits were added to the two conditioning tanks, while one was also dosed with Madagascan vanilla and lactose to make a smoothie version.

Both versions will be launched at the Crow as part of Sheffield Beer Week on Saturday 8th March. Cans will be available from various retailers including Beer Central. All profits from the brew will go to Ten Men’s fundraiser, link here for further donations https://tenmen.beer/brewhub/.

Due to popular demand, IT’S BACK! Dark Mild from our Restoration Series (4.0%) is making a comeback after a single year, rather than the decade it took us last time, and very pleased about it we are too. Expect smooth, balanced malt sweetness, a touch of roast character and hints of coffee. The ultimate classic British hop, Fuggles, provides a gentle bitterness.

From our beautiful Travel Poster series, our next collaboration is coming up with County Durham’s McColls Brewery. The name is currently TBC, but we do know it’ll be a 4.6% West Coast style pale ale, piney and resinous with Centennial and Citra hops. Punchy bitterness is balanced by rounded malt sweetness and a crisp, refreshing finish. 

And towards the end of the month – praise be! From the depths of the Abbeydale archives, a much requested favourite returns, and still brewed to the original recipe! Marking the start of a series of “Legacy” beers as we approach our 30^th anniversary, welcome back Holy Water (6.0%)! A wonderfully smooth and well-balanced premium pale ale made using Willamette, Citra and Centennial hops. Notes of zesty citrus backed up by delicately sweet orchard fruits, followed up with a gentle, lingering bitterness.

We hope to see you at Indie Beer Feast (7^th-8^th March) or at one of our Sheffield Beer Week events, please keep an eye on our website and social media to find out where we’ll be!