Category: Festivals

VOLUNTEERS REQUIRED! The Great British Beer Festival (GBBF) is CAMRA’s flagship national event taking place in London every August and this year is it’s 40th anniversary. It features over 900 real ales from not just around the UK but also some rare casks from the USA. It also has two large cider & perry bars and a number of world beer bars. Adding to this is entertainment, food vendors, retail stalls, games and more. Other than a little help from CAMRA HQ and warehouse staff, the festival is organised and staffed by CAMRA members that work as volunteers to share their passion for it all. GBBF is a huge event and requires hundreds of volunteers with roles doing bar work, cellar, finance, stock management, membership sales, games hosts, foyer staff, glass sales & returns, stewards, office assistants, press officers, site team and more. The festival is on an impressive scale for customers, there is even more to experience as staff with a lot behind the scenes! Many experienced volunteers travel down the week before the festival and help with construction, the majority head down on Sunday or Monday morning and help with final touches to set up then enjoy the heritage pub crawl around London on Monday evening, before getting into working the festival for the week whilst it is open from Tuesday to Saturday. After closing time on Saturday you are required to help start cleaning and packing away before then being invited to a staff party. If you enjoy and care about beer festivals it is a good (if tiring!) experience to take the week off work and head down to volunteer at GBBF. If you work the full week the festival will provide you free accommodation in staff halls of residence along with breakfast every morning, you get access to a free staff bar in the ‘volunteers village’ upstairs from the festival and a free staff t-shirt, glass and programme. The ‘volunteers village’ also has a staff canteen providing lunch and evening meals at a subsidised price and volunteers get a generous discount on beer from the public bars. If you would like to volunteer fill in the online form at www.gbbf.org.uk and if you enjoy volunteering there, don’t forget we also need volunteers for our own Steel City Beer Festival in Sheffield this October!

An update on what the official participating venues have got planned for you on Saturday 3rd June! A free bus will run between Dronfield Station and all the venues every 15 minutes from midday until about 9pm. See www.3valleys.org.uk for more details. Barrack (Apperknowle) Live music – Things kick off with vocalist Craig Boden at 1pm then at 4pm is a performance by the Doohickey Band. Evening music will be provided by Dave Perkins, from 7pm. Fish & Chips, real ales. Blue Stoops – details yet to be announced. Coach & Horses A programme of live music curated by Honey Bee Blues Club – Gerry Cooper at 4pm, 20ft Squid Blues Band at 6pm and the Sea Whores at 8:30pm Dronfield Arms Outside Cask Ale bar on decking and outside craft keg bar on car park – all together over 40 beers to choose from. Entertainment all afternoon/evening from 2pm to 11pm (see below), food, face painting and tuck shop for the kids. The music programme at the Dronfield Arms: 13:30 Machin and Ian  – Local acoustic duo covering songs from the 60’s until today. 14:30 Supercrush – Rocked up pop band. From Bonjovi to Amy Winehouse, Feeder to The Killers and back! 16:30 Machin and Ian – Local acoustic duo covering songs from the 60’s until today. 17:30 Drive Me Home Band – Dronfield based Indie/Rock band with fast growing catalogue of original music & a high energy live set. 18:30 DJ Alistair Machin is your host with massive party tunes from the 70’s right up to the present day. Green Dragon Outside bar with beer from Dancing Duck, Kelham Island, Abbeydale, Bradfield, Thornbridge and Black Sheep breweries. Cider from Westons Food stalls including gourmet burgers and fish & chips. Live music: 2pm – Route 66 5:30pm – Supercrush 9pm – Junkyard Dog Hill Top Sports and Social Club Outside bar, food stalls, live entertainment, bouncy castle & ice cream van Hyde Park Inn Tres Amigos will be providing the entertainment from 6pm to 9pm with an eclectic mix of Irish, rock and pop that will get the feet tapping! There will also of course be a great range of beers. Jolly Farmer plans to be announced soon Manor House Hotel Outside bar featuring Abbeydale Brewery beers, Gourmet Burgers by ‘I Love Ostrich’ and music with Sam Wain. Miners Arms (Dronfield Woodhouse) 80s tribute band AK47 will perform in the evening Miners Arms (Hundall) Live music with… Jackson, Rib Eye and The Hallowed Travellers. Of course that will be as well as some great beer, cider, food and views! More details to follow. Pioneer Club

• Outside bar showcasing the full range from Kelham Island Brewery
• Club bar inside featuring 3 guest ales plus cider and craft lager
• Food by Julie’s Kitchen
• Bouncy Castle
• Bucking Bronco
• DJ from 11:30am
• JJ Galloway performs 3 sets from 1pm
• Girl band performing in evening

Three Tuns Pub open from 11am. Marquee outside with Drone Valley Community Brewery Bar. Inside pub bar featuring guest ales from Tiny Rebel, Siren Craft Brew, Hanlons, Southwark, Salopian and more. Food stalls -pizzas, hog roast and lamb kebabs. Entertainment – details to follow.

Here is a roundup of the events advised at the time of going to press. It is likely there will be many more events over the week – check out sheffieldbeerweek.co.uk for more details and of course these are in addition to the quizzes, music nights etc that take place in Sheffield’s pubs week in week out. Friday 10th March Magic Rock Meet the Brewer – Hop Hideout, 8:30pm Tickets £10 via www.hophideout.co.uk Over the last six years Magic Rock have had grown phenomenally and had a big impact on the modern brewing scene here in the UK and abroad via their collaborations with the likes of Gigantic, Cigar City Brewing and more. Hop Hideout welcomes Magic Rock Brewing to Sheffield for this Meet the Brewer, expect some beery treats on draught for this occasion! Saturday 11th March Beer & Breweries of Little Sheffield – Meet at Regather Works, 11am Tickets £5 via www.eventbrite.co.uk Meet at 11am at Regather Works on Club Garden Road for a visit to what must be Sheffield’s smallest commercial brewery…? Then visit several of the area’s best pubs including the Beer Engine, Old Crown, Railway and Cremorne. Plus – the history of two lost local breweries: the famous Richdales ‘Rich Ales’ and Anchor Brewery of Cherry Street. Led by Brian Holmshaw of Sheaf Valley Heritage. Sunday 12th March Petrus Blending – Hop Hideout, 5pm Tickets £5 via www.hophideout.com Join Hop Hideout as they play host to Belgian brewery De Brandebere’s UK Brand Ambassador Charlie Pountney as he takes you through their core range: Petrus Aged Pale, Oud Bruin and Aged Red. This generational family brewery has recently redesigned their packaging & embraced consumer blending. You’ll find out about their history, their close connection with Michael Jackson, the UK beer writer and sample and blend their beers on the journey too. 2017 marks ten years since Michael Jackson sadly passed away; this event raises a glass of Petrus Aged Pale to him in celebration. Brewing Beer: Science, art or magic? – Sentinel Brewhouse & Taproom, 7pm Tickets £5 via www.scienceweeksy.org.uk Join University researchers Dr Susan Cambell (Biomolecular Sciences Research Centre, Sheffield Hallam University) and Dr Daniel Allwood (Biomolecular Sciences Research Centre, Sheffield Hallam University) alongside head brewer Alex Barlow for an evening of enlightened discussion. The event will include an introduction, followed by an insight into brewing chemistry with Dr Daniel Allwood, yeast and the miracle of fermentation with Dr Sue Campbell and brewing is alchemy with Alex Barlow. This will be followed by a panel discussion and Q&A plus enjoy some great beers to accompany the conversation. (Price includes a flight of 4 x 1/3pint measures of Sentinel beers). Monday 13th March City Centre Pub Heritage Walk – meet at Fagans, 5:30pm Tickets £2.50 via www.eventbrite.co.uk Dave Pickersgill (author of the ebook, ‘History of the Worksop and Retford Brewery’ and Pub Heritage Officer for Sheffield CAMRA) will host this short walking tour around some of the entries in the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) ‘Yorkshire’s Real Heritage Pubs’ book. Also included are a number of ‘try also’ pubs which include aspects of architectural merit. Route: commence at ‘Fagans’ and proceed to the ‘Dog and Partridge’ via a short stop outside the ‘Grapes.’ After a short refreshment break, we will proceed past the ‘Red Deer’ and ‘Bloo88,’ before completing the walk at ‘The Bath Hotel.’ Real Junk Food Project – Sentinel Brewhouse & Taproom, 7pm Tickets £5.00 via eventbrite.co.uk (plus cost of food payable at venue) For this month’s event, The Real Junk Food Project Sheffield and Sentinel Brewhouse have teamed up to kickstart #sheffbeerweek in the best way possible…four tantalising courses paired with the finest craft beers made by Sentinel’s on site brewery. Learn more about The Real Junk Food Project Sheffield from its directors and enjoy a truly tasty pay-as-you-feel meal! Each £5.00 ticket guarantees you a place at the event, with 4 x ⅓ pints of Sentinel’s craft beers paired by the owner Alex Barlow included. The 4 courses are available to all on a pay-as-you-feel basis. Discounted drinks will also be available at the bar all night. Tickets are limited to a max of 4 per group and per booking. Tuesday 14th March Elusive & Siren Craft Brew Meet the Brewer – Hop Hideout, 7:30pm Tickets £10 via www.hophideout.co.uk The two neighbours and good friends Elusive and Siren have joined forces to host this collaboration event! Expect some special collaboration beers on the evening too. Wednesday 15th March Beavertown tap takeover and Meet the Brewer – Hallamshire House, 5pm Tickets free via www.eventbrite.co.uk Everyone’s favourite London brewery Beavertown will be heading to The Hallamshire House for an epic Tap Takeover. All Beavertown beers will go live at 5pm. To get more of an insight into the company and there awesome beers they will also be hosting a FREE meet the brewer & tasting. This will be FREE for the first 25 customers who register. Keep your eyes peeled on Eventbrite to sign up for this event. Beer & Cheese matching – Portland House, 7:30pm Tickets £20 via www.eventbrite.co.uk An evening of beer and cheese with Claire Monk, Head Brewer at Welbeck Abbey Brewery. Thursday 16th March Wild Beer Co tap takeover and Meet the Brewer – Bath Hotel, 5pm Tickets free via www.eventbrite.co.uk The Bath hotel will welcome one of the UK’s most loved Breweries. Wild Beer Co will be taking over the Taps and hosting a Meet the Brewer evening. Beers will be available from 5pm for anybody to come and try at their own leisure, staff from Wild Beer Co will be on site to chat throughout the evening. At 7.30pm we will be hosting a Meet the Brewer and tasting. This will be FREE for the first 25 customers who register. Keep your eyes peeled on Eventbrite to sign up for this awesome event. Brooklyn Brewery big bottle tasting – Riverside (Mowbray Street), 7:30pm Tickets £26 plus booking fee via www.eventbrite.co.uk Join the Riverside and Brooklyn’s UK brand ambassador as they host this big bottle tasting. You’ll sample some of Brooklyn’s best loved beers, as well as some rare quarterly experiments. In addition, the Riverside team will match each beer with some classic American eats – think Louisiana Pulled Pork, Texan Chilli, Buffalo Wings and S’mores. CAMRA’s Steel City Beer Festival Award presentations part one – Bath Hotel, 8pm Tickets not required We present the certificates for some of the beer of the festival awards from last Octobers Steel City Beer & Cider Festival. Friday 17th March SIBA Beer Alive – Ice Sheffield, 3pm Tickets £7 plus booking fee via beerx.org Huge bar serving award winning beers on cask, keg and bottle, tutored tastings, street food and live music. CAMRA’s Steel City Beer Festival Award presentations part two – Rutland Arms, 4pm Tickets not required We present the certificates for the remaining beer of the festival awards from last Octobers Steel City Beer & Cider Festival. Saturday 18th March Beer & Breweries of Neepsend – Meet at Sheffield Brewery Company, 12 midday Tickets £5 plus booking fee via www.eventbrite.co.uk A Three Brewery extravaganza. Meet 12 noon at Albyn Works – the home of Sheffield Brewery Company for a history tour of the pubs and breweries of Neepsend: Sheffield’s own brewing quarter. These include Neepsend Brewery, the Gardeners Rest and Little Critters Brewery. SIBA Beer Alive – Ice Sheffield, 11am Tickets £7 plus booking fee via beerx.org Huge bar serving award winning beers on cask, keg and bottle, rugby on big streen, street food and live music. Sunday 19th March Quiz night with additional beer theme – Portland House, 6pm Tickets £1, pay at venue Portland House play host to their quiz night and will be adding beery topics to highlight Sheffield Beer Week celebrations. SIBA Beer Alive – Ice Sheffield, 11am Tickets £7 plus booking fee via beerx.org The Sunday brunch session is the final day of the Beer Alive festival featuring a more laid back atmosphere and families are welcome (under 14s admitted free). Again there will be a range of award winning beers, street food and live music. All week Sheffield versus Manchester – Riverside (Mowbray Street) The bar will be showcasing beers from Sheffield and Manchester throughout the week and feedback on favourite beers encouraged! 20% discount off a pint of real ale available for CAMRA members. Beer Festival – White Lion (Heeley) All handpumps on all three bars will be in use offering a huge range of cask beers and various brewers will be dropping in over the week to host meet the brewer sessions. More details to be confirmed at time of going to press. Beer Farts Exhibition – Hop Hideout With a hefty Instagram following, Beer Farts composes and shoots beer and Lego photos with fun and humour. Hop Hideout’s walls will be playing host to their commissioned birthday series and a selection of others for two months starting on 10th March.