We are pleased to announce this years festival is taking place at Kelham Island Museum from 15 to 18 October.
It will offer a range of around 200 cask ales spread across three bars plus a list of around 50 other craft beers rotating on the taps in our keg bar. Our traditional cider & perry bar will offer a choice of around 30 plus hopefully some locally produced mead too. New this year you will be able to use card payment (including Apple/Google contactless) to pay for drinks at the bars as you go. Alternatively we will still be doing bar tokens which you can buy using cash or card.
As usual we’ll have a range of street food traders to satisfy your hunger plus the old skool pub games in the marquee and the tombola upstairs to keep you amused (and there are prizes to be won!).
On the Wednesday we’ll be judging the champion beer of Sheffield & District with all the local brewers based in the City and our part of the Peak District invited to enter a cask ale, we’ll announce the winner early on in the evening. On Thursday evening our friends from Bradfield Brewery will be hosting a tutored tasting event (advance booking required) whilst for those interested in local history our pub heritage officer Dave Pickersgill and local historian John Stocks will be hosting some talks and tours themed on the “Little Chicago” booklet on Thursday and Friday. Again advance booking is required.
From Thursday onwards we have a programme of live music planned – Thursday evening is Mari Wild and the Reprobates, Friday evening is Soul Battalion then Saturday afternoon we have Loxley Silver Band, Kelham Island Rapper (dancers) and Blyth Power.
With the bars taking card payments we are no longer bundling bar tokens in with the admission – the entry fee is £5 on Thursday and £7 on Friday and Saturday with free admission offered on Wednesday. You’ll also need to get a festival glass for £3, you can keep this as a souvenir or return it for a refund when you leave.There will be a printed programme available containing the beer and cider list for £1 or you can find all the details online at sheffield.camra.org.uk/sc.
The charity collection this year will be for the Sheffield Childrens’ Hospital Charity. You can chuck cash donations and unspent bar tokens in the buckets to help this worthy cause.
The festival opening hours is Wednesday 5pm to 10:30pm, Thursday/Friday 11:30am to 10:30pm and Saturday 11am to 9pm. Nearest tram stop is Shalesmoor or there are bus stops on Nursery Street and Gibraltar Street. It is also walkable from the City Centre and the Kelham Island district has some fantastic pubs forming a buzzing unofficial festival fringe!
TALKS AND TOURS – SCAN THE QR CODE TO BOOK…
Bradfield Brewery tutored tasting (ticket is for tasting event only, festival admission is also payable on the day)Little Chicago Guided Walk (ticket includes the walking tour, a copy of the booklet and entry to the festival)Little Chicago talk (ticket reserves you a place in the audience and includes a copy of the walk booklet, festival admission is also payable separately on the day)
One Valley Festival sees a number of different pubs, a club and a brewery tap all host events on the same day so you can explore Dronfield town and surrounding countryside experiencing a variety of beer, music and food. The town centre venues are all walkable from Dronfield railway station whilst all venues are on a bus route (one of 15, 16, 43 or 44). The date this year is Saturday 7 June.
The rural pub that takes part is the Miners Arms in Hundall. This sees a stage appear in the beer garden with live music through the afternoon and the outside bar open with an extended range of ales and cider plus a burger stall. Hundall is a hillside location with the pub offering a view over the valley as well as the neighbouring cricket pitch! Bus 15 (Dronfield-Chesterfield) stops outside the pub until about 6pm.
Down in the valley at Unstone is Drone Valley Brewery who have a tap staffed by volunteers (most of the profits go to local good causes) and they rather push the boat out for One Valley day. Various tents appear in the yard to supplement the bar in the brewery with seating areas, music stage, cocktail bar and food vendor (Gow’s Kitchen). Buses 43 and 44 (Sheffield-Chesterfield) stop on the main road at the end of their drive.
In the suburb of Dronfield Woodhouse are two pubs, the Jolly Farmer (on bus route 43) and Miners Arms (on bus route 16). At the Jolly Farmer festivities take place around the outdoor drinking area with outside bar, BBQ and live entertainment. They also serve breakfasts in the morning (booking recommended) Meanwhile up the road at the Miners live entertainment is planned in the evening with an acoustic set by Ethan Massingham. During the afternoon you can chill out with a beer in their garden and maybe grab a bite to eat!
Dronfield town centre is split into two areas – The High Street and Dronny Bottom and each have a cluster of venues. The Civic Centre is the bus terminus for rural bus routes 15 and 16 whilst bus 43 stops outside Sainsburys, these are all close to the High Street. Meanwhile Dronny Bottom is where the railway station is, with bus routes 15 and 44 passing through too.
There are Three venues along High Street and Church Street – Blue Stoops, Manor House Hotel and Green Dragon whilst at Dronny Bottom you will find the Beer Stop, Dronfield Arms, Underdog bar and White Swan. Also not far from the High Street, across the road from Sainburys, is the Victoria.
The Victoria is a typical street corner boozer with dart board, pool table and football on the telly. For festival day they will have a DJ on playing tunes from 3pm until about 10pm.
At the Manor House, their cafe bar opens serving breakfast in the morning with their bar opening from 10am. However festivities are outside from midday with the rear drinks terrace extended into part of the car park where they will have two outside bars (one serving cask ale from Abbeydale Brewery with the other bar serving lager, spirits etc) and a food trailer from Pellizco (Mexican street food). Live music will be provided outside by the Britpop rockers at 4pm and 6pm then from 7:30pm onwards DJ Brad Gee will be keeping the party going.
The extensive outdoor drinking area at the Blue Stoops gets extended into the closed off car park and will be filled with 4 outside bars, a food stall doing burgers and loaded chips whilst a DJ will be out there providing a sound track!
The Green Dragon also extends their outside drinking area into a closed off car park on festival day. An outside bar serves cask ale, shorts and bottles supplementing the normal pub bar inside and a fish & chip van will be serving food there. It all opens at midday with DJ Higgz providing a soundtrack throughout the event until late except when live acts are on stage – We are Little Rock at 3pm, Andy Gates at 5pm and Cabronitas band at 8pm.
The Dronfield Arms closes their car park off too in order to add extra features to the usual pub bar, terrace and Pizza Pi kiosk. On festival day there is an outside bar, Cow Boys Burgers stall and music stage. Live music kicks off at 1pm with Josh Feely followed by Magenta Apricots at 2pm, Factor 50 at 3pm, Kickback at 4pm and Leo Millobarrow at 5pm. From 6pm until midnight DJ Phill will be providing party tunes outside for their popular One Valley sunset disco surrounded by trees, river, railway bridge and buildings!
Next door the Underdog bar also adds an outside bar round the back with a range of ciders and craft beer plus hot sandwiches whilst across the road the White Swan make use of their patio area. Live entertainment here begins with We Are Little Rock at 1pm then Dan Aspinall on at 4pm and finally Katie Rose. The England match will be on the TV inside the pub at 5pm.
The Beer Stop is just the other side of the railway bridge, this is a small specialist craft beer shop that also has a few taps of craft beer that can be enjoyed on the yard outside. Two street food traders will be popping up for the afternoon serving fried chicken and tacos and an outside bar is also planned.
Finally a short walk from Dronny Bottom (alternatively a ride on bus 15 or 44) is the Pioneer Club. This is a classic social club building with two rooms – lounge (with pool table and TV) and concert room. It also has a huge grass outdoor area, smoking terrace and car park. The Pioneer run a family friendly event for One Valley outside with bouncy castle, goody bags & games for the kids plus a BBQ stall whilst for the adults there will be a reasonably priced bar and a DJ on all day inbetween live acts – Marie Wells and Ken Lambert Drag.
BUSES
15 Dronfield-Chesterfield via Coal Aston, Apperknowle, Marsh Lane, Hundall, Unstone and Whittington Moor. Venues served: Manor House Hotel, Blue Stoops, Victoria, Beer Stop, Pioneer Club and Miners Arms (Hundall).
16 Dronfield-Chesterfield via Dronfield Woodhouse, Holmesfield, Barlow. Venues served: Manor House Hotel, Blue Stoops, Miners Arms (Dronfield Woodhouse).
43 Sheffield-Chesterfield via Heeley, Woodseats, Meadowhead, Dronfield Sainsburys, Dronfield Woodhouse, Gosforth, Dronfield Fire Station, Unstone and Whittington Moor. Venues served: Victoria, Jolly Farmer, White Swan, Drone Valley Brewery.
44 Sheffield-Chesterfield via Heeley, Woodseats, Meadowhead, Batemoor, Coal Aston, Dronfield Station, Unstone and Whittington Moor. Venues served: Pioneer Club, Beer Stop, Dronfield Arms, Underdog, White Swan, Drone Valley Brewery.
All the above bus services are operated by Stagecoach. The maximum single fare is £3 or a “Silver DayRider” ticket is available offering unlimited all day travel on their services in the area – £6.50 adult or £20 for a group of 5 people. You can buy tickets from the bus driver (cash or contactless) or on the Stagecoach app.
Additionally until 5pm the “Travel Derbyshire On Demand” minibus service operates. This is a bus with no fixed route or timetable, simply request a ride at least an hour in advance using their app and a route is created that caters for all the passengers booked that hour. It can be booked for journeys anywhere in North East Derbyshire and Chesterfield, subject to availability.
TRAINS
Dronfield railway station is served mainly by Northern‘s Leeds-Nottingham service, running hourly through the day and with services continuing late into the evening. Journey planning and fares for rail travel is available from nationalrail.co.uk. Venues walkable from the station are Dronfield Pioneer Club, Beer Stop, Dronfield Arms, Underdog, White Swan, Green Dragon, Manor House Hotel, Blue Stoops and Victoria. Buses serving the station are 15 and 44.
As far as an impromptu socials goes, you can’t beat a beer festival in the sunshine.
I arrived to join others around 17:00, to an already packed terrace with no seats to be had. The band was warming up, the food was cooking and the beer flowing.
There was a change from last year, and to be honest, not for the better. The cider tent was placed in a small corner, unlike the double-fronted location of last year. This caused a very congested stand this time around. Fortunately the ciders made up for it and they were proving popular, looking like they were in danger of selling-out the next day!
To begin, I started with a Thornbridge not sampled before, Black & Gold. A nice hoppy pale of a blonde/golden character. Lots of flavour in its 3.4% though, and an easy starter.
Steve, Andy, Paul and Dan at the Student Union beer & cider festival
I joined Paul M, Bev, Dan, and Bev’s sister Teri and husband, Steve for a chat all things ale and beyond. Andy Morten of 50k+ beers fame joined the gathering, but wasn’t stopping too long. It wasn’t long before my friend Bleddyn made it there with his pint of Brew York’s Maris the Otter, a 3.9% bitter from this excellent brewery renowned for its stouts.
Bev, Steve and Teri at the Student Union beer & cider festival
We were a bit jaded, so decided to get a seat, where we were joined my another friend Gordon. We soon felt peckish after the beer, so a Currywurst was purchased, and it was very tasty with fries, sauerkraut and mini-gherkins at £6.90.
The now seated Kevin, Bleddyn and Gordon at the Student Union beer & cider festival
Paul, Bev, Dan and Co bade their farewells, as they were continuing on more beer trails.
Being a suckered for a flavoured stout, my eyes were drawn to the Neepsend Jasmin’s Jamaican Rum Cake Stout. Quite thin and only 4.8%, but the flavour didn’t disappoint.
Now the problem is, sitting opposite the TV advertising beers. You’re always going to see one you have to sample. In this case it was an old favourite Thornbridge Baize, the legendary Mint Chocolate Stout. 5.5% like an After Eight in a glass, not cheap but worth it.
Time for departure, and a walk through town and the West Street Strip to catch my last bus, after a swift last one in the Bankers Draft. We’ll be back next year, possibly attending the Friday evening, and the Saturday, football fixtures allowing?
the printed beer & cider list at the Student Union beer & cider festival
Events at the forthcoming Steel City Beer Festival will include a walk, a talk and a tutored tasting. Following previous successes, local author John Stocks and our Pub Heritage Officer, Dave Pickersgill will be leading a guided walk in Little Chicago on Thursday morning and staging the associated talk on Friday afternoon.
In addition, as part of their 20th anniversary celebrations, Bradfield Brewery will be leading a tutored tasting on the Thursday evening, presenting both core brews and oak-aged beers. Advance tickets for all events will be available nearer the time.
The festival is planned to take place 15-18 October at Kelham Island Museum featuring a huge range of cask ales, a selection of other craft beers in keg plus traditional ciders alongside street food vendors and a programme of live music. The special events including tutored tastings, talks and tours are optional extras to add to your festival experience!
The winter edition of the Great British Beer Festival took place in February at Magna, having relocated from Burton on Trent, conveniently replacing the old Rotherham Real Ale & Music festival which came to an end last year.
CAMRA’s Yorkshire region was originally planning on hosting the event in Bradford but the new venue there was looking like not being ready in time to host events so with 6 months to go, it was switched to Magna. The result was something slightly rough around the edges in presentation but an impressive and enjoyable event regardless.
Much of the action was in the “Big Hall” with the live music stage, main cask ales bar, cider bar, tombola, table skittles, diner, seven brewery bars (Abbeydale, Brew York, Chantry, Radio City, Tatton, Theakstons and Thornbridge) and a number of stalls including a tankard engraver and caricature artist.
There were a number of other rooms to explore too with a “Global Pours” bar in its own room serving exclusively imported beer from around the world and in the rainbow hall an Indie Brewers bar serving a varied range of cask ales only from independently owned breweries. There was also a room featuring UK craft beers in keg and a spirit bar with a range of flavoured gins, vodkas and rums.
Being a national CAMRA event it and now in a bigger venue a feature from the summer Great British Beer Festival was rolled out – the Learn & Discover bar, where the staff talked you through a number of themed tasters and each day a different brewer guested on the bar.
The Champion Winter Beer of Britain award is judged here and there was a bar dedicated to showcasing the finalists. The overall champion was Cairngorm Black Gold, a session stout, with runners up named as Sarah Hughes Snowflake (an 8% ABV barley wine) and Grain Slate (a 6% ABV porter).
The winners were announced on stage as part of the Wednesday trade session.
There were a couple of local beers judged in the final – Abbeydale Black Mass (a black IPA) came second in its category behind Sarah Hughes Snowflake whilst Acorn Gorlovka Imperial Stout came third in its category.
To help with the journey home from Magna a special festival bus service operated from the front door shuttling to Meadowhall and Rotherham, this was operated on behalf of CAMRA by Stagecoach using brand new electric buses. Next year things will be even easier with a station on the Tram Train line due to open this coming December with trams from Sheffield and Rotherham directly to Magna!
This month sees the arrival of CAMRA’s Great British Beer Festival (GBBF) Winter edition at its new home of Magna, replacing the long established Rotherham Real Ale & Music festival which took place for the last time in 2024.
The festival features a range of over 300 cask ales served on either handpump or gravity with many Yorkshire breweries represented as well as plenty from around the rest of Britain; there will also be around 35 other UK craft beers on keg, a dedicated Champion Winter Beer of Britain bar, a learn & discover zone and a world beer bar with a rotating choice of imported beers in bottle, can and keg.
There will also be brewery bars where their staff will be hosting and available to answer questions about the beers which will be served on both cask and keg. Brewers attending are Abbeydale, Brew York, Chantry, Radio City Beer Works, Wantsum, Theaksons and Thornbridge.
A number of tutored tasting events have also been organised as an optional extra, these have limited capacity and need to be booked in advance, they are led by a knowledgeable and respected host and the price includes a number of beer samples and a talk. Themes include Champion beers, beer & cheese, beer & music and beer brewed on Burton Union sets.
Cider & Perry also features on a dedicated bar curated by a team that are very enthusiastic about the real deal, so expect everything here to be made from freshly pressed apple or pear juice, never from industrial concentrate!
If you’d like to come along and enjoy the atmosphere but aren’t into beer or cider, there will also be a bar offering wine, spirits, soft drinks and no/low alcohol beer. Food will also be available with pub grub style meals available from Magna’s own catering team plus stalls selling snacks.
A busy programme of live music is planned each day and included in the ticket price, this will take place on the stage in the main hall. Rotherham CAMRA branch members will also be there hosting a tombola and old fashioned pub table top games.
The entry price includes a souvenir glass featuring the festival artwork and the sponsor, with a choice of a pint glass or stemmed half, this is yours to take home and keep. There aren’t any programmes this year but the Rotherham Cancer Care charity will be selling printed beer lists for those that want one. This year all the bars will be taking card payment (contactless or chip & pin) on a pay as you go basis, alternatively you can buy £10 beer token cards to spend at the bars, the token sales desks will accept cash.
The festival is organised and staffed by volunteers, if you fancy joining the team please fill in the volunteering form on the website.
All the information and advance tickets is available online at winter.gbbf.org.uk.
OPENING HOURS AND TICKET PRICES
Wednesday 5pm to 10:30pm (with trade tickets offering access from 4pm)
Thursday midday to 10:30pm (please be aware that a small number of bars won’t be open until 3pm)
Friday and Saturday midday to 10:30pm
Tickets on the door £10 for CAMRA members, £12 for everyone else
Advance tickets online £8 for CAMRA members, £10 for everyone else. Group and season ticket deals also available online.
Trade tickets for those working in the pub, beer and cider industry for the Wednesday session are complimentary but must be applied for in advance online.
GETTING THERE
bus X3 (Sheffield to Doncaster, operated by First) stops on Sheffield Road, behind the venue next to the pedestrian entrance which takes you through to the car park. You can board the bus at Sheffield Interchange, Meadowhall Interchange, Rotherham Interchange and Doncaster Interchange. If you are connecting with other buses in South Yorkshire an all day pass may prove good value – see sytravelmaster.com or the Travelmaster app.
If you are going by train, the nearest railway station is Meadowhall where you can jump on the X3 bus for a 5 minute ride to Magna.
From 4pm each day there will also be a special festival shuttle bus running from Meadowhall Interchange and Rotherham Interchange to supplement the X3, this will drop off (and pick up) near the festival entrance and charge a flat fare of £2.50 (other tickets and passes cannot be used). This bus will be operated by Stagecoach and generally run every 30 minutes, ending at 11pm.
Car parking is available at Magna, which is close to M1 junction 34.
LIVE MUSIC PROGRAMME(timings approximate)
WEDNESDAY EVENING:
18:30 Bone Broke Kings
19:45 Lightning Threads
21:00 The Fargo Railroad Co
THURSDAY EVENING:
19:00 Floodhounds
20:30 Northern Citizens
FRIDAY ALL DAY:
13:00 Daniel Horsham
15:30 Eboney Jayne O’Brien
17:00 Kizia and the Kings
18:30 Soul Battalion
20:30 The Leptons
SATURDAY ALL DAY:
13:00 Jack T Harper
15:00 Maltby Miners Welfare Band
17:30 Matilda Shakes
19:00 Republic
20:30 Handsome Dan and the Mavericks
TUTORED TASTING EVENTS
Champion Winter Beer of Britain competition tasting, led by Roger Protz – Wednesday 6:30pm and Thursday 2pm. Members £10, non-members £12. Six beers included.
Brewed on the Union tasting, led by Roger Protz and Thornbridge brewers – Thursday 6pm. Members £10, non-members £12.
Beer & Cheese tasting, led by Annabel Smith – Friday 2pm. Members £14, non-members £16. Five beers paired with cheese included.
Beer & Music matching, led by Pete Brown who is publishing a book on the subject – Friday 6pm. Members £10, non-members £12.
Please note the price of the tasting event tickets quoted are just for the tasting, a festival entry ticket is also required.
LEARN & DISCOVER ZONE – BREWERY PARTNERS
Themed tasting flights will be available from the Learn & Discover Zone, served in partnership with the following brewery bars:
Sheffield’s annual Beer Week has now been running 11 years, celebrating the independent beer scene in the city with events across many venues in the city with common themes of beer & food, community and heritage. The beer week itself officially runs from 10 to 16 March, preceded by the Indie Beer Feast, however there are a number of additional events to warm up in the preceding days too!
A list of events confirmed at the time of going to press are below, however for the latest information visit their website – sheffieldbeerweek.co.uk.
Thursday 6 March
Pangolin : Indie Rabble Tap Takeover and meet-the-brewer. Beers on from 1pm with the brewer there in the evening.
Friday 7 March
Hop Hideout : Tynt Meadow Trappist Brewery – keg of their Dutch brewed trio collaboration on tap with the brewery manager present to talk about their history and tradition. 2pm to 4pm.
Little Chicago Quarter pub heritage guided walk – 11:30am, booking required
Crow Inn : “A Place to Be” talk with writer Katie Mather, 2pm.
FOCUS ON…
THE CROW
All week: European Beer Showcase
A Selection of European craft Beers
Throughout the week, we will be pouring an assortment of delicious beers from some of Europe’s best breweries. We have beer from Sweden, Poland, Denmark and plenty more magical places. Come on down to get stamping your genuine real life beer passports.
Launching 8th March, pouring through beer week until we run out – Ten Men x Bang The Elephant x Steel City Brewing x The Crow Inn Presents… The Men Of Steel
Free entry
A mega collaboration beer between many of our lovely beer friends. “The Men Of Steel” is an uzvar inspired fruited sour and is part of Ten Men’s 100 Collaborations Project. All profits from the beers made within the project go towards new brewing equipment after Ten Men lost all theirs due to the Russian invasion in Ukraine.
11th March 8PM – Beer Bingo, Free entry
What it says on the tin. An evening of boozy, beery bingo. Relaxed vibes and great fun… Don’t forget your dabbers! Exciting prizes up for grabs and plenty of tasty beer pouring to see you through the evening.
16th March 2PM – “A Place To Be”, Free entry
Katie Mather delivers a talk on her new zine, “A Place To Be”, a love letter to drinking in liminal spaces and Pellicle magazine’s first printed publication. We will be privileged to have both Katie and Matthew Curtis here talking about the zine, pubs and the importance of found community in unexpected places.
Post beer week
March 28th – Burning Sky beer launch. Burning Sky are organising a nationwide launch across the best craft beer pubs around the UK, including at The Crow. Look out for more details soon!
Hotel Rooms
Book direct at thecrowinn@gmail.com for the best rates on our hotel rooms, for Sheffield Beer Week and beyond!
Over February, our small team have embarked on a series of collaboration brews across the North of England to brew a range of styles, launching here on cask for Sheffield Beer week. These include a smoked cherry Barley Wine with Torrside, a US Session Pale with North Riding, a stout with Tartarus, a hazy pale ale with Big Trip and a pale ale with one of our local favourites, Blue Bee.
Wednesday 12th March: Ideal Day showcase and meet the brewer 6-8.30pm
Ideal Day Family Brewery are a farmhouse brewery from Cornwall, making Belgian and classic British styles of beer with an innovative, modern twist and a commitment to regenerative agriculture. They’ll be on hand to talk us through a range of their beers, with some food pairings fresh from our kitchen.
Wednesday 12th March – Beer Week Quiz, 8.30pm – Our regular quiz, this week hosted by quiz master Quiztopher, with an added beery twist. Free entry
Thursday 13th March – Guided Sheffield Pub Heritage Talk – Little Chicago Quarter. 8pm – Price: £4.95
What: This event is a history/pub heritage talk which will concentrate on the Little Chicago area of Sheffield, taking you from the early part of 19th century up to the current day. We will explore both the pub heritage aspects of the area plus the streets which feature in the book, ‘Sheffield 1925: Gang Wars and Wembley Glory.’ The narrative will explain how Sheffield briefly became the most turbulent city in Britain due to an escalating gang war involving the Park Brigade, Mooney Gang, the Gas Tank Gang and many others. The talk will also explore the beer, social and Industrial heritage of the area, examining the myths and reality of a tumultuous year in Sheffield history. Mention will be made of the 1884 ‘Sheffield Drinks Map,’ the establishment of a coaching inn, George Orwell and the Sheffield pub with the most local CAMRA awards. The talk will be led by local historian and writer, John Stocks and ‘Sheffield’s Real Heritage Pubs’ editor, Dave Pickersgill. The talk will last for up to 60 minutes, followed by post-talk drink and discussion.
Tickets from Eventbrite.
Friday 14th-Sunday 16th – Belgian, German & Czech Beer showcase
A showcase of beers and styles both modern and historic from the classic European beer nations. German, Czech and Belgian inspired food pairings available from the main menu and specials board too.
All week plus over Indie Beer Week – British Beer Styles Showcase
All Week – as wide a range as possible showcasing historic and modern British beer styles from Barley Wine to Brown Ale, ESB, IPA and Porter. Matched with items from our daily food menu. Free entry
Wednesday 12th – 4pm: Ideal Day Showcase and Meet The Brewers Venue 1
A showcase of some of the range from Cornish farmhouse brewers Ideal Day. Come sample a couple of their beers on draught, with the founders and brewers on hand to talk through their ethos. We will have a special small plate menu item matched to the beers for the occasion too. Why not make it a really Ideal Day and follow them to the Harlequin afterwards for more of their beers, too?
Downstairs, A keg and cask showcase of a range of beer styles from the excellent Burning Sky Brewery of Firle in East Sussex.
Upstairs: a six beer tasting, including a range of Burning Sky’s mixed fermentation beers led by brewery founder and brewer Mark Tranter. £25 a ticket, message the pub on social media to sign up.
Sheffield, UK – March 10th to 16th, 2025 – Get ready to raise a glass to Sheffield Beer Week! This city-wide celebration of craft beer will once again unite the community
This year, Sheffield Beer Week will shine a spotlight on the ‘Outdoor City’ it calls home during The Festival of the Outdoors and the unique blend of beer and food pairing. Showcasing the city’s vibrant culinary scene alongside its thriving craft beer industry. Expect a diverse program of events, including:
Brewery Tours & Tastings: Go behind the scenes at local breweries, learn about the brewing process, and sample their latest creations. Visit the wealth of pubs, bars, beer shops and taprooms to enjoy tastings and events.
Beer & Food Pairings: Indulge in expertly curated local menus featuring beers paired with delicious dishes
Pub Tours & Walking Trail Events: Discover the gems, explore the city’s diverse pub, bar, beer shop and beer scene with guided tours and self-guided trails.
Community Events: Participate in family-friendly events, charity fundraisers, workshops and book readings that celebrate the spirit of community.
Sheffield Beer Week will also delve into the city’s rich brewing heritage, exploring its historical significance”We are thrilled to bring back Sheffield Beer Week and invite the community to join us in celebrating the city’s vibrant beer culture,” said Jules Gray of Sheffield Beer Week “This year, we are focusing on the unique connection between beer and food, while also honoring our city’s brewing heritage and the stunning outdoor city we call home. We encourage everyone to come out and experience the best of Sheffield.”
On the weekend of 7th to 8thMarch, to start the week, Sheffield’s craft beer festival, Indie Beer Feast is back at Trafalgar Warehouse. It’s a celebration of great independent craft beer with brewery bars, street food, low intervention wines and fine cider. The beer festival champions and supports The Everyone Welcome initiative. British Guild of Beer Writers’ member and leading UK award-wining beer writer Adrian Tierney-Jones will be heading up, alongside Founder and Director of community initiative, Women in Beer, Amelie Tassin to host pop-up tastings.
Sunday 16 March 2025 – walk – start 11:00, finish at Kelham Island Tavern ~12:30
Following the success of previous guided walks, events during Sheffield Beer Week 2025 will include a guided historical walk in Sheffield’s Little Chicago Quarter. We will explore both the pub heritage aspects of the area plus the streets which feature in the book, ‘Sheffield 1925: Gang Wars and Wembley Glory.’ Thenarrative will explain how Sheffield briefly became the most turbulent city in Britain due to an escalating gang war involving the Park Brigade, Mooney Gang, the Gas Tank Gang and many others.
The short walk will also explore the beer, social and Industrial heritage of the area, examining the myths and reality of a tumultuous year in Sheffield history. Along the way, mention will be made of the 1884 ‘Sheffield Drinks Map,’ George Orwell, the establishment of a coaching inn and the Sheffield pub with the most local CAMRA awards.
The walk will be led by local historian and writer, John Stocks and ‘Sheffield’s Real Heritage Pubs’ editor, Dave Pickersgill. The comfortable walk of just over one mile, with one minor ascent, will last for approximately 90 minutes, including one en route stop, followed by post-walk drink and discussion.
Includes:
* Guided historical walk
* copy of the new Pub Heritage walk booklet which features Little Chicago (A5, 32 pages, rrp £2.99)
* the opportunity to purchase a copy of ‘Sheffield 1925: Gang Wars and Wembley Glory’ (second edition) at the reduced price of £10 (cash only)
DATE: Sunday 16 March 2025
Meet: 11:00 outside the Sheffield Combined Court Centre, West Bar, S3 8BH
Finish: 12:30 Kelham Island Tavern, 62 Russell Street, S3 8RW
Cost: £4.95
Tickets available at: Eventbrite
Number of places available: 20
Pub Heritage Talk: Little Chicago
Thursday 13 March 2025 – 20:00 – Harlequin
This event is a history/pub heritage talk which will concentrate on the Little Chicago area of Sheffield, taking you from the early part of C19th up to the current day. We will explore both the pub heritage aspects of the area plus the streets which feature in the book, ‘Sheffield 1925: Gang Wars and Wembley Glory.’ The narrative will explain how Sheffield briefly became the most turbulent city in Britain due to an escalating gang war involving the Park Brigade, Mooney Gang, the Gas Tank Gang and many others.
The talk will be led by local historian and writer, John Stocks and ‘Sheffield’s Real Heritage Pubs’ editor, Dave Pickersgill. The talk will last for approximately 60 minutes, followed by post-talk drink and discussion.
Includes:
* historical talk (one hour, including questions)
* copy of the new Pub Heritage walk booklet which features Little Chicago (A5, 32 pages, rrp £2.99)
* the opportunity to purchase a copy of ‘Sheffield 1925: Gang Wars and Wembley Glory’ (second edition) at the reduced price of £10.00 (cash only)
For 2025 the Winter edition of Great British Beer Festival moves to our area, being held at Magna Science Adventure centre, a former steelworks on the Sheffield/Rotherham border near Meadowhall.
If you’ve been to the long running charity real ale & music festival at Magna, which held its final event in 2024, you’ll recognise the layout but also notice we’ve taken the opportunity to update things a little. If you’ve previously been to GBBF Winter in Burton on Trent, you’ll find we’ve made it somewhat bigger and added new features!
At GBBF Winter you’ll find cask ales from breweries across our region as well as interesting choices from further afield. A number of breweries will also be bringing their own bar, often staffed by brewery representatives who can answer questions about the beer, these bars will feature their beers on both cask and keg. The festival will also have a dedicated bar for good quality craft beers in keykeg along with a world beers bar featuring a list of up to 100 imported beers in cans, bottles and on tap (the international tap list will be on rotation). All the bars will accept card payment, alternatively you can use cash to buy bar tokens from the token sales points around the venue.
The Champion Winter Beer of Britain is judged at GBBF Winter, with the winner going forward to the final of the Champion Beer of Britain competition which is judged at the summer Great British Beer Festival in Birmingham. At GBBF Winter there will be a dedicated bar featuring all the competition entries, this will open for service once the results have been announced on Wednesday evening.
There will also be a Cider & Perry bar with a list curated by CAMRA enthusiasts which will only feature your proper cider & perry made from fresh juice, never concentrate.
On the entertainment front there will be live music on Wednesday and Thursday evening then all day Friday and Saturday whilst throughout the festival volunteers from the local Rotherham CAMRA branch will be hosting traditional table top games and a tombola!
An optional extra you can book for is a tutored tasting events, however these have limited capacity! These include
Champion Winter Beer of Britain tasting led by veteran beer writer & journalist Roger Protz (Wednesday 6:30pm and Thursday 2pm) – £12
Brewed on the Union system beer tasting led by veteran beer writer & journalist Roger Protz and Thornbridge brewers Rob Lovatt and Dominic Driscoll (Thursday 6pm) – £12
Beer & Cheese tasting, led by Annabel Smith (Friday 2pm) – £16
Beer & Music matching, led by writer Pete Brown (Friday 6pm) – £12
There is a trade session on Wednesday for those that work in the pub and beer industry from 4pm (festival opens to the wider public at 5pm) and applications are open online for complimentary tickets for those eligible.
As with all CAMRA festivals GBBF Winter is staffed by volunteers, if you fancy getting involved please fill in the volunteering form on the website.
Opening hours: Wednesday 5pm-11pm; Thursday to Saturday midday to 11pm. Entry is £10 (£8 for CAMRA members) and there are also group and season ticket deals available online. The price includes a souvenir glass to keep. For advance tickets and information visit winter.gbbf.org.uk. If you can’t commit to buying tickets in advance don’t worry, you can simply turn up and pay on the door too!
Getting there: Bus X3, operated by First, runs from Sheffield to Doncaster via Meadowhall and Rotherham and drops off on the main road behind Magna. At Meadowhall Interchange the bus connects with trains and trams, the bus ride from Meadowhall is just 5 minutes. From Rotherham Interchange the bus takes about 10-15 minutes depending on traffic. The venue also has a large car park and is near M1 junction 34.
