True North Brewery have announced a series of open days at their brewery tap at 47 Eldon St. The next dates are the 16–18 June and the 7–9 July.
The Fox & Duck in Broomhill is set to improve its beer garden and install a kitchen. They’ll be bringing some of their culinary know-how from their sister pub, the Doctor’s Orders, and you’ll still be able to bring in your own food outside of kitchen hours.
An application has been made to the council by a developer to convert the former Royal Oak in Chapeltown into two shops and a restaurant. The pub closed in 2013.
TheHarlequin has a number of live music events going on in July: 1 July – Searching for Silvia, 7 July – Iridium 77, 8 July – Rocket 88, 15 July – Blue Review, 22 July – Blaze.
Tramlines Festival will see the Tap & Tankard have their Buskers’ Corner event stretched out over the weekend. There will also be the usual great selection of real ales and ciders availables.
The Fat Cat are making the most of the sunny weather by bringing back the Everly Pregnant Brothers. They will be playing a gig on the roof of the pub on 22 July at 6pm, and there will also be outside bars and a barbecue.
TheSpireite in Chesterfield is in need of a new manager or management couple. If interested, please contact Chris Sinclair on 07834 950693.
The Punchbowl in Crookes has re-opened after being closed for three weeks following the demise of Reet Ale Pubs. Ed Phillips has stayed on as manager of the pub, which is now owned by the Greene King brewery.
Couch coffee shop on Campo Lane has installed a hand pump. The first cask ale on offer was Kelham Island Brewery’s Pale Rider.
We reported last month that the Old Queen’s Head had introduced a guest ale pump. A second guest pump has now been installed alongside the regular beers, allowing the pub to offer a Thwaites seasonal beer alongside a guest ale.
The Bull’s Head on Fulwood Road is currently being looked after by the manager of the nearby Ranmoor Inn after a brief closure.
Visitors to the first ever beer festival at the Abbeydale Picture House made their way through 21 casks of beer in four days. As well as ale, drinkers were treated to food, debates, live music and an antiques market.
The Anvil at Stannington has been put up for sale. The pub currently serves four real ales, and has a quiz night on Tuesdays.
The Three Cranes Hotel on Queen Street is temporarily closed.
The Mount Pleasant on Derbyshire Lane has recently been refurbished. It retains its layout of a traditional two-room local offering a good range of real ales.
The Old Queens Head on Pond Hill (which won our April Pub of the Month) now has a guest ale pump, enabling them to alternate the Thwaites seasonals with interesting local beers.
Brew Foundation is looking at converting the unit on Ecclesall Road that was previously Eccy Booze off licence into a micropub and craft beer bottle shop.
Reet Ale Pubs has ceased trading, leading to the closure of the Three Tuns (Sheffield City Centre), Closed Shop (Commonside) and Punchbowl (Crookes). All three were pub company leases and are expected to reopen under new management as soon as possible. We understand the Tuns’ Wednesday quiz has temporarily relocated to the Dog & Partridge. The end of Reet Ale Pubs does not effect the Rutland Arms or Blue Bee Brewery, both had previously changed hands.
By the time this appears in print, the Gardeners Rest at Neepsend will open under the new ownership of the Community Society that crowdfunded to buy it. See elsewhere in this issue for their advert!
Not in our patch but may be of interest – you can get there on the 53/53a bus from Sheffield – is a new craft beer bar & shop on Mill Street in Clowne called Heist. You can find out more about them by visiting their website – www.heistcraft.com.
The former Southsea pub in Broomhill has reopened as ‘The Blues Bar‘, a Jamaican bar, grill and music venue. It isn’t really a beer venue – the rum punch appears to be the way to go here – but good to see the venue trading and doing something a little different. You can find out more via their Facebook page.
The Riverside on Mowbray Street now offers a 20% discount on hand pulled real ales for CAMRA members. Just show your membership card before ordering.
There is a new rooftop bar in Shalesmoor as part of the Krynkl development, a building next door to the Ship Inn constructed from shipping containers
The Hop at West One in Sheffield City Centre has closed down.
The Forum has reopened following a refurbishment and the smaller bar, which was previously only regularly used for private functions, has become the ‘Slice Bar’, open from 4pm each day featuring a hot counter selling slices of pizza as well as beer, gin etc. Both the main bar and the Slice Bar has a handpump serving a special house beer brewed by True North Brewery, who own the venue.
The Washington has also now reopened following a refurbishment, as has Stone & Taps, which is offering a discount for CAMRA members.
A change of management at the Rutland Arms is expected very soon with the lease moving from Reet Ale Pubs to business partners Kate Major and Chris Bamford, who previously managed the Three Tuns and Shakespeare’s respectively. The Rutland already has a reputation established for good food, beer and pub atmosphere and we’re sure Kate and Chris will build on that.
The Old Crown has already left the Reet Ale Pubs stable, leaving the Punchbowl, Three Tuns and Closed Shop, the latter which recently celebrated its fourth birthday under its current management.
Drone Valley Brewery have brewed a special beer for the Friends of Dronfield Station which is appropriately a Porter. A launch event took place with the friends suitably adorned in railway Hi Vis jackets at the Three Tuns pub in Dronfield.
Hop Hideout now offers a 10% discount for card carrying CAMRA members Tuesday to Thursday and has established a tasting room as well as being an off licence so is effectively a micropub. The 5 beers on tap are normally real ale in a keykeg.
The Walkley Beer Company has extended their opening hours and is now open Wednesday and Thursday 4pm to 10pm, Friday and Saturday 2pm to 10pm and Sunday midday to 6pm.
Champs Sports Bar on Ecclesall Road was runner up in Sheffield’s Best Bar None awards recently held at the City Hall.
The first details of the 2017 Tramlines music festival in Sheffield have been announced including the headline acts playing the three main outdoor stages at Ponderosa Park, Devonshire Green and Endcliffe Park from 21st to 23rd July. Paid for wristbands are required to enter these venues, however there will be the usual supporting cast of pubs and clubs putting on live music with most offering free entry and many of which of course have good beer. The latest information can be found at www.tramlines.org.uk, tickets are already on sale.
The Portland House, Welbeck Abbey Brewery’s micropub on Ecclesall Road, now offers a discount to CAMRA members of 10% off a pint of real ale if you show your membership card when you order.
Following the sad news of the passing away of Stuart Burrows, the landlord of the Mount Pleasant on Derbyshire Lane, the tenancy is being taken over from 31st January by Gillian Nugent who has worked with Stuart both behind the bar and looking after the cellar for the last 8 years. No major changes are planned, however the pub will be closed for a short spell for the decorators to come in and give the place a little TLC.
JD Wetherspoons hold one of their regular real ale festivals across the chain of pubs from 22nd March to 2nd April. Their pubs in Sheffield include the Bankers Draft, Waterworks and Benjamin Huntsman in the City Centre, Sheaf Island on Ecclesall Road, Woodseats Palace at Woodseats, Rawson Spring at Hillsborough, Wagon & Horses at Chapeltown, Steel Foundry at the Meadowhall Oasis and Francis Newton by the Hallamshire Hospital.
Another new micropub has opened, this time in the City Centre next to Ponds Forge Sports Centre and Fitzalan Square tram stop. The Drink Inn opens at midday every day and has a choice of three real ales along with a choice of spirits and bottled craft beers. Their opening hours don’t seem finalised yet, check their Facebook page for the latest.
The Swim Inn on Glossop Road, a former Wetherspoons pub, closed for refurbishment in January and is to reopen as part of the ‘Stone & Tap’ chain offering beer, burgers and pizza.
The Washington on Fitwilliam Street in Sheffield City Centre is due to close for refurbishment on 22nd January, reopening with a ‘rebirth weekend’ celebration on 2nd and 3rd February, featuring a number of DJ sets including an appearance from Jarvis Cocker on the Saturday. The refurbishment will see the interior get something of a spruce up along with a new stage and dance floor area along with an upgrade to the outdoor drinking space. There will also be an extended range of products on the bar. See their Facebook page for more details.
Sentinel Brewery & bar has been running a Tryanuary promotion during January with a different beer discounted by 20% each day.
The Malt House on Monteney Crescent near Ecclesfield has reopened as a freehouse. The pub was previously known as the Fighting Cock and we are told the locals still know it as that, however in a little bit of humour about the north Sheffield accent reflecting that the landlady isn’t local, the pub has been renamed ‘The Feightin Cock Less‘. There are six handpumps on the bar, all the beers are reasonably priced and mostly from local breweries.
Another new opening in Dronfield, hot on the heels of the relaunch of the Blue Stoops by True North Brewery is the opening of Smiffy’s Craft Ale & Wine bar, in the premises previously occupied by a cafe next to the Dronfield Arms and opposite the White Swan on Chesterfield Road. 4 real ales feature on the bar.
The Norton at Meadowhead has had a refurbishment and is part of Mitchell & Butlers’ Sizzling Pub Company chain.
The White Lion at Heeley has been featuring Hopjacker Brewery as a guest including some collaborative brews.
The Beer Engine on Cemetery Road has extended its opening hours, opening at midday every day. The Tapas style food is now served Monday to Thursday 12-3 and 5-9pm, Friday and Saturday 12-8pm. At the time of writing Mondays continued to feature a two-for-one promotion on food. On Sundays the food offer changes with a choice of roast dinners (a meat option, a veggie option and a vegan option) served from 12-5pm. The bar is open until midnight Friday and Saturday, 11pm the rest of the week.
The Wagon and Horses at Millhouses Park has been taken over by True North Brewery, who are reopening the pub in February. It is expected to be run along similar lines to the Broadfield, British Oak, York and Blue Stoops with a dining room and separate bar. The changes should see better quality food and a more interesting beer range than previously.
The BBQ Collective has now left the Hop bar in Sheffield Centre which at the time of writing was no longer doing food. Real ale and a programme of live music continues to feature.
The former Hearty Oak pub at Dronfield Woodhouse has another revised planning application for demolishing the pub and building houses on the site with six dwellings proposed.
The George and Dragon in Holmesfield is under new ownership and still open as a pub unchanged, meanwhile the rear car park has been auctioned off with a view of house building on it.
Hagglers Corner coffee shop & bar on Queens Roas at Heeley has a number of special evening events planned including live music gigs in addition to their normal daytime opening with real ale sometimes available. See www.hagglerscorner.co.uk.
Organisers of the Three Valleys Festival, which takes place in the Dronfield area on Saturday 3rd June, have announced the first few confirmed venue out of an expected 15. These are the Barrack at Apperknowle, the Green Dragon in Dronfield, Hill Top Sports & Social Club, Hyde Park Inn at Hill Top, the Manor House Hotel in Dronfield, the Miners Arms at Hundall, the Jolly Farmer in Dronfield Woodhouse and the Pioneer Club in Dronfield.
The Old Crown on London Road is now Cask Mark accredited and are also now able to source beer from local breweries as well as the main Punch Taverns list, this has seen Blue Bee make their first appearance on the bar!
Heinekin, whose pub operating division Star Pubs UK own a number of leased out venues in our area such as the Church House in Sheffield Centre and the Old Hall Hotel in Hope, are in the process of buying Punch Taverns, who own 3,500 pubs across the UK including a significant number in our area. Heinekin are proposing that under their ownership, Punch pubs must have at least 85% of their beer range from Heinekin, who own Caledonian brewery (of Deuchars IPA fame). This will reduce beer choice in Punch pubs somewhat and potentially damage the business of the licencees that lease those pubs.
The Nags Head at Loxley continues to run pie day on Fridays with a choice of home made pies served with chips and peas along with a pint of Bradfield Farmers Ale included in the price – £5.75 for a small portion or £7.75 for a large portion.
The Three Tuns in Sheffield City Centre have a new food menu offering good hearty food, sandwiches and chip butties. On 1st December they are hosting a Blue Bee Brewery tap takeover.
The public beer festival at SIBA BeerX in 2017 will be called ‘Beer Alive!‘ and take place from Friday 17th to Sunday 19th March with a number of changes from previous years. As with the last couple of years, Sheffield Beer Week will again run on the same week that the SIBA conference is in Sheffield.
The Miners Arms at Hundall is hosting their Christmas Carol service on 22nd December at 7pm.
The Howard in Sheffield City Centre, a Marstons pub, has been closed for a refurbishment, reopening on the 18th November.
The Jolly Farmer at Dronfield Woodhouse is hosting a Christmas charity fundraiser for Chesterfield Macmillan Cancer Centre appeal on 18th December from 4:30pm. This is suitable for all the family with Santa present with gifts for the kids, carol singing, raffle and more.
Advance notice for those with busy diaries is Toolmakers brewery’s hospitality room being open and hosting live music on 18th February 2017.
On the Edge Brewery will be hosting their next 9 Pin evening in May 2017.
A new small cafe bar called Drink Inn appears to be in the process of being opened on Commercial Street next to Ponds Forge (across from Fitzalan Square tram stop). Nothing appears to have been publically announced at the time of writing.
Stagecoach bus are running a special 5 travel all day for a fiver promotion in Sheffield on Saturdays and Sundays until the end of January – perfect for groups doing pub crawls by bus! See www.stagecoachbus.com for details.
The Jolly Farmer in Dronfield Woodhouse is holding a Halloween party on 29th October, from 8pm.
The Botanist at Leopold Square, Sheffield City Centre, has now opened and has cask ale served on gravity. Look out for the blackboards above the bar for details.
The Miners Arms at Hundall have extended their CAMRA members discount to include real cider as well as real ale.
The Original Bierkeller on West Street have installed two handpumps on the smaller of the two bars in the venue with beer from Stancill available.
The Graduate and the Globe have both benefited from a refurbishment, real ale continues to be available at both.
The former Varsity bar on West Street, which had been closed for a while, has now reopened in the new guise of ‘Bar and Beyond‘ offering craft beer, cocktails and street food in the early evening before morphing into a nightclub with djs entertaining until the early hours.
Anchorage in West One Plaza (off West Street) is no more – following a refurbishment it is now the Hope & Anchor.
The Old Crown on London Road is now under the management of Reet Ale Pubs, who also run the Rutland Arms, Three Tuns, Closed Shop and Reet Pizza at the Punchbowl as well as own Blue Bee Brewery. Following a soft opening, a launch party is due to take place on 28th September. As well as real ale and cider, the Old Crown has a pool table, simple food offering and regular live music.
Another Reet Ale pub, the Punchbowl at Crookes, has had a minor refurbishment to improve the seating and add a fireplace to make it feel more pub like.
The Shiny Sheff near Lodge Moor has been bought by Marstons Brewery and is to undergo a refurbishment.
The Place at Broomhill is to be refurbished and renamed ‘Bloomery‘, apparantly a steel making reference.
The Porter Brook on Ecclesall Road has undergone something of a makeover.
The Stocks and Greyhound in Ecclesfield and Carbrook Hall in Carbrook have all recently introduced real ale to the bar.
The Alehouse on Fraser Road in Millhouses is under new ownership and all are welcome. The pub offers a range of reasonably priced real ales, home cooked food also features at tea time.
The Harley Hotel is offering discounts on real ale to tram ticket holders as part of Stagecoach Supertram’s Tramendous deals scheme.
A couple of bits of people news – from the Three Tuns and Shakespeare’s – Kate Major and Chris Bamford have both left their managers roles in the respective pubs, we wish them all the best for their new projects.
There are stirrings again at the Boardwalk… watch this space for further news!
A correspondent who is a regular at the Forest on Rutland Road emailed following last month’s PUBlic transport feature which listed all the real ale outlets along the section of tram route and 7/8 bus route in that part of the Upper Don Valley and asked we point out that the Forest is so much more than just the Toolmakers brewery tap – there is also open mic’ night’s, quiz’s, live entertainment, Sunday lunches, a choice of guest beers and a soon to be opened new sun terrace.
JD Wetherspoons are running one of their regular real ale festivals from 12th to 23rd October. Sheffield pubs include the Bankers Draft at Castle Square, Benjamin Huntsman and Waterworks by the City Hall, Francis Newton by the Hallamshire Hospital, Rawson Spring at Hillsborough tram stop, Sheaf Island on Ecclesall Road, Woodseats Palace at Woodseats and the Steel Foundry at Meadowhall.
True North Brewery are due to open the Blue Stoops in Dronfield this October – check their website – bluestoops.co.uk – for the latest news. Expect real ale, craft beer, gin and food. Buses 43/43a will get you there from Sheffield.
The Chequers at Coal Aston has reopened as a Greene King Hungry Horse pub. The Inn at Troway is due to reopen early October.
Planning permission has been granted to build a house on the rear car park of the George & Dragon in Holmesfield. Meanwhile over the road the Angel continues to provide Gluten Free beer and food options.
The Peacock at Barlow is due to reopen in its new guise at the end of September and there are plans to add a microbrewery in an outbuilding, hopefully later this year.
Further down the road at Whittington Moor in Chesterfield, the former Rose & Crown opposite the football stadium has reopened following a major refurbishment as ‘Spireites free house‘ with a range of 6 real ales – Hopjacker beers plus guests. It is under the same ownership as the Dronfield Arms. Buses 43, 44, 50, 50a and X17 from Sheffield all stop pretty much outside the pub.
The Old Hall Hotel at Hope now has live music in the bar most Friday evenings, once the restaurant has finished service at 9pm.
Following on from this years amazing Three Valleys festival, this bank holiday weekend the Dronfield Arms will be hosting its second annual August bank holiday beer fest, with a bouncy castle and childrens entertainment throughout the day, and live music all evening, along with great food from Proove pizza and amazing ales from Hopjacker.
Stancill Brewery now have a pub to call their brewery tap! The Horse & Jockey at 250 Wadsley Lane, near Hillsborough (on bus routes 57,61 and 62) is now theirs and following a refurbishment has 10 handpumps showcasing their range of cask beers. A discount is currently available for CAMRA members. You can also try the Stancill lager and gin here too! The grand opening party is on 29th July from 4pm and will feature live music and a food stall from Nether Edge Pizza.
The Anchor near Tideswell is now part of Rick Ellison’s group of Peak District pubs, which includes the Old Hall Hotel in Hope and the Peak Inn at Castleton. Those that are a regular at the Old Hall will know Pascal who is moving to the Anchor to manage the pub for Rick. The theme will be ‘rum and steak house’ with as that suggests an extended choice of rums and a food menu that is focused mainly on steaks – however it will otherwise still operate as a cosy country cottage type pub with a selection of real ales.
Another Sheffield micropub is on the way with work now started fitting out a shop unit on Glossop Road in Broomhill that was previously occupied by a gift shop called Knowle’s Emporium and soon to be known as Itchy Pig Ale House.
The Noah’s Ark in Crookes now once again sells real ale.
A minor refit including adjustments to the bar set up has taken place at the Banner Cross.
Stocksbridge Rugby Club held their first beer festival on the 18th June.
The Wellington at Shalesmoor tram stop has now been sold to James Birkett’s Sheaf Inns putting it in the great company of the Sheaf View (Heeley) and Blake Hotel (Walkley). At the time of going to press it is expected the pub will be closed for about 6 weeks for ‘a bit of a tidy up’ before reopening under the new management.
Planning permission has been refused by North East Derbyshire District Council to demolish The Hearty Oak at Dronfield Woodhouse and build 8 houses on the site on the basis that the council considers that many houses on the site is unacceptable. There is an assumption locally that a revised application for 6 houses will now be submitted.
Chef Cary Brown has moved on from the Royal Oak at Millthorpe and is now running the Devonshire Arms at Middle Handley. Former Sheffield Star food reviewer Martin Dawes, who is now retired but still writes a blog, visited and Cary explained to him “the Concept is simple, It’s a pub. It’s a bit posh but it’s not a gastro-pub. It serves proper food. Don’t panic you might get swirls or flecks or foams. You won’t. It tastes good. No pressure if you don’t want to eat but that bloke at the bar just came in for a pint and weakened at the thought of a lobster roll. You pay for your food and drink when you order and don’t ask for a tab. In the past it was a pub with a restaurant. We want to get it back to being a pub again with drinkers in. Nice drinkers – imagine that, people drinking in a pub! –eating pork scratchings.”
