Official Government figures have revealed that more than 200 pubs have closed across the UK in the first half of 2025, with closures accelerating amid mounting tax burdens and cost pressures on the sector.
CAMRA’s own figures, which show 137 pubs lost in the first six months of the year, and 149 already gone in total this year, are broadly in line with the Government’s, underlining the scale of the crisis facing the industry.
CAMRA Chairman Ash Corbett-Collins said:
“These latest figures are yet more proof that pubs are being pushed to the brink by unfair and unsustainable tax burdens. We warned earlier this year that rising Employer National Insurance Contributions, alongside a cut in business rates relief, would hit pubs hard, and sadly we are now seeing those warnings borne out in closures on a devastating scale. Every pub that shuts its doors is a blow to jobs, communities and our cultural heritage.”
“What makes this even more devastating is that so many of them are not just shutting their doors temporarily but being demolished or converted to other uses. CAMRA has consistently called for stronger planning protections to stop our locals being wiped out overnight. Pubs are more than just businesses; they are community lifelines. Without action in the Autumn Budget, figures like this will be just the tip of the iceberg.”
The tendency to foam and the stability of the head of a beer is often seen as an indicator of successful fermentation. A very detailed research paper on the stability of such foam has recently been published by the American Institute of Physics in their Journal, ‘Physics of Fluids.’ The authors compared the stability of the head produced by six beers: four Belgian: Bosteels Tripel Karmeliet (8.4%), Westmalle Triple (9.5%), Westmalle Dubble (7%) and Westmalle Extra (4.8%) and two Swiss Lagers: Chopfab (4.7%) and Feldschlösschen (4.8%).
The conclusion is that Triple fermented beers have the most stable foams, while the froth rim created by single fermentation beers, including lagers, are more likely to collapse.
Like any other foam, a beer-head is made of small air bubbles, separated by thin films of liquid. Under the pull of gravity and the pressure exerted by surrounding bubbles, over time, the bubbles burst and the foam collapses. The rate at which this occurs depends on the form of a barley-derived protein: Liquid Transfer Protein 1 (LTP1).
In single fermentation beers, LPT1 proteins have a globular form and arrange themselves densely as small, spherical particles on the surface of the bubbles. “It’s not a very stable foam,” said Prof Jan Vermant, a chemical engineer at ETH Zurich, who led the study.
During the second fermentation, the proteins become slightly unravelled and form a net-like structure that acts as a stretchy elastic skin on the surface of bubbles. This makes the liquid more viscous and the bubbles more stable.
During the third fermentation, the LPT1 proteins become broken down into fragments. These protein fragments stabilise foams in many everyday applications such as detergents. Some of the triple fermented beers had foams that were stable for 15 minutes.
As Vermont says: “We now know the mechanism exactly and are able to help the brewery improve the foam of their beers.”
Abstract:
A recent academic study indicates that Triple fermented beers have the most stable foams, while the froth rim created by single fermentation beers, including lagers, are more likely to collapse.
Fifty years ago, in the summer of 1974, a new publication, ‘Parish Pump’ joined the printed material which jostled for space in our local pubs and clubs. This was the first edition of the new Sheffield and District CAMRA magazine: a few sides of A4 stapled together – very different from to-days professionally produced 32-page, full colour ‘Beer Matters.’
The intervening fifty years tell a tale of major changes in the Sheffield beer/pub scene, of large breweries closing, and, later, small breweries taking their place … of Sheffield becoming the cask beer capital of the world. Over fifty years, almost 600 editions of our free magazine have included month-by-month reporting of these many changes.
Parish Pump No.2 (6 September 1975) mentions that; ‘at least 25 of the 61 pubs in central Sheffield sell real ale although one’s choice is limited to our local Big Three.’ At that time, Sheffield had four large and long-established breweries; Stones Cannon Brewery (established: 1865), Wards Sheaf (1896), Whitbread Exchange (1851) and the often-forgotten Hope Brewery on Claywheels Lane (1939).
Fifty years later, none of these remain. However, the city now has 17 breweries. The oldest is Abbeydale, now an Employee Owned Trust, who celebrate their 30th anniversary next year. In 1975, when Abbeydale commenced, no-one would have predicted that, fifty years later, the 2025 Sheffield Beer Census would count almost 400 cask beers available on a single day: mostly on handpump.
From edition 33, September 1978, the format became A5 and the name changed to ‘Beer Matters.’ As stated at the time: ‘This month your local newsletter has a new name and format. The former is an attempt to get rid of the ecclesiastical connotations of the old name “Parish Pump”: the latter is in order to make the publication more convenient to handle and easier to read. We hope that you agree that an improvement has been made in both these respects.’
Over the years quality has improved: from four typed and stapled A4 sheets to a stapled A5 booklet to glossy publications and today’s excellent full-colour publication. The 1980s booklets required a ‘Beer Matters stapling social’ to put together the four A4 sheets (16 pages) in the correct order. I recall attending these monthly meetings in the Sheaf View (Bramall Lane). Here, lots of paper was delivered from the printer and large staplers were put to good effect. Since then, the branch has aimed to produce eleven issues annually: monthly with a winter double issue. Issue 500 was in September 2019. There has also been the occasional hiatus: for example, Covid saw a gap from April 2020 until our return in September 2021.
Local CAMRA meetings were the original information conduit to the editor. Today, in addition to the various meetings, internet resources are extensively utilised. Over the years, ‘Beer Matters’ has included innumerable stories. For example:
11: 1976: includes the news that ‘a beer exhibition venue has been found’ : this was the second Sheffield Beer Festival – next year will see the 50th.
190: November 1991: ’21 Not Out,’ CAMRA was 21 years old
281: August 1999: ‘Wards laid to Rest,’ the closure of Wards Brewery
399: July 2010: the first colour cover
500: September 2019: includes several retrospective contributions
520: February 2023: Tom and Barbara retire after over 37 years at Fagan’s
Beer Matters has had hundreds of contributors and many editors. Their roll of honour is listed. In addition to these editors, thanks also need to be given to Robin Lunnon for linking the magazine to our website and bringing design forward into the digital era.
Thanks to all who have contributed over the last fifty years: let’s all drink to the next fifty!
Editors of the Sheffield & District CAMRA magazine:
Mild by Penzance Brewing Co has been crowned CAMRA’s Champion Beer of Britain 2025 at the Great British Beer Festival, which took place at the NEC in Birmingham in August.
Twelve amazing finalists were whittled down to the Gold, Silver and Bronze winners by an expert judging panel.
The long-standing CAMRA award is one of the most coveted and well-respected cask beer competitions in the world, putting the winner firmly in both the UK-wide and international spotlight.
The competition is fiercely independent, with judging taking two years to complete. Each year kicks off with individual nominations from CAMRA members and volunteer tasting panels, then regional competitions. Every round of judging uses a strict blind tasting policy.
Lewis Elliott and Richard Hickman (pictured above) of Penzance Brewing said:
“It’s quite overwhelming. I’m really glad the style has come back. It’s down to the founder of our brewery Peter Elvin and his nephew Rob, who showed me the ropes. I can’t believe we are here right now, its mad!”
Christine Cryne, Champion Beer of Britain Judging Coordinator described Mild as:
“The aroma of this classic dark mild has all the enticing aromas one would expect. Chocolate and sweet cocoa on the nose. Chocolate, sultanas and dry roast on the palate where the gentle pleasant sweetness is balanced by a roasty, subtle, dry bitterness. Packs a lot of flavour for a 3.6% beer!”
The Silver and Bronze winners for 2025 were:
Silver: Snowflake, Sarah Hughes was described by the judges as: “a gorgeous barley wine and a classic example of the style. The flavour is complex, with sweet bitter marmalade on a smooth palate.”
Bronze: Fallen Angel by Church End was described by the judges as having: “A sweet honey toast, butterscotch aroma with a little spice. It’s a rich pale ale with bitter spicy hops that are balanced by notes of honey.”
Gary Timmins, CAMRA Awards Director said:
“I’m over the moon for Penzance, with Mild being a deserving Champion Beer of Britain. From CAMRA members nominating their favourites, through to those tough regional rounds, to the final panel of judges, this is a vigorous and fiercely independent competition, and Mild has come out on top.
The winners of the Champion Bottled Beer of Britain were also announced at the Great British Beer Festival, with St Austell’s Proper Job claiming Gold.
Brewing Director Georgina Young said: “We are very honoured and delighted to be recognised in this category with our amazing Proper Job IPA, which was first brewed in 2004, created using original new style hops made with Chinook and Cascade.”
Judges described the bottled beer as: “The forerunner of many New World IPAs. A gorgeous looking gold coloured IPA with strong fruity nose and a perfect balance of biscuit, citrus fruits and bitter hops, with an ABV of 5.5% this is a beer to savour and enjoy.”
Silver was won by Monty’s Mischief and Bronze was won by Kernal’s Imperial Brown Stout.
Gold, silver and bronze winners
Gold Penzance, Mild
Silver Sarah Hughes, Snowflake
Bronze Church End, Fallen Angel
Category winners
Mild Penzance, Mild
Session Bitter Butcombe, Butcombe Original
Premium Bitter Cairngorm, Wildcat
IPAs Elusive, Oregon Trail
Session Pale, Blond and Golden Ales Track, Sonoma
Premium Pale, Blond and Golden Ales Church End, Fallen Angel
Brown and Red Ales, Old Ales and Strong Milds Tintagel, Caliburn
CAMRA’s 39th National Breweriana Auction; Saturday 25th October 2025
Have you ever fancied owning a slice of brewing history? Then this Auction is just the thing for you. Run by the Campaign for Real Ale, the National Breweriana Auction returns to Burton on Trent’s Town Hall on Saturday 25th October. It will have circa 150 interesting auction lots; everything from mirrors to trays; advertising signs, water jugs, flagons, bottles, books and pump clips as well as a few more unusual items. Plus there will be a number of stands selling brewery memorabilia adding to the atmosphere in this wonderful Victorian venue.
There are all sorts of items from all over the country to decorate your home. What about a Guinness clock or a delightful plate from Lincolnshire’s Batemans Brewery. The plate was issued to their employees after the brewery was saved from closure in 1987 when the sister and brother of George Bateman wanted to sell. One of the key components to saving the Brewery was their XXXB winning CAMRA’s Champion Beer of Britain, resulting in full order books.
As always, there are a number of advertising display cards including two from London’s Barclay Perkins (set up in 1616 and merged with Courage in 1955) and one from the less known Simpson’s of Baldock, Hertfordshire. The brewery was founded in the 1730s and renamed Simpsons in 1853 when it was bought by Joseph & Thomas George Simpson. To avoid death duties, the business was sold to Greene King with 130 pubs in 1954 for £525,000 and closed in 1965.
Another item from Barclay Perkins is a corked bottle of Imperial Russian Stout, probably 70 years old. Other items from past London brewing giants are two Toby jugs from Charringtons, who were famous for its Toby Jug logo. They were founded in 1770, merging with Bass, Mitchell & Butler, to form Bass Charringtons in 1967, which made them the largest brewery in the UK at that time. The London brewery was closed and brewing moved to the Midlands in 1975.
Two items, you can either use or more likely display, are trays from Wadworth of Devizes (founded in 1875 and still in family hands) and the less known Tennants. This is not the better known Scottish Tennents Brewery but a brewery established by two brothers in 1840 in Sheffield. They were acquired by Whitbread in 1961 with 700 tied houses becoming Whitbread East Pennines but closed in 1993.
These are just a few of the items on sale, each with a history to tell. You don’t have to be an expert to attend the National Breweriana Auction. The Auction is great fun to take part in (or even just to watch) and it’s an opportunity to get some great bargains plus many of the items on sale can appreciate in value. And, of course, like any CAMRA event, there is some good beer on sale all day (from a local brewery).
Burton on Trent is less than an hour by train from Shefield and the Town Hall is just a short walk from the railway station. The event starts at 10.30am with the opportunity to view the lots and browse the breweriana stands that will also be there. Bidding starts at noon and is normally finished by 3pm, giving a chance to have a final perusal of the stands before visiting some of Burton’s iconic pubs and heading home.
Entrance is by catalogue (£3.00), available on the day, or in advance by post: £6.15 (first class) from Bill Austin: 07831 688276 or baustin1951@btinternet.com. If you can’t get there, postal bids are accepted, just contact Bill. Similarly contact Bill if you have Breweriana items you would like to enter into the Auction. Wheelchair accessible. For more details see: www.gandc.camra.org.uk.
CAMRA chooses July to promote real cider but what exactly is that? – Vice Chairman (Cider) of CAMRA’s Real Ale, Cider and Perry Campaigns Committee, Ian Packham talks traditional cider and perry and CAMRA’s campaigning.
Real cider and perry are long established traditional drinks, which in certain parts of the country were supplied as part of the payment for farm labour up until 1887.
Traditional Cider and Perry are completely natural products, unlike most of the cold fizzy commercial products we are used to seeing, which are far from the real thing. Real cider and perry is produced naturally from apples (cider) and pears (perry) and is not normally carbonated or pasteurised. The harvesting of the fruit normally happens around October although this can vary dependent on the weather throughout the growing season.
The basics of traditional cider and perry production have remained the same for centuries – simply pick, wash, mill and press the fruit, place into a suitable container (in many cases oak barrels in the older days), allow to ferment and enjoy, although a number of producers do use separate yeast rather than that which naturally occurs on the skin of the fruit. Either way production uses virtually no energy at all, from picking of the fruit to the product being ready for sale, meaning that the production process is very environmentally friendly. Many of these natural ciders and perries tend to be dry as they have largely fully fermented using the natural sugar within the fruit. Some of them are sweetened by the addition of fresh apple juice, sugar, or other sweetener but perry tends to be naturally sweeter than cider.
The popularity of real cider and perry is rising as more people discover how deliciously mellow and aromatic the flavours of naturally produced cider and perry can be. A glass of real cider or perry represents generations of production dating back hundreds of years. There are also many new producers of cider and perry who are using the traditional process – albeit in some cases with more modern equipment – which still creates the traditional product.
Real cider was traditionally produced from cider apples which are different from eating or cooking apples. These typically have high levels of tannin which lead to a very bitter taste. There are many varieties of cider apple which have different characteristics and vary in levels of tannin and acid. They tended to grow in the Three Counties (Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire) as well as the West Country, especially Devon and Somerset. Cider is also made in many parts of the country with producers using eating or cooking apples instead, which leads to a different taste profile again. Similarly, perry pears are different to desert pears in that they are smaller in size and are high in tannin which tends to give an astringent taste rather than bitterness found in cider apples. They tend to dominate in the Three Counties which is where the majority of real perry is produced.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for many of the well-known ciders and perries sold in the UK that are not produced using the natural process from apples and pears but have been produced artificially using concentrated juice, chaptalised juice or syrup, some involving many processes prior to being ready for sale, that makes them far less environmentally friendly than the traditional product.
Concentrated juice is where the fruit has been pressed and then much of the water content has been removed to reduce the volume for transportation. It is then rehydrated prior to starting the fermentation process. Chaptalised juice is where the fruit has been pressed and then large amounts of sugar are added to the juice. This is then fermented to a very high ABV where it can be stored prior to being diluted with water in order to achieve the desired alcohol content for sale.
The use of these methods, plus the changing methods of dispense for traditional cider and perry, often from polypins to bag in boxes, led to CAMRA reviewing its definition for real cider and perry.
The wording of the new definition states ‘CAMRA defines Real Cider or Perry as being fermented from the whole juice of fresh pressed apples or pears, without the use of concentrated or chaptalized juices’. The definition document also includes a number of pointers to best practice which identify the preferred options for cider and perry. These identify fruit or flavoured ciders as a separate category, as they are for HMRC purposes, ensuring that any added fruit or flavourings are pure and not from concentrates, extracts or essences. A full copy of this document can be found on the CAMRA website.
Following this, CAMRA contacted as many cider and perry producers as possible in order to confirm their production processes and generated a list of producers complying with the definition. This is available as a map showing cider and perry producers as well as producers of fruit and flavoured ciders and perries, or as a downloadable list. These are available via the CAMRA website or directly at producers.camra.org.uk and the map is a living document that is updated on a regular basis.
One of the areas that CAMRA has concentrated on in the last year is information for people who are interested in learning more about cider and perry. The Learn & Discover platform can be found at https://camra.org.uk/learn-discover/ and covers the Basics for beginners – available to everyone – as well as Learn More for enthusiasts and Discover for connoisseurs – which is available exclusively for CAMRA members. You can learn about what real cider and perry are, and where to find them, an introduction to tasting cider and perry, cider and perry styles, cider terminology, how cider and perry is made, food pairing, cider apple and perry pear varieties and much more.
If you are keen on learning more about the product, enjoy drinking and supporting real cider and perry, and discovering a wide range of tastes and flavours then go have a look at the CAMRA website. Cheers and Wassail!
WHERE TO FIND CIDER IN SHEFFIELD
Unfortunately whilst Sheffield is a really good place for beer, the options for decent cider is somewhat limited! Here are a few suggestions but the list isn’t comprehensive
On 6 June we enjoyed the launch of the University of Sheffield, Place, Craft and Alcohol Exhibition and the Five and Half Moments When Alcohol Changed the World podcast at Locksley Distilling, Portland Works.
This project explores the history of alcohol in Sheffield and its post-industry present and future. The research has involved oral histories and the development of a map which maps the alcohol topography from the 19th century onwards. For more information: https://tinyurl.com/3pp5ze53
On Saturday 31 May we are asking all our members that are visiting pubs in Sheffield that day to record the choice of cask ales available and where possible the price of a pint. This data is an incredibly useful snapshot of the state of the real ale scene in the city – as well as continuing to prove that Sheffield is the beer capital of Britain (in terms of how many different beers are available to choose from) we can track year on year variations in beer choice, prices and commonly available brands. You can enter your data using our dedicated website –https://track.beer/survey/.
We have organised a number of survey pub crawls on the day to make more of a social occasion of it, meet the leader in the first pub:
Woodseats & Heeley – led by Malcolm DIxon (rambale@sheffield.camra.org.uk): Meet outside Guzzle Micropub at 12:30 (get there on buses 24, 25, 42, 43, 44, 75, 76, M76 or X17)
Bradway, Totley, Millhouses and Nether Edge – led by Andy Cullen (beermatters@sheffield.camra.org.uk): Meet at the Castle Inn at 12:25 (get there on bus M17)
Beighton, Woodhouse Mill and Handsworth – led by Paul Manning (chair@sheffield.camra.org.uk): Meet at the Scarsdale Hundred (Wetherspoons) at 11:00 (get there on bus 7 or 26, alternatively the Blue route tram to Beighton).
Walkley, Crookes and Commonside – led by Paul Crofts (treasurer@sheffield.camra.org.uK): Meet at the Walkley Cottage Inn at 12:00 (get there on bus 52 or 95).
Fulwood and Broomhill – led by John Beardshaw and Phil Ellett (secretary@sheffield.camra.org.uk): Meet at the Rising Sun at 12:00 (get there on bus 83 or 120).
Hillsborough, Bradfield, Stannington and Malin Bridge – led by Dave Pickersgill (pubheritage@sheffield.camra.org.uk): Meet at the Rawson Spring (Wetherspoons) at 11:30 or on the 61 bus to High Bradfield at 11:55.
Hillsborough area – led by Kevin Thompson (social@sheffield.camra.org.uk): Meet at the Park at 12:00. (Get there by Yellow route tram to the Leppings Lane stop; alternatively by bus 18, 31 or 57)
Kelham Island & Neepsend – led by Dan Rowe (contact 07989 943776): Meet at the Gardeners Rest at 12:00. (Get there on bus 7 or 8).
In most cases buying an all day travel pass such as the Citywide ticket may prove worthwhile – see sytravelmaster.com or the Travelmaster app for details.
Firstly many thanks to our members who attended our AGM at the Lescar pub on 10 May. We enjoyed a good meeting and social helped by a CAMRA discount on their cask ales.
We heard our chairperson’s annual report, passed a couple of motions aimed at improving our ability to change internal process and our Pub of the Month awards policy and received our branch accounts (which are in a good state). The existing committee were all re-elected with Paul Manning as chair, Phil Ellett secretary and Paul Crofts as treasurer along with all our other members. We welcomed Dan Rowe onto the committee as our new Pub of the Month coordinator. My thanks go to all our committee who work hard all year to support the branch.
We had good input from Kevin Kearney, our Yorkshire regional director who also handed over two awards to Dave Pickersgill our heritage secretary who was a runner up in the national CAMRA campaigner of the year competition and to Andy Cullen & Robin Lunnon as our website editor and designer which won a bronze award in the national CAMRA website of the year competition. Both were very well deserved.
Finally thank you again to all our members for your support this year and please continue to join us at our branch socials and events, contribute to and enjoy our excellent BEER MATTERS magazine and most importantly support our fantastic local pubs and breweries.
It seems a growing number of people are getting diagnosed with health conditions that require them to cut gluten from their diet, although that may just be that myself and other people I know are getting older and more decrepit of course! Either way it had always been game over for the beer lover as most beer is brewed with malted barley which provides the sugar to turn to alcohol as well as influencing the colour and flavour of many beers.
That’s not to say there wasn’t any gluten free options available – a handful of some more traditional ale breweries had experimented with alternative ingredients but it is safe to say they weren’t the same!
The good news is that now an increasing choice of beers are available thanks to the availability of a proline specific oligopeptidase enzyme that brewers can add to the beer to reduce the gluten content to below the 20ppm threshold required to label a product as gluten free and is tolerable to those sensitive to Gluten.
Locally all the beers produced by Abbeydale Brewery and Triple Point brewery are treated this way and can be considered Gluten Free so the many pubs in our area with Moonshine on cask now cater for drinkers with a Gluten free requirement! Chantry brewery’s Full Moon pale ale is gluten free, some of Bradfield’s bottled beers are too whilst Thornbridge’s gluten free options are AM:PM session IPA, Lukas lager and Bayern Pilsner.
A growing number of breweries across the UK are now joining the list that offer Gluten Free options and looking back at our Steel City Beer & Cider festival held at Kelham Island museum last October we offered a range of 19 cask ales and 13 keg beers that were Gluten Free and this is choice many beer festivals now seek to offer.
Some pubs also make the effort to keep their Coeliac regulars interested too, for example at the Kelham Island Tavern one of the regularly changing guest ale lines is dedicated to Gluten Free beer whilst the Dog & Partridge has a handpump that usually has the current Abbeydale seasonal special on it which of course is gluten free. It also of course goes without saying that Abbeydale’s own pub, the Rising Sun in Nether Green along with the bar at Triple Point Brewing are a good destination for drinking gluten free beer!
There are some pubs that don’t have a dedicated gluten free line but do regularly stock something suitable, examples here include the Head of Steam in Sheffield City Centre and the Beekeeper in Hillsborough. It is also worth noting that some local music venues such as the Leadmill have beer from Triple Point or Abbeydale either on keg or in can.
So if you have Gluten free dietary requirements and enjoy good beer, do seek out the beers and support the brewers and pubs that are making the effort!
