Category: News

Apart from reserved copies for 2019 Pub Heritage walks and a small number of selected 2019 CAMRA Beer Festivals, we have no paper copies left – the book, all 1250 copies, is now effectively a sell-out. Thanks again to all who have purchased a copy.

There may be a few copies available at some of the retail outlets. Grateful thanks to: All Good Stuff, the Bath Hotel, Beer Central, Biblioteka, Bradfield Brewery Shop, Church House, the Dog and Partridge, the Fat Cat, the Friendship (Stocksbridge), Hillsborough Hotel, Hop Hideout, Kelham Island Book and Music Shop, Kelham Island Industrial Museum, Made In Sheffield, Maison du Biere (Elsecar), the Millennium Galleries, Rhyme & Reason, the Rising Sun (Nether Green),  the Rutland Arms, Sheffield Scene and the White Lion. Copies may also be available online from Abbeydale Brewery, BeerInnPrint and CAMRA books.

We would again like to thank our three sponsors, Abbeydale Brewery, the Rutland Arms and the White Lion. The aim is to produce an updated online third edition for the 2019 Sheffield Beer Festival and a second paper copy in March 2021 ready for the subsequent CAMRA Members’ Weekend. The free download is available at: https://sheffield.camra.org.uk/rhp/.

As part of both Sheffield Beer Week in March 2019 and Sheffield Heritage Open Days in September, Sheffield Pub Heritage walks will take place. Places may be booked, via Eventbrite:

• Sheffield Beer Week, Friday 15^th March, 17:30: https://tinyurl.com/yaqlhqad
• Heritage Open Days, Friday 20^th Septmber, 14:30: https://tinyurl.com/yb56htxt
• Heritage Open Days, Friday 20^thSeptember, 17:30: https://tinyurl.com/y8jawlu9

In addition, I was (unexpectedly) shortlisted for the ‘Citizen Communicator Award’ as part of the 2018 British Guild of Beer Writers Awards. I didn’t win, but it was good to see Sheffield up there.

Thanks again for your support,

Dave Pickersgill (Pub Heritage Officer)

Voting is now open for our entries into the Good Beer Guide 2020. As in recent years, we are hoping to nominate 30 pubs within the Sheffield city boundaries and a further 6 from the Derbyshire part of the branch.

All Sheffield & District CAMRA members are able to take part in voting by selecting the allowed number of pubs on the form below.

Forms must be received by 31 December 2018 to allow the selection committee time to visit the nominated pubs to confirm they are eligible.

Sorry, voting has closed.

Two pubs in our branch region are celebrating reaching significant milestones in terms of consecutive years included in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide. The annual book aims to guide drinkers to those pubs serving the finest beer available, and the Fat Cat on Alma Street and the Commercial in Chapeltown have now been included for the last 30 and 20 years respectively. The Fat Cat is well-known to real ale drinkers from Sheffield and afar, and was the first pub in the city to introduce cask beers from different parts of the country. This was back in the early 1980s, when real ale was still very much a very affair. Under the stewardship of the late Dave Wickett, followed by his son Ed, the pub has gone from strength to strength, showcasing beers from the Kelham Island Brewery next door, along with a carefully curated selection of guest ales. The presentation of their 30-year award will be made following the branch meeting there on 8 January (meeting begins at 8pm). Meanwhile, the Commercial is a well-established free house, long thought of as one of the best pubs in north Sheffield. Under licensee Paul Menzies, it has now appeared in every edition of the Good Beer Guide since 1999. There are six real ales on offer at the Commie – Abbeydale Moonshine is always available, alongside five local and regional guest beers, one of which is usually a porter or stout. Real cider is also available. We hope to arrange the presentation of their award early in the New Year; more details will be announced once the arrangements have been finalised. Congratulations to both pubs, and we wish them continued success! The process for selecting our entrants for the Good Beer Guide 2020 should begin in the next few weeks, so keep an eye on our website and social media or come along to a branch meeting to find out more.

Registration is now open for the CAMRA Members’ Weekend and AGM 2019, which takes place from Friday 5 to Sunday 7 April at the Caird Hall in Dundee. Returning to Scotland after several years away, the weekend is already proving popular, with more than 750 members already registered. As a general idea of what to expect over the weekend, the Friday evening is when registration begins and the Members’ Bar opens. After a presentation for first time attendees, there will be a number of beer-themed trips available around the Dundee area from about 6pm onwards. The real business begins on Saturday morning with the AGM, followed by various activities in the afternoon and more trips in the evening as well as the Members’ Bar. On Sunday morning there will be a conference until 12:30pm, and then it’s time to head back to the bar to drink it dry! Train is the only real public transport option from Sheffield – an off-peak one-month return ticket costs £131.70 (£86.95 with a railcard). Closer to the time, cheaper advance tickets may also become available if booked online. The journey takes around 5 hours in each direction, with a change at either York or Edinburgh. More details on the Members’ Weekend can be found online at agm.camra.org.uk.

The Sheffield’s Real Heritage Pubs book has been receiving excellent feedback since its release during the 2017 Steel City Beer & Cider Festival, and the positivity has continued with the announcement that editor, our very own Dave Pickersgill, has been shortlisted for the Best Citizen Beer Communicator Award at the British Guild of Beer Writers’ Annual Awards 2018. Reviews of the book have been very positive; Beer Imbiber said it was “well-worth going to the trouble of getting the printed version: kudos to all involved.” Roger Protz described it as a “superb book“, while What’s Brewing wrote: “Welded from love, knowledge and respect for Steel City, it’s no surprise that the first edition of this book has placed its editor Dave Pickersgill on the shortlist of the British Guild of Beer Writers’ 2018 award for Best Citizen Beer Communicator.” The nomination is for the e-book version released last year, which has been downloaded more than 96,000 times to date. There was also, of course, a physical version of the book brought out in October this year with an initial print run of 1,000 copies, and there is set to be a second batch of 250 copies printed in time for Christmas. The British Guild of Beer Writers was founded in 1988 and currently has more than 350 members. Formed to “improve the standards of beer writing and improve the public knowledge of beer and pubs,” members include big names such as Roger Protz, Ray Bailey and Pete Brown. Dave is up against four other writers and editors in his category. The award ceremony takes place in London on Thursday 22 November, so by the time this magazine hits the pubs we will know the winner – keep an eye on our website and social media for further announcements. Congratulations and good luck to Dave! Dominic Nelson

Across the country, October is traditionally a month when apples and pears are harvested and the production of cider and perry can begin. Since 2003, CAMRA has dedicated October to promoting the availability real cider and perry in our pubs, clubs and festivals. Luckily for us here in Sheffield, cider month coincides with our Steel City Beer & Cider Festival. Last year’s festival featured almost 50 different ciders and perries, with more than 2,300 pints of the stuff being consumed over the four days. This year’s festival promises more of the same for fruit lovers, so why not head down to the Kelham Island Museum to try some?

There are also a number of pubs around the city who make a real effort to serve quality cider and perry throughout the year. Our 2018 Cider Pub of the Month is the Clubhouse on London Road, which offers three hand-pulled ciders, often including fruit-flavoured cider from the Lilley’s range. Meanwhile, the Harlequin on Nursery Street serves more than 20 ciders, mainly on gravity, with a handy blackboard showing the latest offerings along with some tasting notes, so whether you prefer your cider dry, sweet, or somewhere in between, there’s something for everyone. Around the Kelham Island area, the Fat Cat often features hand-pulled cider, the Kelham Island Tavern serves Weston’s cider and perry, and Shakespeares offers three changing ciders on gravity. Wetherspoon pubs throughout Sheffield are also a good bet for boxed cider, and sometimes have cider festivals on during the year.

While there are no cider producers in our branch area, nearby Dronfield has two: Woodthorpe Hall Cider and the Drone Valley Brewery. For cider lovers heading out that way, real ciders are often available at the Travellers Rest at Apperknowle and the Miners Arms at Hundall. So if you’re out and about in October and spot real cider or perry on the bar, give it a go! Dominic Nelson

Voting is now open for first round of the the Champion Beer of Britain 2019 competition. All current CAMRA members are eligible to vote, and as Sheffield & District covers pubs in South Yorkshire and Derbyshire, our branch members can cast their votes for beers brewed in both the Yorkshire and East Midlands regions. There are 11 categories of beers and members can vote for up to five of their favourites in each one. For more mainstream beer styles, such as bitters or golden ales, a beer has to be in regular production and available for at least seven months of the year. Other beer styles have to be available for a lesser period depending on the rarity and seasonality of the style. The 2018 competition saw awards for two beers brewed in South Yorkshire: Sheffield’s very own Abbeydale Brewery came joint third in the Golden Ale category with Moonshine (4.3%), while Acorn Brewery from Barnsley also picked up a joint bronze in the Bitter category for their Barnsley Bitter (3.8%). The more people vote, the more chance local beers have of winning an award. To vote, simply head to bis.camra.org.uk/cbobvoting with your membership details. You don’t have to vote in every category and you can edit your choices at any time until voting closes at midnight on 1 November.

We are producing a second edition of this book, which sees an increase in pages from 81 to 96 with more entries, text and images. The second edition will again be available as a free download but will also include a limited edition of 1,000 printed copies (A5, cover price £5.99). Thanks to our three sponsors for making this happen: Abbeydale Brewery, the Rutland Arms and the White Lion. The launch will be in late October and will include three book signings:

• Wednesday 24 October: Rising Sun, Nether Green: 18:00-20:00
• Thursday 25 October: Rutland Arms: 18:00-20:00
• Sunday 28 October: White Lion, Heeley: 16:00-18:00

Dave Pickersgill

CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide 2019 is set to be released on 13 September and the 46^th edition of the beer-lovers’ bible will include more than 4,500 of Britain’s finest pubs. This figure includes 36 from the Sheffield & District CAMRA branch region, and although we cannot yet reveal any names, it’s fair to say there are a few new venues on the list – a great testament to the great things that are happening in the Sheffield real ale scene at the moment. There is also information on every brewery currently operating in the country, along with tasting notes on their core beers. The selection process for GBG 2019 began back in late 2017, when branch members were invited to vote for up to 30 of their favourite pubs from within the Sheffield city boundaries, plus up to six from the surrounding Derbyshire villages that are also part of the branch. The 36 establishments with the most votes were then visited by a team of volunteers to confirm the pubs’ eligibility and obtain up-to-date details for inclusion in the final book. The book is available to pre-order now from the CAMRA bookshop, priced at £11 + p&p for members (£13 + p&p for non-members). Alternatively, it will also be on sale from the book stall at the Steel City Beer & Cider Festival from 10-13 October.