Category: News

As we mentioned in our last issue, there were several changes to the committee following the recent AGM, with a existing members changing roles and a few new faces entering the fray. Together, we are hoping to continue working hard for the real ale drinkers of Sheffield and the surrounding areas. We thought we would introduce ourselves, so here goes… Chair, Mick Saxton: Beer has been an important part of my life for over forty years and, although I brew beer at home, I love the life and atmosphere of a good British pub. In many respects I am a traditionalist, and I have strong views on the directions in which the British beer brewing and drinking scenes are being pulled. I also believe in encouraging as many CAMRA members as possible to get involved in branch activities and decision-making, so that we can say with confidence that we are a representative campaigning body. Therefore, I feel very privileged to have the chair of CAMRA’s Sheffield & District branch at this interesting time, to help promote and support cask conditioned beers, real ciders and perries, and British pubs. Vice Chair and Beer Festival Organiser, Louise Singleton: I became involved with Sheffield CAMRA when I volunteered to help at the 2011 AGM. Following that I volunteered at the festival at Ponds Forge, and was soon given the task of Staffing Officer. I became Chair of the Festival Organising Committee for the 41st festival, and again this year. I am not from a Beer Industry background as I work in Pensions Administration, and although working 60+ hours on the festival week I really enjoy it, though at times through the tiredness it doesn’t seem that way! It is a long 11 months organising the festival with many obstacles to overcome, but I do enjoy working with the other volunteers and am very proud of what we achieve together. Secretary, Press Officer and Deputy Festival Organiser, Paul Crofts: I joined the committee 2 years ago, after many years of appreciating CAMRA’s work in promoting good beer and pubs. I work in the furniture industry for a local manufacturer and am a big music fan, particularly live music. As a born and bred Sheffielder, I’m keen to help promote Sheffield’s breweries and pubs and I believe that is something the committee will build on in the coming year. I am involved with the Steel City Beer & Cider Festival, which is something I really enjoy and have taken on the role of Deputy Organiser for this year. (Spare time is so last year!) If you see me out and about, feel free to stop me for a chat and we can lower a couple for the tonsils (one of my favourite phrases, courtesy of P. G. Wodehouse). Treasurer, Andy Cullen: Andy has been actively involved in CAMRA for over 15 years after being recruited to sit on a national younger members task group, since holding roles locally including secretary, membership secretary and Chairman; also editing Beer Matters magazine for many years up until last month – this is the first issue with new editors Dom and Poppy! Andy has also been staffing officer at the Steel City Beer & Cider Festival for almost every one held since becoming active in the branch, except from 2012 to 2015 when responsible for the beer order! Pub Heritage Officer, Dave Pickersgill: CAMRA member since the late 1970’s: SCBF43 will be the 36th. Sheffield CAMRA festival at which he’s worked. Leads on Pub Heritage and associated issues within the branch. His e-book on Worksop and Retford Brewery has now sold over 100 copies! Social Secretary, Patrick Johnson: I moved to Sheffield from Newcastle 5.5 years ago and straight into the Kelham Island area to partake of its many glorious pubs and myriad pale ales. While I’ve been a member for almost 11 years, I was ‘activated’ only last year and am continuing in the same committee position again this year; it must have been good! Beer Matters Editor, Dominic Nelson: I first came to Sheffield as a student seven years ago, and the beer is one of the things I really like about this city. I’ve been drinking real ale and going to beer festivals for a few years now although I only joined CAMRA in December last year. I enjoy writing, so this is a perfect role for me really! I’m looking forward to getting the news out there about the great breweries and beers that Sheffield has to offer. I’ll be working closely with our Social Media Coordinator, Poppy, to try and reach as many people as possible. If there’s anything you would like to see in the magazine, you could just send me an email, but why not try and find me in the pub? Social Media Coordinator, Poppy Hayhurst: I didn’t really think I was into real ale, but I downloaded a beer scoring app a couple of years ago and have checked in over 500 different beers since then (not all full pints, don’t worry!) so I guess I’m a convert. I spent a year exploring all the microbreweries and beer festivals in South London, and having moved to Sheffield earlier this year joined CAMRA as a way of meeting people with similar beery interests. My background is in marketing so I’m looking forward to growing Sheffield & District CAMRA’s social media presence and I’m sure you’ll be hearing a lot more from me in the run-up to the Steel City Beer & Cider festival. Committee Member, Glyn Mansell: After a number of years as a draught Guinness drinker (I still enjoy one occasionally) Graham my brother cajoled me to start drinking real ale. I remember many years ago going with friends to a new pub called the Fat Cat (originally called The Alma?), apparently a “Real Ale Pub”. That was the start of my idea of a really good pub, now supported with many others in Sheffield and elsewhere. Graham and I are to be found most Thursday evenings exploring other pubs in Sheffield. I joined CAMRA a few years ago having an interest in real ale issues and started attending Sheffield and District Branch Meetings just over a year ago. So far I’ve really enjoyed the Peak District Pub Trips and a RambAle walk. Currently my position is a Committee Member and at branch/committee meetings I raise issues and ask questions. My interest is supporting all Sheffield real ale pubs and how to encourage more CAMRA members to vote for their local pub. My other interests are walking in the countryside (staggering if on a pub crawl), travelling, cycling, conservation work and having fun with our grandchildren. Real Cider Champion, Sarah Mills:  Hi, my name is Sarah Mills. I have been a member of CAMRA for about seven years. I was encouraged to join because I wanted to get involved with the beer festival. I joined at the time when cider was a small sideline and since I have been joint cider bar manager I have seen it go from strength to strength. I enjoy talking about the ciders we sell and like to encourage customers to try the new things we have on offer. Also on the committee: Pub of the Year and Good Beer Guide Coordinator, Alan Gibbons; Pubs Campaign Coordinator, Mark Boardley.

Thornbridge Brewery have once again teamed up with Waitrose and Brew UK for the 2017 edition of the Great British Home Brew Challenge. If you are a dedicated homebrewer, or you would like to try your hand at making a good beer from the comfort of your own home, then this is the competition for you! All you have to do is create your own brew and submit it so that it can be judged by some of the most discerning palates in the world of beer. If you’re successful, your beer will be brewed at the Thornbridge brewery and sold across the country in Waitrose supermarkets. Past winners of the challenge include 2014’s Vienna IPA, 2015’s Rhubarbe de Saison and last year’s Raindrops on Roses. Entry is free and more details can be found at www.gbhomebrew.co.uk. Good luck and happy (or should that be hoppy?) brewing!

As part of Heritage Open Days (HOD) 2015 and 2016, we led a Pub Heritage Walk. This will be repeated (twice) as part of HOD 2017 (7th.-10th.September). This short walk takes in some of the entries in the CAMRA ‘Yorkshire’s Real Heritage Pubs’ book. Also included are a number of ‘try also’ pubs which include aspects of architectural merit. Places are limited (to 15) and may be booked via Eventbrite. The tours are both on Friday 8th.September (14:30 and 17:30 start):  http://tinyurl.com/k46742k http://tinyurl.com/kqmg6jz For the past two years, The Sheffield Tap has also contributed to HOD. In 2016, there were 86 events in Sheffield, feedback being overwhelmingly positive from both organisers and the public. Full details about HOD are available from the national website www.heritageopendays.org.uk . Also useful is ‘Sheffield Heritage Open Days’ on Facebook  and on twitter, @sheff_hods . Hence, following the success of Sheffield Beer Week, it seems appropriate for more local breweries and pubs to take part. Interested parties are encouraged to contact the local organisers: hods@sheffieldcivictrust.org.uk . Contributions could include a brewery visit, cellar tours, short talks .. all providing excellent opportunities to spread the word about the best beer scene in the World. This year, we hope to see lots of participation from the Sheffield Beer Scene! – Dave Pickersgill and Liz Godfrey (Sheffield Civic Trust)

Our branch AGM last month saw a number of committee members stepping down – Kate Major (Chair), Tony Kennick (treasurer) and Richard Short (Secretary). All three have left the committee as a result of needing to concentrate on other things going on in their lives – in the case of Kate taking over a pub (Rutland Arms), so our beery paths are still likely to cross! Thanks to all three for all the great work done during their time volunteering with us. We welcome a few new members – including new Chairman Mick Saxton – and some of the old faces will be changing roles, this will all  be confirmed at the committee meeting which takes place the day this issue of Beer Matters is delivered, so more on it next month. We’ll also be taking a look at the amendments to the Pub of the Month rules proposed at the AGM by Richard Hough which was voted to be referred to the committee, the result of this will be presented to the next branch meeting.

Drinkers have been let down by the Chancellor’s decision to increase beer and cider duty in today’s Budget – which will see the price of their pints rise. The announced two penny a pint increase in beer duty is the first rise in five years. It marks a U-turn by the Chancellor as he risks returning to the days of the much-hated Beer Duty Escalator which contributed to 75,000 job losses, 3,700 pub closures and a 24% fall in beer sales in pubs. Colin Valentine, CAMRA’s National Chairman says: “UK beer drinkers, pubs and brewers have been let down by the Chancellor’s decision to increase beer duty for the first time in five years. “The announced two penny a pint increase marks a return to the days when the much-hated Beer Duty Escalator contributed to 75,000 job losses, 3,700 pub closures and a 24% fall in beer sales in pubs. The rise in beer duty will ultimately hit consumers in their pockets and lead to pub closures across the country. “The government’s U-turn on beer duty is a real missed opportunity to support consumers. The UK still pays one of the highest rates of duty across Europe, only consuming around 12% of the beer yet paying nearly 40% of all beer duty in the EU. Further beer duty increases will lead to unsustainable price increases in pubs. The decision completely ignores the pressures that are being faced by the beer and pub sectors.” Unique role of pubs in England recognised by business rate relief The Government has recognised the unique role that pubs play in our communities in England by introducing a new temporary £1,000 discount on business rates bills for all pubs with a rateable value of less than £100,000. CAMRA has warmly welcomed this relief and has called for it to be made permanent and increased further in future Budgets. While this discount will provide welcome relief for the majority of pubs, not all will benefit as the relief does not apply to the largest pubs so a minority are still faced with very large business rate increases. Colin Valentine, CAMRA’s National Chairman adds: “We are delighted that the Government has recognised the vital role that pubs play both in our local communities and our economy by introducing a new rate relief specifically for pubs in England. “The announcement of a new rate relief for pubs in England is a ground-breaking step which recognises both the importance of pubs and the unfair impact of the business rate system on pubs. This new relief offers huge assistance to pubs and is a step towards CAMRA’s ambition of securing a £5,000 rate relief reduction for all pubs. “While this is welcome news for most pubs, some of the largest pubs will be excluded from the new relief. For example, the CAMRA award winning Baum pub in Rochdale will be unaffected by this discount. The Baum pub’s rateable value is going up by 376.6%, and the pub will pay an additional £47,327 per year once transitional rate relief ends. “CAMRA is calling on local councils to use the new discretionary fund announced today to support those pubs that will still be hit by massive business rate increases over the coming years.

It’s almost time for another Annual General Meeting – where does the time go?! We’ve had a great year, from seeing the introduction and growing popularity of the District Pub of the Season awards, to all the success of the ACV battles with Sheffield City Council. The branch now has well over 1500 members, and it’s still growing! To keep this upward trajectory going strong and to broaden our campaigning horizons we need new people and new ideas to join us in the committee. There are various positions which can be tailor-made for you, so you can be as involved as you like. And if you’d prefer to dip your toe in the water (or should that be beer?), rather than jump straight into a fully blown committee position, there are plenty of smaller roles within the branch, so there’s something to suit everybody. So if you have a penchant for pub history, an affection for accounting, or you’re a pretty prolific beer scorer, get in touch! It’s always great to see new faces, but even more exciting to hear new perspectives and ideas for moving our campaigns forwards. If you have any more questions, email chair@sheffieldcamra.org.uk or come along to one of our branch meetings or the AGM itself!