Shakespeare’s pub on Gibraltar Street has a couple of beery landmarks to celebrate. Since reopening as an independently owned freehouse in 2011, they have been keeping a tally of how many different beers they’ve had on the bar and this is displayed on a blackboard.
Shakespeare’s team at Big Trip Brewery
During Sheffield’s Steel City Beer & Cider Festival in October they clocked up 9,000 different cask ales served. In anticipation of this some of the team from the pub visited Big Trip Brewery in Manchester for a collaboration brew which was to be reserved to go on the bar as number 9,000.
A further landmark is serving 13,000 different beers – cask & keg combined, with this being celebrated by hosting a beer festival!
The beer festival is being held from 23 to 29 November with a rack of 12 extra beers set up in the snug. It is expected that being a special occasion the festival beer list will include some unusual styles, weird and wacky beers plus some heavy hitters to raise a glass to their milestone number!
The Blind Monkey in Walkley is no longer showing Sky Sports due to the subscription fee being increased to a level that isn’t viable for the pub. They are looking to replace screening football with a new programme of entertainment events.
The Centre Spot at Basegreen has temporary closed with the departure of the licencee. Stonegate pub company are advertising the lease so it should reopen as soon as a new tenant is recruited. In the same situation is the Hyde Park in Dronfield and Angel in Holmesfield, amongst others!
A number of Stonegate’s branded venues are being moved from managed to leased models. In Sheffield City Centre The former Yates on Cambridge Street is closed for refurbishment and is expected to reopen as Barkers & Co whilst also being advertised for tenants to take over is the Graduate on Surrey Street and the now closed Walkabout on Calver Street.
The Stocks in Ecclesfield opened at the start of October.
Beerworks on Abbeydale Road took part in SIBA’s Drop the Pint Day on 9 October. This saw the price of a pint of Abbeydale Moonshine reduced in price to what it would cost if we paid German levels of tax on beer – in the UK we are taxed 10 times higher.
The dates have been announced for Sheffield Beer Week 2027 – 8 to 14 March. This sees a huge list of venues across the city putting on special beery events including tap takeovers, meet the brewers, food & beer pairing menus, themed quiz nights and more. There will however be no Indie Beer Feast, which is taking a year off and is expected to relaunch at a new venue in 2028. However Jules isn’t simply taking it easy, she will be running some special beer week events in Leah’s Yard outside her Hop Hideout shop/bar.
The Dog & Partridge on Trippet Lane in Sheffield City Centre held another “Dogfest” event on 10 October with a busy schedule of live music from 3pm onwards with 12 different artists on the bill. These events have been run for a couple of years now and continue to be popular. Also look out for their other music events including Dog Jam on the first Thursday of the month and Americana(ish) sessions on the last Thursday of the month.
The Old Queens Head, next to Sheffield Interchange, now opens for breakfast at 10am.
We are reminded that Christmas is coming and there are a number of pubs that host brass bands and carol singing. The Three Merry Lads on Redmires Road in Lodge Moor are hosting Loxley Silver Band on the evening of 23 December.
The Albion on London Road in Sheffield hosted a Little Mesters tap takeover on 18 September.
The Eyam Brewery tap room in Tideswell continues to develop. New toilets have opened upstairs, heaters have been fitted above the tables ready for the winter and the open kitchen is built with the first burgers coming off the griddle on 9 October. The kitchen is using local suppliers wherever possible including Hancocks Butcher in Stoney Middleton, potatoes from Mosleys in Wormhill, bread from Tindalls of Tideswell and the rest from Holdsworth’s in Tideswell.
The shop area remains selling branded clothing and small pack beer to take away and of course the bar showcases their range on both cask and keg.
With the change of season many pubs have launched new food menus, including the Old Hall Hotel in Hope, Red Lion in Litton and Scotsmans Pack in Hathersage.
the arrival of autumn has also seen the fires lit in country pubs including the Peak Hotel in Castleton and the Three Stags Heads in Wardlow Mires.
The Horse & Jockey in Tideswell has taken halloween decorating time as the start of winter which means the fire is now getting lit on cold nights! They’ve also adjusted their opening hours following customer feedback and opening at noon every day with a new lunch menu served 1200-1430 Monday to Thursday. The kitchen is also open 1700 to 2030 those days, midday to 2100 Friday and Saturday then midday to 1900 on Sundays.
The Shoulder of Mutton in Bradwell has been running a fundraising campaign for causes associated with Sheffield Childrens Hospital including a darts knockout and raffle. 33 players took part in the darts tournament and lots of raffle tickets were sold on the night, raising £1,560. Further fundraising plans include a kids halloween party and a Christmas hamper raffle.
Hope Valley Tap & Bottle in Hope have extended their opening hours – Sunday to Thursday 3pm to 9pm and Friday/Saturday midday to 9pm. It is predominantly a bottle shop but for those drinking on site (there’s seating upstairs plus in the evening some tables outside) also has some keg taps showcasing local beers from brewers like Intrepid, Buxton and Torrside plus they have a small list of wines available by the glass.
The landlord of the White Lion in Great Longstone has moved on with the pub closing for refurbishment. This Robinsons Brewery pub will be reopening with a new couple running it and a new look!
A party was held at Ye Olde Bowling Green Inn at Bradwell on Saturday 24 October to celebrate the first anniversary of the current management getting the keys to the pub!
The beer festival held at the Anglers Rest in Bamford raised £500 for the Bamford Carnival Committee, which supports local community organisations such as Bamford Pre School and Bamford Tennis Club. The pub has an ongoing rotation of weekday promotions and events including half price main meals on Mondays, pizza & pool Tuesdays, curry & quiz night on Wednesdays whilst every third Thursday is 2 for 1 burgers and music on vinyl then Friday is all about fish, chips and cocktails.
It is expected that by the time this issue arrives from the printers the former Foresters on Division Street in Sheffield City Centre will have reopened after refurbishment as the Six Barrel Drafthouse. There are six handpumps on the bar for cask ale.
Plans to re-open the former Boulogne have been set in a Community Investment Offer from Sheffield Community Media (SCM). The crowdfunding campaign is inviting the public to become community shareholders and co-owners in the development of a new live arts and media venue in Castlegate.
The pub was acquired earlier this year by the charitable community benefit society which hosts and supports Sheffield Live! radio and TV. They plan to renovate the building to accommodate radio, TV and podcasting studios, to re-open the ground floor as a public cafe and bar, and to offer performance spaces for local artists and promoter.
Sangita Basudev, co-founder of Sheffield Live! said: “So many people have shared with us their memories of the pub and its neighbourhood and their hopes for what it can become in the future. Now we need people to get on board, as community shareholders, to help raise the investment needed to restore and renew this unique city centre asset.”
The Community Investment Offer is live and open to the public until 10 December on the Crowdfunder platform and via the Society’s website, with more information available at sheffieldlive.org/shares.
Gardeners Rest celebrate their 10th anniversary of community ownership on Saturday 26 September with live music, BBQ and a special beer. The event is on from midday until 9pm.
High Green Club has gone through into the national Club Awards 2026.
JD Wetherspoon’s Rawson Spring pub in Hillsborough has a new ale champion working there and has organised a number of beer events including a Roosters tap takeover on 21 September, a Buxton meet-the-brewer on 22 September and a beer festival from 30 September.
Another branch of JD Wetherspoon hosting a beer festival is Bluecoat in Rotherham town centre – their ‘Octobeerfest’ takes place from 7 to 18 October featuring some specialty ales and international brewers. A range of 30 beers will be available, spread between the regular bar and a pop-up festival bar. Other Wetherspoon pubs will also feature the festival bars on rotation.
Those of you who drink in the Woodseats area may have noticed a lack of cask ale on the bar at the Boston Arms during the heatwave; this was due to their cellar cooling system failing. They now have a brand-new cooling system installed and cask is back.
Blake Hotel in Walkley, which is owned by Trust Inns, is being advertised as available to lease.
Shakespeares are hosting one of the final tap takeovers of the now-closed Queer Brewing with a selection of their kegs featured on 31 October.
It has been revealed that the refurbishment of the Foresters on Division Street in Sheffield city centre will bring a new name for the pub; it will reopen as the Six Barrel Drafthouse, operated by the Pub People Company.
Shepley Spitfire at Totley is under new management. Gradual changes are planned, including extended food hours.
Sir William Hotel in Grindleford closed last December, and Greene King Brewery have put the property on the market.
Hare & Hounds in Barlow has reopened after being closed for at least six years. The old landlady closed the pub and retired before Covid. After she sadly passed away during Covid, the pub was put on the market, with local expectation of it being converted to fully residential use. The pub hadn’t changed in many years and was listed in CAMRA’s heritage inventory for its interior. Prior to reopening, the pub has had significant renovations and refurbishment, losing all the heritage and now has a smart, modern look. However, actually being open as a pub is something of a win! There are two cask ales available on the bar.
It’s that time when pubs start advertising Christmas festivities. Among recent events advertised is a Christmas retro disco at the Anchor near Tideswell on 19 December.
The George in Castleton made it into the final of the Pub Aid Community Pub Hero Awards for their sustainability initiatives. They were up against three other pubs in the final, from Surrey, Wandsworth and West Suffolk. At the time of going to press, the winner was not yet announced. The award ceremony at the Houses of Parliament was on 8 September.
The current tenants at the Travellers Rest at High Moor, Killamarsh, moved on mid-September to instead run the Red Lion in Cloughton near Scarborough. The lease had come to its end, and the new lease being offered included a substantial rent increase. The pub is owned by Thwaites Brewery.
A new venture has opened on the junction of Ecclesall Road and Rustlings Road. Manfred’s is a coffee shop/bar named after owner Patrick McClure’s German grandfather who hailed from Wesel, near Düsseldorf. After finishing his degree in Durham a few years ago, Patrick was lured to Sheffield by friends from the area, and has now managed to combine his love of good coffee and German lager.
The bottle fridge has an excellent selection of lagers, including some no-alcohol options, and Patrick is looking to offer a couple of draught options at some point in the future. Wine is also available. For anyone drinking in, the chilled glasses are a nice touch, and pastries are on offer for anyone feeling peckish. Hours are 8am to 8pm Wednesday to Friday and 9am to 8pm at the weekend.
Richard Hough writes: “I owe the good folk at the Itchy Pig Banner Cross a heartfelt apology. In August’s Beer Matters, I wrote a piece focusing on the price of beer across Sheffield. I got the price wrong at the IPBC. All cask ales are either £4.20 or £4.50 a pint, on top of which they offer a loyalty discount scheme. Excluding JDW pubs, this makes the Itchy Banner Cross one of the best value-for-money pubs I encountered. Apologies to all concerned.”
The White Lion on Chesterfield Road has had a change of management. John left at the end of August for pastures new (Croatia sounds nice?), to be replaced by Lisa Brown.
Lisa originally hails from Portsmouth, but in December 2021 she moved to Sheffield. She worked at the excellent Cross Scythes on Derbyshire Lane (world’s tallest leprechaun) before stints at the Rose & Crown, Wadsley and the Nag’s Head at Bradfield.
No major changes are planned at the White: up to five cask ales on the pumps, and live music at weekends. Food is limited to snacks, but you are welcome to bring your own in.
It is a CAMRA heritage pub, with a very interesting interior. Be sure to pop in if you can; we are sure that Lisa will keep the White Lion roaring!
The real ale trail around Kelham Island, Shalesmoor, Neepsend and Hillsborough – The Upper Don Valley – is pretty much the modern history of Sheffield’s real ale scene. Much of the area is a former industrial district, but is now in advanced stages of gentrification with lots of pubs, bars, cafes, breweries and residential developments as well as a little remaining industry.
There are two key public transport corridors through the valley – the Blue and Yellow tram route down one edge and the number 7 and 8 buses down the other. Shalesmoor tram stop is a useful gateway to the whole area while the buses will take you close to the Neepsend pubs.
You can also stay on the tram to Hillsborough where there is a run of pubs and bars both small and large; however, this article focuses on the Kelham Island and Neepsend area – check out our Hillsborough guide for venues further up the valley.
Alder bar was previously the Sheffield Brewery Company and is located in the former Blanco Polish factory, which supplied the British troops in the second world war. Beer was brewed here from 2006 until the coronavirus pandemic, on kit arranged on the traditional tower principle. The bar in the brewery was rescued from a student halls of residence that has since been demolished and fits in style with the Victorian building. Currently brewing has been suspended until further notice and the bar is now operated independently as Alder with a range of guest ales and regular special events. Bus 7,8 or nearest tram stop is Shalesmoor
One of the newest pubs on the real ale and craft beer scene with the addition of en-suite hotel rooms upstairs, brought to you by the same people as the Rutland Arms. Bar snacks primarily include pork pies, scotch eggs and sausage rolls. A short walk up Lambert Street from Shakespeares pub and the rest of the Kelham Island circuit. Bus 31 or walk up from Gibraltar Street
The granddaddy of Sheffield’s real ale pub scene – the first real ale free house to feature beers from outside the area and the first to offer a no-smoking room! An old, traditional multi-room pub that hasn’t changed in many years and has a great beer garden. The pub was previously associated with Kelham Island Brewery, which has since changed ownership. Simple snacks including pork pies, sausage rolls and sandwiches are normally available. Shalesmoor tram stop or buses 57,57a,81,82,86 to Gibraltar Street
Forest / Toolmakers – Rutland Road/Botsford Street
The Forest is just that little bit up the hill away from the popular Kelham Island circuit, allowing it to remain a simple locals pub with reasonable beer prices, yet is still welcoming and comfortable. Toolmakers is a separate taproom building behind the pub that opens up on a part-time basis for special events including live music and open-mic sessions – check their social media for details. Both venues were previously associated with an on-site Toolmakers brewery, which is no longer in production. Bus 7,8 to Neepsend Lane
One of Sheffield’s classic real ale pubs featuring around six regularly changing cask beers. The pub has three rooms – the main lounge, snug (featuring bar billiards table) and conservatory, leading out to the quite wonderfully eccentric riverside beer yard. The pub is now community-owned and gets involved with a lot of community initiatives. Note: card payment only. Bus 7,8 stops outside or Infirmary Road tram stop is walkable
Small container bar boasting a spacious outdoor garden with heating and covered seating areas. Serving cask, keg and bottled delights alongside a carefully selected range of hand-picked spirits and mixers. Note: this bar doesn’t normally open in the winter. Buses 7,8 or nearest tram stop is Shalesmoor
Fairly big L-shaped pub, recently reopened following refurbishment under the same management as the Rutland Arms and Crow Inn. The bar features seven varied cask ales plus cider along with an interesting range of craft beers on keg. An ethos of only stocking independent producers where possible applies to all the beers, wines and spirits! Tutored tasting events are held now and again. The lower area at the back of the pub features a dartboard and also hosts live music some weekends. There is a small outdoor drinking area at the rear. A simple menu of good-quality, home-cooked food is served at meal times; look out for the specials board on the bar. Buses 7,8,75
One of the area’s long-established real ale pubs that has won many awards over the years, including National CAMRA Pub of the Year for two consecutive years. It is a basic pub with two rooms and a beer garden that is kept well presented, large beer range with all basic styles including mild, stout/porter and traditional bitter alongside popular pale hoppy offerings and more across 13 handpumps, usually including some from Blue Bee Brewery. A number of craft beers on keg also feature. Bar snacks include pork pies, bhajis and samosas. Shalesmoor tram stop or buses 57,57a,81,82,86 to Gibraltar Street
Formerly a museum exhibit celebrating Sheffield’s pub and brewing history, this traditional pub room is now open full time as a public bar with real ale and other craft beers available along with a simple food menu. Shalesmoor tram stop or buses 57,57a,81,82,86 to Gibraltar Street
Friendly multi-roomed roadhouse pub owned by Castle Rock Brewery but operated independently by Kev and Steph. Popular with the more discerning fans of Sheffield Wednesday FC and Sheffield Tigers Speedway team while the weekend live music and comedy events also draw a crowd. Usually a good selection of real ales on the bar and an extensive cider and bottled beer selection also features. Bamforth Street tram stop or buses 7,8,86.
Bar owned by True North Brewery offering their beers plus guests and food is available. As the name implies, there is also an extensive outdoor drinking area overlooking the river Don. Buses 7,8,75,83
One of those old places that has been around for years and dates back to the days of being a coaching inn with stables at the back for the horse and carriage. It only really became noteworthy from a beer point of view in recent years since becoming independently owned and operated. The interior is a basic ale house style with several rooms on the ground floor plus a live music room and games room upstairs. The bar offers an extensive range of craft beers on cask and keg served by knowledgeable staff. They also boast quite an extensive top shelf spirit choice. Buses 57/57a, 81,82 and 86 or nearest tram stop is Cathedral or Shalesmoor
New-build pub/restaurant, initially opened as ‘Stew & Oyster’ but has since been refurbished and become Salt brewery’s Sheffield bar pairing craft beer with bao buns to eat. Shalesmoor tram stop or buses 57,57a,81,82,86
Old-fashioned, two-room pub next to Shalesmoor tram stop operated by Neepsend Brewery featuring craft beer on cask and keg from their range plus guests. Also known for its cheap sandwiches and whisky selection! The kind of pub where you sit and enjoy quiet conversation or read the paper. Beer garden also available. Shalesmoor tram stop or buses 57,57a,81,82,86
Former industrial building expensively renovated with part of it converted into a bar (the other part is a clothes warehouse for the Drop Dead Clothing designer brand). The bar features craft beer, cocktails, vegan fast food, photo booth, classic coin-op arcade games, PlayStation pods, pool table, music and riverside balcony. Sounds hipster as hell – actually a really cool, relaxed place to chill with a beer. Cask ale sometimes available. Infirmary Road tram stop or buses 7,8,86
The new kid on the block, a converted industrial building containing a craft beer bar with 30 taps and a fridge full of exotica. Oh, and a mini games arcade. The kitchen is operated by a third party, currently Firepit BBQ. On-site brewery not currently in production. Infirmary Road tram stop or buses 7,8
Bar in, as the name suggests, an old former workshop! Features a range of craft beer, premium spirits and vegan fast food, in a laid-back atmosphere. Buses 7,8 or Shalesmoor tram stop
Takes place the first weekend of most months in an old warehouse and surrounding courtyards, featuring a craft beer bar with a different guest brewery each month, numerous street-food traders, makers’ stalls, music and more. Shalesmoor tram stop or buses 7,8
Smart but relaxed bar and dining room serving cocktails and craft beer. Outside courtyard area also offers seating. Shalesmoor tram stop or buses 57,57a,81,82,86
As mentioned last time, there have been some changes up and down Chesterfield Road. In Woodseats, Counter opened in mid-August (in the former Mesters Tap).
At the helm are Stuart and Sonia Nunn. Stuart was previously at Guzzle just up the road, while Sonia worked at the Red Lion (down the road) some years ago.
The pub has been smartened up and given a lick of paint (an appealing green called ‘Privet Hedge’!) There is some interesting artwork by local artists, such as the Ghost Cooling Towers.
On the beer front, two handpumps feature ever-changing ales, and there is real cider available. Plans are afoot to upgrade the toilets and rear outdoor area.
There is a quiz night on Thursdays, and occasional live music at the weekend.
The unusual pub name comes from the time when the premises were a chemist’s in the early 1900s – get your pills at the counter. Overall, a real improvement, and we wish Stuart and Sonia all the best in their new venture.
In recent years events where multiple venues collaborate seem to have really caught the imagination of drinkers with the likes of One Valley, Abbeydale Road, Ecclesall Road, Ridgeway, Eckington and Tramlines Fringe all proving popular. All have similar principles – you can visit a number of venues in one day each offering different beer, food and music.
In a Similar vein, Sheffield also has its annual Sheffield Beer Week with many venues across the city celebrating good beer, coordinated by Jules from Hop Hideout.
The 2.5 MPH Real Ale Festival is being led by Mark Simmonite of the Perch Bar and attached Dead Parrot Brewery, inspired by the one off Steel City Beer & Cider Festival on Tour organised just after Covid. The inaugural event takes place 24-27 September across 16 venues around central Sheffield, including Perch. The intention is each of the 16 venues will offer a different selection of cask ales and all are within walking distance of one another.
The festival circuit begins at Perch where you can pick up a leaflet featuring a map of all the participating venues (while stocks last!)
On Saturday 30 May, members of the Sheffield & District branch headed around the city and this year further out including parts of the Peak District to complete the Sheffield Pub Survey (Last one was done same time last year). The purpose of the event was to take a snapshot of the range and cost of real ales and hopefully confirm Sheffield’s rightful status as the Beer Capital of the UK.
Groups on various different routes set off at midday and met up at the Bath Hotel in the City Centre. From here, those that could still make it, headed out to other areas and pubs which had not yet been surveyed. For the third time in a row, we were blessed with great weather.
191 pubs were surveyed (33 more than last time), with a total of 692 beers recorded. From this data 375 unique beers were identified from 155 different breweries. As we surveyed a wider number of pubs this year we compared the number of beers on sale for the 120 pubs which were surveyed in 2025 AND 2026. This came up with a figure of 4.36 beers available per pub only slightly down from the 4.5 figure from 2025. We believe these figures maintain Sheffield’s claim to be the Beer Capital, offering the widest choice of cask ales.
Our comprehensive 2026 survey across 191 venues reveals that the headline average price for a pint of cask ale in our branch area now stands at £4.46 (an 8.0% increase over 2025). However, a quick breakdown by postcode area shows that surveying pubs further out of town played a massive role in pulling that headline figure up.
The inclusion of pubs in the Hope Valley and Peak District introduced a distinct “tourist premium”: S32 (Hathersage/Eyam) and S33 (Castleton/Hope) topped the scales with eye-watering averages of £5.69 and £5.35 respectively—with individual pints reaching as high as £6.95. Within Sheffield itself, S17 (Dore/Totley) led the city proper at £5.13, followed by the S7/S11 corridor at £4.52–£4.78, while traditional suburban strongholds like S6 (Hillsborough) and S8 (Woodseats) maintained more modest baselines around £3.92–£4.16. Clearly the days of the sub £4 pint in independent pubs will soon be behind us.
Looking strictly at established, urban Sheffield pubs returning from last year’s survey, the like-for-like picture is far more measured: prices across our core city estate rose by between 5.2% and 7.2% (an average rise of 23p to 29p a pint). While this still outpaces general UK CPI inflation (2.8%) as publicans contend with rising wage floors and operational overheads, high-volume national chains kept their increases to just 3.2% (averaging ~£2.60)—widening the gap between corporate value outlets and our independent trade. Beer is clearly going up in price at a far greater rate than general inflation.
As usual local breweries dominated the pumps with Abbeydale having 81 recorded beers, Thornbridge overtaking Bradfield with 45 beers vs Bradfield’s 41. This was no doubt driven by the opening of the Fargate Tap.
As for individual beers on sale the top spot this year was again Abbeydale’s Moonshine available in 41 of the pubs surveyed, Timothy Taylors’ Landlord (a Yorkshire brewed but less local beer) came in second on sale in 27 pubs, with Bradfield Farmer’s Blonde third in 24 pubs.
As ever a very special thanks to all the hard working volunteers who went out to venues and gathered the data to make this survey possible.
The Hallamshire House pub in Commonside has just been reunited with a long-lost sign last seen in the late 90’s.
It’s a fascinating story of how it happened, although how it disappeared in the first place is still a complete mystery.The pub was contacted by a couple from Leeds who were offering to return one of their old pub signs.
Landlord Doug Simpson was obviously intrigued, if somewhat baffled by the call, and keen to know more.
Apparently, the couple had lived in Brooklyn for many years, and around 25 years ago had visited a neighbour’s apartment where they were amazed to find the sign hanging on the wall.They instantly recognised the sign from their days as University Students in Sheffield in the late 1970’s.
The neighbour had bought it for a friend, as a wedding gift, but the wife didn’t like it, so he ended up getting it back! When the couple returned to Leeds in 2009, the neighbours kindly gave them the sign, where it sat for the next 17 years, leaning against a wall due to the weight!
After a recent house move, they decided the sign should return to its rightful home, and a call was made to the pub to see if they wanted it back.Doug jumped at the chance, and when the couple said they didn’t want anything for it, but would like a donation to charity, Thornbridge Brewery readily agreed and Sheffield Children’s Hospital was the happy recipient.
The sign is now on display in the pub, proudly hung over the fireplace in the back room.Of course, the question of how it got to New York in the first place is still unresolved so if anyone knows anything about it, The Hallamshire would be keen to talk to you.
