Category: Inn Brief

Another new micropub has opened in the Hillsborough area. The Beekeeper can be found at 61 Middlewood Road, opposite B&M and near Hillsborough Park tram stop. It is open Thursday to Sunday with local beers available on cask and keg plus coffee (thanks to Richard Allen for the photo).

Itchy Pig‘s second micropub opened on Ecclesall Road South in Banner Cross on 18 February.

Meanwhile over in Woodseats a new micropub, the Boston Arms, has been given the go ahead by the council to open and is expected to be ready in April. The same people as the Boozehound craft beer bar in Cutlery Works food hall (which closes on 28 February) are behind it. As the former shop unit being converted is close to Woodseats Primary school the bar won’t be opening before 4pm on weekdays.

The Little John Hotel in Hathersage now has a new manager, Simon Smith, running the bar for the long established owners. Simon has experience running pubs for the likes of Mitchells & Butlers but now with a little more freedom has taken the opportunity to be more adventurous with the beer range both in terms of the cask selection and introducing craft beer options to the keg line up.

Breweries featured recently include Abbeydale, Ashover, Neepsend, Pentrich and Thornbridge, amongst others.

The Taphouse Bar bar at Kelham Island unfortunately didn’t survive the Coronavirus pandemic, a new venue is opening in its place called the Chop House Bar & Grill. It is run by the same people as Butcher & Catch restaurant in Broomhill, however the food focus here will be more on the meat including steaks and rotisserie chicken. The bar will stock quality wines designed to go with the food along with local cask ales and cocktails.

Also in Kelham Island a new beer shop with a drink in option has opened in Kelham Island. Hymn to Ninkasi is located on the Little Kelham development, which is accessed next to the Fat Cat.

The former Stew & Oyster bar is no more. Following refurbishment it is now a Salt Brewery tap bar and the food offering is Bao buns.

The Yorkshireman pub on Cross Burgess Street has now been demolished. The pub is thought to be dated back to around 1790 but was apparently suffering structural issues. Sheffield City Council had compulsory purchased it and other buildings in the area as part of the Heart of the City regeneration project. The people that ran the pub until its closure have relocated to the former Mulberry Tavern on Arundel Gate which has been renamed the Yorkshireman Rock Bar.

There are still plans to open Rag N Tag on Shude Hill (between Sheffield Interchange and Ponds Forge), which is located in an arch underneath Commercial Street. This is a long abandoned space that was a pub called Barrow Boys many years ago. It is planned to be a rock bar with some live music, possibly also serving food. The target is to have it finished and open late summer/autumn this year, the delays in the building work have been partly due to Coronavirus restrictions but also issues with drainage from the road above and complications of there now being a tramway running over the structure!

Sheffield’s newest branch of JD Wetherspoon is now open at Beighton, near Crystal Peaks. The Scarsdale Hundred, is in the premises previously occupied by Damons restaurant.

The Dark Horse, a new microbar at Banner Cross, has now opened. Two cask beers are available along with all the other usual pub drinks and food is provided by Slap & Pickle Burgers.

The Royal Standard on St Mary’s Road (inner ring road) was sold off by Enterprise Inns at auction last year and has been stood closed for about a year or so now, but work has started to take place on the premises. The new owner is the company that runs Prime Pizza & Grill in Firth Park, however we do not know their plans for the building as yet.

The Three Cranes has been removed from the Sheffield’s Real Heritage Pubs guide following its conversion to a hotel (with bar) as all the original features have been ripped out in the process.

The Queen’s Ground at Hillsborough has reopened.

The Anchor near Tideswell is currently closed for renovation, including renewing the electrics.

The Lescar Hotel at Sharrow Vale and Two Thirds Beer Co. on Abbeydale Road both closed in January temporarily for a refurbishment.

A charity gig for NHS charities featuring a night of great music from rock to punk to blues is taking place upstairs at Shakespeares on 26 March. Promised is a night of giving back featuring great music from Kill Your Darlings (covers band playing great tracks from Weezer to Hives), The Hey Hounds (Americana blues rock) and Seconds to Go (Sheffield-based punk, post rock).

The Washington in Sheffield City Centre is hosting a music week from 31 January to 4 February. Each evening there will be live music from 8pm to around 10-11pm, followed by a DJ on until 3am. Real ale available.

On Wednesday 15 December the Kelham Island Tavern will be holding a Christmas Carol sing-along evening raising money for Sheffield Children’s Hospital. There will be a small brass band and everyone is encouraged to join in.

Sheffield Folk Sessions Festival is back from 15-17 April bringing a programme of live folk music across a number of pubs in Sheffield.

The Crafty One is a new craft beer bar and shop located on Oakbrook Road, Nether Green, next to Rafters restaurant. A range of beer from keg and can is available along with wines and spirits, the addition of cask beer is being considered as a future development and space is currently tight.

The Sportsman at Norton Lees has closed for refurbishment and is expected to relaunch in December.

The Mulberry Tavern on Arundel Gate reopens on the weekend of the 23 October – as the Yorkshireman Rock Bar, under the same management as the one on Burgess Street that had to close to be demolished for redevelopment as part of the council Heart of the City project we understand.

The Noah’s Ark in Crookes and the Crosspool Tavern both had no real ale available on our correspondents last visit. The Three Merry Lads at Lodge Moor has a new manager.

Following some delays while the architects drew up changes to the plans to accommodate planning conditions imposed by the council, work has now begun converting an empty shop unit at Totley Rise into the Tunnel Tap micropub.

Food is now available again from Conor’s Kitchen at the Dog & Partridge in Sheffield City Centre, principally hot sandwiches and loaded fries. The Social on Snig Hill has bar snacks available most evenings, usually either sandwiches or canapes.

Opening on High Street in Sheffield City Centre is a new indoor mini golf course and bar for adults with a bit of a cheeky theme. It is called Glory Holes and is a second venue following the original one in Nottingham. Based on the bar in Nottingham we don’t expect real ale to be available and the keg beer is generally from the nationally distributed brands. Meanwhile down on the Moor, in the complex that houses the Light Cinema, another fun new venue is planned called the Boom Battle Bar offering axe throwing and beer pong games. No word on whether they will have decent beer yet, opening is planned for early 2022.

Work is underway on the new JD Wetherspoon pub at Beighton, in the old Damon’s restaurant near Crystal Peaks shopping centre, which will be known as the Scarsdale Hundred. No official opening date has been announced as yet, however reports in the Sheffield Star newspaper suggest the current target date is 30 November, so it will be open before Christmas.

The White Hart on St Philips Road, Netherthorpe, has reopened. It has a pool table, football on TV and a regularly changing guest ale.

The Pheonix at Ridgeway has had a refurbishment.

The will-it-or-won’t-it saga of the old Matilda Tavern on Matilda Street, which closed in 2005, may yet turn out to be good news if the latest planning application is successful. While upstairs has seen conversion to student flats, the previous plans for the ground floor of the old pub to convert to office accommodation never happened and it is understood that the developers no longer see any demand in Sheffield for additional office space post-COVID, while all the residential development including student flats in the area over recent years has created a new community that might like a traditional pub as its hub – and the new planning application is to restore the ground floor as a pub with a riverside beer terrace.

Mojo bar is a new opening on Holly Street, alongside the City Hall. No real ale or other craft beer appears to be available.

The former Plug nightclub has now become Network, a music venue.

Work has now begun to demolish the Rising Sun between Bamford and Hope, an 18th century coaching inn that has been closed since 2017 and left to fall derelict, and build a new hotel on the site.

The Dorothy Pax at Victoria Quays is now back into the swing of things with five real ales and a busy programme of live music events – some ticketed and some free entry – check out their website for listings. The music events are benefitting from an excellent new sound system in the venue, paid for by a grant from the Art Council’s Cultural Recovery Fund.

The Walkley Beer Company celebrated their seventh birthday on 20 November with an event featuring special beers and more.

Our friends at the Rotherham CAMRA branch have presented their Pub of the Year award to the Wath Tap, an excellent micropub in Wath-upon-Dearne. If you fancy a trip there buses 22a, 22c and 22x run there from Rotherham Interchange and Parkgate (with connecting trams, trains and buses available from Sheffield).

Pangolin at Hillsborough is hosting a meet the brewer and tasting event with Yonder on 29 October. This is part of the Funk Fest Trail. Advance tickets are required and cost £20.

Other venues hosting events in Abbeydale’s Funk Fest Trail include the Rising Sun, Rutland Arms, Crow Inn, Hop Hideout, Cider Hole, Shakespeares and St Mars of the Desert. There will also be sours to try at a number of other venues such as Bar Stewards, Bear, Jabbarwocky, Industry Tap and Kelham Island Tavern.

The Sheaf View has now reopened following the arson attack, the first day back trading after restoration work was the opening day of Steel City On Tour with the bar sporting an impressive range of beers and Sunshine Pizzas outside serving food.

The Clubhouse on London Road continue to offer discounted prices on cask beer on Mondays.

Chesterfield Alehouse micropub celebrated their 8th birthday over the weekend of 21-24 October with eight of their lines taken over with sours!

The Horse & Jockey on Wadsley Lane near Hillsborough reopens as a True North Brewery pub from November with reservations for dining available from 15 November (it’ll be walk ins only for food until then). The menu features pies, burgers, pizzas, grills, hanging skewers and small plates. They will also do a Sunday roast. On the bar like True North’s other venues expect a mixture of their beers and guests along with cocktails, wines and spirits. The pub also has a function room upstairs and outside area.

Meanwhile across many of the True North venues during December they are hosting Christmas with Santa breakfast events in the morning, Enjoy a full English and the kids get a gift from the man himself! This needs to be booked in advance.

Stew & Oyster at Kelham Island closed on 17 October for a reburbishment.

Perch is the name of the new bar and bottle shop opening at Dead Parrot Brewery on 27th August, featuring brewery fresh beer and food to enjoy in the bar, courtyard or take away. You can find it on Garden Street behind Butlers Balti.

Bar Stewards on Gibraltar Street recently celebrated their 4th birthday with a special beer line up, including a number of exclusive dry hopped casks.

The Killamarsh branch of Guzzle micropub has now opened for business.

Hawthorne Leisure, the pub division of New River Retail, has been sold to Admiral Taverns. It appears all their pubs have been temporarily closed and boarded up, this includes the Ship Inn at Shalesmoor.

The Chantry Inn at Handsworth, venue for our next branch meet on 7 September, now has 5 cask ales from Chantry brewery with rotating specials including Wentworth Red, Styrian Wolf, Cashmere Time & Full Moon supplementing the ever presents of New York pale, Iron and Steel bitter, special reserve and Diamond Stout.

The proposed Tunnel Tap micropub at Totley Rise now has licence approval and is now planning the fit out of the shop unit.

The tap room at Toolmakers Brewery is opening for open mic nights every Sunday and Wednesday. The venue is on Botsford Street (off Rutland Road behind the Forest pub) near Neepsend. Check their Facebook page for details of all their events.

The Social on Snig Hill in Sheffield City Centre is currently open as an art gallery and provides opportunities for those disadvantaged in the workplace to gain skills and experience. It is part of a network of ventures operated by Yes2Ventures and they are opening a micropub on the same site, featuring a bar built by their own staff. It is expected to open Wednesday to Saturday 11am to 9pm (alcohol from midday).

The new micropub in Mosborough has a name and is now open! Craftworks can be found at 38C-D High Street (the main road through Mosborough, bus route 50/50a) and features a range of beers including four on cask and six craft kegs along with a lager. A double shop unit has been converted into a modern and stylish bar. Whilst Coronavirus restrictions are in place table bookings are being taken and advisable at the more popular times.

Also newly opened is the Beer Dog shop at 108 Charlotte Rd, near Bramall Lane stadium. This is owned by the same people as the Ranmoor Castle off licence and Berlin Calling bar and as well as a range of craft beer in bottle and can there is a range of draught beer to go, including one on cask and is a good place to obtain beer from the Crosspool Ale Makers.

Over in Crookes, the Old Grindstone has now reopened as a True North Brewery pub with a range of their beers plus guests on both cask and keg. The pub will feature sport on tv and live music, food is expected to launch early 2022 when the kitchen has been developed, until then customers are welcome to order takeaway meals to be delivered to the pub!

Jabbarwocky bar on London Road is hosting a tap takeover with Full Circle beers on 5 August.

Many of you will know of Guzzle micropub at Woodseats, a little neighbourhood bar with five real ales, well they are now opening a second one in Killamarsh this summer. It can be found at 193 Sheffield Road in the middle of a row of shops, this road is the main road down the valley and on bus routes 26/26a, 80/80a.

Another micropub planning to add a second location is Itchy Pig, the award winning bar in Broomhill, with plans to convert a shop in Banner Cross into a micropub. Meanwhile also at Banner Cross there are plans to convert an old bank into a pub called the Dark Horse!

The Wagon & Horses in Millhouses has opened their new beer garden located between the pub building and the park. This area of decking has plenty of tables and an ice cream kiosk!

A new bottle shop and bar called the Bear (Beer Emporium Abbeydale Road) is planning to open on Abbeydale Road in the premises that were previously the Rude Shipyard Café & Bookshop. As well as numerous fridges and shelves full of bottles and cans that appeal to most tastes and budgets there will be six keg lines. The shop is planning to open from 23 June with the drink in option likely to be introduced once Coronavirus restrictions are lifted.

Talking of new bottle shops, Maison du Biere, who run a popular beer shop and tap room in Elsecar are opening a new shop in Stocksbridge at 492 Manchester Rd, this was previously a butchers shop!

James Birkett, who owns Neepsend Brewery along with the Sheaf View, Blake Hotel and Wellington pubs; is launching his latest venture next door to the Wellington at Shalesmoor: the Roscoe Road Liquor Store. This will act as the Neepsend brewery shop stocking the range of Neepsend cans, minikegs and merchandise as well as a wider range of wines, spirits and beers.

A new craft beer bar is opening in Neepsend in a pair of shipping containers with Peddlers and Sheffield Brewery as neighbours! Grafters Bar will be a compact affair serving beers and spirits from the Sheffield area along with some bottled beers from further afield. You can find out a little more on the This is Sheffield website.

The Blue Ball at Worrall have been spending the latest lockdown doing some serious upgrade work to their beer garden which now features an outdoor pizza oven (pictured below).

Also doing some serious work in the beer garden whilst closed is the New Barrack Tavern on Penistone Road, who have been sharing a series of tease shots of the work in progress on their social media.

Spring Yard Bottle Shop, run by the same people as Peddlers Night Market, is offering free same day delivery in Sheffield. Order by 6pm, the deliveries are done in the evening as soon after that as they’ve got the packing done!

The Moor Indoor Market has a new delivery operation, ChefChef.store, where you can order products from many of their traders all in one go for home delivery, with Beer Central being one of those traders. Order direct for next day delivery or via the City Grab app for delivery within the hour by a City Taxi. Note only the regular beers are available through this service, for the more exotic choices you should order a selection box for delivery directly with Beer Central.

Another wave of pub re-openings following lockdown has happened in the last week or two, although of course still all a fairly different experience with Covid-Safe measures.

Out at Woodhouse Mill the Oxbow micropub has recommenced bar service for drinking on the premises after a period of operating as an off licence with a couple of tables added outside. Opening hours are reduced and it is contactless payment only, check their Facebook page for details.

Meanwhile in the City Centre Fagans, Beehive and the Washington have now reopened. The Washington now has table service and as government guidelines currently forbids dancing, the dance floor has been converted into a couple of cosy seating areas although a programme of DJs and live music of sorts is still taking place (at reduced volume!).

Down in the Kelham/Neepsend area Church – Temple of Fun has reopened with a bit of a reconfiguration of the venue, new vegan food menu and table service. A cask beer continues to be available on the bar, on the opening weekend this was Abbeydale Behemoth.

The Albion on London Road, run by Stancill Brewery, reopens on 18th September.

The Three Cranes in Sheffield City Centre has closed due to Covid.

The Hanover‘s lease is up for sale due to the current owner expecting a baby.

The Old Workshop bar on Hick Street, Neepsend, reopens on Friday 18th September as a fully vegan venue and will be the new home of Make No Bones vegan fast food, who were previously based at Church Temple of Fun (and before that had a little cafe in Heeley).

The Industry Tap bar in Sheffield City Centre celebrates its first birthday from 17th to 20th September with an extensive and special tap list.

The Fulwood Ale Club have received conditional planning permission for outdoor seating and awning until 9pm.

The Kelham Island Tavern is joining the ranks of the Harlequin and Gardeners Rest as a pub in the area offering beer to take home. They are opening as a trial over the weekend of 30th April to 2nd May, see their Facebook page for details. The Plough at Hathersage has taken advantage of the Coronavirus closure to get a bit of decorating done. The Beer House micropub on Ecclesall Road is planning on setting up a beer delivery service. Keep an eye on their Facebook or Twitter accounts for announcements. The Joiners Arms at Bakewell is looking to recruit a new manager for when they reopen post lockdown. The Harlequin on Nursery Street are selling home made pies to take home. Advance order is required. The Two Thirds Beer Company is offering a delivery service of beer and snacks. Customers within 3 miles of the bar on Abbeydale Road can enjoy free delivery by their staff, if you are further away you can order via the Citygrab app (the City Taxis delivery service). The Wisewood Inn is taking advantage of the Coronavirus closure to get their planned refurbishment done early, meanwhile Loxley Brewery which is based on site is now bottling beer available either by bulk local brewery or via selected specialist beer shops. Abbeydale Brewery is offering free local delivery on orders over £25 from their webshop which are being undertaken by brewery staff whilst delivery further afield is available via courier for a fee. Available to order are minikegs, cans and merchandise with Moonshine soon to be added to the canned range. Eyam Brewery are offering delivery of bottled beers. The area they cover stretches roughtly speaking from Buxton to Dronfield. Chantry Brewery now have an online shop selling bottles and minikegs with delivery available to addresses within 15 miles of their Parkgate based brewery. Beer Central based at the Moor indoor market are now offering beer boxes to order for delivery. Those already engaged with “save boxes” where new beers that come in stock promoted on social media are put to one side can pay and have their beers delivered once the order is big enough whilst others can order a “thrifty for fifty” mixed box containing £55 worth of beer for £50 on a lucky dip basis! The Red Deer are offering local delivery of drinks on selected days, order in the morning and receive delivery in the afternoon. Check their social media for details. Turner’s Bottle Shop on Abbeydale Road are offering delivery. Check their website or social media for details. Archer Road Beer Stop off licence in Millhouses are open for business as usual including hand pulled real ale to take home. Bradfield Brewery are offering home delivery of beer in bottles and minikegs. Minimum order £30. Hop Hideout have their webshop back online to order beer from their shop for delivery. Original Infused are delivering their bottled beers. Triple Point Brewery are selling beer in cans and bag-in-box online, either for collection from the bar or delivery via courier for a fee. Thornbridge Brewery continue to sell beer online for delivery. Peak Ales are back up and running, bottled beer can be ordered online for collection or delivery. Drone Valley community Brewery are offering free local delivery of bottled beers ordered online by their members (membership also available online). The Beer Stop at Dronfield are offering local delivery. Order your bottles, cans and minikegs via email and pay via Paypal or BACS. Check their Facebook page for details. The White Swan in Dronfield are offering delivery of “PieMinister” meals on Friday and Saturday nights, this needs to be ordered in advance via the pub’s website. The Norfolk Arms at Ringinglow are doing takeaway 3 course meals at the weekend on a simple set menu that changes each week. Collection or local delivery is available and must be ordered two days in advance. Real Ale is available to takeaway with your meal too! See their Facebook page for more information. The Old Hall Hotel in Hope are now serving a takeaway food menu with local delivery available. The Gardeners’ Rest at Neepsend has been having beer takeaway days, check their Facebook page for details.

Heist Craft bar in Clowne are celebrating their third birthday over the Easter weekend, this is also their last weekend before they close and relocate to Sheffield. Bus 53/53a goes there from Sheffield. Boozehound, who run the upstairs beer bar at Cutlery Works, are organising a brewers social event at Lion Works over the Easter weekend, 10-13 April.  The venue is where Neepsend Brewery used to be based, on Ball Street/Mowbray Street and will be open from midday to 10pm each day serving beer from Triplepoint and Crosspool Ale Makers. Bus 7/8 goes there or it is just a few minutes walk from Shalesmoor tram stop. News on the currently near derelict Farfield Inn at Neepsend, which has been closed since the floods damaged it, a planning application has been lodged with the council to restore this building with a pub on the ground floor and flats upstairs. The Silver Fox at Stocksbridge is closed and up for sale or rent. The Talbot Arms at Dronfield Woodhouse is to be demolished and the site redeveloped for housing, subject to planning permission. The Inn at Troway (previously known as the Black-a-Moor) is also subject to a planning application to be converted to housing. Both former Enterprise Inns (Ei group) properties. The Three Tuns behind the cathedral on Silver Street Head is due to reopen on 20 March under new management after closing last month. Yet to hear whether the long-running Wednesday quiz, as hosted by our very own typesetter [hello] will return. Shakespeares put on a lot of rather interesting cask beers for Sheffield Beer Week. Those attending on Friday 13 were able to enjoy a number of Torrside Smoke and Monster beers on the main bar alongside a 20% ABV cask stout brewed as a Steel City, Emporor’s and Fantome collaboration, brewed at Fantome’s brewery in Belgium while upstairs a festival bar hosted the ‘Collabracadabra’ collection of beers Shakespeare’s Lucie had helped brew. Those sampled by your editor included a hoisin sauce stout brewed with Steel City, a marshmallow mild brewed with North Riding, an apricot pastry braggot brewed with many different local brewers, a black IPA brewed with Blue Bee, a peppermint saison brewed with Torrside and a banana hefe brewed with Lost Industry. The Friday of Sheffield Beer Week saw Triplepoint Brewery & Bar celebrate their first birthday party with a range of their own beers on the main bar and guest beers on the ‘secret warehouse’ bar. On the Saturday at the end of Sheffield Beer Week the Rutland Arms had a Cloudwater brewery tap takeover, including some cask beers.