The Rutland Arms pub business is now under new ownership! The lease has moved from Reet Ale Pubs to a company owned by Chris Bamford and Kate Major, who previously managed Shakespeare’s and the Three Tuns respectively.
All the same staff are working at the pub, both on the bar and in the kitchen – including managers Pete & Heather – so major changes aren’t expected, more a gradual building on the established foundation of good beer, food and atmosphere already found at the Rutty.
Chris and Kate plan to continue to offer Blue Bee as their regular beers but we can expect to see a more varied guest beer selection on both cask and keykeg. For Sheffield Beer Week a tap takeover was held with Norwegian brewery Lervig.
The Wagon & Horses by Millhouses park has now reopened under the new ownership of True North Brewery.
The pub has had a refurbishment but no substantial change as its already a great building! The venue is however now split into a seperate dining end and drinkers end in a similar fashion to many of True North’s other venues.
Another key change is the kitchen is now much more fresh food focused than the Wagon’s previous incarnation as part of Greene King’s Flame Grill chain.
The pub opens at 8:30am serving breakfasts and a brunch and sandwich menu is served through until 4pm. Pizzas and burgers are also available from midday. Come 5pm the evening meals menu kicks in, as well as pizzas and burgers there are dishes featuring more classic cooking such as Shepard’s Pie, Chipotle Pork & King Prawn Skewers, Sea Bass, Steak, Griddled Calf’s Liver and more.
The bar opens from 10am with a range of real ales from True North Brewery and an extensive gin selection!
Buses 82, 97, 98 and 218 get you there or the Millhouse Park car park is close by.
The birth of a Sty-lish beer
There’s no ham-fisted attempts at pig jokes here!
Local brewery Exit 33 Brewing has joined forces with Broomhill micropub The Itchy Pig to create their very own beer, a beer with a twist in the tale.
Pete Roberts of Exit 33 said ‘The Itchy Pig owner Ted is from Kent and completely swapped career to open his own take on the micropub, just like I did when I opened the brewery – so, it seemed a good fit to collaborate on a beer together.
Ted and Vanders trotted along to the brewery and spent the day creating a pale ale dubbed ‘Sty PA’
The pub guys where itching to brew a hoppy IPA style beer so after an early mash in we sat down for a quick ‘Pignic’ before adding large hop additions to the kettle. ‘No porkies, this is a great beer! All in all, it was a great day and nobody felt boar-ed or was left dis-grunt-led by the experience.
Ok I’ll stop now,. Sty PA is 4.5% and available at the Itchy Pig Glossop Road.
A beer launch party is planned for Good Friday.
Pete Roberts, Exit 33 Brewing.
The Hillsborough Hotel on Langsett Road is hosting Wantsum Brewery from Canterbury as part of Sheffield Beer Week.
The Hillsborough will be their brewery tap from Wednesday 15 March until Saturday 18 March. Meet the Brewer, who is Simon Sandy-Hindmarch will be Thursday 16 march at 8pm, free of charge. The brewery got a silver medal at the SIBA national cask competition in 2016, and regional winners at SIBA Cask competition 2015 & 2016.
A CAMRA member attending a recent branch meeting suggested to much agreement that we ought to get our correspondents to help us pull together a list of derelict pubs. All are closed and not in the best condition, some are for sale and could yet reopen as pubs given the right investment, others just waiting for redevelopment.
So here are 15 examples our Pub Heritage Officer has come up with
1. Arbourthorne Hotel, Arbourthorne
2. Ball Inn, Darnall
3. The Boardwalk, Snig Hill, City Centre
4. The Botanical, Ecclesall Road
5. Burgoyne Arms, Langsett Road
6. Cannon Hotel, 30 Castle Street, City Centre
7. Cuthbert Bank, 164 Langsett Road
8. Fairfield, Neepsend Lane
9. Market Tavern, City Centre
10. Matilda, City Centre
11. Olde Harrow, 80 Broad Street
12. Queens Hotel, Scotland Street
13. Stockroom, Leadmill Road
14. Turf Tavern, Handsworth Road
15. Under the Boardwalk, Snig Hill, City Centre
This is not a complete list – please add others!
CAMRA and its members are currently lobbying MPs for a penny off duty on a pint of beer at the forthcoming budget to help pubs and brewers, additionally drinkers are being rallied across the country to apply to get their community pubs listed as assets of Community Value, which means that the community gets to have a say in any plans for a pub that closes to be turned into something else or demolished.
However there is a perfect storm on the horizon – business rates are being reviewed by cash strapped local authorities and being judged based on property values – so areas that have improved in the last few years will see taxes rocket and it is thought some pubs could see their rates rise by about 40% and in some examples triple.
Some examples in Sheffield that will see a hefty increase in business rates are the Sheffield Tap and the pubs around the Kelham Island district.
At the same time as the rates increase, there is also the introduction of the living wage scheme which is above the current minimum wage that many pub and bar workers earn. Of course I’m sure most of us wouldn’t begrudge the staff that serve us a living wage just so we can enjoy beer a few pence cheaper, however it all adds up for publicans!
According to press reports, the new business rates coupled with the increased payroll costs could add 5p to a pint of beer (plus VAT). However then there are increased costs for brewers to pass on to the pubs too…..
The Riverside on Mowbray Street now offers a 20% discount on hand pulled real ales for CAMRA members. Just show your membership card before ordering.
There is a new rooftop bar in Shalesmoor as part of the Krynkl development, a building next door to the Ship Inn constructed from shipping containers
The Hop at West One in Sheffield City Centre has closed down.
The Forum has reopened following a refurbishment and the smaller bar, which was previously only regularly used for private functions, has become the ‘Slice Bar’, open from 4pm each day featuring a hot counter selling slices of pizza as well as beer, gin etc. Both the main bar and the Slice Bar has a handpump serving a special house beer brewed by True North Brewery, who own the venue.
The Washington has also now reopened following a refurbishment, as has Stone & Taps, which is offering a discount for CAMRA members.
A change of management at the Rutland Arms is expected very soon with the lease moving from Reet Ale Pubs to business partners Kate Major and Chris Bamford, who previously managed the Three Tuns and Shakespeare’s respectively. The Rutland already has a reputation established for good food, beer and pub atmosphere and we’re sure Kate and Chris will build on that.
The Old Crown has already left the Reet Ale Pubs stable, leaving the Punchbowl, Three Tuns and Closed Shop, the latter which recently celebrated its fourth birthday under its current management.
Drone Valley Brewery have brewed a special beer for the Friends of Dronfield Station which is appropriately a Porter. A launch event took place with the friends suitably adorned in railway Hi Vis jackets at the Three Tuns pub in Dronfield.
Hop Hideout now offers a 10% discount for card carrying CAMRA members Tuesday to Thursday and has established a tasting room as well as being an off licence so is effectively a micropub. The 5 beers on tap are normally real ale in a keykeg.
The Walkley Beer Company has extended their opening hours and is now open Wednesday and Thursday 4pm to 10pm, Friday and Saturday 2pm to 10pm and Sunday midday to 6pm.
Champs Sports Bar on Ecclesall Road was runner up in Sheffield’s Best Bar None awards recently held at the City Hall.
The first details of the 2017 Tramlines music festival in Sheffield have been announced including the headline acts playing the three main outdoor stages at Ponderosa Park, Devonshire Green and Endcliffe Park from 21st to 23rd July. Paid for wristbands are required to enter these venues, however there will be the usual supporting cast of pubs and clubs putting on live music with most offering free entry and many of which of course have good beer. The latest information can be found at www.tramlines.org.uk, tickets are already on sale.
Since the last issue of Beer Matters, there have been a number of local developments:
Before Christmas, a letter was sent to Sheffield City Council (SCC) from Paul Ainsworth, the Chair of the National CAMRA Pub Campaigns Group expressing disquiet regarding their procedures and practices. An immediate response form SCC was the offer of a meeting in order to discuss this, and related, issues. A date was agreed, then, at short notice, cancelled by SCC. An alternative date has now been agreed. We will meet with Ccl.Jack Scott.
the Cherry Tree – SCC refused the ACV application. We understand that the Carterknowle and Millhouses Community Group will resubmit. SCC planning committee have not yet met in order to discuss a planning application, from the Co-op, to demolish the building and replace it by a shop.
before Christmas, Sheffield CAMRA submitted an ACV application for The University Arms. We have since received a nine-page letter from Pinsent Mason (an international law company employed by the pub owners, the University of Sheffield). We submitted a detailed response rebutting the assertions made in this letter. A decision from SCC was due by 17th.February.
Carbrook Hall – we understand that (subject to contract), Punch Taverns have sold this pub to a locally based Leisure Company. Sheaf Valley Heritage Group have submitted a detailed ACV application. The heritage aspects of Carbrook Hall were described, in detail in the November 2016 edition of Beer Matters. They are also available online on the CAMRA Pub Heritage website: heritagepubs.org.uk
Dave Pickersgill, Pub Heritage Officer
Dave Pickersgill, Pub Heritage Officer
The White Lion celebrated two years of ownership of Jon and Mandy on
February 23rd and goes from strength to strength.
Having won multiple awards last year, their policy of swapping all the beers for new
varieties after just one barrel is a great reason to visit.
They’ll be joining in with Sheffield Beer Week with a mini festival over the
weekend, including live music and a Meet The Brewer event with Edd Entwhistle of Hopjacker and potentially another mystery brewer will be making an appearance.
The festival will include beers from across the length of the country but will also feature a 4 way collaborative brew from Little Critters, Hopjacker, Hop Hideout and The White Lion itself.
I’ve lived in Woodseats for nearly 30 years and it’s always seemed to fall a bit short when it comes to decent cask beers. Then the Chantry, the Big Tree and the Abbey started to up their game when the Weatherspoon’s Woodseats Palace opened some years ago. However price and quality have always seemed to be lacking consistency. But then something really interesting started to happen down the bottom of Fraser Road in 2011.
The Alehouse opened. Previously known as the Sheaf, it had suffered years of closures and reopening’s throughout the late Nineties and Noughties. A pub with a fascinating history, once a vibrant watering hole serving the workforce of the Laycock’s Engineering Company and many of the other industries that once thrived in the area
It had clearly lost its way until a new enterprising owner relaunched the pub in 2011 as the Alehouse committed to great quality ales.
Since April 2016 the pub has been managed by Sue, a retired social worker ably assisted by her team of friendly local staff and volunteers. The pub goes from strength to strength continuing the philosophy of providing great ales from around the region and beyond. Regulars appearing, include the Saltaire range, Mallinsons, Dancing Duck, Dark Star, Titanic, Whitby Beers, Salamander and Great Heck starting at £2.60 a pint. Remarkable pricing!
The Dark Star range once tasted will forever live in the memory. Sue provides a text and email alert service for customer favourites and is open to suggestions for new beers. Recently I had an alert received whilst in Abu Dhabi for Dark Star American Pale Ale. Couldn’t quite make it back for that one!
The pub retains its old charm and consists of a large Bar Saloon with original long bar and furnishings and a very comfortable large lounge which is available for private bookings, birthdays weddings and wakes! It’s on the doorstep to Hutcliffe Wood Crematorium. The pub has a real community feel and offers a warm welcome to all.
Sue is keen to maximise the use of the Lounge. There are planned events including live bands, folk nights, and a community market 4 x year with donations going to local charities. The lounge is available to young families late afternoons at weekends with its own toy corner. It’s also available for private hire. There is a monthly book club, and a general knowledge and bingo quiz night on a Thursdays. Other planned events include Brewery tastings and Gin nights and even Ukulele Workshops. You can check out on what’s coming up by following the Facebook page.
Due to start soon is a coffee and music morning the first Saturday in every month
There is outdoor seating ideal for snatching an early sneaky one after work on a summers evening.
Sue provides hot home cooked food on Fridays using the best local ingredients. This is very popular 6.00 – 8.30
It’s now on the 86 and 96 bus routes so you can get off on Archer Road at the Laycock’s Social Club and amble along Fraser Road to the BOTTOM of the hill 5 mins from the stop. The Alehouse is a must for anyone looking for a great pint with friendly staff and customers. It’s located in that real ale desert almost a no-man’s land between the Broadfield and Woodseats. A great stop off to be included in any real ale pub crawls in the area. It is so inspiring to see a local pub make such a determined come back from what would have been eventual closure and demolition.
Here’s to the many Alehouses out there!
Note the Alehouse is open Tuesday to Friday 4.00-11.00; Saturday 3.00-11.00pm and Sunday 3.00 -10 00 pm – Food on Fridays
Dick Williams
1. Arbourthorne Hotel, Arbourthorne
2. Ball Inn, Darnall
3. The Boardwalk, Snig Hill, City Centre
4. The Botanical, Ecclesall Road
5. Burgoyne Arms, Langsett Road
6. Cannon Hotel, 30 Castle Street, City Centre
7. Cuthbert Bank, 164 Langsett Road
8. Fairfield, Neepsend Lane
9. Market Tavern, City Centre
10. Matilda, City Centre
11. Olde Harrow, 80 Broad Street
12. Queens Hotel, Scotland Street
13. Stockroom, Leadmill Road
14. Turf Tavern, Handsworth Road
15. Under the Boardwalk, Snig Hill, City Centre
This is not a complete list – please add others! 
Dave Pickersgill, Pub Heritage Officer 
The Dark Star range once tasted will forever live in the memory. Sue provides a text and email alert service for customer favourites and is open to suggestions for new beers. Recently I had an alert received whilst in Abu Dhabi for Dark Star American Pale Ale. Couldn’t quite make it back for that one!
The pub retains its old charm and consists of a large Bar Saloon with original long bar and furnishings and a very comfortable large lounge which is available for private bookings, birthdays weddings and wakes! It’s on the doorstep to Hutcliffe Wood Crematorium. The pub has a real community feel and offers a warm welcome to all.
Sue is keen to maximise the use of the Lounge. There are planned events including live bands, folk nights, and a community market 4 x year with donations going to local charities. The lounge is available to young families late afternoons at weekends with its own toy corner. It’s also available for private hire. There is a monthly book club, and a general knowledge and bingo quiz night on a Thursdays. Other planned events include Brewery tastings and Gin nights and even Ukulele Workshops. You can check out on what’s coming up by following the Facebook page.
Due to start soon is a coffee and music morning the first Saturday in every month
There is outdoor seating ideal for snatching an early sneaky one after work on a summers evening.
Sue provides hot home cooked food on Fridays using the best local ingredients. This is very popular 6.00 – 8.30
It’s now on the 86 and 96 bus routes so you can get off on Archer Road at the Laycock’s Social Club and amble along Fraser Road to the BOTTOM of the hill 5 mins from the stop. The Alehouse is a must for anyone looking for a great pint with friendly staff and customers. It’s located in that real ale desert almost a no-man’s land between the Broadfield and Woodseats. A great stop off to be included in any real ale pub crawls in the area. It is so inspiring to see a local pub make such a determined come back from what would have been eventual closure and demolition.
Here’s to the many Alehouses out there!
Note the Alehouse is open Tuesday to Friday 4.00-11.00; Saturday 3.00-11.00pm and Sunday 3.00 -10 00 pm – Food on Fridays
Dick Williams