Jon and Mandy celebrated their first year at The White Lion on February 23rd.
The pub has gone from having 5 regular beers to an average of 10 handpulls at any one time. The range of guest beers has vastly expanded with only 4 beers being kept as permanents and the rest devoted to beer from all over the country, recent weeks have seen beers from Somerset and The Isle of Man.
Always a popular live music venue, the range and diversity of this has also expanded and, with events on every evening of the week, you can expect to hear everything from live jazz, blues, rock and funk to ska, soul and rockabilly.
Since opening at the end of September we have rotated and changed our eight hand pumps and offered 76 different beers and sold over 250 casks. These have included 19 different Blue Bee beers as well as other local breweries such as Abbeydale, Exit 33, Shiny, Sheffield Brewery Company, Bradfield and Ashover brewery to name a few.
Our house beers are now Blue Bee brewery Reet Paleand Tempest Stout; the stout was added when we took off Guinness to add a real cider option which should be up and running in the next week or so. Our free weekly quiz hosted by Dan each Thursday from 8pm is going from strength to strength as people try to win the weird and wonderful prizes on offer (as well as a £20 bar tab for the winners).
On the food side the pizzas are flying out the oven with some great offers on wine and real ale; for instance a pint of either of our house beers (Reet Pale or Tempest Stout) is only £1.25 when you buy any pizza, or get two pizzas and a bottle of wine for £18.99 Mon-Wed.
The previous regulars have either warmed to the lack of sport, Carling, shots, karaoke and late night discos or found somewhere else to drink which leaves us with a lovely relaxed atmosphere, great customers, good quality beer (Cask Marque have been twice and passed us with full marks both times), good quality food plus real cider on its way. So if you haven’t been in to see what we’ve done with the place yet why not pop up soon (52/52a bus stops right outside).
Our weekly Thursday quiz is now underway and has been well received by all who’ve attended so far, we fire away from around 8.30pm each week for those interested in joining us. The winners each week get to select their 8 pint prize from across our range of taps, and we finish the evening with a few rounds of card bingo.
We’re now gearing up for Sheffield Beer Week and are looking forward to our Tap Takeover & Meet the Brewer evening with Chantry Brewery from Rotherham, we’ll have a range of their pales, bitters, stouts and porters on for your sampling. We’ll also be organising out first tasting night in March, with a range of great bottles we’ve managed to get our hands on from Brasserie de la Senne, in Brussels.
For more information on the above as well as the others events we’ve got on in the coming weeks wander over to our page at facebook.com/RailwaySheff.
The Shiny Sheff was originally built as a Whitbread pub in the late 1960’s. It was closed for a short period in 2015 and has since reopened with a new look and a new Landlord, Mike Cashmore. Mike moved from the Sportsman (Crosspool) taking on the reigns in the summer of 2015. Regular beers are Abbeydale Moonshine and Bradfield Farmers with the prospect of more to come as trade grows.
The pub is a well-used suburban family pub, catering for all ages. In addition to one-off events (eg. a celebration of Burns Night), regular events include karaoke, a twice-weekly quiz and weekly live entertainment. Other attractions include free wi-fi and a selection of children’s books. Mike wants to increase the community reach of the pub and is looking to plan further charity events as custom increases.
Opening times are from 11:30 with 23:00 closure, Mon- Thu, midnight on Saturday and 23:00 on Sunday. Food is available daily from 12:00-21:00. The extensive menu caters for all and also includes ‘two for a tenner’ offers: members of the ‘Golden Club’ can also receive a ‘6th.meal free.’
The pub (274-276 Crimicar Lane, Lodge Moor, S10 4EP) is currently managed by the Bermondsey Pub Company, an independently run company which is owned by Enterprise Inns. They run 13 pubs, mostly in the north of England.
The name came from HMS Sheffield, the most heavily decorated ship which has formed part of the Royal Navy. During the Second World War, the ship took part in actions against several major German warships. Unlike most Royal Navy ships of that time, her fittings were constructed from stainless steel instead of the more traditional brass. This was an attempt to reduce the amount of cleaning required. Her nickname, the “Shiny Sheff,” stemmed from this. The front bar of the pub includes a large model of the ship and numerous framed memorabilia, including many newspaper cuttings. Ex-crew members still use the pub as a regular meeting place. The stainless steel ship’s bell, (made by Hadfield’s), hangs in Sheffield Cathedral along with the battle ensign.
The Shiny Sheff is one of the many community pubs which deserve our support.
– Dave Pickersgill
The Sportsman, Norton, has had a short closure for minor refurbishment.
The Abbey at Woodseats reopened after a short closure but at the time of writing had closed once again – this time for a major refurbishment of five weeks and £3oo,ooo.
The Banner Cross is now open again under new management following a significant refurbishment.
The Fox & Duck in Broomhill is soon to become free of tie for their beer supply and will be increasing the number of handpumps to 7 and stock beer from Little Critters Brewery plus guests.
Saxbob is putting on a gig featuring Zacc Rogers and Sieben at the University of Sheffield Drama Studio on 1st April which will have a real ale bar, not normally available at this venue. Hopefully if the real ale proves popular the venue may consider making it a permanent thing.
Just across the road from the Drama Studio is the newest opening in the Street Food Chef chain of Mexican fast food outlets. Your editor was invited to a preview night before the opening of this new store and enjoyed a very tasty Beef Brisket Burrito and a bottle of Mexican beer – they are looking at stocking a range of Mexican craft beers that pair well with spicy food at both their Arundel Street and Glossop Road canteens (Pinstone Street is takeaway only). They also have an outside catering stall they are looking to start taking to beer festivals.
Also on the subject of food, there have been changes on that front at the Dog & Partridge on Trippet Lane with the departure of Bia Comida Tapas who had been resident at the Dog, the food is now cooked by landlord Connor and sees a simple but quality menu of sandwiches, burgers, scotch eggs along with some more substantial options such as steak or fish & chips. Your editor recommends the Cuban Sandwich!
On Wednesday 17th February from 8pm the Closed Shop on Commonside will be celebrating it’s 3rd Birthday under the stewardship of Reet Ale Pubs. Join Andy, Christie and the team for a fun night of celebration that is bound to include cake, hats, games and much more fun and birthday surprises.
The pub serves 8 hand pulled ales, with Blue Bee Brewery Reet Pale being a permanent fixture, with the other 7 pumps rotating through a range of local, regional and national beers, with a mix of styles and strengths to suit all ale enthusiasts.
Alongside the selection of beer is a renowned gin list, a great whisky selection and much more.
Follow our twitter and Facebook for more party details (@TheClosedShop, @ClosedShopChef, https://www.facebook.com/TheClosedShop/) Or for more general information why not visit our website http://www.theclosedshopsheffield.co.uk/. We hope you can join us to celebrate the start of our fourth year on Commonside.
After a whirlwind December as the new General manager at the Devonshire Cat I am keen to make this the place to be for all things beer related throughout 2016.
Having already added 70 new Items to our bottle and can selection (among others we now offer 9 different Gluten free beers). I would like you to be able to come and sample them not only with us, The Dev Cat Team but also with the brewers that make them. Lets really get our geek on and talk about everything from the malt base, hop profile and yeast strains to simply wether or not you think it tastes good.
Upcoming events in February include a charity quiz in aid of St Luke’s Hospice 02/02/2016 at 6.30pm. A lovingly prepared 2/3 course set menu for Valentines day courtesy of our new Head Chef Andy Mason. (See website for details). March is set to be action packed on the beer front from the very start On Tuesday 03/03/2015 we are pleased to host a tap takeover and brewery launch party for our friends at Lost Industry Brewing (the new kids on the block in the Sheffield beer scene who have just started brewing at their site in Hillsborough).
If you haven’t been living under a rock for the last few months you will know that Sheffield beer week runs from Monday 14/03/2016! Once again Sheffield plays host to The SIBA X festival during that time as such brewers from all over the globe will converge on our fair city. We will be running workshops throughout the week showcasing Abbeydale beers and giving an introduction to beer tasting. There will be drop in question and answer sessions with both myself and some of the Abbeydale team keep an eye on the website and our twitter feed for more info in the near future.
Cheers Liz
The Dove and Rainbow has a new geeky games night on a Monday, with a range of old skool consuls to play on, and Guitar Hero live on stage! And every other Tuesday there’s Nat’s Open Mic / Jam night.
You’ll find regular live music, courtesy mainly of the local Riffids Bands, most Fridays from 12 Feb onwards, as well as other odds and ends that appear on the calendar from time to time. There is also a Fundraiser for the British Heart Foundation on Friday 5th Feb. For regular updates on what is happening, like or visit “Dove and Rainbow” on facebook.
The pub doesn’t have a separate function room, but is happy to book out the stage seating area, or smaller tables for birthdays etc, whenever it is free. Just message Dove and Rainbow on facebook if you want to book a birthday or other celebration, however large or small (it’s free of charge!), and you’ll also get a bottle of bubbly, and drinks offers and a free round of shots for the whole group.
There are 6 handpulls, as well as 3 bag-in-box Westons ciders, and the permanent ales are Hobgoblin and Easy Rider, with regular appearances from the likes of Trooper, Doom Bar, Moonshine, Blond Witch, Ghost ship, and Blue Bee Stout, along with a spattering of the wierd and wonderfully named ales that appear on the guest rotations.
Dawn and her team have been there over 9 years now, so if you’ve not been in for a while, don’t forget they are hidden away on Hartshead Square, at the end of Campo Lane. Just off the beaten track, but only yards from Castle Square (behind the bankers Draft), ideally suited for pre and post gigs drinkies if you are going to events at the O2 Academy or Arena, or even just a quick half while waiting for you bus!
cheers
Dawn
The Railway pub has been taken on by my family, with myself instated as the licensee. This is our first establishment, but we have been in the industry for over 50 years. Our main business is supplying equipment to the licensed trade, i.e. pool tables, jukeboxes, quiz machines etc. so as you can imagine running our own place has been something often talked about over the years, and with my recent inclusion into the family business we now have the man power to undertake the venture.
We had been looking for a suitable pub for a few months, asking around our sites for info on anywhere that may become available. When the owners of the Railway, a long time customer of ours, came to us and offered the pub free of tie it seemed the perfect opportunity, the previous landlord had finally called it a day after many years in the business.
The building needed a fair bit of work but after a lick of paint – inside and out – a new roof, plenty of woodwork and a complete overhaul of the cellar and bar – including new equipment throughout – we are happy to say we now have a range of draught beer and cider, including craft lager, a range of over 30 bottles from around the world, several wines, loads of whisky (another hobby of mine – along with the ale), and most importantly five real ale pumps constantly rotating some of the city and regions best ales.
We had a slow start as the pub has never offered real ale or bottles and has shifted quite dramatically from the previous ‘football pub’ setup, but as word of what we’re trying to do here has spread more and more Sheffielders are seeking us out for a pint. We’ve had a great reception from the locals and we are already starting to see the real ales outselling the lagers, something I expected to take well over six months! The pub is really starting to buzz, especially at weekends, and we’re looking forward to our time here.
Our next move is to introduce a selection of real cider and to get a weekly quiz up and running plus some tasting nights, where you can sample some of the more unusual bottles that we have collected on our travels across the continent (we’ve got some great bottles in from Molenbeek at the moment that I’m really looking forward to sharing) – the end of January being our target for all.
Jack Cater
The Hillsborough Hotel will be holding an alternative Burns Society Scottish beer festival from 4th to 7th February, featuring up to 18 beers from a range of Scottish breweries. Alternative Burns grew out of a group of ex-pat scots who wanted to celebrate the great poet in a slightly alternative way, and have used the occasion to raise money for local charities over the years. At the festival 20 pence from each pint sold will be going our nominated charity, which will be advertised during the weekend. A festival menu will be available, showcasing some of Scotland’s finest produce and including, of course, Haggis, Neeps & Tatties.
We will also be showcasing a range of Scottish Gins, Vodkas and Malt Whiskies which will be available over the weekend. Live music will be provided on Saturday night by some of the members of Hekety.
The Hillsborough Hotel is on the Blue & Yellow tram route, right next to the Langsett Road/Primrose View tramstop.
