Sheffield Beer Week saw the wooden pin make another appearance at Hop Hideout in Leah’s Yard, Sheffield City Centre, providing a cask ale option. This time the beer from the wood was Abbeydale Moonshine.
By the time this issue of Beer Matters hits the street, the Mount Pleasant in Norton Lees should have reopened under new management.
The Clubhouse on London Road has announced they aren’t renewing the lease and it is likely to be closing in March. In an announcement they stated it was a heartbreaking decision but times are tough and all the bills are getting extortionate and they simply can’t do it anymore. The Steel City derby match unusually wasn’t screened there as the direct debit to Sky Sports had already been cancelled ahead of them closing – it was costing them £3,000 a month!
Two of the Dronfield town centre pubs taking part in the One Valley Festival on 7 June have announced their plans. The Manor House Hotel are doing pretty much the same as last year with the car park closed off and filled with two outside bars – one of which will feature cask ale from Abbeydale Brewery along with Pellizco’s mexican food trailer. Live music will be provided by The Britpop Rockers at 4pm and 6pm then DJ Brad Gee will keep the party going from 7:30pm until late. Meanwhile down the road at the Green Dragon are also keeping a similarly tried and tested formula with the car park closed off and live music on the back of a wagon, DJ Higz playing the tunes between and after the bands and a fish & trip trailer to keep everyone fed. There will also be two outside bars supplementing the normal pub bar with real ales, shots and bottles available outside.
The Cross Scythes in Totley has now reopened under its new management following refurbishment and is offering “elevated pub dining”.
The Chapeltown Tap is hosting a Triple Point Brewing tap takeover and meet the brewer event on 30 April. Tickets (£15) need to be booked in advance and include a third pint taster of 6 different beers and nibbles from a ploughmans food tray.
Pub blogger “Micropub Adventures” has launched a promotion for visiting beer venues between Sheffield and Retford by train. In Retford this includes the Idle Valley Tap, Brew Shed and Beer Under the Clock then of course on Worksop station is the Mallard, which hosts regular beer festivals. A short walk from Shireoaks railway station is the Ticking Clock Brewery’s tap room which opens at weekends then close to Kiveton Bridge station is the Kiveton Tap. The next offering towards Sheffield is the Oxbow at Woodhouse Mill before finishing at the Sheffield Tap. For the leg between Kiveton and Sheffield the X5 bus offers a more convenient alternative to the train, stopping close to the Oxbow!
Thanks to John Clarke of Stockport CAMRA (editor of Opening Times magazine), who posted some scans of an old real ale booklet from 1975 on X, we can look back at pubs serving real ale in Sheffield City Centre that year. There were 11 pubs listed and of those 6 still survive – Dog & Partridge, Globe, Grapes, Norfolk Arms, Red Deer and Washington. Back then all those pubs could be split into two camps – those serving Tetleys Bitter and those serving Stones. Two of the pubs are now part of Stonegate’s “Craft Union” chain with no cask ale but the rest still serve the real deal! The lost pubs are Peacock Inn (Fitzwillam Street), Old Red Lion (Holly Street), Red House (Solly Street), Royal Oak (Hollis Croft) and Sportsman Inn (Cambridge Street). Of course whilst we have lost those 5 pubs over the years, we certainly now have a much bigger choice of real ale and craft beer venues around the City Centre than we did then!
Live music venue, real ale bar, canal side drinking spot, home of the Pax Cat and unique Sheffield institution are all things the Dorothy Pax was, however it has closed down. The following shock announcement at the beginning of March had been preceded by a number of gigs being cancelled due to poor ticket sales.
“We are heartbroken to announce that The Dorothy Pax is now closed with immediate effect.
It’s not been an easy decision to make as this affects not only ourselves but the bar staff, the engineers, the artists, our local boating community, our wider Sheffield community and our suppliers.
We’ve had some amazing parties, produced several festivals, hosted countless world-class talent on our stage, laughed, cried, shared incredible evenings, made lifelong friends and boogied the night away.
However, we cannot continue to do so. I don’t want to point fingers, but we’ve had our fair share of battles, and we’ve always come out the other side, but we’ve got too many wounds to lick now to continue.
It’s not very pleasant to be a statistic at any time, and we’re certainly upset about being added to the number of grassroots music venues that have closed down over the last few years through difficulties thrown at the industry including Covid-19, rising bills and our customers facing a cost-of-living crisis.
The grassroots music industry is facing an uphill battle, as a whole we’re all trying to make this work on a profit margin of 0.48%, whilst those at the top are reporting billions in profits. If £1 per ticket at stadium shows, arena gigs and large festivals went back to us collectively, we wouldn’t have to subsidise ourselves hugely to carry on doing the work we do.
But we have. We’ve footed that bill internally, mainly because we love it, understand its importance to our wellbeing, community and cultural output. We know we do good work. Nothing is quite like the high you get when you see a full room of people dancing, enjoying each others company, whilst the musicians on stage are performing their hearts out with smiles across their faces. Nothing will ever come close to that feeling.
If it wasn’t for the support of the Music Venue Trust, this announcement would have come 5 years ago. They’ve not only had our side but they’ve tirelessly worked so hard in supporting 900+ of our colleagues within the grassroots music industry.
Please believe us that we have exhausted every possible avenue over the last year or so to keep on going but the time has come.
Continue to support your grassroots music venues, your local pub and independent businesses because now is the time that they need you the most. Use them, or lose them.
The Wetherspoon chain are hosting their Spring real ale festival from 5 to 16 March, featuring a range of 30 beers which include some special one off beers that are a collaboration with 5 different international breweries.
As International Women’s Day falls during the real ale festival, all 5 collaborations are with female brewers (or brewsters to use the correct term!).
The international beers are Wallaby (Penny Red, Australia), Estuary Session Ale (Land & Sea, Canada), Chocolate Porter (Birra Perugia, Italy), Antipodean (Brew Moon, New Zealand) and Hey Pal (Terrapin, USA).
Among others, the festival line-up also includes Boudicca (Brains), Persephone (Brewster’s), Vienna (Harviestoun), Beerhart (Mad Squirrel), Gulpa (Redemption) and Alpha Female (Rooster’s).
Marketing manager Jen Swindells said: “The festival is a great celebration of real ale.
“It will allow us, over a 12-day period, to showcase a selection of superb value-for-money beers, including those from brewers as far afield as Canada and New Zealand, as well as those closer to home.
As none of the pubs have as many as 30 guest ale pumps you won’t find all the festival beers on the bar at the same time, they will be offered on rotation, however the 10 branches across Sheffield will be co-ordinating their festival launch so all 30 will be on somewhere in Sheffield on day one – see the table below for their intentions!
Richard, Simon and Briony attended the House of Commons for drinks on The Terrace in the company of MP’s and Lords. The event was organised by the Music Venue Trust as it was the launch of their Annual Review. They used this opportunity to discuss the difficulties in their industry and the very serious problems that Grassroots and pubs venues are facing in Sheffield and nationally.
You can download the Music Venue Trust’s annual report, which highlights issues impacting the viability of venues that include high energy prices, unfair business rates, VAT on tickets as well as drinks, planning policy and more.
A point is made that grassroots music venues, like pubs, are more than just a business and it is important that we don’t lose them – they provide easy access to live music, community cohesion, cultural exchange, a platform for artists and a social space to meet new people and share great times.
Various events are coming up at the ‘Quin. They are participating in Sheffield Beer Week (see our beer week feature for details) but they aren’t stopping there!
Thursday 20th March – not beer, but still brewed! the Harlequin is holding a sake tasting in collaboration with Starmore Boss. Look out on social media for details.
Friday 21st March: Beer tasting and meet the brewer with 3 Sons, over from Florida. Makers of Epic American beer, 3 Sons are over for a Collab with Emperor’s and Bang The Elephant and are popping up to Sheffield for an evening of frankly ridiculous beer. Details to follow.
Live music is now a regular feature again at The Harlequin. Keep an eye out on our social media (Facebook and Instagram) or look out for posters in the pub to see what’s on.
Sheffield’s annual Beer Week has now been running 11 years, celebrating the independent beer scene in the city with events across many venues in the city with common themes of beer & food, community and heritage. The beer week itself officially runs from 10 to 16 March, preceded by the Indie Beer Feast, however there are a number of additional events to warm up in the preceding days too!
A list of events confirmed at the time of going to press are below, however for the latest information visit their website – sheffieldbeerweek.co.uk.
Thursday 6 March
Pangolin : Indie Rabble Tap Takeover and meet-the-brewer. Beers on from 1pm with the brewer there in the evening.
Friday 7 March
Hop Hideout : Tynt Meadow Trappist Brewery – keg of their Dutch brewed trio collaboration on tap with the brewery manager present to talk about their history and tradition. 2pm to 4pm.
Little Chicago Quarter pub heritage guided walk – 11:30am, booking required
Crow Inn : “A Place to Be” talk with writer Katie Mather, 2pm.
FOCUS ON…
THE CROW
All week: European Beer Showcase
A Selection of European craft Beers
Throughout the week, we will be pouring an assortment of delicious beers from some of Europe’s best breweries. We have beer from Sweden, Poland, Denmark and plenty more magical places. Come on down to get stamping your genuine real life beer passports.
Launching 8th March, pouring through beer week until we run out – Ten Men x Bang The Elephant x Steel City Brewing x The Crow Inn Presents… The Men Of Steel
Free entry
A mega collaboration beer between many of our lovely beer friends. “The Men Of Steel” is an uzvar inspired fruited sour and is part of Ten Men’s 100 Collaborations Project. All profits from the beers made within the project go towards new brewing equipment after Ten Men lost all theirs due to the Russian invasion in Ukraine.
11th March 8PM – Beer Bingo, Free entry
What it says on the tin. An evening of boozy, beery bingo. Relaxed vibes and great fun… Don’t forget your dabbers! Exciting prizes up for grabs and plenty of tasty beer pouring to see you through the evening.
16th March 2PM – “A Place To Be”, Free entry
Katie Mather delivers a talk on her new zine, “A Place To Be”, a love letter to drinking in liminal spaces and Pellicle magazine’s first printed publication. We will be privileged to have both Katie and Matthew Curtis here talking about the zine, pubs and the importance of found community in unexpected places.
Post beer week
March 28th – Burning Sky beer launch. Burning Sky are organising a nationwide launch across the best craft beer pubs around the UK, including at The Crow. Look out for more details soon!
Hotel Rooms
Book direct at thecrowinn@gmail.com for the best rates on our hotel rooms, for Sheffield Beer Week and beyond!
Over February, our small team have embarked on a series of collaboration brews across the North of England to brew a range of styles, launching here on cask for Sheffield Beer week. These include a smoked cherry Barley Wine with Torrside, a US Session Pale with North Riding, a stout with Tartarus, a hazy pale ale with Big Trip and a pale ale with one of our local favourites, Blue Bee.
Wednesday 12th March: Ideal Day showcase and meet the brewer 6-8.30pm
Ideal Day Family Brewery are a farmhouse brewery from Cornwall, making Belgian and classic British styles of beer with an innovative, modern twist and a commitment to regenerative agriculture. They’ll be on hand to talk us through a range of their beers, with some food pairings fresh from our kitchen.
Wednesday 12th March – Beer Week Quiz, 8.30pm – Our regular quiz, this week hosted by quiz master Quiztopher, with an added beery twist. Free entry
Thursday 13th March – Guided Sheffield Pub Heritage Talk – Little Chicago Quarter. 8pm – Price: £4.95
What: This event is a history/pub heritage talk which will concentrate on the Little Chicago area of Sheffield, taking you from the early part of 19th century up to the current day. We will explore both the pub heritage aspects of the area plus the streets which feature in the book, ‘Sheffield 1925: Gang Wars and Wembley Glory.’ The narrative will explain how Sheffield briefly became the most turbulent city in Britain due to an escalating gang war involving the Park Brigade, Mooney Gang, the Gas Tank Gang and many others. The talk will also explore the beer, social and Industrial heritage of the area, examining the myths and reality of a tumultuous year in Sheffield history. Mention will be made of the 1884 ‘Sheffield Drinks Map,’ the establishment of a coaching inn, George Orwell and the Sheffield pub with the most local CAMRA awards. The talk will be led by local historian and writer, John Stocks and ‘Sheffield’s Real Heritage Pubs’ editor, Dave Pickersgill. The talk will last for up to 60 minutes, followed by post-talk drink and discussion.
Tickets from Eventbrite.
Friday 14th-Sunday 16th – Belgian, German & Czech Beer showcase
A showcase of beers and styles both modern and historic from the classic European beer nations. German, Czech and Belgian inspired food pairings available from the main menu and specials board too.
All week plus over Indie Beer Week – British Beer Styles Showcase
All Week – as wide a range as possible showcasing historic and modern British beer styles from Barley Wine to Brown Ale, ESB, IPA and Porter. Matched with items from our daily food menu. Free entry
Wednesday 12th – 4pm: Ideal Day Showcase and Meet The Brewers Venue 1
A showcase of some of the range from Cornish farmhouse brewers Ideal Day. Come sample a couple of their beers on draught, with the founders and brewers on hand to talk through their ethos. We will have a special small plate menu item matched to the beers for the occasion too. Why not make it a really Ideal Day and follow them to the Harlequin afterwards for more of their beers, too?
Downstairs, A keg and cask showcase of a range of beer styles from the excellent Burning Sky Brewery of Firle in East Sussex.
Upstairs: a six beer tasting, including a range of Burning Sky’s mixed fermentation beers led by brewery founder and brewer Mark Tranter. £25 a ticket, message the pub on social media to sign up.
The Victoria at Heeley Green now has cask ale available following a cellar and bar refit.
The Cross Scythes at Totley has been closed for a refurbishment following a change of management – the new operating company (Northern Collective) also run bars and restaurants in places like Dore and Hathersage.
The Old Hall Hotel in Hope has announced the 2025 dates for their Hope Valley Beer & Cider Festival, which takes place most bank holiday weekends. See our festival listings page for details.
The Woodseats Palace (Wetherspoons) is hosting a tap takeover with Welbeck Abbey brewery on 20 March, from 7pm. This will see them pouring up to 5 of their cask ales including some one off specials.
Celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the mapping of the Pennine Way take place this year and sitting next to it is the Old Nag’s Head in Edale, which as you’d expect is joining in! They are hosting a music night on 19 March from 7:30pm as part of the celebrations.
The Beer House S6, located on the inbound tram platform at Hillsborough, have updated their midweek event programme. Monday is pool league, Wednesday is quiz night an Thursday is games league.
Many of you will have been following the story of this village pub – a few years back the pub company that owned it decided it wasn’t viable with their model and put the building on the market, potentially to be converted to flats or housing, leaving the village with nothing much else there.
With some help and advice from CAMRA, a group of locals got the pub listed as an Asset of Community Value and set up a Community Interest Company to buy the pub. It is now a community owned enterprise that includes a traditional local pub, cafe and post office plus it offers overnight accommodation upstairs.
Whilst under community ownership the Anglers has successfully provided the village with a good pub, post office and cafe; however in recent times it hasn’t been financially successful as a business so they are now changing their operating model. They have undertaken a successful fundraising campaign to keep the building’s lights on and rather than run the place themselves are leasing it out to a tenant to run as their own business that simply pays rent to the community interest company.
The new management of the Anglers Rest is Atlantik Inns, a local company headed by Rick Ellison. In April this year he celebrates 15 years at the Old Hall Hotel in Hope, he’s had the Peak Hotel in Castleton for 11 years, the Miltons Tap in Buxton for 6 years and the Anchor near Tideswell since 2016. More recently he has taken over the lease of the Farmyard in Youlgreave, near Bakewell. Rick has specialised in taking on leasehold pubs in the Peak District that are under threat of being closed and boarded up and working with the owners to turn them around into a successful business.
Rick considers the Anglers as being a bit different to his usual projects – community owned since 2013 having been saved by the very same people whose homes surround it, the pub is in fine fettle and ready for a new pub landlord to hit the ground running. The Anglers currently has modern solar panels, cafe, Post Office, community meeting room and a large car park that includes bicycle parking and an EV charging station. It is also recognised for its cask ale, being in the Good Beer Guide!
A refurbishment is planned to refresh the interior, introducing a modern restaurant area, games room including a pool table, brand new bar and a cosy feel.
The cellar has already been refurbished relatively recently but will be modernised in partnership with Heineken (who Atlantik Inns lease some of their other pubs from) who will be installing their smart dispense system and a Beer Tec Smart Cellar system that cuts usage of the air conditioning. Heineken will be supplying the keg beer with well known brands like Beavertown, Cruzcampo, Hawkstone and Guinness on tap along with Theakston Old Peculiar on cask.
The remaining handpumps will showcase Peak District breweries with two ales on from Intrepid Brewing based just down the road from the pub in Brough and also two ales from Eyam Brewery based in Great Hucklow. There will also be a changing guest ale.
Atlantik Inns take over the management of the pub from 24 February but will be closed for a few weeks for the refurbishment, opening mid March.
If you fancy visiting the Anglers, as well as having a car park Hulleys bus 257 from Sheffield to Bakewell goes past the front door Monday to Saturday daytime, alternatively it is about a 15 minute walk from Bamford railway station and the 272 bus stop.
Sheffield, UK – March 10th to 16th, 2025 – Get ready to raise a glass to Sheffield Beer Week! This city-wide celebration of craft beer will once again unite the community
This year, Sheffield Beer Week will shine a spotlight on the ‘Outdoor City’ it calls home during The Festival of the Outdoors and the unique blend of beer and food pairing. Showcasing the city’s vibrant culinary scene alongside its thriving craft beer industry. Expect a diverse program of events, including:
Brewery Tours & Tastings: Go behind the scenes at local breweries, learn about the brewing process, and sample their latest creations. Visit the wealth of pubs, bars, beer shops and taprooms to enjoy tastings and events.
Beer & Food Pairings: Indulge in expertly curated local menus featuring beers paired with delicious dishes
Pub Tours & Walking Trail Events: Discover the gems, explore the city’s diverse pub, bar, beer shop and beer scene with guided tours and self-guided trails.
Community Events: Participate in family-friendly events, charity fundraisers, workshops and book readings that celebrate the spirit of community.
Sheffield Beer Week will also delve into the city’s rich brewing heritage, exploring its historical significance”We are thrilled to bring back Sheffield Beer Week and invite the community to join us in celebrating the city’s vibrant beer culture,” said Jules Gray of Sheffield Beer Week “This year, we are focusing on the unique connection between beer and food, while also honoring our city’s brewing heritage and the stunning outdoor city we call home. We encourage everyone to come out and experience the best of Sheffield.”
On the weekend of 7th to 8thMarch, to start the week, Sheffield’s craft beer festival, Indie Beer Feast is back at Trafalgar Warehouse. It’s a celebration of great independent craft beer with brewery bars, street food, low intervention wines and fine cider. The beer festival champions and supports The Everyone Welcome initiative. British Guild of Beer Writers’ member and leading UK award-wining beer writer Adrian Tierney-Jones will be heading up, alongside Founder and Director of community initiative, Women in Beer, Amelie Tassin to host pop-up tastings.
The Victoria Hotel in Heeley has reopened. The new management is Dan, who has previously worked at the Fox & Duck, Blind Monkey and Cremorne. There is currently no real ale but there is a hope that will change when the pub company, Punch Taverns, get the bar & cellar refit done.
The Castle Inn at Bradway has reopened after the previous business operating the pub, which is leased from Stonegate, ceased trading. The new management, who are also involved with the Millhouses, have returned it to being a community local rather than a gastropub, although they are serving food. They have also introduced entertainment, including a retro music & quiz night. Real ale continues to be available.
In the run up to Christmas, the reopened Harlequin on Nursery Street, near Kelham Island, recorded their 100th different cask ale on the bar.
The Mount Pleasant in Norton Lees has been run by the same family for a fair few years now and has remains a friendly and traditional multi room community local with real ale. Unfortunately in recent times the pub has been losing money and the keys are being handed back to its owner – Heineken Star Pubs – at the end of the current lease period in February.
The Ship Inn at Shalesmoor is another leased pub where the keys got handed back to the pub company – this time Admiral Taverns – as the previous management no longer considered it viable with increased costs. It isn’t all bad news though – the pub has now reopened under new management with two real ales on the bar and live entertainment planned.
The Peacock at Owler Bar is no longer part of the Chef & Brewer chain, having been taken over by Longbow, the Peak District based hospitality venue operator. Other venues they run include the George in Hathersage, Maynard in Grindleford and Ashford Arms in Ashford-in-the-Water. They are describing the Peacock as a pub that ramblers, families, foodies, and locals alike can call their own serving exceptional food without the faff, championing locally-sourced ingredients and pouring perfectly-crafted drinks with a smile. Cask beer from local breweries including Thornbridge is on the bar.
The Cross Scythes on Derbyshire Lane, Norton Lees, is welcoming back live music on the last Saturday of every month during 2025. They also host a regular acoustic jam session on Thursdays (7.30pm prompt!) and an American Blue Grass jam on the last Wednesday of the month.
The Rose & Crownin Wadsley has reopened with the lease taken on by Lisa who was previously assistant manager of the Cross Scythes in Norton Lees! The pub is dog friendly and Real Ale is available on the bar – usually Bradfield Farmers Blonde plus another beer on the Heineken list such as Timothy Taylors Landlord or something from Theakstons. Food traders have been outside the pub for some special events but in the future the plan is for food offering to be provided by a third party caterer renting the pub kitchen.
The Rutland Arms in Sheffield City Centre closed for 2 weeks at the start of January for a refurbishment. This involved new floor, carpet and toilets.
The Rutland Arms bar, post refurbishment
The Old Nag’s Head in Edale closed between 6 and 22 January for maintenance.
The Red Deerin Sheffield City Centre closed 6-8 January for a cellar refurbishment. The pub is leased from Heineken’s Star Pub company.
The Railwayat Wadsley Bridge closed from 6 to 19 January for maintenance.
The Boston Arms in Woodseats closed from 6 to 9 January for painting, fixing and cleaning.
The Dog & Partridge in Sheffield City Centre closed 18 to 24 January to get the painters & decorators in.
The Tunnel Tap micropub in Totley now serves pies on Fridays and shows movies on the first Sunday of the month.
The Old Shoe in Orchard Square, Sheffield City Centre, has applied for a licence for the upstairs space to convert it from a staff/storage area into a second bar. We assume that it will be used for special ticketed events such as private tastings and meet the brewer/producer sessions.
When Guinness announced that despite producing industrial volumes of the stuff there was a shortage of keg beer available to export to the UK with UK customers rationed, it sounded like a PR stunt that was announced every year just before Christmas, however things got real at the Dog & Partridge, an irish pub in Sheffield City Centre, with no Guinness available on tap on New Years Eve and landlord Conor describing the ordering process having similar vibes to trying to get tickets for Glastonbury festival! Those wanting a dark beer didn’t go short though as craft brewers came to the rescue – on keg was a nitro stout from Whiplash brewery in Dublin as well as an Irish style stout from Abbeydale Brewery whilst on cask a porter was available.
GloryHoles adult minigolf & bar on Sheffield High Street appears to have closed down. It is unclear whether this is permanent or for a refurbishment.
Olivia’s Townhouse on West Street closed down but is expected to reopen in a new guise.
The Botanist in Leopold Square has closed, although the Furnace restaurant at Charter Square (which is run by the same company) is reportedly to be converted into a branch of Botanist to replace it.
The Commercial in Chapeltown hosted a beer launch with the “Ale & Audio” podcast. As the audience for the podcast is principally people that drink in their own “pub shed” at home, they recorded an episode in the shed in the pub’s garden that is a distillery! The beer was brewed by Overtone and was called “Gimme Some”. Meanwhile on a more routine basis at the Commercial, the weekly chip butty nights and monthly whisky tasting events continue and they also now have a pie night on Thursdays – plus as ever a great range of ales!
A new micropub has been proposed in Neepsend in a former gaol building more recently used as an electricity substation on the junction of Burton Road and Hicks Street (near the Old Workshop bar). The planning application is from Tribeka Developments and the working name of the bar is Burton & Hicks.
