Category: Pubs

Inn Brief

Posted on by Andy Cullen

Loxley Brewery’s third associated venue has now opened on Sharrow Vale Road. This time it is a modern microbar rather than a traditional pub but has 3 of their cask ales on the bar plus craft beer from guest breweries on the keg taps. The name of the bar is quite simple and descriptive of the new opening – No3-Sharrow!

The Peacock Inn at Stannington, which is leased from Thwaites brewery, has won the brewery’s warm hospitality award.

Craft & Berry on Ecclesall Road recently celebrated their 5th anniversary with a festival of sours!

The Three Tuns in Sheffield City Centre reopened under new management after a few days of closure for a handover. It is pretty much business as usual with a quiz & bingo on Wednesdays at 6pm then karaoke & disco Friday and Saturday nights 8pm to 1am plus the occasional live entertainment. The real ale selection continues to be from the Heineken list such as Dark Star Hophead, Robinsons Unicorn and Titanic Plum Porter.

The Castle Inn at Bradway is expected to reopen by early December under new management, we understand the new lease has been taken by the same people that run the Millhouses. The expectation is it will continue to serve food but feel more pub like with locals dropping in the tap room for a pint in the evening and in the daytime those enjoying the local woodland walks popping in for a coffee or maybe something stronger!

The Norton at Meadowhead has been closed for a refurbishment and is expected to reopen by December. It will continue to operate under the “Sizzling Pub Co” brand.

The Harlequin on Nursery Street, near Kelham Island, has now introduced food. There are two menus – the lunch menu is served 12-3pm with a range of hot and cold sandwiches along with a soup of the day whilst the evening menu is served 5-8:30pm with a range of main meals including fish & chips, burger, sausage & mash, three bean chilli and curry served with rice and flatbread. During both food service times they also serve chip butties with a choice of sauces/sides! Food is served every day except Sunday.

The Dove & Rainbow in Sheffield City Centre normally see a whole bunch of metalheads pop in during the last weekend in November when the HRH Viking music festival takes place at the O2 Academy, just a few minutes away. Unfortunately with that venue closed until all the dodgy concrete is replaced, the festival isn’t happening, but the Dove is putting their own event on Friday 29 November regardless with their DJ playing viking metal and the bar serving beer, rum, mead and all the rest – bring your own drinking horn!

Hop Hideout , now located at Leah’s Yard in Sheffield City Centre, celebrated their 11th birthday over the week of 13-17 November. On the beer front a 7.8% ABV West Coast DIPA hit the taps, this was brewed as a collaboration between Round Corner Brewing and community focused group Women in Beer. Following up on that theme the second South Yorkshire Beer Girls Social was hosted on the Sunday. Alongside that another Thornbridge beer in a wooden pin was on the bar, this time filled with Rattlesnake, a 6.5% West Coast IPA. The beer from the wood programme at Hop Hideout is planned to continue until the end of 2024 and is expected to happen at roughly fortnightly intervals (as the pin will need to be cleaned and refilled at the brewery in-between each outing!).

Planning has started on Sheffield Beer Week 2025, an initiative launched and coordinated by Jules from Hop Hideout. The dates are 10-16 March, if you run a pub, bar, restaurant, brewery or suchlike and would like to take part by putting on an event please contact Jules via sheffieldbeerweek@gmail.com.

Winter has arrived at the Washington in Sheffield City Centre with mulled Old Rosie Cider and Mulled Buckfast available alongside the cask ales!

The Eyre Arms in Calver has now been renamed to the Calver Arms Sports Bar & Pub Kitchen. They’ve launched a new menu in collaboration with the kitchen team from the Barrel Inn at Bretton. The bar menu includes snacks in a basket, pot pies, stone baked pizzas and burgers. On Sundays they offer a carvery, served in “Ronnie’s”, the newly refurbished function room.

The community owned Anglers Rest pub, cafe and post office in Bamford have declared they are struggling with rising costs and other factors and are appealing for help to save the pub a second time (since they bought the pub being offloaded by a big pub company in 2013). They are looking for help in three ways – new shareholders to join the board running the enterprise, volunteers to help out with a few things and donations via their crowdfunding scheme. You can contact them by email – bamfordcommunitysociety@outlook.com or visit their Facebook page.

The Gypsy Queen at Beighton is due to close for refurbishment and rebrand in March 2025. It is currently part of Greene King brewery’s Hungry Horse chain and is to be converted into a “Hickory Smokehouse” bar and restaurant.

Inn Brief

Posted on by Andy Cullen

Craftworks in Mosborough has had a refurbishment of the bar itself with a new, branded bar top and new handpumps!

Dorothy Pax has new opening hours for autumn. The bar is closed on Mondays, Tuesday to Thursday it’s open 4-9pm, Friday and Saturday midday to late and Sunday 12-9pm. These hours may vary when gigs are on.

The Yellow Broom micropub in Bramley, Rotherham (bus X2 from Sheffield), recently marked their 300th different beer on the bar which was Azvex Boltzmann Brain, a 6.5% ABV dry hopped IPA featuring the Idaho 7, Mosaic and Motueka hop varieties.

Hop Hideout in Sheffield City Centre hold their first ticketed tasting event at the new location of Leah’s Yard and it is in conjunction with Thornbridge brewery on Friday 25 October on the theme of beer from the wood.

The Old Shoe is hosting a Sunday Session beer and cheese tasting event on 17 November in partnership with the Weekend Project and Homage 2 Fromage, set to a vinyl soundtrack! Tickets cost £40 and available on their website.

Lost & Found on Ecclesall Road is reportedly being sold by Marstons via auction.

Work is now taking place to refurbish and reopen the Norfolk Arms in Grenoside.

The Grennel Mower at Lowedges has closed and has a to let board up. It is owned by Admiral Taverns.

The Cross Scythes in Totley is now being leased out by Stonegate pub company to a new management who also run the Bank House in Hathersage and the Dore Grill restaurant.

The Boston Arms in Woodseats have expanded their repertoire with the introduction of a cocktail menu!

Bradfield charity tractor run takes place on Sunday 15 December with Oughtibridge brass band also involved, the Blue Ball Inn at Worrall is offering the opportunity to watch from the pub with a beer from 4:30pm.

The current owners of the Barrel Inn at Bretton – Phil and Diane Cone are close to their 30th anniversary there, having run the pub since 1996.

Hop Hideout v3 opens

Posted on by Andy Cullen

Hop Hideout began its journey on Abbeydale Road as a small craft beer shop with keg taps and a tasting room. When Kommune food hall opened with an attached independent retail area, the opportunity arose to relocate to a City Centre location. Hop Hideout left Kommune a few months ago, and there are now no shops there. Since then, some pop-up events in collaboration with local brewery taprooms have taken place.

Jules has now launched the third iteration of Hop Hideout at the newly regenerated Leah’s Yard on Cambridge Street in Sheffield City Centre. Leah’s Yard is home to a cluster of small independent businesses, including a Pete McKee gallery, designer clothing shops, ceramics, and various food and drink retailers.

The format for Hop Hideout is similar to before, with a cosy shop unit featuring fridges full of craft beer, cider, and natural wine, along with taps for draught beer and cider. There are also tables inside and outside if you want to sit and enjoy your drink on the premises. Moving from Kommune to their own space means Hop Hideout can now do much more on the special events side of things, so you can expect tutored tasting sessions hosted by brewers, winemakers, and cider producers.

Hop Hideout’s new opening was part of the launch of the entire Leah’s Yard development during the August bank holiday weekend, which attracted a lot of interest. The shop continues to see many new faces popping in, as well as a lot of old regulars who have followed them to the new location. The spot is ideal, in a busy part of the City Centre near City Hall, and it is looking fantastic following recent regeneration work. Leah’s Yard has the Cambridge Street Collective as a neighbour, along with many new shop units along the same street.

Once Jules has had a chance to catch her breath after getting the shop open, training the staff, serving the many customers, sorting out rewards for crowdfunding contributors, and getting everything organised and tidy, we will be having a chat with her for a future issue of Beer Matters, by which time some of the special events will have been announced!

Inn Brief

Posted on by Andy Cullen

Jo Doyle, previously of the Sheaf View and Anglers Rest, is now assistant manager at Old Nag’s Head in Edale. Here there is a range of five cask ales including Abbeydale Moonshine and a house badged beer – Nag’s 1577 (also known as Theakston Old Peculiar!) along with three rotating guests. Real cider is added to the bar for the summer months. They are now offering CAMRA members a 10% discount on pints of cask ale. Looking further ahead there will be celebrations locally next April to mark the 60th anniversary of the Pennine National Trail, which is accessed close to the pub and the Nag’s is planning to host a beer festival with beer from breweries along the route.

Old Queen’s Head in Sheffield City Centre is now serving food. The menu features typical pub grub dishes, burgers and sandwiches.

Dove & Rainbow in Sheffield City Centre is hosting a Dovestock music festival 22-24 November.

Changes to opening hours at Happy’s Bar in Neepsend – it is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays then Wednesday and Thursday its 5pm to 1am, Friday and Saturday midday to 4am, Sunday midday to 1am. Food served until 10pm Wednesday to Sunday.

Sportsman Inn on Harvey Clough Road, Norton Lees, is under new management. They are promising free pool all day Monday, quiz night and bingo, Chatty Crafters Wednesday Gossip, open mic nights, Murder Mystery Club and weekend entertainment. Opening hours are 1-11pm on weekdays, midday to midnight on Saturdays and midday to 10:30pm on Sundays.

The people behind Two Thirds Beer Co. bar on Abbeydale Road are involved with opening a new City Centre venue in the ground floor of one of the new office blocks on the junction of Carver Street and Wellington Street.

The Castle Inn at Bradway has closed down at very short notice. The pub, which was focused on dining, saw its sister venture, Bakers Chippy in Bradway, continue to trade. The Castle Inn was leased from Stonegate pub company, who are expected to offer the lease to a new tenant. This closure leaves Bradway without any pubs, as Old Mother Redcap, owned by Samuel Smiths Brewery, remains closed but is currently advertising for a live-in management couple. The nearest alternatives for real ale are Shepley Spitfire or Tunnel Tap in Totley.

Dog & Partridge on Trippet Lane in Sheffield City Centre has launched an exciting new Irish food menu. Highlights include “Boxty,” a potato pancake topped with sausage and mushrooms in a stout and Henderson’s gravy, and the increasingly popular “Spice Bag,” inspired by Dublin’s Chinese takeaways, featuring chicken wings, chips, stir-fried veg, and curry sauce. The pub’s events calendar is growing too, with the ever-popular Tuesday quiz night, live music sessions every Sunday, a Thursday games night offering board games and retro video games, and a fun event where people bring their dogs to the Dog for a bit of fuss!

Presentation night at the Crow

Posted on by Kevin Thompson

The evening of Tuesday 10 September saw Adam Swithenbank, along with staff Amber, Michael, Kizzie, Trudi, and Charl, receive a Sheffield CAMRA September Pub of the Month Award.

The pub that started life as the Crown Inn, or Old Crown, was mentioned during the 1840s Chartist protests. The Outrages saw the murder of James Lindley, a saw grinder, in the Crown Inn. The gang wars prevalent in the Shalesmoor area during the 1920s also gained the pub some notoriety.

Fortunately, the pub has evolved far beyond that unrest and violence. Today, the boutique hotel and bar offers five real ales, many keg options on an ever-changing blackboard, and a couple of specialist German lagers.

The business owners, Kate and Chris, also run the Harlequin and Rutland Arms, two real ale staples in Sheffield. 

Paul Manning Sheffield CAMRA Chair presenting the award to Adam Swithenbank and staff. 
Manager Adam Swithenbank receives the award from Sheffield CAMRA Chairman Paul Manning. Photo by John Beardshaw.

Beer Central

Posted on by Guest

Ever since Beer Central opened in the Moor Market back in November 2013, it has been a go to location for beer lovers across Sheffield and the UK. Deborah Jackson and Sean Clarke has become a legends within the beer industry, has influenced and taught a lot of people about beer but sadly as many of you will know, Sean is now moving on to pastures new helping people set up new businesses in Sheffield. 

This month, the new owners Megan Lindop and Ross Lindsay have took over Beer Central. Megan and Ross will take over Beer Central with plenty of experience within the beer industry owning Krafty Fine Drinks in Scotland (kraftyfinedrinks.co.uk). The link to Sheffield is strong, Megan is originally from Sheffield and her love of craft beer started with the help of Sean at Beer Central.

Living in Scotland, Megan and Ross will leave the everyday management of Beer Central to new Store Manager Gavin Kieran. Gavin may already be known to a few customers at Beer Central having helped Sean out previously, covering holidays and regularly ‘working’ on the counter with his laptop since 2021. ‘Beer Central and Sean have taught me a lot about beer, I’ve also spent a lot of money and saved a lot of beers here in the boxes. Sean has been a great help to me within the industry and personally, it is a shame he’s moving on to new things. It is a privilege and a big challenge to be stepping into Sean’s shoes and managing Beer Central, I am excited and nervous to be taking this opportunity’. Gavin has over a decade of experience within the beer industry working with and helping various breweries such as Lost Industries, Steel City, Sheffield Brewery, Beer Ink, Lords Brewery Co and Craven Brew Co.

Even though Beer Central has new owners and management, it will endeavour to remain the same. We will continue to sell a wide range of beers from local, national and international breweries, saves boxes and deliveries in the local area will continue as will the social media posts. There will be one or two small changes. For example, we will be introducing a small range of wine and spirits, a website, and Gavin is hoping to bring back the Beer Central Bottle Shares and look at putting on other events in the future.

Charity Musicthon

Posted on by Kevin Thompson

Gardeners Rest, Neepsend is holding a Musicthon on Wednesday 18 September. This is a 12 hour mammoth music session aimed at raising money for Prostate Cancer UK. The event is not a series of concerts but a continuous musical session running from noon to midnight. As well as raising money for our nominated charity it will be a celebration of the pub’s past and contemporary music tradition. The entire day is free and open to anyone who wants to come and support us. If you are a player, singer or just a lover of music you will be most welcome to attend.

In conjunction with this Sheffield CAMRA will be holding a MusicAle social starting at 7.30pm there, then visiting a few local bars before returning to finish the night. Buses 7/8 serve the pub, while the Supertram stop is less than ten minutes away at Infirmary Road. 

A beer tourist visits

Posted on by Guest

I have friends who live in Nether Edge, in Catcliffe and in Hillsbrough. My wife and I live in Dagenham and visit Sheffield a few times a year, we visited last month for the Tramlines music festival.

We felt the line up on Saturday was not to our liking so my friend John decided it was time for a pub crawl around an area of Sheffield that I hadn’t visited before, around Chesterfield Road and Abbeydale Road.

We took the bus easily from the city centre and met at The Sheaf View at lunchtime. The landlord was very chipper commenting on my Sheafs t shirt from the now disbanded band (hello lads if you’re reading this). He said it was the best pub with Sheafs in the name, that the left hand corner pump was the most popular and that the bagels he sells are the best in the city. Bold claims for sure!! I chose a pint of Bessemer Blonde from local Blue Bee brewery and sat in their garden. It was a clean crisp pint which I scored 3.5 out of 5 on a well known beer app.

We’d soon all met and finished our first drinks so we took the short walk up the hill to what is now called The Brothers Arms but from the outside used to be known as Ye Olde Shakespeare Inn. Again we sat in the garden which had a fantastic view. I chose a pint of Nectaron by Pictish Brewing Company, another solid pale ale that I also scored at 3.5.

Down the hill next to the White Lion. It had had started raining as we got to the pub so we sat in one of their snugs. I do like a pub with a snug. As I was on the quest for new beers I chose Park Life from the Tiny Rebel brewery in Newport, South Wales rather than the always fantastic Titanic Plum Porter. A bad mistake!! The beer was fresh but just not to my taste. I scored it 2.5 the lowest score of the day.

We tried to go into The Crown Inn but one of our 11 is only 9 and they only had a license for adults so they missed out on some good income especially as we were all ready for a bit of food.

Instead we walked across the River Sheaf and on to The Broadfield Ale House on Abbeydale Road where I had a pint of Twin Coast by Sharps Brewery in Cornwall. Again well kept. Again fresh and tasty. Again scored 3.5. At least I’m consistent!! It was a busier pub and had a younger crowd shown by all the check in’s on the app. I have to give a shout out to the sausage rolls which are to die for with each having a couple of pork scratchings on the top!!

The next stop was almost next door, to Two Thirds Beer Co, another venue for the young uns, where I enjoyed a pint of Sundancer from another local Sheffield brewery Triple Point, a hazy IPA that I scored yet another 3.5. On first sip I thought I should have ordered two thirds of a pint instead given the name of this bar!!

We then visited the basement bar Picture House Social a real games venue where we all played the weirdest game of Shuffle Board I’ve ever seen. Played with big sticks and down a lane around the length of a bowling alley. In London it’s more of a long table top game. Who was the best player? 9 year old Evie of course!! As we were so close to the brewery and as they were on, I had two from Abbeydale Brewery, a pint of Daily Bread scored at just 3 and a half of the ever popular Deception scored at a high so far of 3.75 brought down a little as served in a plastic due to us playing the game.

Next we decided it was time for some music as The Fringe festival was on. We headed for the city centre but stopped for a quick half in Jabbarwocky where we saw the end of a set by a 2 piece band, a guitarist and a trumpet player where I enjoyed Ribbons of Distinction Nelson Pale Ale by Carnival Brewing Company over in Liverpool which also scored 3.75.

A taxi was called over to Dorothy Pax, a very pleasant pub by the canal where we sat outside and heard sets by 2 bands. Here we were also served in plastics and I had a pint of Black Sheep Respire which I thought was very good and should be as mainstream as Black Sheep Bitter. I scored it 3.75. I also had a pint of IPA by Peak Ales a flavoursome beer at the day’s strongest 6%. I only scored this 3.25 of 5 probably because my taste buds were used to weaker beers.

We then decided to go for a curry but had time for one last beer in one of our favourite pubs The Crow Inn where I enjoyed a pint of Small Town by MBH Beer from Knutsford, Cheshire which I scored 3.5. We then walked back down the hill to 7 Spices Tandoori for what was a fantastic and very well needed curry.

We visited 9 pubs 7 of which were new to me. I enjoyed 10 pints and managed 11 new beers on the day which was very good for my quest for new beers. None of them were spectacular but I would have had a second pint of 10 of them.

I had a fantastic day. Each pub was different to the next, each had their quirks and each is worth a visit. Most importantly each knew how to keep and serve their beer. A visit to this part of the city is equally as rewarding as a visit to the popular Kelham Island. Maybe next time we’ll visit some of the hostelry’s we missed out this time.

Cheers,
Chris Watson.

Inn Brief

Posted on by Andy Cullen

The Red Deer reopened under new management following a refurbishment on 25 July.

The Black Bull in Ecclesfield reopened following a refurbishment.

The Fat Cat is now serving food again with the new menu launching 13 August, just ahead of the pub’s birthday celebration on 17 August which featured live music and DJ sets in the beer garden.

The remaining programme of summer gigs in the garden at the Banner Cross have been cancelled following complaints from neighbours.

Shakespeares Ale & Cider House have been keeping a status board updated counting how many cask ales they’ve served since becoming a free house 13 years ago in 2011. Through most of this time one of the regular house beers has been Abbeydale Deception and to celebrate hitting the landmark of 10,000 different cask ales served a special dry hopped edition of Deception is being brewed for the pub!

There has been a change of management at the Walkley Cottage Inn with the last day of the established people being 17 August.

The Nottingham House in Broomhill has been closed for refurbishment.

The Miners Arms in Eyam is hosting a beer festival and hog roast on Sunday 25 August.

The Gardeners Rest at Neepsend is holding a Facer’s Flintshire tap takeover on the weekend of 30-31 August then a charity music marathon on Wednesday 18 September, with a continuous musical session running from Noon to Midnight.

Harlequin reopens

Posted on by Andy Cullen
Harlequin exterior

Friday 2 August saw the reopening of the Harlequin on Nursery Street, which is close to Kelham Island, the City Centre and Victoria Quays.

The pub has had a refurbishment that has seen the pub refreshed and repaired inside and out.

Harlequin lounge area, photo by Dave Pickersgill

The new management is Chris Bamford and Kate Major, who already operate the Rutland Arms and Crow Inn. The decor is similar to the Crow and the drinks range reflects the same ethos as both the other two pubs with only independent producers stocked wherever possible.

There has also been a liberal sprinkling of various designs of pride flags around the bar to make the point that they wish to provide a warm, welcoming and safe atmosphere for everyone, like any good pub does.

The bar boasts ten handpumps, of which seven are used to serve a wide range of cask ales ranging from session strength pale ales up to strong chocolate stouts! The remaining three handpumps are used for cider.

The three banks of keg taps feature a couple of lagers and a range of interesting craft beers of varying strength and styles. Check out the blackboard as you walk in for a list of beers and prices.

The lower part of the pub at the back has a brand new dartboard and the outdoor drinking area at the back has been tidied up and is in use. There are plans to give this some further attention in the near future to give it more of a garden feel.

Initially the pub is just serving drinks but a food service is planned, this is likely to launch in September offering a simple pub food menu using good, fresh ingredients. There is also talk of introducing live music at weekends.

The Harlequin opens at midday every day and stays open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, 11pm on other days.

108 Nursery Street, Sheffield S3 8GG. Buses 7,8,95,95a stop outside or use the pedestrian bridge across the river for free City Centre bus SC2 at Vulcan Square. For updates check their Facebook page.

Note bus services in the area change from 1 September – the 95/95a will be replaced by the 76/76a/76e.