B B B B B EER MAT ERS T B B B B B EER MAT ERS T The magazine of the Campaign for Real Ale (Sheffield & District branch) Circulation 3500 monthly FREE Issue 390 September 2009 www.camra.org.uk/sheffield Your festival needs you! Our 35th annual Beer & Cider Festival takes place in Cemetery Park from Thursday 1st October to Saturday 3rd October. (see page 18 for more details!) We are now recruiting volunteer staff - if you are a CAMRA member, why not sign up to the team working the festival? Although hard work, it’s good fun and all staff get a free beer allowance and those working the full festival will get a free t-shirt too!
Transcript
BBBBB E E RM A T E R STBBBBB E E RM A T E R ST
The magazine of the Campaign for Real Ale(Sheffield & District branch)
Circulation 3500 monthly
FREE Issue 390 September 2009 www.camra.org.uk/sheffield
Your festival needs you!Our 35th annual Beer & Cider Festival takes place in Cemetery Park from Thursday1st October to Saturday 3rd October. (see page 18 for more details!) We are nowrecruiting volunteer staff - if you are a CAMRA member, why not sign up to theteam working the festival? Although hard work, it’s good fun and all staff get a freebeer allowance and those working the full festival will get a free t-shirt too!
3
Old Hall Beer Festival
Elsewhere in Beer Matters is an advert forthe Beer and Cider Festival at the Old HallInn at Whitehough, near Chinley. Thischarity event will run from Fri. 18 Sept toSun 20 Sept and will feature up to 40 beersand up to a dozen ciders/perries.
Thornbridge Brewery are sponsoring theevent and they will have members of theirteam a the event to talk about their beersand brewing, and about their new brewerywhich comes on stream in early September.Local charities are to benefit from the event,and these include local scout, guides andother local youth projects.
Festival food will be available near to thefestival beer, the beer being stillaged in the10th century Minstrels gallery, surely a firstfor a beer festival. Entertainment will beprovided by local bands and folk groups andwill include burns by a local group of theBBC Philharmonic Orchestra musicians.
Getting there is manageable by publictransport. Trains from Sheffield run fairlyregularly, check with the Northern Railtimetable. It is but a short walk to the OldHall from Chinley station. The effort willbe well worth while.
Rugby Club beer fest
Another beer festival you will see advertisedelsewhere in this issue is one being organ-ised by Sheffield RUFC at Abbeydale SportsClub, which is just over the road from Dore& Totley railway station on Abbeydale RoadSouth. Beer here will mainly be from localbreweries and admission is free.
August Bank Holiday
Looking for something to do over the bankholiday weekend? It’s beer fest a go-go!
The Cricket Inn at Totley has live blues mu-sic and some interesting guest beers fromScotland confirmed at the time of writing in-cluding beers from Brewdog, Isle of Skyeand Cairngorm.
Over in Barnsley, Locke Park hosts the York-shire Real Ale & Music festival with up to75 real ales and dozens of Ciders and Inter-national bottled beers. You can find out moreat www.yorkshirefestivals.co.uk.
Red Deer closes
The Red Deer closed down without warningat the beginning of August. Hopefully itshould be open again soon. In the meantimethe popular Sunday night quiz has transferedto Fagans on Broad Lane.
Anvil wins award
The Anvil at Stannington has been declaredthe best cellar pub in Yorkshire & North EastEngland in the Morning Advertiser spon-sored Great British Pub Awards.
news
BEER TASTING QUIZSATURDAY 19th SEPTEMBER 8pm
You get a list of beers with tasting notes along with a loadof samples to try. Can you work out which beer is which?
Prizes to be won and buffet afterwards.only £5 for advance tickets.
GASTRO NIGHTSATURDAY 31st OCTOBER
With guest chef Christian Szurko
every week....
Fresh fish nightevery Friday from 5pm
enjoy a menu offering a fantastic variety of fish dishesbeautifully prepared using fish delivered fresh that day
by our fishmonger.
Barry’s Pie nightevery Tuesday
great value for money and tasty too, enjoy a homemade pie with chunky chips and peas for under a fiver.
Choose from Steak & Ale or Chicken & Mushroom.
www.thebradway.co.uk
car park at rear of pub. Buses 25/25A/53/293/M17 stop outside.
7
Hearty Oak LocAles
The Hearty Oak in Dronfield Woodhouse,which reopened and introduced Cask Alesa couple of months ago, now seems to havesettled on their beer policy.
All cask beer is sourced from local brewer-ies, and having had excellent guest Ales fromSheffield Brewery such as Crucible BestBitter and Five Rivers, also The Brew Com-pany’s Ginger Daze and Spring Bock,amongst others, the Abbeydale Moonshineand Abbeydale Brimstone continue to bebest sellers, and are to become permanant.A guest ale will continue to be available, andchange frequently. Plans at the time of writ-ing for the next few guest beers includeThornbridge Wild Swan and BradfieldFarmers Blonde.
Old Heavygate backin business
Following a brief closure, The OldHeavygate Inn at Walkley, dating from 1696,has reopened. John and Karen who haveboth had a number of years in the pub tradeare now the new landlords and are planningto bring this pub back to life. On Saturday29th August there will be a family Bar-B-Qbut food is now being served and there is afull menu with locally sourced produceincluding home made chips. There is GreeneKing IPA at the moment with the possibilityof a local guest ale soon.
Nags Head latest
It has been a year since Bradfield Brewerytook over The Nags Head and to celebrate
they held a party with a disco and karaokeand had a raffle which raised £98.00 forBluebell Wood Childrens Hospice andMacmillan Cancer Support. Although itwasn’t known as a real ale pub when theytook it over, demand for real ale hasincreased and the bar now boasts FarmersBlonde, Yorkshire Farmer and a rotatingBradfield beer on permanently.
The management at the Nags thanks you foryour support throughout the last year!!
Bradway beer boost
The Bradway pub in Bradway, having madea success of their food offer, which includesthe Tuesday pie night and Friday fresh fishnight, have now turned their attention ondeveloping what they do with beer.Currently they have Deuchars IPA and havehad other beers such as Sharps Doom Barwhen Enterprise has been able to supply it.Look out for the appearance of guest beerscoming soon! A beer tasting quiz is plannedfor the evening of Saturday 19th September.
The Bradway also now has a website -www.thebradway.co.uk.
Inn brief...
The Fleur-de-Lys at Totley has closed downafter Enterprise Inns took the tenant landlordto court to evict him. They had fallen behindwith the rent and had also bought beeroutside of the tie, claiming Enterprise hadmislead them when selling the lease and alsocharged unviable prices for the beer.
The Rutland Arms on Brown Street hasclosed down after Punch Taverns sold it off.
All types of dispense equipment and pipescleaned and sanitised
One off deep cleans to weekly regime.Cellar cleaning.
Minor equipment repairs.
Call Paul for a no obligation quote on
07935695469
It should reopen soon as a free house.
Another pub that Punch Taverns has sold isthe Shakespeare on Gibralter Street, whichlandlord Jeff had transformed into anexcellent, chilled out real ale and music barin a traditional yet somehow fashionablesetting. The closing party is mid January.However there is some good news - the newowner is the same people who own theHarlequin, and it is understood it is to beoperated as an independent real ale pub.
The Big Tree at Woodseats has beenrefurbished by Greene King and now looksrather nice inside. As part of the new image,three handpumps have been installed, withGreene King IPA, Abbot Ale and OldSpeckled Hen available, the former beingserved through one of Greene King’s newstyle handpumps with the beer available withsparker on or off at the flick of a switch!
The final count is now in and between theShepherd Wheel Ale brewed by Abbeydaleand fundraising at the Rising Sun duringSunfest a total of £1385 was raised for theShepherd Wheel Restoration fund.Abbeydale were delighted to able to offersupport to such a local project preservingSheffield’s industrial past.
There are lots of bands booked to play liveat the Moorfoot Tavern over the next fewweeks. Live music is also back at the Dove& Rainbow. See the relevant MySpacepages for more information.
A campaign to keep Tetleys brewing inLeeds has been launched. Carlsberg plan onclosing the brewery and selling the site offfor development.
The annual awards lunch is when the prizesfor such competitions as the Champion Beerof Britain are presented to the winners. Aquality three course dinner is served, accom-panied by the beers that won at this yearsGreat British Beer Festival, followed by af-ter dinner speakers from the world of beer.
The 2009 Awards lunch takes place on Sat-urday 10th October at Thornbridge Hall’sstylish Carriage House venue (which is thesame place the Sheffield Beer Festivalawards night takes place earlier in the year).A coach will be operating from Sheffieldrailway station to and from the venue.
Tickets are available from CAMRA HQ andcost £65 each.
••••• Cosy, friendly atmosphere••••• Comfortable lounge••••• Regular real ales - Kelham
Island Gold, Deuchars IPA,Black Sheep Bitter andRuddles Best, with guest alescoming soon
••••• Quiz nights - Monday bingoquiz, Thursday fun quizand Open the Box.
••••• Full size Snooker table +Pool
Tony & Sandra would like to welcome you toTony & Sandra would like to welcome you toTony & Sandra would like to welcome you toTony & Sandra would like to welcome you toTony & Sandra would like to welcome you tothe award winning, the award winning, the award winning, the award winning, the award winning, NEW LOOKNEW LOOKNEW LOOKNEW LOOKNEW LOOK
Walkley Cottage InnWalkley Cottage InnWalkley Cottage InnWalkley Cottage InnWalkley Cottage Inn> Quality Food from our new kitchen> Quality Food from our new kitchen> Quality Food from our new kitchen> Quality Food from our new kitchen> Quality Food from our new kitchen
> Full Disabled Access & Facilities with Baby Changing> Full Disabled Access & Facilities with Baby Changing> Full Disabled Access & Facilities with Baby Changing> Full Disabled Access & Facilities with Baby Changing> Full Disabled Access & Facilities with Baby Changing area area area area area
Gaffer’s QuizGaffer’s QuizGaffer’s QuizGaffer’s QuizGaffer’s QuizEvery Thursday - Free entry, free sandwiches, prizes to beEvery Thursday - Free entry, free sandwiches, prizes to beEvery Thursday - Free entry, free sandwiches, prizes to beEvery Thursday - Free entry, free sandwiches, prizes to beEvery Thursday - Free entry, free sandwiches, prizes to be
won, open the box competition and morewon, open the box competition and morewon, open the box competition and morewon, open the box competition and morewon, open the box competition and more
THE DEVONSHIRE CATDEVONSHIRE QUARTER
49 WELLINGTON STREET S1 4HG0114 2796700
www.devonshirecat.co.uk
OVER 100 BEERS FROM AROUND THE WORLDCHOOSE A REAL ALE FROM OUR SELECTION OF 12 DIFFERENT REAL ALES AT ALL TIMES!
EVER TRIED A TRAPPIST BEER MADE BY MONKS?THERE ARE 7 DIFFERENT TRAPPIST BREWERIES; WE HAVE BEERS FROM 6 OF THEM!
MAYBE SOMETHING A BIT SWEETER?WE HAVE FRUIT BEERS ON DRAUGHT AND IN BOTTLES
WE OFFER FRESHLY PREPARED FOOD FOR ALL!
WHETHER YOU WANT A LIGHT SNACK, A LIGHT OR HEARTY MEAL, YOU WON’T BE DISAPPOINTED! AND OF COURSE YOUCOULD TRY ONE OF OUR RENOWNED HOMEMADE BEEF BURGERS.
YOU MAY HAVE HAD FOOD MATCHED WITH WINE?HERE AT THE DEVONSHIRE CAT WE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR DIVERSE SELECTION OF BEER STYLES & FLAVOURS TO
COMPLIMENT OUR FOOD!
ENJOY EXCELLENT BEER & FOOD IN OUR RELAXED AND FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE HERE AT THE DEVONSHIRE CAT!
Kelham Island
It’s the time at last for expansion so newbrewery kit will be arriving over the Bankholiday weekend and the brewery will haveto close for a few days. This has beennecessary to keep production up with sales.They have been trying to buy land next tothe brewery from the council but this hadtaken so long they have had to move onwithout them
Two new beers due to be released inSeptember - Red molly and Point blank.
Point Blank came about after the brewerystaff had be playing The River album byBruce Springsteen and got into the darknessof Point Blank ,the first track on side three.Yes it was vinyl. It seemed a black beer hadto be brewed so it will be out next month.“Black beer,” is as the name suggests a darkbeer. It has an opaque, black colour and afull, chocolaty or coffee flavour. The rootsof this wonderful black beer lie in Germanywith the earliest documented beer goingback to 1543....it shares similar flavours toBritish stouts & porters but is quite a bitmilder tasting and less bitter.
They also went to see the fabulous RichardThompson this month and were inspired by
brewery news14his Vincent black lightning 1952 song aboutRed Molly they we named the beer after herand Pete Mckee drew the fabulous pumpclip. Easy drinking, red coloured slightlybitter with a marvellous citrus zing to it.
Thornbridge
If you can’t find Summer outsideThornbridge hope you can enjoy it in a glassof their new 3.9% ABV session beer Julius.This citrus-inspired Summer Ale is full ofThornbridge grown herbs including TahitianLime Leaves, Lemon Balm, Lemongrass,Mint and Coriander seeds. Light and lemonyon the nose with a hint of spice and honey.Biscuit characters dominate the mouth, witha hint of ginger and a soft mouthfeel. Thefinish is lightly bitter, a little dry andwonderfully thirst quenching.
Thornbridge brewery are celebrating afterwinning two awards in the prestigiousChampion Beers of Britain competition atthe Great British Beer Festival.Thornbridge’s Kipling (5.2%) was awardeda silver medal in the Strong Bitters categorywhilst their Lord Marples (4%) won a bronzein the Best Bitter category.
brewery news 15
BradfieldAnyone who visited The Bakewell Show inAugust may have caught sight of theBradfield Brewery horse drawn dray whichwas making its first outing in the brewery’sown livery.
It was entered into the heavy horse singlesclass and lined up with 11 other competitors.
The dray was driven for them by Mary Fullerwho is a very experienced horse woman, andthey came a respectable fifth place.
The Brewery would like to thank Mary andthe Fuller family for all their help. They aredelighted with the results.
The dray, which is an ex Adnams vehicle, isnow black with gold edging and red writing,they also have 3 old wooden beer barrels onthe back to give it that authentic feel, thesehowever will be replaced with full steelcasks when the first delivery to The NagsHead is made.
The Brew Company
The Brew Company is releasing a new alein September called Scooper Series IDA.Brewer Pete Roberts explained “This issomething totally different from what we
normally brew and is what I can onlydescribe as an IDA - an Indian Dark Ale!Based on an Indian Pale Ale recipe but withcopious quantities of Amber and Crystalmalts and four aggressive hops this beer isdark in colour, with sweet malt undertonesand a powerful hop presence”. Made withbeer tickers in mind this is the first beer inThe Brew Company’s new ‘Scooper Series’All beers in the series will be brewed in smallamounts. Definately one to seek out andtick off!
Camra Chairman Andy Cullen will bevisiting the brewery in September to brew aSheffield Beer Festival Special - ready intime for the October festival this beer willbe something special - Look out for it onThe Brew Company’s bar at the festival.
The Sheffield BreweryCompany news
The Sheffield Brewery Company can nowreveal our new brand and logo which iscurrently under launch. Eddy Munnelly,
landlord of theGardeners Rest anddirector of the brewery,says, “we’re reallyexcited by this prospectas the new logo moretruly reflects our links
with Sheffield. It’s based on our establishedstrap line “the hallmark of a perfect pint..”and the main logo itself is a hallmark stampwith an engraving similar to a traditionalcutler’s mark. We also designed the 5 piecehallmark to go with the existing strap lineand it contains our initials and theingredients which go into making ourbeautiful beer.”
CATERING KITCHENSSHEFFIELD S4 7QS
Do you have a need forCommercial Catering Equipment and Sound Advice?
We supply Cookers, Grills, Fryers, Bain Maries,Back Bar Equipment, Panninis etc.
Glass and Dish Washers, Stainless Steel Tables and Sinks
New & Reconditioned
Leasing Available
Ring for Brochure or Visit our 3500 SQ FT Showroom
Ample Parking
100 Lyons Street, off Carlisle Street, Sheffield S4 7QS
The logo and hallmark were developed byspecialist creative designers SomethingSomewhere and Richard Bell confirms hewas delighted to have been selected.
“We have designed websites and logos forclients from all sectors within the creativeindustry sector, including the ArcticMonkeys. We first met up with The SheffieldBrewery Company team at one of theirprivate brewery tours for another client. Wethink Sheffield folk will appreciate thestrong image and connection with thedesigns and this will help further developthe brewery’s brand.”
The Sheffield Brewery Company isrequesting all landlords to contact thebrewery to make arrangements for replacingany old pump clip designs which featuredthe Yorkshire Rose with our new ones.
brewery news 17The Annual Beer Census pub crawls tookplace on Saturday 25th July which surveyed85 of Sheffield’s pubs and bars, and the re-sults are in, which I do believe reinforces theargument that Sheffield is probably the realale capital of Britain! Here are some of thefacts and figures we got from it:- 209 different beers on sale- Cheapest beer was £1 per pint (In Champsbar on Ecclesall Road for their house ale)- Most expensive beer was £3 per pint (inCricket Inn (Totley), Wig & Pen (City) andCommercial (Chapeltown).- Average price actually lower than last yeardespite tax increases.The most common beers were TimothyTaylors Landlord, Abbeydale Moonshine,Tetley Bitter, Marstons Pedigree, BlackSheep Bitter, Bradfield Farmers Blonde, GKAbbot Ale and Kelham Island Easy Rider.
Beer Census
19Pub of the Month - SeptemberA fairly new addition to the Sheffield realale scene, the Rawson Spring on LangsettRoad, adjacent to the Hillsborough tramstop, opened in July 2007. A conversion ofthe Hillsborough Swimming Baths, whichin more recent times had housed a bar calledthe Deep End, the pub comprises a largecentral room with a bar occupying most ofone side, with smaller snugs on each sideof the front entrance, and an outside drinkingarea with a covered heated patio area forsmokers. This was the sixth Wetherspoons/Lloyds No 1 bar in the city, the first managerbeing John Wall who had previouslymanaged the award winning Bluecoat inRotherham. John left last November to takeover a pub in London, and was replaced byGrace Hopkins, who moved from managingSheffield Waterworks Co, the Lloyds No 1on Division Street. The Rawson Spring takesits name from the farm and spring whichonce occupied the area and supplied freshwater to the nearby Hillsborough Barracks.
The bar has 10 handpumps, which dispensethe Wetherspoons regulars, Greene KingRuddles Bitter and Abbot Ale, and Marston’sPedigree, together with a real cider, and upto six rotating guest beers, many locallysourced and usually including the housebeer, Rawson Spring, a 4.3% ABV palebitter brewed by Bradfield. Beer Festivalsare held in the spring and autumn, the nextbeginning in October to celebrate the 30thanniversary of the opening of the firstWetherspoons pub. The pub is open from9am to 11.30pm (midnight on Fridays andSaturdays), with food available from theextensive menu from opening time until10pm each evening. The pub is familyfriendly, having a children’s certificate, andhas a loyal and welcoming crowd of regularcustomers. Not surprisingly given the
location, it can get very busy on match dayswhen Wednesday are at home.
The Rawson Spring is the first Wetherspoonspub in Sheffield to achieve the award sospecial congratulations are due to Grace andher excellent team of 20 bar staff on winningthe Pub of the Month award which will bepresented on the evening of Tuesday 8thSeptember.
Alan Gibbons
NOMINATIONS FOR FUTURE PUBOF THE MONTH AWARDS:
Why not try out the following pubs and voteyes or no?!Nags Head (Loxley), Lord Nelson (CityCentre), Plough Inn (Low Bradfield),Wharncliffe Arms (Burncross).
Chris & Mandy look forward to welcoming you to...
The Plough InnThe Plough InnThe Plough InnThe Plough InnThe Plough Inna genuine free house and friendly country pub at Low Bradfield.
Tel: 0114 2851280
Selection of real ales from the local Bradfield Brewery and other guest ales. Three quarter size snooker table Large beer garden Children’s play area Wholesome home cooked food available at reasonable prices
- lunchtimes Mon to Sat 12:00-2:30 and evenings Wed to Sat 5:30-8:30- Now serving food all day Sunday until 8pm.
Quiz night Wednesday - Free entry, free buffet, gallon of beer to winner Music evening - all types - First Tuesday of the month. Listen or join in. Cask Marque accredited for quality of cask ale.
CELEBRATING 200 YEARS AS A PUB IN 2009!
Get here on bus routes 61/62, car parking also available.Open Mon-Tues 12-3pm and 7-11pm, Wed to Sun12pm-11pm.
KELHAM ISLAND TAVERN“Sheffield’s Cask Ale Oasis” - Roger Protz
Sheffield’s permanant beer festival with at least 12 real ales,always including a mild and a Stout or Porter.Large range of draught and bottled continental biers.Traditional Cider and Perry.Folk Nights Every SundayQuiz night every Monday from 9:00pm with free snacksOur beer garden has been awarded Sheffield in Bloom goldaward for five years in a row.Ample car parking in the area
sheffield pub of the year 2004,2005,2006,2007,2008, 2009yorkshire pub of the year 2004, 2007 and 2008
national CaMra pub of the year 2008
OPENING HOURSMonday - Thursday 12pm until 11pm, Friday - Sunday 12pm until midnight
Pub food served 12-3pm Monday to Saturday62 Russell Street, Sheffield. Tel: 0114 272 2482 www.kelhamislandtavern.co.uk
22 T’Ale of two cities (and a town)A little less exotic than usual this month, asapart from a beer-free trip to Luxemburg Idid absolutely no foreign travel in July,principally due to sprogs hogging all thecheap flights instead of working down t’pitor sweeping chimneys like they should.
There is a website, www.ratebeer.com,which is hopefully rather self-explanatory.Every year, the European members have agathering in the summer, called(appropriately enough) the RatebeerEuropean Summer Gathering (RBESG).Way back at the beginning of the year,someone suggested I propose Sheffield tohost the 2009 event, and foolishly I agreed.What followed six months later was the mostintensive beer tasting session of my life! Theofficial event started on the Friday, but as alot of people were flying in (we had about20 participants from Holland, Belgium,Germany, Greece, Denmark, and of courseBritain), I decided that on the Thursday Iwould offer Huddersfield as an option –which just happened to coincide with afestival in the ever-excellent Star.
Day ‘0’ – ThursdayHaving been to work, I caught the 1536 trainto Huddersfield, via the scenic butagonisingly slow Penistone line, in thecompany of half a dozen Ratebeerians. Wealighted at Lockwood and ambled to theStar, where in addition to a dozenhandpumps in the pub, a marquee had beenerected in the car park, holding a further 46handpumps as well as a few more RBESGparticipants. As ever, the list was excellent,over the two days I visited I scored 31 newbeers, while the foreign contingent (and theBrits!) were suitably impressed and set abouttrying as many of the beers as possible. Someof us left about 9pm to have a quick look in
the Rat & Ratchet, the Grove, the Sportsmanand the Station Tavern, all well worth a visit,the Grove in particular having a superb rangeof foreign and UK bottled beers in additionto the dozen handpumps.
Day 1 – FridayRBESG ’09 officially commenced at 9.30amin the Banker’s Draft, where most of uspartook in breakfast and coffee, though somemade an early start on the beer! We thenwalked to The Brew Company, where Petegave us a guided tour followed by a tasting,including his experimental new Radler,made with limes. At 11am we headed to theHarlequin, where a 20-beer mini-festivalwas taking place (what a coincidence, can’timagine how that happened!), includingPort Side, a ported version of Pete’s EclipsePorter, and several beers from rare south-eastern microbreweries such as Grain, OpaHays, Sticklegs and Ole Slewfoot. Aftertrying the beers, accompanied by a heartylunch, we took a short walk to the Riverside,then on to the Cask & Welly, where after aquick brewery tour we set about trying thedozen or so beers on offer. Best of theselection was Little Ale Cart Green Arrow(5.0%), their best beer yet - according to theblackboard brewed with 16% more hopsthan usual ‘in response to a certain fat, black-clad ticker who reckons our beers aren’thoppy enough’ –whoever they could mean!
We then backtracked to the Kelham IslandTavern (via the other place round the cornerfor those that wanted to), where we sampledyet more beers including Fyfe NorthernBrewer (4.2%) and Leadmill Date Porter(4.7%). Next port of call was theHillsborough Hotel for another brewery trip,more beers including bottle-conditionedUnpronounceable IPA (7.0%), and more
23T’Ale of two cities (and a town)importantly dinner! By this stage, fatiguewas setting in, but there was one more pubto visit: the University Arms. Here, aThornbridge night had been arranged,featuring 5 brews including the new EpicHalcyon (7%) and Seaforth (5.9%). Andthus ended a successful crawl of the Valleyof Beer, even if I did feel like I’d spent theday herding cats.
Day 2 – SaturdayUp bright and early (yeah right), weassembled at Sheffield station for the 0942train to Manchester. We had reserved seats,fortunate as EMT had in their infinitewisdom decided to send out a mere twocoach train, leaving about 100 peoplestanding up for the duration. Once safely inManchester we jumped on the free bus toSalford, for a short walk to the Crescent.Here we found Howard Town Weiss Peakand Hopstar Peter’s Perfect Pint (4.1%)among the 10 beers on offer. Next venue wasthe New Oxford, for lunch and over a dozenales, including house beer Salford Pale Ale(4.0%) from Mallinsons, and Handliner(4.0%) from Cornish micro Coastal.
After lunch, we strolled into Manchester,calling for a couple of beers in the unlikelysetting of the Arndale shopping centre – inthe foodie area on the ‘tram’ side can befound the Boggart Microbar, featuring aBoggart beer and 3 guests from their superbwholesale list. A quick half of Bristol BeerFactory Red for me, then off to the MarbleArch brewpub, where I totally ignored theother 8 beers on offer once I saw they hadon the Dobber (5.9%), a variation on their1425 series. While I could happily drink thishoppy beast all night (and indeed did whenit appeared in the Harlequin a week later!),time was pressing on. We called in at the
Angel, a shadow of its former incarnationas the Beer House, but still a worthy stopoffwith half a dozen handpumps.
Next up, the Smithfield, where 8 beers wereon offer including Little Valley Sixpence(3.7%). We then blagged the landlord tofetch 6 more beers from the cellar, top man!A quick stop in Bar Fringe nettedBlackwater Tickell’s Tipple (4.0%), beforea final stop in the Crown & Kettle for a swifthalf of George Wright Drunken Duck(3.9%). We caught the last train back toSheffield, consuming some of the bottlespeople had obtained in Manchester.
Day 3 – SundayAn easier day in principle, insofar as wewere staying in the same place all day. Whatlay before us however was no mean feat:The RBESG Grand Tasting, hosted kindlyby the Harlequin. The concept is simple –each participant brings a few bottles of beer,which meant well over 100 different beers,from dozens of countries, were assembled.Until now, I’d never even considered what100 bottles of beer looks like, and certainlynot how much space they take up!
At noon, the first bottle was opened, andafter seven hours, two meal breaks, and overa hundred beers, we were done. Highlightsfor me were the American, Danish andBelgian hop monsters, and the ImperialStouts, the latter including such delights asSouthern Tier Choklat (11%), and 3versions of Bryghuset BraunsteinImperial Stout, one of which was Olorososherry barrel aged. And, of course, De CamKriek Lambiek 2005, a wonderfully sourcherry lambic so far removed from the mass-produced kriek usually seen that it refusesto be in the same room.
24And thus ended what for me was a six-daypub crawl which netted 102 new UK beersand over 100 foreign, and contributed to anall-time personal best of 255 UK winnersfor the month – 48 of which were in theHarlequin, taking their annual total to 327by the end of July.
BOTM: Little Ale Cart Green Arrow. Asuperb pale, hoppy ale (what else?), whichfeatures a pleasing bitterness absent fromearlier brews, along with the citrus andmango flavours we’ve all come to expectfrom Richard & Gee’s beersPOTM: So far I’ve held off giving the‘award’ to the Harlequin, as it’d be too easyand dull to do so every month – howeverthis month I feel there can be no other option.While all the pubs in all three places did theinternational audience proud, the ‘Quin
the aftermath of the Grand Tasting (photo CraigGarvie)
really stepped up to the challenge, both withthe mini-festival and with hosting the GrandTasting – not to mention featuring more newbeers in a month than most manage in a year!
Na zdravi, Dave Unpronounceable
WANTEDBAR AND CELLAR EQUIPMENT
PLUS INDOOR AND OUTDOOR
FURNITURE
AND
GLASSWARE
Please contact Hannah or Wendy
at The Harlequin
0114 2494181 or 0114 2758195
26 CAMRA Meetings and socials
MORE INFORMATION ON BRANCH EVENTSContact Richard Ryan our Social Secretary on 07956 114926
Saturday 29th August 10:20am - RambAle : Ashford to Grindleford/CalverOur regular monthly walk in the Peak District not only featuring a nice bit of exercise and scenicviews, but stops at real ale pubs along the way. This is the final walk for 2009, and a longer one ofabout 10 miles. We catch the 218 bus from Sheffield Interchange to Ashford in the Water at 10:28 andwalk from Ashford to Grindleford via Little Longstone, Great Longstone, Hassop and Calver.
Tuesday 1st September 8pm - Branch meeting : Commercial, ChapeltownThe monthly formal meeting that all branch members are invited to. Here we share pub, club andbrewery news, raise any campaigning or consumer issues, vote for the pub of the month award and getupdated by the committee on what’s happening. All over a few pints of course. Bus 265 or train there.
Saturday 5th September 12pm - Yorkshire Regional Meeting : University ArmsChaired by Yorkshire Regional Director Mick Moss and attended by branches from across Yorkshire,its an opportunity to be briefed from above about the national campaign as well as share news andexperience between local branches. Once formal business is concluded, a social will follow.
Tuesday 8th September 8pm - Pub of the Month presentation : Rawson SpringMembers have voted the Rawson Spring, Hillsborough’s Wetherspoon pub, as the September Pub ofthe Month winner. We present the certificate to the manager and enjoy a few beers.
Tuesday 15th September 8:30pm - Beer Festival planning meeting : New Barrack TavernThe 2009 Steel City Beer Festival is taking place in Cemetery Park from 1st to 3rd October, and willthis year be bigger and better! This is the organising committee’s monthly meeting to discuss arrange-ments for the festival, if you would like to get involved please feel free to come along and join in thismeeting, at the New Barrack Tavern on Penistone Road. (Bus 53 and 78 stops outside)
Saturday 19th September 12:30pm - Anniversary lunch : Thai @ The TravellersThe Sheffield & District branch held their first ever branch meeting in the Travellers Rest in Holmesfield,now on the 35th anniversary we go back there and visit in it’s new guise as Thai at the Travellers forlunch, washed down with a pint of real ale, Bus 293/14 (change at Dronfield). Phone for more info.
Saturday 19th September 8pm - Beer Tasting Quiz : The BradwayA whole load of unmarked beer samples and a sheet with tasting notes - can you work out which beeris which? There will be prizes to be won and a buffet will be provided. Entry fee £5. Bus 53.
Tuesday 22nd September 8pm - Beer Matters Distribution socialThe October issue of Beer Matters will be delivered to the Kelham Island Tavern this afternoon forvolunteers to distribute to their local pubs. Come down and have a beer with us when you collectthem! There will also be flyers and posters for the beer festival available to collect and distribute.
SHEFFIELD TRADING STANDARDSShort measures, misleading advertising and other consumer
complaints? www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/sheffield
Beer MattersEditor: Andrew Cullen 07554 005 225 [email protected]: Alan Gibbons 0114 2664403 or 07760 308766 [email protected] rates: Full page £60, half page £40, quarter page £25. Discounts for regular placements.Articles, letters and suggestions for Beer Matters are most welcome, please email them to the address above.Please note that for legal reasons a full name and postal address should be provided with contributions.COPY DEADLINE FOR NEXT ISSUE: TUE 08/09/09. Note opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author andmay not neccessarily represent those of the Campaign for Real Ale or the editor. Beer Matters is copyright CAMRA Ltd.
Steel City Beer & Cider FestivalSet up: Saturday 26th September to Wednesday 30th September
Open: Thursday 1st October to Saturday 3rd OctoberTake down: Sunday 4th October and Monday 5th October
Looking aheadOctober tbc: Woodthorpe Hall Cider RunDecember: Christmas Dinner at the Nags
Head, Loxley
Unit 111, J C Albyn Complex, Burton Road, Sheffield, S3 8BT
