Although I didn't actually visit until the day I left, waiting for my train (and I was drinking Monday to Wednesday this visit, not necessarily in this order, but this is a reasonably logical circular walk), I visited the Sheffield Tap (website), which I have written about in more detail before (blog). This bar, and 4 Brewers-Barrel sized microbrewery (Tapped Brew Company), is situated on platform 1 of Sheffield Railway Station in an old tastefully refurbished Dining Room.
I had enough time for a pint of Tapped Brew Electric Works (4.2%), an 'extra pale ale' brewed with extra pale malt, and Mosaic (hopslist) and HBC 431 hops (Yakima Valley Hops), and with hops like those used, you would expect plenty of citrus and tropical fruit flavours... And you wouldn't be wrong! Packed with fruity aroma and taste, nice and clear and very pale, and a nice dry bitter finish, one of my favourite ales of the trip, at the death! 😁
Although it was the next day I visited, as it's closed on Mondays, but Mama's and Leonies, 111-115 Norfolk Street S1 2JE (website) is my favourite place to eat at in Sheffield; I've been eating here since the 1990s! Plus I always see friendly faces, Tracey's smile as I came through the door and friendly discourse, updates really, chatting with Kath and John (proprietors) and chatting with Jason, the head chef, who knew exactly what I wanted to eat, indeed, what I eat here 99% of the time, a Warm Chicken & Bacon Salad, quality! Nice to be remembered 👍
So, heading to the Kelham Island area, and The Fat Cat, 23 Alma Street S3 8SA (website), in front of what used to be Kelham Island Brewery, where I worked quite a bit when I was a postgraduate student in Sheffield. Here I met another familiar face, Dianne, who only works here a couple of days a week now, so lucky for me, nice blether. Oh yes, and I've written about the re-birth of Pale Rider recently (blog), so I was very excited to drink the latest version, but I was a bit disappointed... OK, it's drinkable, but nothing like the ale that I have brewed personally in the past, unsurprisingly really, as different hops are used now (blog), and it was cloudy! Now it's become a bit trendy to not use finings for vegan friendly beers, but I think it's a wee bit lazy, perfectly clear vegan ales can be brewed easily enough, more later... I was disappointed.
Just around the corner is the Kelham Island Tavern, 62 Russell Street S3 8RW (website), another pub I know very well, which has been CAMRA National Pub of the Year 2 years running in the past, and I have written about visits here quite often, and which sells a dozen or so ales of various types, plus crafty kegs galore! The proprietor Josh, is also the man behind Blue Bee Brewery (website), more below when I spent a few hours touring and drinking with his colleague, and an old friend of mine, Pete, who I first met well before his brewing career began. Whilst at the KIT also met, completely coincidentally, with long-term friends Bob and Marie, lovely surprise!
So, to Blue Bee American Five Hop #63, their 63rd version of this ale, which I seem to remember Pete telling me the constant in the 5 hops used is Columbus (also known as Tomahawk - hopslist), and this version including Vista (Yakima Valley Hops), Chinook (hopslist), Simcoe (hopslist) and Citra (hopslist). I've had a few versions of this 4.3% ale now, and haven't had anything but excellent pale, crystal clear, and citrusy ales with a great dry bitter finish, and this was no exception, nice one, cheers!
Oh yes, and the very local Blue Bee Brewery (website) has a 10 Brewers-Barrell kit (360 gallons), and we had a great chat about their beers. Always crystal clear and vegan friendly too, due to not using isinglass finings (what vegans don't like), but using Finings Adjunct (Murphy & Son), which is usually used together with isinglass, but alone, is vegan friendly. I wish that many other brewers took note, not everyone is a trendy thick 'soup style' beer drinker!
Then, not too far away, indeed, across a main road and around another corner, and you reach Shakespeare's, 146-148 Gibraltar Street S3 8UB (facebook), again, with plenty of cask ales available. Of which we went for the promising sounding U.S. Triple Hop (4.0%) from Stockport based Chadkirk Brew Co (website), brewed, in this instance, with Centennial (hopslist), El Dorado (hopslist) and Simcoe hops (hopslist). I was surprised that there wasn't more flavour, pale dry finish, a bit thin, but I have seen online that they also brew many versions with different 3 hops used, it would be interesting to try another version.
We ended our 'crawl' on Monday at The Wellington, 1 Henry Street S3 7EQ (facebook), at nearby Shalesmoor, which has its own local microbrewery Neepsend Brew Co (website). Of course I had to try their 'American Pale Ale' Rougarou (5.2%), brewed with El Dorado (hopslist), Citra (hopslist) and Mosaic hops (hopslist). I enjoyed it, as I should with the hops used, it is what has become a traditional style of APA, but I wrote no notes, 'twas late! 😉
Pete and I actually met at The Crow Inn, 33 Scotland Street S3 7BS (website), which is across the road from Shakespeares, and at the top of a side street, a little closer to the city centre, and where I stayed for the two nights. I had a few different ales here, the first when I met Pete, and a couple later on the second night, on my return from my wandering. This first one was brewed by Bristol Beer Factory (BBF - website), their 4.6% Independence 'US Pale' brewed with Citra (hopslist), Mosaic (hopslist) and Amarillo hops (hopslist). I was again disappointed with a drink that had a consistency similar to orange juice 'with bits' but with plenty of fruity aroma and taste.
The second night I also had 2 very good beers at the Crow, the first one from Abbeydale Brewery (website), which I seem to remember is now the biggest brewer in Sheffield, although I can't find out the size of its kit, but it has to be at least 30 Brewers Barrels. Anyway, and I've had it before, a nice pale dry and bitter 4.1% ale, brewed with hops from the USA, called Heathen. It is very pleasant. But I finished the night with a very interesting darker beer from Atom Beers of Hull (website), their 5.8% raspberry porter Positive Charge. Fruity, but not as much as I had expected, indeed, I got rich dark flavours, including liquorice and chocolate too, nice and smooth, with plenty of body as you'd expect, and pretty damn good!
The second day, and this is still following a circular-ish walk, slightly closer to the city centre, I met up with Jeff (sadly, Lindsay had dental issues that prevented his arrival this time) at the Perch Brewhouse, 44 Garden Street S1 4BJ (facebook), which opened at 16.00. I had a couple of their own beers; Dead Parrot Beer Company (twitter), first their 4.0% pale ale Sketch, brewed with Aurora (hopslist) and Citra hops (hopslist). This was very pale, dry and bitter, almost sour, and cloudy, yet another vegan brewer unhappy to brew clear ale. The second one was obviously cloudy too, their 4.2% blonde beer Aspect, brewed with Simcoe (hopslist) and Challenger hops (hopslist). After the first, this tasted quite sweet and fruity, drinkable.
We then headed into the city centre to The Bath Hotel, 66-68 Victoria Street S3 7QL, with the return of Brian as licensee following a few years of Thornbridge running the pub. Brian is always great company, and we'd arranged to meet Will too. Plenty of banter shared, and a few pints, including from Derbyshire brewer Thornbridge (website) their Jaipur (5.9%). Strong American style IPA (APA), plenty of hops, the last time I discovered the 6 hops used (blog) they included Ahtanum (hopslist), Cascade (hopslist), Centennial (hopslist), Chinook (hopslist), Columbus (hopslist) and Simcoe hops (hopslist). Always plenty of flavour, as you'd expect with the strength and hops used, easy to get carried away when imbibing, in more ways than one! 😉
OK, returning here for me was on the third day, on my way back to the railway station, indeed, I again popped into Mama's and Leonies (website) where I had my breakfast, a rather substantial Hot Breakfast Ciabatta, and a couple of coffees. Virtually the same people I talked to yesterday, excepting John, and then back to the railway station, a Sheffield Circular Route completed.
See above for details of my final pint in Sheffield, but I'll be back, cheers! 😁
PS. I'm concerned about this trend to not use finings... 😒
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