Visit to Sheffield - Part 1

I arrived at Sheffield Station in the early afternoon, having begun a visit here last week and, of course, if you know Sheffield you will know there is an excellent pub on platform 1, ie the Sheffield Tap (website). The entrance above is outside the station and is at 1b Sheaf Street, S1 2BP, and opposite Sheffield Hallam University and Sheffield Interchange. The bar is situated in the Grade II listed Refreshment Room, which had been turned into a waiting room in the 1970s, and closed because of vandalism in 1976. In 2008 refurbishment began (see their story), I believe they had assistance from Thornbridge Brewery concerning ales to sell, indeed, had 4 Thornbridge ales on sale when they first opened; now they just have their excellent pale and hoppy 5.9% Jaipur (website) on one of the 11 handpumps.

The development of the site has seen the Tap's own microbrewery next door, located in what used to be the First Class Dining Room, Tapped Brew Co (their website doesn't appear to be working, but facebook page), which has a 4 Barrel brewing plant. A selection of their ales and many guest beers are served from the 11 handpumps, and I had a pint from the ever dependable Roosters Brewing Co (website), their 4.1% Yorkshire Pale Ale. An excellent pale golden bitter, very easy to drink, and all their beers are 'vegan' friendly, and CLEAR, thank you very much!

I then walked to my abode for 2 nights, The Crow Inn, 33 Scotland Street S3 7BS (website), not so far away, but very close to the area where I'd be meeting mates this afternoon/evening, and drinking with them! The Crow Inn reopened 3 years ago after quite a few years closure, and has 7 recently refurbished en suite bedrooms. It also sells a quite a few interesting ales... Indeed, I met up with the first of the 3 lads there, Will, and, after settling into my room, ie offloading my bag, I returned to the bar for a pint.

I had a pint from Abbeydale Brewery (website), and I do know the original head brewer of this brewery, good lad, and, interestingly, a beer originally brewed to be dispensed as a keg beer 6 years ago! But this day it was a cask conditioned ale I drank, of course, ie Heathen American Pale Ale (4.1%), blessed by Mosaic hops, I do believe. My notes, and they get progressively worse over the shift, be aware, say "pretty good, does what it says on the label."

Will and I then wandered across to Kelham Island and met up with Jeff and Lindsay at The Fat Cat (website), 23 Alma Street S3 8SA, and people familiar with this blog, or who know me personally, will know that when I was a post-grad student I worked at the associated brewery (just beyond and to the right in the photograph above), Kelham Island Brewery (website), with the same postal address. The pub was an original in Sheffield, virtually throughout the country for that matter, when it was bought as the Alma in 1981 by Dave and Bruce to provide an alternative to the big brewers, and providing an outlet for independent brewers. After separating their business interests, Dave continued with the pub and set up the microbrewery, in a shed behind the pub at that time (now bigger, and seen above), in 1990. Great to see Di and the chef are still working at the Cat too, I had nice chats with both of them.

Anyway, I drank their Kelham Best (3.8%) the next day, but won't mention it in my next blog (when I drank it, next day), but a very decent traditional bitter and at only £3 a pint, so I had to mention it here... Fuggles, Goldings and Admiral hops used now (not when I worked there, but it appears all the beers' recipes have changed since my day). The first day, from the many ales on offer, I drank their Easy Rider (4.3%), which I remember as a weaker version of their Pale Rider (5.2%), but, having chatted to the head brewer the next day, I realised recipes had changed significantly, the hopes used aren't advertised, but as you'd expect, hops from the USA are used. I didn't make any notes about the Easy Rider (£3.40 a pint) but it does what it says, a very decent APA style beer. Oh yes, and I mentioned the Pale Rider in a recent blog, but the brewer didn't have older information about the possible use of Cascade hops, so no idea still!

You used to be able to be able to see the back of the Kelham Island Tavern, or KIT, as you left the Cat, many of us still use the term KitCat when going to drink at both 😉 Anyway, just around the corner is the KIT, 62 Russell Street S3 8RW (website). Built in the 1830s, it was a derelict building when Trevor and Lewis took it over, refurbished it, reopening in 2002, and it became the best real ale pub in the country, indeed, they won the National CAMRA Pub of the Year in 2008 and 2009, and have won many other awards before and since! Although now retired, I believe Trevor still owns the property, but now managed by others, and still winning awards.

I was quite surprised not to know any of the regulars present when we walked in, but it's been a few years now since I was in Sheffield and, no doubt, at other times I would know more customers.  Anyway, the 4 of us found a nice table adjacent to their galley kitchen, and I chose, after Will recommended it to me, the local Blue Bee Brewery (website) American 5 Hop Version 53 (4.3%), the 53rd version having Citra, Mosaic, Columbus, Comet and Cascade hops from the USA used! What would you expect me to say? 😁 Very hoppy, big citrus aroma and taste, pale golden, with a dry bitter finish, just as I like my session bitters, very good indeed! 

From there, we wandered around another corner to Shakespeare's (website), 146-148 Gibraltar Street S3 8UB, which, as you can see from the photograph above, used to be a Ward's pub many years ago, and they've retained the signs. This Georgian pub was closed for 18 months from early 2010 (previously, Jeff, Lindsay and I had helped them finish off their array of rums!), refurbished, and reopened in July 2011, and since winning CAMRA awards too. I have to admit to not making any notes here, sorry, but they do sell up to 9 real ales, many from local brewers, over 50 bottled beers and over 100 whiskies! It is also a well known music venue in Sheffield.

OK, I was starting to feel a wee bit challenged, maybe 😁 and, whilst Jeff and Lindsay set off for home, Will and I walked the short distance to Shalesmoor, and just after that tram stop is The Wellington (facebook), 1 Henry Street S3 7EQ. Originally built in the 1830s, it gradually became run down through the 20th century, and was refurbished and reopened as a free house in 1993 and renamed the Cask & Cutler (as I first remember it, although also called the "Bottom Welly" - the "Top Welly" was at the other end of Infirmary Road). Anyway, it changed hands again in 2006 and was re-renamed The Wellington, or Cask & Welly to us locals, as I then was.

Since 2016, the pub became one of 3 owned by the friendly Canadian, James B (and an ex-brewer at the Kelham Island Brewery from quite a few years ago too!), who has his own brewery now, Neepsend Brew Co (website), and the 3 pubs including The Wellington, which is termed their Brewery Tap. Again, apologies for not taking notes, but I have written about their ales before, eg in this blog from 4 years ago; however, the "Top Welly" or Hillsborough Hotel is no longer a pub, sadly, hence why I wasn't staying there overnight for this visit. I promise, the next time I visit Sheffield, I shall be much more vigorous with my note taking...

Anyway, Will and I went on to the Dog & Partridge (website) nearer to the city centre, no notes again, but it wasn't in the small area that I wanted to write about, so wasn't close by the other pubs mentioned in this blog, thus not the wee S3 'pub crawl' I am suggesting. But I did return to The Bar Stewards micropub (facebook), opposite Shakespeare's at 163 Gibraltar Street S3 8UA, and which I wrote about with a similar 'pub crawl' on my last visit to Sheffield in 2019 (blog). I did drink a pint of Stout priced at £3.40, but that is all I can decipher from my notes! Oh yes, and the photograph was taken when we passed it on the way to The Wellington, hence why this image isn't in darkness...

I then walked up behind the micropub and back to the Crow Inn, where I took a half pint of a stout up to bed with me, which I did finish...

More about my 2nd day in Sheffield in my next blog, cheers!

A Sheffield Mile Long Pub Crawl...

As seen in my last blog, I ate at Mama's and Leonies (website), then visited a new (ish, was closed for a while and open before in a previous guise as the Crown, which I have visited many years ago!) pub, the Crow Inn, 33 Scotland Street, S3 7BS (facebook). A mate, Will, advised me about this reopening a short while ago, cheers, so it was my second port of call, following my meal at Mama's, just above West bar Police Station, which is no longer there!

Behind the bar was one of the co-owners, Kate, who was happy to answer my questions (she also co-owns the Rutland), and very friendly. The Crow has 5 real ales, 3 real ciders and a perry, not to mention 14 crafty kegs! I went for a pint of the Mission Creep (never heard of this Welsh brewery, so new to me) Anger Management (4.4%), advertising the use of 'C' hops from the USA, consequently looked promising to me. A golden bitter which wasn't quite as I expected, as in not as fruity, quite dry and bitter, slightly sour taste. There were also ales from more local brewers, including Abbeydale and Blue Bee. Promising new addition to Sheffield's pubs!

Just walking down from there the next pub I visited was Shakespeares, 146-148 Gibraltar Street, S3 8UB (website), by now with company for my travels, Jeff and Lindsay, long time no see lads. This is a regular award winning pub in recent years with a wide choice of ales, 9 in all, prices starting at £2.70 a pint, oh yes, and they sell real ciders too, as do most of the decent pubs in Sheffield of course. I had the North Riding (website) Citra Pale (4.5%) at £3.20, which was okay, but I was a wee bit disappointed as I love the award winning Oakham Citra IPA, for example, which is only 4.2% and has much more flavour, oh well, it wasn't bad...

Opposite Shakespeares is The Bar Stewards, a micropub at 163 Gibraltar Street, S3 8UA (website) which serves 4 real ales, crafty kegs etc... Forget the whisky that appeared here, thank you Lindsay, from the 4 real ales they serve I drank Great Heck (website) Mosaic (4.5%), a golden fruity bitter with plenty of flavour, getting better indeed.

Crossing over the A61 (Shalesmoor) and we made a visit to the Kelham Island Tavern, 62 Russell Street, S3 8RW (website), a many award winning hostelry, indeed twice CAMRA National Pub of the Year. I had the local Blue Bee (website) Triple Hop (4.3%) with Citra, Mosaic and Ekuanot being the three hops. Another pale golden bitter of course, well this is me, grapefruit in the taste, big in the nose and flavour, with a dry bitter finish, very good!

And around the corner is another multi award winning pub, indeed, world leading beer writer Roger Protz has just written in the 500th edition of Beer Matters, Sheffield CAMRA's monthly magazine, that Dave Wickett, who bought and refurbished the Fat Cat and set up Kelham Island Brewery "started the beer revival" in Sheffield. Having worked for Dave at Kelham Island Brewery myself i also witnessed his love of ale and football that Roger emphasises. Sadly Dave passed away a couple of years ago, R.I.P.

Anyway, at the Fat Cat itself, 23 Alma Street, S3 8SA (website), I first drank Jolly Sailor (website) Summer Pale, a 4.2% dry hopped 'session pale' bitter, pale golden colour, not bad, but then it had to compete with their own Kelham Island (website) Pint Break (5.0%), brewed with lager yeast and 2 types of hop from the USA. Pint Break had a deep golden colour with a sort of bitter sweet flavour at first taste, drying out bitterness, plenty of depth and body, very decent; £3.40 a pint, prices here from £2.70 to £3.70 a pint. 

And a brand new bar for me. just round the corner from the Cat at 50 Green Lane, S3 8AY, is Pa's Bistro (website), where I sampled a couple of ales from a local brewery new to me too. As you can see a new building, and this area has had a lot of financial support from the EU by the way, and a friendly lad behind the bar, and some nice customers too, other than me... Anyway, the ale, from a choice of 9 regular brews of Fuggle Bunny (website), Pa's have up to 3 ales, 2 for my visit, and at just £3 a pint on match day, nice one. I first drank their Hazy Summer Daze (4.2%), a pale ale, hints of tropical and citrus fruit in the taste, with a dry bitter aftertaste. Then I had the rather excellent Russian Rare-Bit, a 5.0% 'Imperial Black Stout' with its aroma of roasted barley and full deep flavour with hints of chocolate and liquorice, nice one!

My first regular local when I moved to Sheffield in the 1990s was The Wellington, though it wasn't called that then, at 1 Henry Street, S3 7EQ (facebook), prices from £2.80 a pint. I drank XT (website) 3 West Coast IPA, a golden bitter brewed with Chinook, Columbus and Cascade, at £3.00 a pint, not as spectacular as some of their ales I've drunk before, but still good. I also had their own brewed Neepsend (website) Okami (4.7%), brewed with Styrian Wolf, Citra and Sorachi hops, pale golden, red fruit in the aroma, tropical fruit in the flavour, very interesting!

Another pub I've worked in in the 1990s, a ten minute walk away at the other end of Infirmary Road, is The Hillsborough Hotel, 54-58 Langsett Road, S6 2UB (website), which has 8 real ales and good locally sourced food. Here I had a few pints including Acorn (website) Fiesta, a 4.5% golden bitter, hints of citrus, not bad at all, and £3.00 a pint. Also, Abbeydale (website) Deception, a 4.1% 'New Zealand pale ale', probably my favourite pale ale of the visit to Sheffield, and brewed in Sheffield too. Pale golden bitter brewed with Nelson Sauvin hops from New Zealand, plenty of fruit in the taste, good body for the strength, very good!

The Hillsborough Hotel is a friendly establishment run by Tom and Brigitte, and a good place to drink at before and after a visit to Sheffield Wednesday's ground, oh yes, and I stayed there too, hence the breakfast, which one can never turn down, great stuff!

I also have to admit I was drinking in Sheffield for 2 days, and visited some of the pubs more than once, met many pals, and had a great time, cheers!