Sheffield: Congratulations to Brian at the Bath Hotel!

I've thought about using the image above for many years now, which is of my pal Rick the Dentist, on the left, with Brian Johnson the Landlord, in the Bath Hotel, 66-68 Victoria St, Sheffield S3 7QL (website). Rick sent this photograph to me soon after I moved away from Sheffield, just to make me jealous, no doubt. 😉 This is one of my favourite pubs in Sheffield, where I have had many good times over the years, and it's great that Brian is back running the pub again after a number of years during which he had leased it to Thornbridge Brewery, because his warm welcome always makes you feel at home (eg visiting last year - blog).

So why the 'congratulations' to Brian then? Well, call me a late messenger, but he won the local CAMRA Central Sheffield Pub of the Year 2024 last year, and more recently I saw in Sheffield CAMRA's Beer Matters July 2025, this year too (Sheffield CAMRA). Nice one Brian! 👍

This has reminded me that I need to visit again very soon, looking forward to seeing you again Brian, and whoever else I bump into, cheers! 🍺

Also, you'll likely have worked out I've been to Sheffield recently, blog soon. 😁

Ey 'up! Back in Sheffield, Again...

As I always do, whenever I visit Sheffield I eat at Mama's and Leonies (website), 111/115 Norfolk Street, Sheffield S1 2JE (0114 272 0490), just along the road from the famous, for snooker fans particularly, Crucible Theatre, and around the corner from the Winter Gardens. I've been eating at Mama's since the 1990s, and still many familiar friendly faces working there and pleasant discourse too. It's so good to be remembered, and my favourite Warm Chick & Bacon Salad, without the croutons, and a half carafe of red wine, or a bottle of Budweiser Budvar (website) in this instance, because I was soon meeting up with friends for a few. Always excellent with plenty of healthy stuff on the plate, a great plateful of salad (see below), many thanks folks!

My new regular (mostly) abode for Sheffield visits is The Crow Inn, 33 Scotland Street S3 7BS (website), which reopened 5 years ago after quite a few years closure, and has 7 en suite bedrooms. Sadly, no breakfast provided, but there are some very interesting bar snacks. Importantly, it also sells quite a few interesting ales and crafty keg beers! Open Mon-Wednesday 3pm to 12 midnight; Thurs-Saturday 12 noon to 1am; Sunday 12 noon to 11pm.

This is where I met up with Lindsay and Jeff, sadly, Peter and Will couldn't make it this time, and where I started with, as I tend to now, a pint from Sheffield based Abbeydale Brewery (website) Heathen (4.1%). This is an APA style ale, brewed with Mosaic hops, and dry hopped with Mosaic to make sure you appreciate the taste and aroma! As you'd expect from the hops, notably forest fruits and citrus, providing a bitter dry finish. Another clear pale vegan friendly ale, and on regularly at The Crow, so virtually its 'house ale' and deservedly so, nice one! 

We then moved on to Shakespeare's (facebook), 146-148 Gibraltar Street S3 8UB. This Georgian pub was closed for 18 months from early 2010 and reopened in July 2011, and since winning not a few CAMRA awards. They sell up to 9 real ales, many from local brewers, over 50 bottled beers, and a fair few crafty keg beers. I drank an extra special Abbeydale Brewery (website) Deception (4.1%) at £3.90 a pint. This 'New Zealand Pale Ale' is primarily hopped with Nelson Sauvin, but Amarillo, Chinook, Galaxy and Columbus hops are added too. An excellent pale ale, with citrus, grape and gooseberry in the flavour, refreshing, with a dry bitter finish. Indeed, even more flavour with this beer, as they had dry hopped with Nelson Sauvin this version to celebrate the pub's 10,000th ale, since 2011, I presume!

We then wandered around to the Kelham Island area to the Kelham Island Tavern, or 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, and reopening in 2002, when it soon 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 the licencee is Josh now, and still winning awards. I drank the excellent Blue Bee Brewery (website) American 5 Hop Version 72 (4.3%), each version using different combinations of hops. 

The 72nd version uses Loral, Columbus, Citra, Cascade and Chinook hops from the USA! What can I 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! 👌

Jeff and I continued on to Shalesmoor, Lindsay having other business, and just after the tram stop is The Wellington (facebook), 1 Henry Street S3 7EQ. Originally built in the 1830s, it became run down during the 20th century, and was refurbished and reopened as a free house in 1993 renamed the Cask & Cutler (as I first remember it, although also called the "Bottom Welly" - the "Top Welly" being at the other end of Infirmary Road). Anyway, it changed hands in 2006 and returned its name to The Wellington, or Cask & Welly as we used to call it. In 2016, the pub was bought by the friendly Canadian, James B (another ex-brewer at the Kelham Island Brewery from quite a few years ago!), who has his own brewery now, Neepsend Brew Co (website). 

So I drank a couple of pints of their rather excellent 'New Zealand Pale Ale' Plancius (4.3%), brewed with 2 varieties of Antipodean hop, Southern Cross and Motueka. Basically, it does what it says, pale dry and bitter, just like me, and I should apologise, unless there was an obvious need to make notes, and I was pretty bad at it by now... Oh yes, and I included a cheese and red onion sandwich in a bread cake, as empty Calories had been entering my system for a few hours, with the first pint, also very tasty, and £4.80 the lot, thank you very much!👍

I then returned to my temporary home (The Crow Inn) after parting company with Jeff, and had a couple more drinks as it was still reasonably early, starting off with the 3.8% session blonde ale Jarl, from Scottish brewery Fyne Ales (website). It's a session ale brewed with Citra hops. what's there not to enjoy? I hadn't had it for quite a while, but still pretty damn good!

I also had a pint of the 4.5% Chop & Change brewed with Centennial hops in West Yorkshire by Vocation Brewery (website). Another pale ale heavy on the citrus, my brief note was "very flavoursome." Good enough for me! 😉

The next day, before going to football, I first had a rather good Hot Breakfast Ciabatta at Mama's and Leonies, I'd tried one on my last visit for breakfast, and it was still superb with bacon and mushrooms filling, great start before drinking ale!👌I had a pint at The Bath Hotel, 66-68 Victoria Street S3 7QL, thankfully back in the warm custodianship of the great man himself, Brian. Indeed, one of my favourite regular haunts when I lived in Sheffield, and I was greeted by the smiling face of Brian as always, and warm handshakes galore, great that he's back!

I had a pint of Derbyshire brewery Thornbridge (website) Jaipur (5.9%), typically brewed with Chinook, Centennial, Ahtanium, Simcoe, Columbus and Cascade hops. I was a wee bit disappointed, wasn't the usual hops in your face, maybe I was unlucky with a bad batch, it wasn't off, so not Brian's problem, it was whatever was in the barrel, anyway, I drank it, a person's gotta do! 😉 I met Noel and Jake at the Beehive in West Street, they wanted to watch the Premiership match on tv there, but no ale, just fizzy stuff! Had to cope with Guinness, oh well...😞

After the match we got split up, but we met up back at the Bath Hotel, where ale was available, of course, and I drank a few pints of an ale from, close by in Derbyshire, Collyfobble Brewery (facebook), their 3.6% T'inna Code Owt brewed with Amarillo hops and called by a Derbyshire colloquialism,  It was a very easy to drink 'Summer Blonde Ale' packed full of tropical and citrus flavours, I stayed on it until we left the pub. 😁

I caught the tram back to Shalesmoor and had another pint at the Wellington, another of their own ales Chupacabra (6.2%), brewed with Simcoe, Amarillo and Lupomax Citra hops; 'Lupomax'?!? I'd never heard of them, but it appears they are a concentrated Citra hop pellet, you learn something new every day. 😏 Billed as a 'West Coast IPA' style, and certainly packed full of fruit and spicy flavours, not bad at all.

I headed back to The Crow Inn and no surprise at all to see a dinosaur enter the pub not long after I got there (above), and this wasn't the result of my drinking too much, honest, but there was a young woman in this costume, all very jolly. I had a pint or two of something before I went to bed of course, and booked a room for my next visit, cheers folks!🍻

For excellent information on hops mentioned please go to hopslist.

Sheffield Revisited, 9 Months Later!

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... 😒

Autumnal Sheffield Day 2

After a morning walk, and before heading off for lunch, I visited 2 pubs where I used to be sure I would meet someone I knew, staff and customers, the KitCat that is. First the Kelham Island Tavern, 62 Russell Street S3 8RW (website). Built in the 1830s, the Kit was a derelict building when Trevor and Lewis took it over, refurbished it, and reopened it 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 wasn't that surprised not to know any of the regulars present when I walked in, nor the barman, as it's been a few years since I lived in Sheffield.  Anyway, I was there for a pint, so had a great ale from the local Blue Bee Brewery (website), their Triple Hop (4.3%), brewed with Citra, Mosaic and Ekuanot hops. It was hoppy, with a citrus aroma and taste, pale golden, with a very dry and bitter finish, great stuff! Indeed, when I was here earlier this year (blog) I had their American 5 Hop Version 53 (4.3%), hard to go wrong with Blue Bee Brewery! 

Just around the corner, and the second pub was the Cat, or The Fat Cat (website), 23 Alma Street S3 8SA. The pub was an original in Sheffield when it was bought as the Alma in 1981 by Dave Wicket and his business partner Bruce to provide an alternative to the big brewers, providing an outlet for independent brewers. After separating their business interests, Dave continued with the pub and set up a microbrewery in a shed behind the pub in 1990, Kelham Island Brewery (see my blog from yesterday). I didn't see anyone I know there either, not staff or customer, though I believe Di still works there and looks after the cellar.

However, I did have a good chat with the barmaid, a very friendly young woman from Ukraine, good English, and probably happy to improve her spoken English and expand her vocabulary too. Anyway, no Kelham Island ales here yet, so I had a pint from a small Sheffield microbrewer, Grizzly Grains (facebook), their 4.0% Pacifica, a New Zealand Pale Ale, yes, using Pacifica hops (also called Pacifica Hallertau), did what it says, I imagine, but I wasn't too impressed, and was too busy chatting to make any notes, sorry! 😕

I did then eat at Mama's & Leonies again (see my last blog), with the same staff make-up and excellent warm chicken and bacon salad, before meeting up with a couple of great mates, Jeff Macdonut and Lindsay, at the newish Perch Brewhouse, 44 Garden Street SE1 4BJ (facebook). Plenty of blether, of course, and ale too, oh yes, and they have an impressive selection of Belgian beers in one of their fridges. But to their ales, and their brewery is called the Dead Parrot Brew Company, 2 of whose ales I had a pint of:

I had a pint of their very easy to drink Clement, a 3.9% session Blonde ale, brewed with Aurora and Simcoe hops, not bad at all. But their 4.8% Ashen was something else, pretty damn good! Unsurprisingly, with more body and flavour from the hops used, Aurora again, but with Centennial hops too, I must return for more of this when next in Sheffield.

The 3 of us then walked up to meet Will at The Bath Hotel (whatpub - couldn't find a website), 66-68 Victoria Street S3 7QL, my second visit in 2 days and another great welcome from Brian. Obviously more friendly discourse was shared, and more Thornbridge (website) Jaipur (5.9%) imbibed by me, Chinook, Centennial, Ahtanum, Simcoe, Columbus and Cascade. I'm rarely disappointed by this pale, dry, hoppy bitter, quality!

We parted ways with Jeff and Lindsay, and Will, who is more into traditional bitters, not so much pale hoppy bitters, then suggested we visit 2 more pubs to his liking, and 2 pubs that I did used to visit when I lived in Sheffield, notably to watch football on tv. Anyway, the first one was The Grapes, 80 Trippet Lane S1 4EN (website). I didn't make notes of my drinking at either of these 2 pubs, both well known for Guinness, so I obviously knocked back an easy drinking traditional bitter of some sort, cheers Will! 

The second pub Will and I visited was the nearby Dog & Partridge, 56 Trippet Lane S1 4EL (facebook), where we drank beer of some sort. 😉 Afterwards I returned to my temporary abode at The Crow Inn (see previous blog), where, coincidentally, Dave Szwejkowski, aka Dave Unpronounceable (guest blog), was drinking at the bar, small world, good night and cheers!

Incidentally, The Crow Inn is the Sheffield CAMRA Pub of the Month for October, and had been nominated by Dave Szwejkowski, great stuff, congratulations!

Autumnal Sheffield Day 1 PLUS Kelham Island Update

Whenever I visit Sheffield I visit Mama's and Leonies (website), 111/115 Norfolk Street, Sheffield S1 2JE (0114 272 0490), just down the road from the famous, for snooker fans particularly, Crucible Theatre, and around the corner from the Winter Gardens. Again, many familiar friendly faces working there (Kath & John, Tracey, and chefs Jason and James) and pleasant discourse shared of course. Foodwise? Had to have my favourite Warm Chicken & Bacon Salad and a half carafe of red wine of course. Always excellent, plenty of healthy stuff in there, and never fails to please me, well sated, many thanks! Then to...

My abode for 2 nights, The Crow Inn, 33 Scotland Street S3 7BS (website), within walking distance so not far away. The Crow Inn reopened over 3 years ago after quite a few years closure, and has 7 refurbished en suite bedrooms. It also sells quite a few interesting ales. As when I last was here (blog) I had a pint from Abbeydale Brewery (website), a beer originally brewed to be dispensed as a keg beer 6 years ago. I drank cask conditioned ale of course, their Heathen American Pale Ale (4.1%), a very drinkable ale of its style, and just £3.50 a pint.

I returned there at the end of the evening, as one would if one was staying there, like me, and sampled another ale for my nightcap, from the Newcastle brewery Almasty (website). This was their 3.9% Amarillo & Blanc (Amarillo and Hallertau Blanc hops) at £4.20 a pint, pale, fruity and cloudy, presumably for vegans. "Not bad" was how I noted it, but then, I'm not particularly fond of un-fined ales, though many people rave over them.

Anyway, after my early pint there I wandered up into the city centre to meet up with Brigitte, Ian and Noel at The Beehive, 240 West Street S1 4EU (facebook), which used to be a 'Firkin' pub in the late 1990s, then renowned for its excellent milds. stouts and porters. But here I drank ale from the Barnsley brewer Acorn (website), their 4.0% Blonde, which does what it says on the label, well balanced pale and refreshing, I liked it, after that pint we moved on to...

Heading towards Brammall Lane, we popped into The Washington, somewhere it's been a while since I've visited, and once co-owned by the Pulp drummer Nick Banks, 79 Fitzwilliam Street S1 4JP (website). I think I may have had a pint of Abbeydale Moonshine at £3.90 a pint, but don't hold me to that, maybe a guest ale, as I didn't take notes, silly me! 😁

Anyway, after the match, Ian and I walked back up to The Bath Hotel (whatpub - couldn't find a website), 66-68 Victoria Street S3 7QL, now back in the warm custodianship of the great man himself, Brian. Indeed, one of my favourite regular haunts when I lived in Sheffield, and I was greeted by the smiling face of Brian and warm handshakes galore, great that he's back! Obviously warm discourse was shared, live folk music listened to, and a couple of excellent pints drunk too. Maybe I shouldn't have, but I drank the quality ale that is Thornbridge (website) Jaipur (5.9%), packed with hops, ie Chinook, Centennial, Ahtanum, Simcoe, Columbus and Cascade. I wasn't disappointed, pale, dry, hoppy and strong, quality!

Oh yes, and Kelham Island Brewery (website), of which which I recently wrote about it's being saved from oblivion (blog), and I did promise an update when I had more information. Well, they got back in touch with me and explained that the brewery building wasn't included in the deal with the local consortium that is now Kelham Island Brewery, but they will be brewing their ales at Thornbridge Brewery, and, I believe, Pale Rider is already being/been brewed. So look out for it, you lucky Sheffield people you, cheers! 👌

Visit to Sheffield - Part 2

OK, for me it's an institution now that, whenever I visit Sheffield, I visit Mama's and Leonies at least once (website), which is situated at 111/115 Norfolk Street, Sheffield S1 2JE (0114 272 0490), just down the road from the famous, for snooker fans particularly, Crucible Theatre, and around the corner from the Winter Gardens. I've been eating at Mama's since the last millennium, so I can see no reason why I should change that 'institution' now. Anyway, again, many familiar friendly faces working there and pleasant discourse shared, it's great to be remembered, and my favourite Warm Chick & Bacon Salad, without the croutons, and a large glass of red wine of course (it's been over 30 months since my last meal here!), always excellent, plenty of healthy stuff in there, and never fails to please me, sated, many thanks!

Quality Salad & Wine

Anyway, that was a late breakfast (I had a coffee first, and after) cum lunch, then I re-visited the Fat Cat and Kelham Island Brewery, as I said in my last blog, before returning to The Crow Inn (for address and other details see my last blog as well) for a wee bit of respite from my research, it's a difficult task, but someone has to do it! 😉 Before I left, well I had to have another pint, it would have been rude not to, so I had a pint of Bristolian brewers, Arbor Ales (website) Zero-Zero, a 4.3% "New England IPA." Brewed with the wonderful Citra and Mosaic hops, I couldn't resist! Another 'vegan friendly' beer, so, sadly for me, hazy, but a big aroma and taste of fruit, not bad at all, I'd love to try a nice clear pint of this, oh well, unlikely to happen...

I then walked up to the University of Sheffield and the Student Union's Bar One (website and, incidentally, where I worked a few shifts when I was a postgrad student, 'twas manic, hence just a few shifts 😉), Glossop Road S10 2GE, to meet up with Brigitte, Tom and Noel, for early drinks before going to Bramall Lane for the football match I was also in Sheffield to watch; see I wasn't just here for the food and drinks! Before I carry on, notes taken were fewer, and I must apologise for the blurred images that do appear, but I do have an injury to my right hand... The 3 of them were already there, Tom and Brigitte with grub soon to arrive, I just had a couple of beers.

First I tried the Sheffield based Abbeydale Brewery (website) Reverie (4.2%), dry hopped with Citra and Cascade. Surprisingly, considering I love these 2 hops, I wasn't impressed by it, but I have suspicions that it may have been near the end of the barrel as my notes only say "OK" 👌 I also I had a pint of Thornbridge AM:PM (4.5%), brewed with the addition of Ella, Citra, Nelson Sauvin and Amarillo, a mixture of US and New Zealand hops. Billed as a 'Session IPA' and amber in colour, tropical and citrus fruit to the taste, it wasn't bad! Oh yes, and Tom reminded me that they are having the Sheffield University Student Union Beer Festival (facebook page) over the Mayday weekend, looks interesting...

We four then walked across to The Bath Hotel (website), 66-68 Victoria Street S3 7QL, currently run by Thornbridge Brewery (website), who are giving up the lease on Saturday 23rd April, I have been informed... This was one of my favourite regular haunts when I lived in Sheffield and the pub was being run by the ever friendly Brian (who, I believe still owns the pub, but leases it to Thornbridge), 'twas a quality establishment! Back to this visit and I had a pint of their Astryd (3.8%), a bit hazy for vegans, and perhaps a little too subtle with the hops, presumably from the USA and predominantly Mosaic, I do believe.

But then, to the match, and afterwards to...

... The Rutland Arms (website), 86 Brown Street S1 2BS, built in the 1930s and with a very interesting exterior and interior, hints of art deco, and an attractive faience frontage. Again, sorry, but the image of the bar above is a wee bit fuzzy, but you can see they have plenty of real ales and crafty keg beers from 20 taps; the bar steward appears to be a bit suspicious of my photography, probably why it's fuzzy! 😉 I remember having an ale, a few of them were fuzzy too, definitely wasn't Blue Bee, sadly, and a crafty keg beer from The Kernel (website), which was dark and fizzy, but not bad at all! It's always worth visiting this pub when in Sheffield.

Of course I went back to my 'lodgings' but went up to bed as heading back home the next morning, reasonably early. Whatever, it was great to be back in Sheffield, I trust you enjoyed what I shared too, hopefully there will be many more visits in the years to come, cheers!