Sheffield: 5 Kelham Island and Shalesmoor Pubs

My abode for my latest Sheffield visit, during this week, was again 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.

Before I go any further I have to own up to not being a great note taker in my wee book this visit, but I did add notes to photographs I shared on facebook, trust it's adequate. 😉

The first ale I drank here was from Manchester based Marble Brewery (website), their 4.1% Persephone, a pale golden summer ale, brewed with Ariana, Huell Melon, Lemondrop and Mosaic hops. Very crisp, pale clear vegan friendly ale, with a dry bitter finish, very decent indeed.

Because Michael behind the bar said it was nearing its end, and I didn't want to miss it, I had a quick half of North London based Hammerton Brewery (website) City of Cake, a 5.5% 'Choc Fudge Cake Stout.' It pretty much does what it says on its label, hints of coffee and caramel, big chocolate aroma and taste, with fudge indeed, sweetish (DUH!) and very luxurious. 👍

I also had a pint the next day of Sheffield based Abbeydale Brewery (website) Heathen (4.1%), 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! 

Again, both days I visited Shakespeare's (facebook), 146-148 Gibraltar Street S3 8UB, which, as you can see from the photograph above, used to be a Ward's pub when I lived in Sheffield in the 1990s. 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. They sell up to 9 real ales, many from local brewers, over 50 bottled beers, and a fair few crafty keg beers. I drank here with Peter, who works at Blue Bee Brewery (website), and a friend for many years, the first visit, then with long time friends Jeff and Lindsay again the next day; we followed a similar route. 😁

The first day I drank, from Sheffield based Fuggle Bunny Brew House (website), their 4.0% Cotton Tail. This is a pale ale with citrus aroma and taste, they say with lychees in the aroma, but I wouldn't know about that 😉 and apparently brewed with 5 varieties of hop, which they keep to themselves, but probably includes Citra hops, I'm guessing, because of the lychee. Easy to drink, sweetish, with a slightly bitter finish.

Then I drank, from nearby Little Critters Brewing Company (website), a brewery from which I've drunk excellent ales from as far south as Hastings, their 4.4% Luna's Peach Pale Ale. Indeed, plenty of peach, so I'm guessing peach extract, fruits, or flavouring of some sort involved, the website suggests orange zest added too, but definitely states Centennial and Amarillo are the hops used. I have to admit that the peach was a bit too much for me, I should have had a half, but Little Critters do brew excellent pale bitter ales, looking forward to my next one...

I met Jeff and Lindsay here on my second day, and I drank 2 pints of Abbeydale Brewery (website) Deception (4.1%). 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. 👌

On both days, we wandered around to Kelham Island (Jeff and Lindsay in the photograph above), to the Kelham Island Tavern, or KIT, many of us still use the term KitCat when going to drink at the Fat Cat (below) as well as the KIT. 😉 Anyway, the Kelham Island Tavern, 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 the licencee is Josh, I believe, and still winning awards.

Because it's new to me, and a bit exciting I found out, and Peter and Josh (from pub and brewery!) brew it, I had to go for the locally based Blue Bee Brewery (website) their dual hopped Citra Nectaron IPA (6.0%). And a BIG fruity extravaganza it is! Citrus from the Citra hops, goes without saying, tropical fruit from the New Zealand Nectaron hops, including a hint of pineapple, and forest fruits from both. Together with the strength, this made it a pretty special ale indeed, plenty of body, full of aroma and taste, and dry bitter finish, quality!

On both days I drank the Blue Bee Brewery (website) American 5 Hop Version 70 (4.3%), that is the 70th version, this time using El Dorado, Mosaic, Columbus, Simcoe and Chinook hops from the USA! 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! 

Anyone would think the Kelham Island Tavern is the Blue Bee brewery tap. 😉

On the first day Peter and I wandered around the corner to 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. 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 Wickett and his colleague 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. Now the brewery is no longer in use, but more recently, a group of lads bought the name and are brewing separately at Thornbridge Brewery (website).

I didn't take any notes here, but was a bit disappointed with the ale, so will leave my review of The Fat Cat for now, until my next visit. Worth a visit though! 👍

On the second day, Jeff, Lindsay and I continued on to Shalesmoor, 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" was 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). 

The Neepsend ales are very good, but I do particularly like Huddersfield based Mallinsons Brewing Company (website), indeed, they are among my top favourite brewers in the country. Anyway, I had a couple of pints of their 4.0% Town of Surfside, an American Pale Ale in style, although I can't find out which hops were used, I won't even guess which variety because they use many different varieties of hop from the USA in their ales! Whatever, I enjoyed it immensely, thus the 2 pints, pale,dry and bitter! 👍

Apologies for not photographing the Welly on this occasion.

OK, for me it's an institution that, whenever I visit Sheffield, I visit Mama's and Leonies at least once, twice this time (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 1990s, so I can see no reason why I should change that 'institution' now. Anyway, still many familiar friendly faces working there and pleasant discourse shared with Tracy and others, it's great to be remembered, and my favourite Warm Chick & Bacon Salad, without the croutons, and a half carafe of red wine of course. Always excellent, plenty of healthy stuff on the plate, mucho salad, and never fails to please me, well sated, nice one Kath, John and team, cheers m'dears!

For more 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... 😒