Sheffield Pub News - September 2006

Sheffield's Steel City Beer Festival, which runs from Thursday 28th to Saturday 30th September at St Phillips Social Club, will feature a number of one off beers brewed especially for the festival by various local breweries. Many of these beers will have humorous names with an animal theme, reflecting the fact that this year's festival charity is the RSPCA Sheffield animal Shelter appeal (Collection tins will be located on the bars and a charity pub quiz will be held Saturday afternoon). The special one-off beers featured are: Abbeydale Brewery (Sheffield) - Bagpuss II Acorn Brewery (Wombwell) - Limelight Bradfield Brewery (Sheffield) - Raging Bull Clarks (Wakefield) - Vane Tempest Kelham Island Brewery (Sheffield) - Happy Bunnies Three Rivers Brewery (Manchester) - Guzzling Gibbons Wentworth Brewery (Rotherham) - Old Horny These beers are amongst a range of about 90 different real ales, plus cider & Perry and continental beers. For more information about the beer festival please visit Sheffield CAMRA or contact Andrew Cullen or 07863341497.

Award winning Ales at Sheffield Beer Festival Ahead of the festival opening tonight (Thursday 28th September), all the regularly brewed beers that are featured in the beer festival have been tasted to judge the Beer of the festival award winners. The judging panels consisted of teams consisting of a mixture of ordinary drinkers and more experienced folk from the pub and brewing industry, and led by a CAMRA trained taster. The judging was done blind - the tasters were not told what beers they were tasting. The overall winners are: Champion beer of Sheffield: ABBEYDALE - BLACK MASS Second place: HOWARD TOWN - WRENS NEST Third place: THORNBRIDGE - KIPLING The Category winners are: Standard Bitter: OAKHAM - JHB Best Bitter: HOWARD TOWN - WRENS NEST Strong Bitter/Old Ale: THORNBRIDGE - KIPLING Mild: RUDGATE - RUBY MILD Stout/Porter: ABBEYDALE - BLACK MASS

Sheffield's Steel City Beer Festival takes place 28th-30th September at St Phillips Social Club (Daisy Walk, by Netherthorpe Road tram stop - just down hill from the University of Sheffield). The festival features around 90 real ales, plus up to 16 ciders and perries, and continental beers. Live entertainment all sessions except Friday daytime. For more information about the festival please visit Sheffield CAMRA and click on Steel City Beer Festival. Real ale is a type of beer defined by its traditional production. Also known as "cask conditioned" beer; the fundamental distinction between real and other ales is that the yeast is still present in the container from which the beer is served, although it will have settled to the bottom and is not poured into the glass. Because the yeast is still alive, the process of fermentation continues in the cask or bottle on the way to the consumer ensuring a fresh and natural taste. FESTIVAL PREVIEW: We will be running an exclusive festival preview session for trade and media on Thursday 4PM-6PM. If you would like a guest list place for this please contact Andrew Cullen via Sheffield CAMRA. Guests will get free entry, complimentary glass & program and 3 free beer tokens (further tokens £1 each). A buffet will be provided. We will also announce the beer of the festival winners during this session, and guests will also be invited to taste the cider range and vote for the cider of the festival.

As Sheffield's Steel City Beer Festival takes place just following the University of Sheffield's Freshers Week and during Hallam University's freshers week, we thought this would be a good opportunity to introduce students to the superior quality and vast variety of real ale. To help the beer education, the festival program has a guide to all the different beer styles, including bitter, stout, porter, pale ale and old ales. The festival opens this Thursday, 28th September, at 6PM, and on Thursday night admission will be free of charge for students with valid student ID. They will also get a free beer token to get them started when they buy or hire a festival glass. There will be live music from 8PM on Thursday night and as well as the main band, Green Onions, there will be two supporting bands whose members are university students. On Saturday 30th September, the festival is open all day from Midday to 11PM, and we will be hosting a working social for younger CAMRA members (18-30) and University of Sheffield Real Ale Society members. They will work a few hours (approx 1PM-5PM) as volunteer staff behind the bar and also enjoy trying some of the beers for free as a reward. They will then get taken off on a guided tour of the nearby real ale pubs before returning to the festival in time to see Saturday night's band, Laughing Gravy.

We have now added Meadow Farm pub-restaurant in Ecclesfield to our list of pubs.

Local members of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), who are normal drinkers who appreciate a good pint in a good pub, have voted the Devonshire Cat on Wellington Street in Sheffield city centre as the winner of their "Pub of the Month" award for September 2006.

The "Pub of the Month" award is designed to highlight pubs and bars that serve good quality real ale in friendly and comfortable surroundings. The Devonshire Cat serves a massive range of quality real ales, as well as genuine continental beers and traditional cider, in a modern and smart setting. It can also claim to be one of the local pioneers of recommending a suitable beer to go with meals served in the pub, with suggestions on the menu - with the massive range of styles and flavours of beer available, beer can often be matched with food better than wine!

Dave Williams, Chairman of the Sheffield & District branch of CAMRA, commenting on the Devonshire Cat, said "The Devonshire Cat has to be one of Sheffield's premier drinking establishments. If you want well-kept beer served in a trendy environment by knowledgeable staff then the Devonshire Cat is the place to get it!".

A presentation evening will be held at the Devonshire Cat this Tuesday the 12th September from 8PM, when Dave Williams will present the "Pub of the Month" certificate to the pub's managers, and an Indian finger buffet will be laid on.

This year, reflecting the growing popularity and status of cider, Sheffield's Steel City Beer Festival will have an increased range of traditional cider and perry. In the pubs, cider sales are rocketing, and thanks to clever marketing campaigns by the likes of Magners, has become quite a fashionable drink. Both those who have always enjoyed cider and the new converts will be pleased to find the festival has reflected this with a choice of 13 different ciders and 3 different perries to try. However those converts who drink Magners or Strongbow may be in for a surprise, as ours is the real traditional cider, which is stronger both in flavour and alcohol, and is made from just natural ingredients, including real apples or pears.

Award-winning local company the Bradfield Brewery has launched a new beer, named Farmers Sixer, that will be available in selected pubs and off-licenses from 28th September. The 6% ABV ale will be available at the Gardener's Rest (Neepsend); Robin Hood (Stannington); Walkley Cottage Inn (Walkley); Strines Inn (Bradfield); Old Harrow (Grenoside); Cask & Cutler (Shalesmoor); Kelham Island Tavern (city centre); Hillsborough Hotel (Hillsborough); Commercial (Chapeltown).

The Sheffield & District branch of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, are pleased to announce all the details of their 2006 beer festival. It is being held once again at St Phillips Social Club, Netherthorpe, from Thursday 28th September to Saturday 30th September. The venue is close to the University of Sheffield and is easily reached by bus or tram. The festival will feature a whopping 90 different real cask ales, plus a selection of 15 traditional ciders, and a range of continental beers. Live entertainment features at all but one session, with a band on Thursday night (Storm), Friday night (Treebeard) and Saturday night (Laughing Gravy). Saturday lunchtime we get all traditional with Morris dancers performing, and Saturday afternoon we will be running a traditional pub quiz to raise money for the RSPCA's Sheffield animal shelter appeal. Friday afternoon is the more relaxed quiet session. The Sheffield Campaign for Real Ale will also have a stand selling membership and merchandise, along with a tombola to raise campaigning funds with some fantastic beer related prizes! Students will be pleased that on the Thursday night we will be celebrating the fact the festival is close to the University and just after 'freshers weeks. Any Student with a valid student ID card will be able to get into the festival for just £1.50, which includes a souvenir pint glass, and get their first beer free. We also plan to have a couple of student bands on stage supporting the main act. If students choose to buy a CAMRA membership on the night, they can also enjoy a concessionary rate for this too. For more information about the festival, visit Sheffield CAMRA, or contact Andrew Cullen on 07863 341497.

The Crosspool Tavern pub and restaurant on Manchester Road was fined £5,000 in August after Sheffield City Council health protection officers took legal action over its dirty kitchens. The pub's owner, Mitchells and Butler Retail Ltd, pleaded guilty at Sheffield Magistrates' Court to the charges. The pub's manager and kitchen staff have been now all been replaced.