Sheffield Pub News - February 2009

The Kelham Island Tavern in Sheffield city centre has been named the Campaign For Real Ale (CAMRA) "National Pub of the Year".

CAMRA's pubs director, Julian Hough, said that judges looked at the quality of the beer, atmosphere, decor, customer service, clientele mix and value for money.

Hough added: "The Kelham Island Tavern is a regular in the Good Beer Guide and has been treasured by pub-goers from Yorkshire and beyond since its opening in 2002."

The Steel City Beer Awards celebrate the best beers from CAMRA's annual Steel City Beer Festival in Sheffield. At last October's beer festival, which was held in Cemetery Park, blind tasting panels tasted all the beers in the festival that are brewed on a regular basis to determine the winners.

The awards night takes place at the Carriage House venue at Thornbridge Hall in Derbyshire (Thornbridge Brewery is next door). There are still some tickets available for this event. The cost is £20 each, and this includes coach travel from Sheffield Interchange out to Thornbridge Hall and back, a seat at the awards presentation and a buffet supper. All the winning beers will be available to drink on the night, and these are included in the ticket price!

For more information and to book tickets, contact Sheffield CAMRA's social secretary, Richard Ryan, on 07956114926.

The winning beers, as previously announced are:

OVERALL CHAMPIONS

1st Dunham Massey - Milk Stout
2nd Thornbridge - Jaipur IPA
3rd Dark Star - Hophead

MILD

1st Dark Star - Over the Moon
2nd Rudgate - Ruby Mild
3rd Castle Rock - Black Gold

BITTER

1st Dark Star - Hophead
2nd Crouch Vale - Brewers Gold
3rd Acorn - Yorkshire Pride

BEST BITTER

1st Thornbridge - Ashford
2nd Sheffield Brewery - Paradise Pale
3rd Marble - Manchester Bitter

STRONG BITTER

1st Thornbridge - Jaipur IPA
2nd - Thornbridge - Kipling
3rd Kelham Island - Pale Rider

STOUTS AND PORTERS

1st Dunham Massey - Milk Stout
2nd Bradfield - Farmers Stout
3rd Acorn - Gorlovka

Local members of the Campaign for Real Ale have voted for the Wellington on Henry Street, Shalesmoor, as the winner of their February Pub of the Month award. These awards are designed to highlight pubs across our area that are serving good quality real cask ale in friendly and comfortable surroundings day in, day out. More information in the article below.

Shortly after Whitbread announced the proposed closure of the Exchange Brewery in early 1993 there was at least some good news on the Whitbread front - they had sold the Wellington on Henry Street to long standing Wakefield CAMRA members, Neil & Sheila Clarke. This became Sheffield's second genuine real ale freehouse, following on from the Fat Cat in 1981, and the following year was renamed the Cask & Cutler to distinguish it from the Wellington on Langsett Road (now the Hillsborough Hotel).

The "Bottom Wellie" may have once been the brewery tap for the nearby Don Brewery, before it was bought by Tennant Brothers in 1916 and closed. At the end of 2006, Neil & Sheila decided to fulfil their long held ambition of relocating to France, and sold the Cask & Cutler to Richard Appleton. Richard's connection with the pub goes back fifteen years, to when in the guise of Little Ale Cart Enterprises he supplied many of the beers, and he also owns the Dragon Inn, a real ale freehouse in Worcester. In January 2007 Gordon and Louise, who had been working at the Dragon, moved to the Cask as managers, where they are supported by long serving bar staff, Gary and Gerald.

Following an incremental programme of refurbishment of the two rooms, new signage was erected towards the end of 2007 confirming the reversion of the pub's name to The Wellington.

The next step was to complete commissioning of the adjoining brewery, which had been erected at the rear of the beer garden some years earlier. The first trial brews appeared in August 2008, since when some thirty beers under the Little Ale Cart Brewery name have been on the bar. To date all are pale and hoppy, with usually two available at any time, one of which will be 4% ABV. In addition there is the house beer, Millstone Baby Git and up to five guest beers, including a stout or porter and often a mild. As Richard is able to do beer swaps between his two pubs, beers from the West Midlands and West Country are often featured.

Another change is that the Wellington is now open all day, 12PM - 11PM, except Sunday when it opens 12PM - 3:30PM and 7PM - 10:30PM. However thankfully the policy of no jukebox, television or gaming machines has been retained.

Congratulations to Richard and his staff on gaining a well deserved Pub of the Month award for maintaining and where necessary improving one of Sheffield's top real ale outlets. The presentation will be on the evening of Tuesday 10th February from 8PM, all are of course welcome.