Last year we were inspired and encouraged by our prolific friend Pete at Sheffieldalepubs, to produce a definitive list of the best pubs around the Steel City, ale capital of GB. Ours is a dynamic list subject to change and it is the best fit for us two; although most of our opinions are pretty closely matched, there are one or two places that divide our opinion a little. We cogitated and contemplated upon beer quality and selection firstly, and then the pub itself and service provided.
Our scoring system is not set in stone because those three selection criteria can vary in importance. For example, as we both have young families, sometimes service can be so very important. Simples.
Building on our previous list, we have again presented this in a poetic style of type known as a kenning. And added appropriate alliteration as always.
1. The Beer Engine - contemporary class. (Our PotY. Read more HERE )
2. Shakespeares - considered quality.
3. The Sheaf View - economical excellence.
4. Bath Hotel - cosy craftiness.
5. The White Lion (NEW!) - cultured community.
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| pic courtesy of Sheffield Ale Pubs site |
- If there was an award for biggest climber in our chart then this would be it. I've been bobbing in for a fair while after meeting Danny at Sheaf or Brothers to 'kill time' whilst awaiting my bus back up but since Jon and Mandy took over, it`s been more than just a case of ten minutes looking at the lovely interior; now the beer is good too! The staples have been sagely supplemented by the likes of Salopian (occasionally) and Hopjacker (regularly) and delivered by ever-amiable bar staff. Music and art are prominent here and the White Lion was deservedly awarded ACV status recently. This beautiful place is a fantastic hub for the community. Try it!
- Shock, horror: A bottle shop! This place is also a pub circa 2016. Jules and Will are great hosts to a wide range of groups and events and I enjoy the Mikkeller Running club which is held there each month: a swift (ish) 5k followed by a leisurely half or several and nice chat with a lovely mix of beery folk. Later on, HH is a great spot, best in the area to us, for a drink from their top tier keg collection or a bottle from their huge range of quality products from near and far, Scarborough to Scadinavia. And some Karkli! Love it.
7. Sentinel Brewhouse (NEW!) - modern magic. Great innovative and visionary addition to city drinking.
8. The Beer House - (NEW!) park-side pints. Lovely micro-pub, an oasis on Eccy Road.
9. Fagan`s (NEW!) - fabled features. Anywhere better than the snug in our city?
10. The Devonshire Cat (NEW!) - city sleekers. It is better but we`ll see how it develops.
(NEW! = New place in our top 10. Last year`s list HERE
Three Tuns and maybe Brothers Arms are very unlucky to slip out as is Harlequin (not been there so much recently) whilst neither of us fought hard for Tap, Broady and Rutland, I`m afraid, but things change. Also the usual footnote that we tend to drink in South West Sheff plus the city centre with occasional wander to Kelham Island so there are a few contenders that we rarely visit TBH. Shout up and we`ll endeavour to visit soon!)
NB - As per 2015, especial mentions to Dronfield`s double diamonds - The Coach & Horses and the Dronfield Arms. Both would have made be top 10 if not for their cross-border location. That is all. Peace. Mike `n` Danny x
Interested to read your pick of Sheffield's pubs. Sheffield is now well off for good pubs and I agree with many of your choices. The Beer Engine's had a couple of make-overs since I last visited so I'll have to call in to give it another try. I am also writing a blog on UK beer culture and pubs so it's good read other angles on the subject. One issue I'm addressing in my blog is the resurgence of keg beer after I worked so hard in my younger days to banish it! There's a lot of good in UK beer today but there's also some more questionable trends.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mick. Do you have a link to your blog? Can`t find it....
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