The 41st Steel City Beer & Cider Festival

Just a quick bit to promote the event which runs until this Saturday 24th October.

Just as everyone says, the venue at Kelham Island Museum is SO much better than previous ones. Food stalls are outside on the courtyard whilst the ale is spread between the marquee, the upper gallery and the Millowners Arms. There are bottles galore too sagely supplied by local heroes Beer Central and Hop Hideout. And there`s cider.....

Judging took place near the stage upstairs. After a swift half of East London`s Red Ale I was into judging some of the offerings in the speciality category along with experts from the Sheffield Brewery, Lincoln Green and the WI. Several of the ales divided opinions but then everyone`s taste is different. Some were not keen on salty beers and ditto with the bretted offering but I enjoyed sampling such a wide variety. Pretty sure I recognised the lovely Magic Rock `Simpleton` in the mix there too and that was popular.

Between the judging, I grabbed a half or two and one ale in particular grabbed my attention. The Mikey Rayer All Dayer was, indeed, the sort of easy drinking dream that could see a swift one turn into a session. Bags of hoppy taste packed into a 4.2%er. I`d struck lucky.

Winner from Wales

The golden bitter category judging was assisted by the experts from the Dronfield Arms and the Sheffield Brewery. We had a clear winner albeit amongst some forgettable sups even though I made a complete mess of my scorecard.

Golden?!

The gallery was pretty busy by this stage and the turnout overall was very impressive for a midweek night. Before home, I sampled a few more. Two beers stood out for me. Steel City`s Light at the End of the World (4.5%) was spot-on not surprisingly but my beer of the night came from North Riding. Red Citra weighs in at 5.0% and showcases the hop beautifully whilst maintaining a balance that makes it very drinkable. I hear that there is a cask or two of this in Sheffield cellars so keep a look out for it. Nice one.

Red Citra

OVERALL

Gold - Crafty Devil, Mikey Rayer All Dayer
Silver - North Riding, Red Citra
Bronze - Saltaire, Triple Chocoholic

 MILD CATEGORY - Brass Castle, Hazelnut Mild
SESSION BITTER CATEGORY - Magic Rock, The Stooge
BEST BITTER CATEGORY - North Riding, Red Citra
GOLDEN ALE CATEGORY - Crafty Devil, Mikey Rayer All Dayer
STOUTS & PORTERS CATEGORY - Thornbridge Baize
STRONG ALE CATEGORY - Great Heck, Yakima IPA
SPECIALITY BEER CATEGORY - Saltaire, Triple Chocoholic

Ale Tales from the Seven Hills # 3 - Sheffield`s Top Ten Pubs

Two Beer Geeks Sheffield Pubs Top Ten

Inspired by our virtual friend at Sheffieldalepubs, we finally have a definitive list of the best pubs for your perusal. This 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). We cogitated and contemplated upon beer quality and selection firstly, and then the pub itself and service provided. Simples.

Inspired further by the name of our favourite hostelry, we then presented this in a poetic style of type known as a kenning. And added alliteration as usual. This is probably the correct term.

1. Shakespeares - considered quality.

2. The Sheaf View - economical excellence.
3. The Broadfield - priceless pints.

4. The Bath Hotel - cosy craftiness.
5. The Beer Engine - rejuvenated respect.
6. The Harlequin - stalwart supping.
7. The Rutland - precocious pints.

8. The Three Tuns - cornered quirkiness.
9. The Brothers Arms - ARTisan alehouse.
10. The Sheffield Tap - impeccable imbibing.

Especial mentions to Dronfield`s double diamonds - The Coach & Horses and the Dronfield Arms. Both would have made the cut if not for their cross-border location. That is all. Cheers.

Ale Tales from the Seven Hills of Sheffield - Pt. 2

 

Tale #2 - Sheffield has the best breweries in the country

Well, it won't be too long until there is a Sheffield Brewery for every letter of the alphabet but it's the old quantity versus quality dilemma.

We've made no secret of our love for Steel City Brewery's ales. Set up in 2009 by Dave Szwejkowski and Gazza Prescott with the intention of brewing really hoppy shtuff and they still do just that albeit as a solo operation now. Gazza now runs HopCraft out of the South of Wales whilst Dave does Steel City solos once a month usually using Toolmakers brewery set up. The wares of both Brewers are best supped at Shakespeares in our esteemed opinion., esteemed by us that is, and our bank managers. Currently, chilli is a popular ingredient but, allegedly, Dave is about to become even more sour-faced in a collaboration with Ripley`s Landlocked Brewery. Should be fun.

Blue Bee beers are often worth a go these days and they're found regularly in the Rutland, Closed Shop and Three Tuns. The key to the improvement here has been a new head brewer using sexier hops in reet pale ales.

Abbeydale's Moonshine might well be the top spelling beer in our city and, when well kept, it's quite quaffable although we tend to prefer Deception. Since taking over The Devonshire Cat,  Abbeydale have improved the quality of it's ale noticeably and they are also becoming braver with left field brews and keggy stuff.

Keg from D Cat

Exit 33 are in a similar vein in so far as they make some really drinkable pale and hoppy pints and they're best supped at their Harlequin pub. Exit 33 are also regular at the Brothers Arms. If it's not Moonshine then Bradfield Brewery's Blonde in its various guises is the most supped and its a beginner- friendly beer.

True North is the brewery for the Forum chain and their beers are consistent and quaffable in very nice venues,  possibly too cool for twobeergeeks. ...

Neepsend Brewery are the newest kids on the brewing block and we have enjoyed their brews at Sheaf View and The Beer Engine. Kelham Island are long established and best tried at their Fat Cat base or the new-ish Tap & Tankard which is worth a visit. The North Union offshoot are up and about too producing a more varied range of styles including three that are available bottled.

Fuggle Bunny, Toolmakers and Stancil are also recently established traditional breweries and doing well to date. By contrast, On The Edge brew a wide spectrum of ales and showcase them superbly in well-supported community events. That is Sheffield in a pint pot ; we have the quantity but the quality takes a bit of a search / a lot of liquid research. Have another.

Guthrie by Thornbridge

Afternoon. A quick one.

Having sailed past 100 different Thornbridge beers a few months back, I no longer feel that I have to try every new beer that the Bakewell boys produce. However, seeing Guthrie recently at the Coach & Horses, I thought I would try a pint although my expectations were relatively low, like the ABV. You see, pretty much all of my favoured Thornbridge brews have been the stronger, hoppy ales that they are famed for (Halcyon, Puja, etc.), weighing in at at least 5.5% so Guthrie at 4.3% is hardly a contender for the Heavyweight Champion.....

Guthrie and a fruit-based drink for the lady

Previously, we have reviewed the ventures of Reverend and the Makers` own home brewer Ed Cosens. Working closely with the experts at Bakewell, The Reverend and the Makers` Summer Ale was ok whilst we did really like the subsequent punchier American Brown (5%) which is still available in Dronfield. With no Kipling on, I opted for Guthrie and was pleasantly surprised. Manager James explained the story behind the brew with it being a celebratory tipple for the birth of Ed and Rachel`s son. Guthrie, named after the famed folk family, is fresh and zingy with quite a pleasant bitter zesty nose and a light golden hue under a creamy white head. Ed informed me that cascade and galaxy were the hops used and the former comes through really well. The aftertaste is appropriately bitter and lasting; bear in mind that I had just watched a Sheffield FC loss in the F.A. Cup which started with the home `keeper seeing red after 40 seconds. Argghhh!

 I enjoyed Guthrie so much that I returned three days later to have tea with the family and grab a pic whilst shifting another couple of pints. It was still in good fettle too and there`s another barrel in the cellar, rumour has it. Food from Chariot`s Kitchen hit the mark too.

 The other RatM beers have made it into Thornbridge`s ever-expanding bottled range and it will be interesting to see how it compares.

 

  In my humble opinion, Guthrie fresh and well-kept from the cask in a great pub would be tough to match in a bottle. Good work Ed and Arlo;. Bruce Dickinson could learn a thing or two!

Run to the Hills, indeed.

Ale Tales from the Seven Hills of Sheffield

The first in a series of seven, probably. Ideally. First of several anyway.

Tale #1 - Sheffield is the ale capital of Great Britain.

Easy one to kick-off. Now this one is true. With new breweries popping up every week and an army of ale-orientated hostelries to deliver them plus a plethora of expertly-led bottle shops, the Steel City can't be topped.

Sheffield Tap. Nice.

The unenlightened might suggest other cities but they're easily shot down.

Por ejemplo:-

Maaanchester has a growing number of nice pubs and bars, true, but it's only relatively recently that Marble were the only decent brewery there. Now in 2015, there are others, and well-hyped too, but this is media city after all. (Or is Salford really a separate city albeit in the middle of Manc?). Also they have a lot more 'attitood' compared to the friendliness in Sheffield city-village. Ditto Leeds.

 

The Beagle, Chorlton

Liverpool; no ta la. Not a fan. A few 'eventful' nights out there have completely put me off.

London. Good pubs but there are at least seven tube stops between each decent boozer, unless you want to visit Bermondsey, apparently. FYI, no direct link to Heeley or Woodseats either.

 

Norwich? Rubbish. All tractors and twigs. Never been but Danny went to Uni there he thinks.

Newcastle? More to it nowadays than the infamous Bigg Market but it's full of stag and hen do's. Last time I went, I loved the place, mostly. We started at Bacchus but, after a Tactical Nuclear Penguin at BrewDog, it all went err haddaway, I divvnt kna, etc. But I was on a stag do!

 

 

Nottingham?- see Newcastle but they do have a Hooters. #idealstagdo

Derby - the better side of Brian Clough way IMHO with lovely pubs (see earlier BlogBit) but the beer is a year or two behind us up the M1.

York? Nice place but not a City. OK, it's got a cathedral (so has Ely) but it's got a smaller population than Meadowhall. Huddersfield is great but no cathedral. Sorry, have you thought about getting one?

 

The Maltings in York

QED

Sheffield #cityofale , 1-nil up early doors.

Ale in the Lake District #2 - Tweedies & The Brown Horse

So, as previously blogged, the visit to Hawkshead brewery was great. Next we headed to Grasmere to complete the obligatory lakeside walk ending with a visit to Tweedies in the Dale Lodge Hotel. Now I had visited this place before remembering it as a great place to imbibe required refreshment.

Tweedies offered 8 relatively local cask ales (think Ilkley, Hardknott, Coniston, etc.) plus a couple of ciders. Bottles showcased more quality local fare plus a couple of kegs were on offer. The slate-floored interior is spacious yet cosy and the food was popular with the wealth of walkers therein.

All the ales were very well kept and the flight of thirds was a useful option. I particularly enjoyed the Pacific Voyage from the modestly-named Cumbrian Legendary Ales which was really quaffable. Fresh and quite zesty at 4.5%, this one of the best NZ-hopped brews I`ve had. I`ll have another.

Finishing off with a half of Mills & Hills, a collaboration between Fyne and De Molen, was ideal. On one of the three keg lines at 9.5%, this complex brew explained in deserved detail on a little chalk board and proudly pulled by the excellent bar manager. Very tasty and a nice little dessert ale. Tweedies has won CAMRA awards in the past and I'm sure it will gain more accolades in the future if our visit was anything to go by. Nice. Thank you.

Finally we bobbed into the Brown Horse Inn for the reason that it looked proper nice and it was close to Winster where we were staying. This roadside coaching inn is very food-orientated and clearly popular. Interestingly the Winster Valley brewery is based here and I quite enjoyed my pint of Lakes Blonde, I think it was, and it had some champagne in there apparently providing a distinctive taste. Nice to get quality real ale in a foody pub. Staff were friendly and accommodating although they were busy and we were not eating. Also the outside area had lovely views. Well worth a look.

The end of a little holiday but, as the Oscar Wilde quote on the bar of Tweedies said, "Work is the curse of the drinking classes."  Indeed.

Ale in the Lake District #1 - Hawkshead Brewery

 

Is The Lake District the best bit of Great Britain? Sure, it is oft over-filled ( mostly with teachers during any mid term holiday) and the lovely-looking pubs are awash with dreary, disappointing Jennings / Marstons beers but times are a-changing. Cumbria has periodically boasted about having the most breweries per capita or something similar and now some of them are pushing for Premier League status.Coniston Brewery have always been solid ( it's in their water!?) but the likes of Hardknott and Hawkshead have also been worthy of recent note.

BEWARE! There are several Staveleys but thankfully we found the right one for the tap house and brewery for Hawkshead and were definitely not disappointed.

 

 

24 potential handpulls, a smattering of keg and fantastic food made the trip off of the A591 well worthwhile.

 

Decisions, decisions

Top tapas

 

Gotta love a comfy couch

In the name of research, I sampled most stuff. 5 Hop was probably the pick. Their Pale was pretty close to perfect mind and at only 3.5% and the Great White (4.8%), whilst with it's wheat, botanicals and manageable motueka sounded like my nightmare, was actually deceptively drinkable. Hop Black was a solid BIPA but not really enjoying that style at the mo. However, my OH reyt enjoyed her ITI, a snazzy NZPA named after the maori word for `little` apparently.

There is also an excellent beer shop at Hawkshead Brewery stocking lots of their wares plus some classic Euro fare. I grabbed some bottles of bourbon barrel-aged Brodies Prime #4 for the road and this proved to be a great choice. A 12 month oak barrel maturation sees this core range beer go from a tidy 4.9% up to BPX at 8.5%. During Beer Central's bottle share event at the Sheaf View a few days later, this brew scored really well; Muriel Spark would have been quite proud. `Wiki` her!