New venue - Heist Craft, Neepsend, Sheffield

 Afternoon!

       regular readers, and certainly my chums here in fine, sunny, Sheffield, may be aware that a number of new venues have opened here quite recently. I have heard poor things about Perch by the Dead Parrot brewery, and better things about Social off Waingate, but I have never been to either. So when, following a grim day on Saturday, my great friend Mr G messaged me and asked if I fancied a few pints in Sheffield, I initially suggested the Shakespeares, my second home. But as we drove towards town I asked if he wanted to go to Heist instead. He did. And we did.

Heist Craft is a newly opened bar on Neepsend lane next door to the Gardeners Rest. I say bar - because am quite picky about using the word pub to describe what is clearly not, irrespective of it's intentions. Heist brewery started in Clowne about 5 years ago and I only got to try one of their beers, which was a bottled stout I think, that they brewed with some European visitors. I sadly never got to their haunt in Clowne so when they left I wondered what might happen to them. They now brew hear in Sheffield (you can see the brewery from the seating I think) and when they opened a pop up bar in the car park next door to their present location last year, I tried one of their cans and it was lovely. Having heard good things about this new venue I popped in as we parked across the road.

I now realise that I  have  4 friends who know people either involved with the brewery, venue or its construction - and that, along with mostly positive comments online, made me even more excited to visit. The first thing my companion noted was the small signs advertising food sellers - he had encountered the burger sellers in Manchester previously and was very complimentary. Once we got in through the door at the front the bar was busy, and there was a very good choice. I will say thought that firstly we only saw one list of beers and incorrectly assumed that was everything - which alone wouldn't have mattered, but there's another list at the other end!

Mr G also rued his not reading the description of the 3.5% drivers ale he had a half of - not least because it was a sour. He doesn't like sours as a rule, and so didn't enjoy this one alas. It was frustrating for him as it clearly described it as a fruited sour ale! I think I had a pint of Howling Hops myself and it was lovely. Sat near the entrance we were briefly joined by nutters from the ten pints o lager crowd, but when they left everything became calm once again, and we sought out the loos and then our next drinks.

Mr G this time went for a half of bitter - and confirmed that it tasted of an old school bitter. Sadly that ran out just after but I then got a pint of an NEIPA from Bethnal Green which have sadly forgotten the name of, and this once again satisfied my palate nicely. Whilst we awaited a third I got a pint of a Heist IPA at 7% or so and this was also lovely - I know they are only glasses but I have to say that the way they looked on the tables made them look even more tasty!

Finally, having assessed the second screen, including a brilliant selection of generally stronger beers, I forget what we chose but I got another plus 7% IPA and I know that I really enjoyed it.

When we had got sat down initially I said to my mate that this reminded me of the sort of Manchester bars that I assumed he went in all the time - he said it was, indeed, very similar - but that the opening of a new keg bar in Manchester would barely raise an  eyebrow, what with there already being so many. I admit that the venue may seem a little "hipster" to many - but its range of 32 keg lines, at least 2 of which ran out whilst we were there, along with the excellent food from the room next door which could be eaten at the tables, will make this a desirable place to go, for many.

Its definitely somewhere - hipster or otherwise - that I would very much fancy returning to.

Cheers!

Wee Beefy