Morning!
myself and Mr P went out on payday for the second Wanderiains of the year. I had more or less finished my tablets (although have started some more the day after) so decided that, and the arrival of funding, would be a good reason to meet up for bose. Having been at the osspickuw anyway, I asked Mr P to meet me in the York in Broomhill.
I first went in the York when I was 17. I had long hair and a leather jacket and glasses and sounded oldish. I was drinking Bass at that age in the York, and was only asked my age once when buying a cider for younger looking but older than me Rob Noble. At the time, the York was a 15 minute walk away, traditional boozer, in Broomhill. Soon it became a fake oirish pub (am guessing around 1994) and apart from having a decent jukebox, where I once played all of Faith no More's Angel Dust, it was a poor version of the former. After a few refurbs and different owners its been run by the Forum/True North Group since 2012 or similar.
The York looks fab in its new guise, but is prone to high prices and the staff don't always recognise words such as hoppy. That said, the food is excellent and they usually have some decent ales on - this time there were four from Shiny in Derby so I had a pint of their Disco Balls pale and another pale called memory loss if memory is memories. Mr P joined me just as the Disco Balls ran out so had a pint of the Shiny Pail, one of their series of two or three hopped pale ales around 4.0%. This was a good start to the nights slaking.
Round the corner and across the road is the Itchy Pig micropub. Its a regular feature of recent Brummell visits and features four real ales, many local, and three or four kegs plus cider and, inevitably given its name, numerous types and flavours of pork scratchings. No Ted this time but the younger bloke was behind the bar, and he didn't need to recommend my choice - a pint of Dark Star Revelation, that gloriously hoppy 5.7% IPA from Sussex. Mr P got a pint of the Abbeydale lower strength special, and we shared a pack of cheese-n-o, sat to the right of the bar.
The pub got quite busy before we left, which means about twenty or so people, and we had two halves of getting (or don't get?) caught in the rain by Blue Bee on keg. Am sure Josh told me it was primed with pineapple, but whatever it is with, it creates a slightly odd balance of sweet and very bitter. Still a good choice for a keg Blue Bee offering.
Back up onto the main road we went to the Little Critters brewery Tap at the Fox and Duck. This is a place I have warmed to since my first visit last year when I was slightly underwhelmed - I admit that this increase in residual temperature is down partly to an improvement in their fare. The pub was busy when we got in, mainly due to football being on, and we both had pints of C-hop from Little Critters, which I think in this case was Citra. The beer is nicely hoppy and not too full-mashy (am not suggesting its full mash, just that their weaker beers remind me of Frog and Parrot output) and was a lovely last beer in actual Broomhill, which we finished whilst watching some footy with some yout (plural).
Further down the road, bypassing the Broomhill Tavern and the Notty, we went in the University Arms. I haven't been in much of late, and it was good to see it was still very much open, still serving real ales and keg, and still popular. We sat at the end of the main room and supped, beer, which came from a handpump, in glasses. I have to admit that my memories of the beers we had that night are at best disparate from here on. Whatever I had was pale and about 5.0%, which is about what I would expect.
From here we headed to our final destination the Bath Hotel. Still, at the end of February, with almost no spirits (I understand the stock has finally been replenished) we both definitely had pints in here. Am not even going to guess what we had, but will claim it was incredibly strong. Since I remember Mr P saying "don't fall asleep" and then waking up by myself. Beefdozing is something am going to have to reign in during 2017.....
The above crawl is short in distance, but peppered with good pubs (and there are others of course in the area) and is, once again, another excellent demonstration of the quality of beers and venues in Sunny Sheffield.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
Showing posts with label The York Broomhill. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The York Broomhill. Show all posts
Monday, 6 March 2017
Saturday, 22 August 2015
Mad Hatter on cask, Shakespeares, Indy Man Beer Con 2015 and other news.
Hello,
apologies for a lack of writing this month - have lacked time, inspiration, clear memories, time, inspiration....
Anyhoo. in no particular order, here's a round up of some fantastic ales I have drunk in the last 3 weeks.
The day before pay day I was sat by myself in the clock room at Shakesepares. On the bar was an absolute crascker of an ale. Mad Hatter brewing's Toxteth IPA, on cask, at 6.5% and £3.90 a pint. Rather good value am sure you will agree. As I was taking it easy I only had two and a half pints but they were nectar - slightly fruit, citrussy and bitingly bitter hops in the aftertaste, but still well rounded and easy to drink.
I was in the Closed Shop recently supping Blue Bee Reet Pale and another delicious offering from Tynebank. Was good to bump into Mr Ransome and his other half whilst having a relaxing sup and a catch up. Across the road, the Hallamshire House has been a bit hit and miss of late but the Marble Pint (I am not sure about this...!) and the dry hopped Siren (or Cloudwater) Berliner WEiss on keg was a perfect combo. Apologies for fragmented memories of this session!
Sunday saw me and Tash in the York in Broomhill. The excellent Roosters Jasmine Green Tea IPA was on as well as couple pf their other brews, some True North and a red ale called Zakos or similar from Crate Brewery. Sat outside by ourselves we had a couple of pints each, 3 of them were the Green Tea IPA.
Down the hill we also visited the Beer House. Two ales stood out, both from Tiny Rebel. It seems their Cwch has won at the GBBF and Tash had a pint of that, whilst I enjoyed a pint of their Billabong Pale. The pub is quite barren in the back room when its quiet, but at least we had chance to catch up and keep an eye on the time. We had a second round of the same before leaving.
Last night in the Three Tuns we missed the Dark Star Hophead but enjoyed 3 pints each with Matty of the excellent Mallinsons Topaz single hopped ale. Not seeing Mallinsons as much these days so this was a lovely treat, and the hop, and indeed the beer, had a very distinctive and refreshing flavour.
We finished the night in Shakespeares with Rachael and Ade and Cayti and others, drinking pints of North Riding US Session IPA and the amazing cask Mad Hatters Mild, at a whopping 7.4%, and still only £3.90 a pint! Having tried their Dark Hares Black IPA at 7.0% the day or two before I have to say I am very impressed with Mad Hatter brewery beers, having first tried them in Liverpool at their bar last year.
Finally, a quick mention about the Indy Man Beer Con 2015, which rakes place in October from 8th to the 11th at the wonderful venue of Chorlton Victorian Baths. There is a link here to the website for details of tickets. I loved the event last year but have been quite late requesting tickets fr this year's event so may not get to go - not because I don't want to pay, but because there are very few tickets left!
For a taste of how the festival works and the amazing range of ales on in the frankly sumptuous venue, here is a link to my blog post from last year. If there are tickets left I highly recommend a trip.
That#s all I have for now am afraid, but will hopefully blog again before month end.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
apologies for a lack of writing this month - have lacked time, inspiration, clear memories, time, inspiration....
Anyhoo. in no particular order, here's a round up of some fantastic ales I have drunk in the last 3 weeks.
The day before pay day I was sat by myself in the clock room at Shakesepares. On the bar was an absolute crascker of an ale. Mad Hatter brewing's Toxteth IPA, on cask, at 6.5% and £3.90 a pint. Rather good value am sure you will agree. As I was taking it easy I only had two and a half pints but they were nectar - slightly fruit, citrussy and bitingly bitter hops in the aftertaste, but still well rounded and easy to drink.
I was in the Closed Shop recently supping Blue Bee Reet Pale and another delicious offering from Tynebank. Was good to bump into Mr Ransome and his other half whilst having a relaxing sup and a catch up. Across the road, the Hallamshire House has been a bit hit and miss of late but the Marble Pint (I am not sure about this...!) and the dry hopped Siren (or Cloudwater) Berliner WEiss on keg was a perfect combo. Apologies for fragmented memories of this session!
Sunday saw me and Tash in the York in Broomhill. The excellent Roosters Jasmine Green Tea IPA was on as well as couple pf their other brews, some True North and a red ale called Zakos or similar from Crate Brewery. Sat outside by ourselves we had a couple of pints each, 3 of them were the Green Tea IPA.
Down the hill we also visited the Beer House. Two ales stood out, both from Tiny Rebel. It seems their Cwch has won at the GBBF and Tash had a pint of that, whilst I enjoyed a pint of their Billabong Pale. The pub is quite barren in the back room when its quiet, but at least we had chance to catch up and keep an eye on the time. We had a second round of the same before leaving.
Last night in the Three Tuns we missed the Dark Star Hophead but enjoyed 3 pints each with Matty of the excellent Mallinsons Topaz single hopped ale. Not seeing Mallinsons as much these days so this was a lovely treat, and the hop, and indeed the beer, had a very distinctive and refreshing flavour.
We finished the night in Shakespeares with Rachael and Ade and Cayti and others, drinking pints of North Riding US Session IPA and the amazing cask Mad Hatters Mild, at a whopping 7.4%, and still only £3.90 a pint! Having tried their Dark Hares Black IPA at 7.0% the day or two before I have to say I am very impressed with Mad Hatter brewery beers, having first tried them in Liverpool at their bar last year.
Finally, a quick mention about the Indy Man Beer Con 2015, which rakes place in October from 8th to the 11th at the wonderful venue of Chorlton Victorian Baths. There is a link here to the website for details of tickets. I loved the event last year but have been quite late requesting tickets fr this year's event so may not get to go - not because I don't want to pay, but because there are very few tickets left!
For a taste of how the festival works and the amazing range of ales on in the frankly sumptuous venue, here is a link to my blog post from last year. If there are tickets left I highly recommend a trip.
That#s all I have for now am afraid, but will hopefully blog again before month end.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
Friday, 12 September 2014
Ale for the homlidays
Hello again,
I've been orf work this week and have used my time constructively. I....um...went to the pub. Oh yes. Lots of times. And enjoyed it very much. Since my note taking and long term memory are equally poor, I thought I'd fill you in on what I got up to so far.
Monday saw me and Miss N going shopping and drinking, in town and Walkley. Miss N started her shopping at the Dove and Rainbow and bought a fetching hat, whilst I started my wander in Walkley at the Florist. Subtle internal changes have taken place since I last ventured in, namely the decor, and Bradfield Brown Cow was the only real ale. It was on decent form and £1.25 a half. Sat in the left hand bay I could see the now refurbished "Crown House" across the road, now almost unrecognisable as a pub and as previously mentioned, sharing its fate with other Walkley locals. Good to see then, customers coming in the Florist straight from work.
Along South Road the Walkley Beer Co premises weren't open but still set up to be a temporary pub - I hear they were open August Bank Holiday. There was talk of them opening the building permanently as an off licence and then getting a temporary bar license for events and bank holidays, but am unsure what the situation is. I understand you can only get about 10 such licences a year, and with no further bank holidays til Christmas it would be a shame to wait so long to visit the pub/shop again.
Next up I popped into the Rose House. Three handpumps in here and one beer on, a rather odd tasting Moorhouses First Cut which I recall was £1.50 a half. It was fairly busy, and although not noticeably advertising the real ales, its a good sign that they are still selling them.
Into Commonside next and I opted not to visit the Springvale and instead went to the Closed Shop which was also, for a Monday late afternoon, quite busy. I had an excellent pint of Brass Castle Cliffhanger at £2.90 a pint and went and sat in the last of the sunshine in the beer garden. Having eaten an entire packet of chorizo from the excellent Beeches shop in Walkley I opted not to eat here, apart from some expensive zebra jerky. Instead I opted to "eat" the Brass Castle Sunshine, which, despite its light colour, you virtually needed a spoon to get it down your throat. Afterwards I nipped into the Hallamshire to see the man of Ash and sup a very enjoyable half of Thornbridge desert sessions rye IPA at 5.7%, which was probably £1.75 a half - but I didn't write that down.
I walked into Broomhill next and had a tasty smoked chicken and potato salad and half a 4.2% Summer Wine Brewery Union pale at the York. The salad was delicate and delicious but I probably would have benefited more from a bag of chips! I also visited the Broomhill Tavern for the first time this decade and had a half of Kelham Island Easy Rider at £1.50, from a range of 2 or 3. Its difficult to get the feel of the place on such a short visit but I noticed they took the menus off the tables at 18.50....
Off into town I stopped in the Wick at Both Ends for half of the Blackjack Trial 13 at £1.60, which was an odd but tasty beer, before going to meet Miss N and drink a pint and a half of Blue Bee Lustin for Stout in the Dove and Rainbow. Here I met Mr Slaughter and we persuaded him to join us for a last one in Shakespeares before he walked home to Stannington (!) and we headed home. I can't remember what we had but Mr S had a pint of the Revolutions demo wheat beer which was very nice, as we discovered on Wednesday....
Which is when I met Miss N outside work and we walked in the hazy evening sunshine to the Gardeners Rest. I had a pint of Fyne Ales Jarl and Miss N the Sheffield Brew Co Galena, which was stronger than the Jarl but about 80p a pint cheaper. We sat outside watching the bird life on the river and letting it get dark and the triffid like lamps light up, before we opted for more beer. This time I had a half of Kia Kaha from the Crwr Tal community brewery, and a Seven Brothers brewery IPA as well as another pint of Jarl, which came to £6.16 and was shared between us both.
It was now dark and we walked round to the Ship for a pint each of the Kelham Pale Rider which, at a guess, was likely £2.80 a pint and was as always, on top form. We then repaired to Shakespeares to drink some Hand Drawn Monkey beers, Tynebank Mosaic and the Raspberry Wheat beer from Revolutions, before realising that it was too late to get a bus and ordering a taxi home.
So, the first three days have been a success with some excellent beer in a number of equally excellent Sheffield boozers. Tomorrow, I will tell you all about yesterday and today as well.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
I've been orf work this week and have used my time constructively. I....um...went to the pub. Oh yes. Lots of times. And enjoyed it very much. Since my note taking and long term memory are equally poor, I thought I'd fill you in on what I got up to so far.
Monday saw me and Miss N going shopping and drinking, in town and Walkley. Miss N started her shopping at the Dove and Rainbow and bought a fetching hat, whilst I started my wander in Walkley at the Florist. Subtle internal changes have taken place since I last ventured in, namely the decor, and Bradfield Brown Cow was the only real ale. It was on decent form and £1.25 a half. Sat in the left hand bay I could see the now refurbished "Crown House" across the road, now almost unrecognisable as a pub and as previously mentioned, sharing its fate with other Walkley locals. Good to see then, customers coming in the Florist straight from work.
Along South Road the Walkley Beer Co premises weren't open but still set up to be a temporary pub - I hear they were open August Bank Holiday. There was talk of them opening the building permanently as an off licence and then getting a temporary bar license for events and bank holidays, but am unsure what the situation is. I understand you can only get about 10 such licences a year, and with no further bank holidays til Christmas it would be a shame to wait so long to visit the pub/shop again.
Next up I popped into the Rose House. Three handpumps in here and one beer on, a rather odd tasting Moorhouses First Cut which I recall was £1.50 a half. It was fairly busy, and although not noticeably advertising the real ales, its a good sign that they are still selling them.
Into Commonside next and I opted not to visit the Springvale and instead went to the Closed Shop which was also, for a Monday late afternoon, quite busy. I had an excellent pint of Brass Castle Cliffhanger at £2.90 a pint and went and sat in the last of the sunshine in the beer garden. Having eaten an entire packet of chorizo from the excellent Beeches shop in Walkley I opted not to eat here, apart from some expensive zebra jerky. Instead I opted to "eat" the Brass Castle Sunshine, which, despite its light colour, you virtually needed a spoon to get it down your throat. Afterwards I nipped into the Hallamshire to see the man of Ash and sup a very enjoyable half of Thornbridge desert sessions rye IPA at 5.7%, which was probably £1.75 a half - but I didn't write that down.
I walked into Broomhill next and had a tasty smoked chicken and potato salad and half a 4.2% Summer Wine Brewery Union pale at the York. The salad was delicate and delicious but I probably would have benefited more from a bag of chips! I also visited the Broomhill Tavern for the first time this decade and had a half of Kelham Island Easy Rider at £1.50, from a range of 2 or 3. Its difficult to get the feel of the place on such a short visit but I noticed they took the menus off the tables at 18.50....
Off into town I stopped in the Wick at Both Ends for half of the Blackjack Trial 13 at £1.60, which was an odd but tasty beer, before going to meet Miss N and drink a pint and a half of Blue Bee Lustin for Stout in the Dove and Rainbow. Here I met Mr Slaughter and we persuaded him to join us for a last one in Shakespeares before he walked home to Stannington (!) and we headed home. I can't remember what we had but Mr S had a pint of the Revolutions demo wheat beer which was very nice, as we discovered on Wednesday....
Which is when I met Miss N outside work and we walked in the hazy evening sunshine to the Gardeners Rest. I had a pint of Fyne Ales Jarl and Miss N the Sheffield Brew Co Galena, which was stronger than the Jarl but about 80p a pint cheaper. We sat outside watching the bird life on the river and letting it get dark and the triffid like lamps light up, before we opted for more beer. This time I had a half of Kia Kaha from the Crwr Tal community brewery, and a Seven Brothers brewery IPA as well as another pint of Jarl, which came to £6.16 and was shared between us both.
It was now dark and we walked round to the Ship for a pint each of the Kelham Pale Rider which, at a guess, was likely £2.80 a pint and was as always, on top form. We then repaired to Shakespeares to drink some Hand Drawn Monkey beers, Tynebank Mosaic and the Raspberry Wheat beer from Revolutions, before realising that it was too late to get a bus and ordering a taxi home.
So, the first three days have been a success with some excellent beer in a number of equally excellent Sheffield boozers. Tomorrow, I will tell you all about yesterday and today as well.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
Wednesday, 12 February 2014
Chuff me! Its February!
Now then,
I read a blog a month or two ago by Mudgie highlighting the paucity of posts from prominent bloggers. With the notable exception of post-ophiles Boak and Bailey, he was musing here about his own easing off on posting. I remember thinking that as well as not being notable, this was also my experience - I seem to have slumped to an average 9 posts a month which is, if nothing else, a rather odd amount. Granted, since November there have been significant pressures on my time, but 2013 was much more sedate than 2012. So what would this year bring?
Well, this is only my second post in February.
But don't worry, that isn't it. There is also actual information. I said actual, instead of factual on purpose. Because a fortnight or more of drinking, even when making notes some of the time, is a feat to remember. Here's some notable fragments.
At Shakespeares the North Riding series continued with Mosaic which I managed to miss (Gah!), Jester, 3rd anniversary 60 minute IPA and summat else. All of which were in fine fettle, and went down alarmingly well. Other excellent grog spotted included Citra Noir from Mallinsons which was on sparkling form, a red ale from Black Iris which was a nice change from hoppy stuff, a Brewshed stout, and something with a funny name (see- "journalism", posts passim...)
On the last Friday in January and the following Friday leaving do's and birthdays occurred. Miss N had her official birthday do on 31st which was payday, meaning more people could attend.Somehow, the Dove and Rainbow had managed to secure a cask of Bradfield Belgian Blue. Between us we demolished most of it. On the next Friday I was on Blue Bee Lustin for Stout, but somehow contrived to make it last for an hour, since I was already a trifle refreshed when I arrived.
Earlier that night a sojourn to the Riverside was required as Bam Jiggot was off to get a real job, i.e not one in the farce plant that is the civil service. To my delight, the excellent Great Heck Citra was on, so I forced myself to have several very enjoyable pints of that.
The Red Deer was also visited, once after an annoying stand outside an openinghourssign-less Bath Hotel, whose opening hours I couldn't recall, but which was shut at 18.30 on a Sunday. Humph. The Deer meanwhile was open and had an excellent pint of Broadside on offer, which I supped, whilst Mr Devden and friends drank the Moorhouses Black Cat Mild, at £2.95 a pint.
The Rutland had been a handy stop off a couple of times and featured the excellent Permanent Revolution pale ale and Monkey Business Belgian style ale from Hopcraft, along with Magic Rock Cannonball, Summer Wine Mokka milk stout and their excellent Diablo pale ale - alas, as is often the case, all the Summer Wine output was key keg, but some cask was reported in DAda....
DAda also very nearly yielded an exciting pint of the Thornbridge Crimerion breakfast stout, alas this ran out before we could try it, but forced into a corner I ended up buying a pint of previously excellent but long less so Jaipur - and bloody loved it! Also notable was the Founders breakfast stout in bottle. It was probably chocolate and vanilla coffee stout or something. Either way it was chuffing ace. The Summer Wine cask came on Saturday night and I haven't made it in yet this week.
I also got to the Fat Cat where I enjoyed several excellent Wateralls pork pies and a rather splendid pint of Twisted Oak Downhill Porter, as well as visiting the Harlequin, which is a rare venue for me. Me and Miss N optimistically started on pints of the Great Heck Yakima IPA, before sharing a bottle of Sierra Nevada Torpedo. Meanwhile, the York had some very tasty food on and numerous pints of Acorn Spalter and Winter Pale plus a Belgian brew from Roosters.
The Three Tuns tempted us with Blue Bee Solidus, Lustin for Stout and excellent Welbeck Abbey Harley, as well as the company of Dave and Doctor Bob, before we headed for the Sheffield Tap, which forms the bookend of this library of libation.
On that night we drank the excellent Redemption Pale and quite a lot of excellent Roosters High Tea, which is different, if not slightly better, that their mad hatters earl grey IPA. Other pints supped in there include Magic Rock Dark Arts, as you would, Tiny Rebel Cwlch, the excellent Red Willow Faithless xxxx which we had numerous pints of, and finally we went mad and bought a bottle, of all things.
Having recently purchased a bottle of Brew By Numbers Saison, I spotted their citra saison in the Tap and decided to go for it. Washed down with an Oakham Citra for nor exactly a comparison, and though pricey, the saison was amaison. Do yo see what I did there? Good. So, whilst the above seems reckless, it represents just over two weeks of supping for two people, so its not that bad. Although, two further posts are to follow about February's exploits....
FINALLY - don't forget its the Closed Shop 1st birthday celebration tomorrow - which is being held at the Closed Shop. Seriously. I heartily recommend a visit f you have time and waterproofs.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy (hic)
I read a blog a month or two ago by Mudgie highlighting the paucity of posts from prominent bloggers. With the notable exception of post-ophiles Boak and Bailey, he was musing here about his own easing off on posting. I remember thinking that as well as not being notable, this was also my experience - I seem to have slumped to an average 9 posts a month which is, if nothing else, a rather odd amount. Granted, since November there have been significant pressures on my time, but 2013 was much more sedate than 2012. So what would this year bring?
Well, this is only my second post in February.
But don't worry, that isn't it. There is also actual information. I said actual, instead of factual on purpose. Because a fortnight or more of drinking, even when making notes some of the time, is a feat to remember. Here's some notable fragments.
At Shakespeares the North Riding series continued with Mosaic which I managed to miss (Gah!), Jester, 3rd anniversary 60 minute IPA and summat else. All of which were in fine fettle, and went down alarmingly well. Other excellent grog spotted included Citra Noir from Mallinsons which was on sparkling form, a red ale from Black Iris which was a nice change from hoppy stuff, a Brewshed stout, and something with a funny name (see- "journalism", posts passim...)
On the last Friday in January and the following Friday leaving do's and birthdays occurred. Miss N had her official birthday do on 31st which was payday, meaning more people could attend.Somehow, the Dove and Rainbow had managed to secure a cask of Bradfield Belgian Blue. Between us we demolished most of it. On the next Friday I was on Blue Bee Lustin for Stout, but somehow contrived to make it last for an hour, since I was already a trifle refreshed when I arrived.
Earlier that night a sojourn to the Riverside was required as Bam Jiggot was off to get a real job, i.e not one in the farce plant that is the civil service. To my delight, the excellent Great Heck Citra was on, so I forced myself to have several very enjoyable pints of that.
The Red Deer was also visited, once after an annoying stand outside an openinghourssign-less Bath Hotel, whose opening hours I couldn't recall, but which was shut at 18.30 on a Sunday. Humph. The Deer meanwhile was open and had an excellent pint of Broadside on offer, which I supped, whilst Mr Devden and friends drank the Moorhouses Black Cat Mild, at £2.95 a pint.
The Rutland had been a handy stop off a couple of times and featured the excellent Permanent Revolution pale ale and Monkey Business Belgian style ale from Hopcraft, along with Magic Rock Cannonball, Summer Wine Mokka milk stout and their excellent Diablo pale ale - alas, as is often the case, all the Summer Wine output was key keg, but some cask was reported in DAda....
DAda also very nearly yielded an exciting pint of the Thornbridge Crimerion breakfast stout, alas this ran out before we could try it, but forced into a corner I ended up buying a pint of previously excellent but long less so Jaipur - and bloody loved it! Also notable was the Founders breakfast stout in bottle. It was probably chocolate and vanilla coffee stout or something. Either way it was chuffing ace. The Summer Wine cask came on Saturday night and I haven't made it in yet this week.
I also got to the Fat Cat where I enjoyed several excellent Wateralls pork pies and a rather splendid pint of Twisted Oak Downhill Porter, as well as visiting the Harlequin, which is a rare venue for me. Me and Miss N optimistically started on pints of the Great Heck Yakima IPA, before sharing a bottle of Sierra Nevada Torpedo. Meanwhile, the York had some very tasty food on and numerous pints of Acorn Spalter and Winter Pale plus a Belgian brew from Roosters.
The Three Tuns tempted us with Blue Bee Solidus, Lustin for Stout and excellent Welbeck Abbey Harley, as well as the company of Dave and Doctor Bob, before we headed for the Sheffield Tap, which forms the bookend of this library of libation.
On that night we drank the excellent Redemption Pale and quite a lot of excellent Roosters High Tea, which is different, if not slightly better, that their mad hatters earl grey IPA. Other pints supped in there include Magic Rock Dark Arts, as you would, Tiny Rebel Cwlch, the excellent Red Willow Faithless xxxx which we had numerous pints of, and finally we went mad and bought a bottle, of all things.
Having recently purchased a bottle of Brew By Numbers Saison, I spotted their citra saison in the Tap and decided to go for it. Washed down with an Oakham Citra for nor exactly a comparison, and though pricey, the saison was amaison. Do yo see what I did there? Good. So, whilst the above seems reckless, it represents just over two weeks of supping for two people, so its not that bad. Although, two further posts are to follow about February's exploits....
FINALLY - don't forget its the Closed Shop 1st birthday celebration tomorrow - which is being held at the Closed Shop. Seriously. I heartily recommend a visit f you have time and waterproofs.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy (hic)
Saturday, 19 October 2013
Bolehills, boozers and bourbon aged bliss
Now then,
after a week of crap rain and cold, the appearance of some rare sunshine warranted a trip to Crookes for a wander on the bolehills. Somehow, by pure chance, after a 1 hour 10 minute journey (why would you need a car when you could pay to travel at walking speed on retarded public transport?!) we managed to find a half hour window of glorious chilly sunshine to wander round Crookes, and admire the view over the valleys. Luckily, all this walking made us a trifle droughty. But what to do?
Down Newent Lane we took the Jennel onto Cobden View Road and popped in the Cobden View. Along with the regular beers the guest was Sheffield Brewing Co Crucible Best so I went for a pint of that, whilst Miss M, partially in protest at my suggestion of how bad it was, opted for a pint of Hobgoblin. We sat outside in the smoking shelter - it was warm enough to not sit under cover but everything was drenched - and set about having some very much needed alcohol after our Methodist style Saturday....
Soon the rain started to pour so we headed on down the hill to the Closed Shop. Paultous was manning the bar and there were a handful of customers, some of whom were asking about our choice of beer - the Lincoln Green Quarterstaff Stout. This was a robust and satisfying stout with not too much bitterness that was reassuringly black - no silly reddish or brown hues to this, just black, with a muddy white head. We had a couple of these, whilst emptying the pub of customers entirely (sorry Mr Stephens), before moving onto the Hallamshire House.
Here we continued the dark beer theme with pints of Thornbridge Pollards Stout, beautifully balanced and well kept as usual, this was just what we needed to protect us from the cold as awe sat in the inside outside downstairs room with a band of hardy smokers.
Our final port of call was the York in Broomhill. Miss N hadn't been in for a decade or so and was pleased with the new look - although it would have been nice to have spent enough money (i.e. bought food) to have been allowed to sit in the left hand side of the pub...
As it was we repaired to the right hand room and supped a couple of pints. Miss N initially opted for the Slaters Autumn Red but this was a disappointingly flat malty concoction that didn't really inspire so as I had done, we both had pints of Bradfield Pale ale next. This was on good form and was exactly what we needed to finish off a night of dark ales in Crookesmoor.
Tuesday saw me at Shakespeares celebrating with Christingpher on his new job. We started on pints of the excellent Otley 04 Boss red ale, after which he had a half - his only other drink since he was on his bike - whilst I had a pint. We were joined by Miss N next, who also enjoyed the Otley - its a frustration of Otley that their beers always promise so much but only half of the time deliver. This occasion was one where they did, and it was a cracking beer.
However, as the night wore on we got hungry and opted to order curry from the West Bar Tandoori over the road - so a slightly more heavyweight ale was required. This was Raw's 5.9% IPA - alas no-one was clever enough to think to make a note of the actual name of this beer - which is a problem, since they brew at least four 5.9% IPA's! Whatever it was, it was very very easy to drink and tremendously hoppy. Raw done good, as per almost always.
Finally in this round up, Thursday saw me in the Sheffield Tap with Mr Devden and Miss N supping, initially,. a pint of Acorn Opal. There had apparently been a meet the brewer type event on the other night and there were Acorn a plenty to sample. To my delight, the time I spent delayed standing behind some beer twats with no bar etiquette allowed me to discover that the bourbon aged Gorlovka Imperial Stout was on. Its fairly bloody obvious what we had next!
The bourbon aged version was almost the stuff of legend. Time and again I saw it mentioned on Faceache and Twatter but I was never able to get to try it. Interestingly, Gorlovka has never stopped being an excellent ale but for one reason or another I don't seem to have had it much this year. Now I was having the most talked about version of the beer, which at £3.80 a pint, although steep, was the same price as ordinary Gorlovka. I didn't see many people turn down the aged version I have to say...
Since I was in hospital having my eyes pulled out with a barbed wire spoon on Friday this was a fitting end to a week of great beers - and although the aged Gorlovka has now gone, Acorn inform me that there is an aged version of Old Moor Porter on the way as well. If I get to find out where it's on sale I'll put the details on here.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
after a week of crap rain and cold, the appearance of some rare sunshine warranted a trip to Crookes for a wander on the bolehills. Somehow, by pure chance, after a 1 hour 10 minute journey (why would you need a car when you could pay to travel at walking speed on retarded public transport?!) we managed to find a half hour window of glorious chilly sunshine to wander round Crookes, and admire the view over the valleys. Luckily, all this walking made us a trifle droughty. But what to do?
Down Newent Lane we took the Jennel onto Cobden View Road and popped in the Cobden View. Along with the regular beers the guest was Sheffield Brewing Co Crucible Best so I went for a pint of that, whilst Miss M, partially in protest at my suggestion of how bad it was, opted for a pint of Hobgoblin. We sat outside in the smoking shelter - it was warm enough to not sit under cover but everything was drenched - and set about having some very much needed alcohol after our Methodist style Saturday....
Soon the rain started to pour so we headed on down the hill to the Closed Shop. Paultous was manning the bar and there were a handful of customers, some of whom were asking about our choice of beer - the Lincoln Green Quarterstaff Stout. This was a robust and satisfying stout with not too much bitterness that was reassuringly black - no silly reddish or brown hues to this, just black, with a muddy white head. We had a couple of these, whilst emptying the pub of customers entirely (sorry Mr Stephens), before moving onto the Hallamshire House.
Here we continued the dark beer theme with pints of Thornbridge Pollards Stout, beautifully balanced and well kept as usual, this was just what we needed to protect us from the cold as awe sat in the inside outside downstairs room with a band of hardy smokers.
Our final port of call was the York in Broomhill. Miss N hadn't been in for a decade or so and was pleased with the new look - although it would have been nice to have spent enough money (i.e. bought food) to have been allowed to sit in the left hand side of the pub...
As it was we repaired to the right hand room and supped a couple of pints. Miss N initially opted for the Slaters Autumn Red but this was a disappointingly flat malty concoction that didn't really inspire so as I had done, we both had pints of Bradfield Pale ale next. This was on good form and was exactly what we needed to finish off a night of dark ales in Crookesmoor.
Tuesday saw me at Shakespeares celebrating with Christingpher on his new job. We started on pints of the excellent Otley 04 Boss red ale, after which he had a half - his only other drink since he was on his bike - whilst I had a pint. We were joined by Miss N next, who also enjoyed the Otley - its a frustration of Otley that their beers always promise so much but only half of the time deliver. This occasion was one where they did, and it was a cracking beer.
However, as the night wore on we got hungry and opted to order curry from the West Bar Tandoori over the road - so a slightly more heavyweight ale was required. This was Raw's 5.9% IPA - alas no-one was clever enough to think to make a note of the actual name of this beer - which is a problem, since they brew at least four 5.9% IPA's! Whatever it was, it was very very easy to drink and tremendously hoppy. Raw done good, as per almost always.
Finally in this round up, Thursday saw me in the Sheffield Tap with Mr Devden and Miss N supping, initially,. a pint of Acorn Opal. There had apparently been a meet the brewer type event on the other night and there were Acorn a plenty to sample. To my delight, the time I spent delayed standing behind some beer twats with no bar etiquette allowed me to discover that the bourbon aged Gorlovka Imperial Stout was on. Its fairly bloody obvious what we had next!
The bourbon aged version was almost the stuff of legend. Time and again I saw it mentioned on Faceache and Twatter but I was never able to get to try it. Interestingly, Gorlovka has never stopped being an excellent ale but for one reason or another I don't seem to have had it much this year. Now I was having the most talked about version of the beer, which at £3.80 a pint, although steep, was the same price as ordinary Gorlovka. I didn't see many people turn down the aged version I have to say...
Since I was in hospital having my eyes pulled out with a barbed wire spoon on Friday this was a fitting end to a week of great beers - and although the aged Gorlovka has now gone, Acorn inform me that there is an aged version of Old Moor Porter on the way as well. If I get to find out where it's on sale I'll put the details on here.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
Tuesday, 16 October 2012
Wee Beefy's Sunday Ale Amble
Now then,
a couple of weeks ago, myself and Fluff met up for a beverage or two, and a walk from Broomhill, over Crookes, down to Commonside, onto Infirmary Road and into town. There was a secondary motive for this yomp, but mainly it was to get to some pubs that we either rarely or had never previously in Fluff's case, visited.
We started in Broomhill, just time for one pub here from the choice of 5. If I'd had my visiting a new pub head on we'd have gone to The Place - but I hadn't, and we met in The York.
Visiting The York on a Sunday is probably suggests its a restaurant that serves food. Its clear that most of the tables are for gnashing and chomping at and despite the relaxed lazy Sunday vibe and comfy seating on the right, I can't escape feeling like I'm gatecrashing a family meal.
When we were 17 (shock, horror, scandal!) we both used to drink in the York. I know I used to favour the Bass over the Stones, but its unrecognisable in terms of interior as well as beer choice now - from a range of beers dominated by True North offerings, I tried the excellent Kelham Island Wild Rider, which is or more likely has made an appearance at the Ship at Shalesmoor. This is a cracking hoppy beer and probably one of the best Kelham beers I've had for a while, although their Brooklyn Porter a year or so ago was exemplary.
After Fluff had recovered from walking over from Woodseats, and finished his much needed pint we headed up the bus route to Crookes. If we'd been doing a proper survey we'd have made 4 stops before we reached the Punch Bowl but really Crookes was just a convenient route over the hill to Commonside. A pressing need for Fluff however meant an unplanned visit to the Princess Royal.
Still serving a good range of beers it was warm, crowded and friendly, and there was some good music on the jukebox. We both had halves of the Welbeck Bay Middleton, a well kept refreshing dry bitter with a lovely aftertaste.
All too soon we were off for a rare visit to the Dram Shop. We'd earlier noticed that Rhythm and Booze on Crookes had real ales on handpump, but despite the obvious temptation to follow suit, the Dram Shop have always steadfastly concentrated on bottles. From a list of to be fair expensive bottled exotica, Fluff purchased a Brooklyn beer (I think) whilst I saved my cash for more beer in the next pub.
Its only a short walk round the corner along Howard road and down the hill to the Blake Hotel. This was the first time I had been when I noticed the slow service that some people complain about. To be honest, its fair to say this was out of the hands of the staff - some customers really are just slow.
Fluff had time to go to the loo and come back to find me in exactly the same position, and when a bloke turned up and motioned for us to go to the bar to be served since he'd only just arrived, I was quick to point out that I needed to have been nearer sooner to spot which beers were on offer. Bizarrely, this chap took my comment as an invitation to simply put his order in first, and then take a seeming age to get it. A lack of pub etiquette always baffles me, but this was surprising in just how brazen it was. I was temporarily speechless.
Luckily the beers helped soothe the hurt, and despite not being reckless enough to make any notes the quality of the very best beer means I can remember clearly what it was. I know we sampled halves of Potbelly and possibly a Phoenix offering as well but stand out ale there was the Peakstones Rock Black Hole, very much like a silky porter or dark ale to me, but described by the brewery as a dark bitter brewed with chocolate malt. Either way it was fantastic.
Down the hill next to the Hillsborough, where I noticed the Raw Dark Peak Stout was on so had an OK pint of that, Fluff meanwhile went for a Wood Street Brewery Ebony Stout. The jury, I think, is still out on Wood Street beers. The stout was nice enough but not especially well balanced, and lacking in that edge that usually defines a stout. Still, a work in progress can of course improve, so I will continue to try their beers as and when I get chance.
Our final stop was the Wellington. Despite being accused of being the inventor of Saison beer, I was disappointed not to be referred to in such terms, and after a rather awkward bar staff identification mix up me and Fluff both went for pints of the excellent Mallinsons Topaz Centennial, one of my beers of the festival at the Sheffield beer fest that same weekend. Its ironic because I'd been espousing the credentials of the excellent Little Ale Cart beers all the way to the pub - and then we didn't have any...
Fluff ended up walking all the way back into town from here whilst I studiously reserved sufficient funds to catch the bus. All in all this wander was further than we anticipated, but none the worse for it, and featured some great pubs and beer along the way.
Definitely worth doing again to take in some of the other gems that we missed.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
a couple of weeks ago, myself and Fluff met up for a beverage or two, and a walk from Broomhill, over Crookes, down to Commonside, onto Infirmary Road and into town. There was a secondary motive for this yomp, but mainly it was to get to some pubs that we either rarely or had never previously in Fluff's case, visited.
We started in Broomhill, just time for one pub here from the choice of 5. If I'd had my visiting a new pub head on we'd have gone to The Place - but I hadn't, and we met in The York.
Visiting The York on a Sunday is probably suggests its a restaurant that serves food. Its clear that most of the tables are for gnashing and chomping at and despite the relaxed lazy Sunday vibe and comfy seating on the right, I can't escape feeling like I'm gatecrashing a family meal.
When we were 17 (shock, horror, scandal!) we both used to drink in the York. I know I used to favour the Bass over the Stones, but its unrecognisable in terms of interior as well as beer choice now - from a range of beers dominated by True North offerings, I tried the excellent Kelham Island Wild Rider, which is or more likely has made an appearance at the Ship at Shalesmoor. This is a cracking hoppy beer and probably one of the best Kelham beers I've had for a while, although their Brooklyn Porter a year or so ago was exemplary.
After Fluff had recovered from walking over from Woodseats, and finished his much needed pint we headed up the bus route to Crookes. If we'd been doing a proper survey we'd have made 4 stops before we reached the Punch Bowl but really Crookes was just a convenient route over the hill to Commonside. A pressing need for Fluff however meant an unplanned visit to the Princess Royal.
Still serving a good range of beers it was warm, crowded and friendly, and there was some good music on the jukebox. We both had halves of the Welbeck Bay Middleton, a well kept refreshing dry bitter with a lovely aftertaste.
All too soon we were off for a rare visit to the Dram Shop. We'd earlier noticed that Rhythm and Booze on Crookes had real ales on handpump, but despite the obvious temptation to follow suit, the Dram Shop have always steadfastly concentrated on bottles. From a list of to be fair expensive bottled exotica, Fluff purchased a Brooklyn beer (I think) whilst I saved my cash for more beer in the next pub.
Its only a short walk round the corner along Howard road and down the hill to the Blake Hotel. This was the first time I had been when I noticed the slow service that some people complain about. To be honest, its fair to say this was out of the hands of the staff - some customers really are just slow.
Fluff had time to go to the loo and come back to find me in exactly the same position, and when a bloke turned up and motioned for us to go to the bar to be served since he'd only just arrived, I was quick to point out that I needed to have been nearer sooner to spot which beers were on offer. Bizarrely, this chap took my comment as an invitation to simply put his order in first, and then take a seeming age to get it. A lack of pub etiquette always baffles me, but this was surprising in just how brazen it was. I was temporarily speechless.
Luckily the beers helped soothe the hurt, and despite not being reckless enough to make any notes the quality of the very best beer means I can remember clearly what it was. I know we sampled halves of Potbelly and possibly a Phoenix offering as well but stand out ale there was the Peakstones Rock Black Hole, very much like a silky porter or dark ale to me, but described by the brewery as a dark bitter brewed with chocolate malt. Either way it was fantastic.
Down the hill next to the Hillsborough, where I noticed the Raw Dark Peak Stout was on so had an OK pint of that, Fluff meanwhile went for a Wood Street Brewery Ebony Stout. The jury, I think, is still out on Wood Street beers. The stout was nice enough but not especially well balanced, and lacking in that edge that usually defines a stout. Still, a work in progress can of course improve, so I will continue to try their beers as and when I get chance.
Our final stop was the Wellington. Despite being accused of being the inventor of Saison beer, I was disappointed not to be referred to in such terms, and after a rather awkward bar staff identification mix up me and Fluff both went for pints of the excellent Mallinsons Topaz Centennial, one of my beers of the festival at the Sheffield beer fest that same weekend. Its ironic because I'd been espousing the credentials of the excellent Little Ale Cart beers all the way to the pub - and then we didn't have any...
Fluff ended up walking all the way back into town from here whilst I studiously reserved sufficient funds to catch the bus. All in all this wander was further than we anticipated, but none the worse for it, and featured some great pubs and beer along the way.
Definitely worth doing again to take in some of the other gems that we missed.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
Saturday, 14 July 2012
Black, Dark, hoppy, fruity goodness
Hello
I am here to tell you about a few beers I have had in the last week. Despite the title, there is no hybrid fruity black ale, nor a hoppy stout with sweet hedgerow gifts, instead there are a few examples of cracking beer, tried days apart, and linked by nothing apart from sterling quality.
Firstly, after Sunfest on Saturday, I was dropped off in Broomhill so I could pop into the York. Here my first thrill was seeing two fantastic beers on the bar - Black Iris White Fang and Klazny. As I was ordering I also spotted Pete and Diane and friends and the night was made all the more enjoyable by excellent company. I'd had the White Fang before and this was just as good, with the Klazny perhaps tired, but showing enough to warrant further tastings. Excellent beer overall.
In the end I only had a half of each in the end since I needed to get back across town but once again I wasn't disappointed by the Black Iris offerings, signs I'm sure of potential future market dominance...
Next up was my visit tonight to Shakespeares, where I started with the ever reliable and impeccably kept Abbeydale Deception. Granted, there was plenty more ale finery on offer but I wanted and enjoyed a reliable Sheffield beer to start off.
After which, joined by Mr H and Steve, I had a few pints of the redoubtable classic which is Dark Star Sunburst, which was 4.5% and £2.80 a pint.
This championed warm orangey malt, tangy and slightly sweet, with complimentary hops, citrus flavours and an admirable cleansing acidity, which made for a superb pint which I had a few rounds on in the end. In fact, so good was this summery drink that after finishing I was sate enough to wend my way merrily home, having enjoyed an evening of unparallelled summer hop brilliance.
In conclusion, its true that there are huge numbers of brewers beer available in Sheffield, but its so nice to find and drink those which consistently deliver, and thoroughly enjoy them.
Wee Beefy.
I am here to tell you about a few beers I have had in the last week. Despite the title, there is no hybrid fruity black ale, nor a hoppy stout with sweet hedgerow gifts, instead there are a few examples of cracking beer, tried days apart, and linked by nothing apart from sterling quality.
Firstly, after Sunfest on Saturday, I was dropped off in Broomhill so I could pop into the York. Here my first thrill was seeing two fantastic beers on the bar - Black Iris White Fang and Klazny. As I was ordering I also spotted Pete and Diane and friends and the night was made all the more enjoyable by excellent company. I'd had the White Fang before and this was just as good, with the Klazny perhaps tired, but showing enough to warrant further tastings. Excellent beer overall.
In the end I only had a half of each in the end since I needed to get back across town but once again I wasn't disappointed by the Black Iris offerings, signs I'm sure of potential future market dominance...
Next up was my visit tonight to Shakespeares, where I started with the ever reliable and impeccably kept Abbeydale Deception. Granted, there was plenty more ale finery on offer but I wanted and enjoyed a reliable Sheffield beer to start off.
After which, joined by Mr H and Steve, I had a few pints of the redoubtable classic which is Dark Star Sunburst, which was 4.5% and £2.80 a pint.
This championed warm orangey malt, tangy and slightly sweet, with complimentary hops, citrus flavours and an admirable cleansing acidity, which made for a superb pint which I had a few rounds on in the end. In fact, so good was this summery drink that after finishing I was sate enough to wend my way merrily home, having enjoyed an evening of unparallelled summer hop brilliance.
In conclusion, its true that there are huge numbers of brewers beer available in Sheffield, but its so nice to find and drink those which consistently deliver, and thoroughly enjoy them.
Wee Beefy.
Tuesday, 27 December 2011
Forum bars own brewed ale.
Afternoon persons,
just a quick update about a beer puzzle that made me scratch my head earlier in the week.
True North Brew Co
I was in regular haunt The Old House on Devonshire Street last week and amongst the beer offerings was, as I put it myself " a reindeer themed beer that looked like it was brewed by Far North" which having not noted down its name, I couldn't find despite utilising several Internet search facilities and beer databases. Intrigued, I assumed this was a new brewery that had just opened and made a note to pop back for another look.
Earlier today I was looking on the Broadfield Ale House Facebook page (and yes, they are open) and noticed the mystery pump clip was the York's profile picture. Close inspection identified the brewery - and from thence the mystery was solved.
The beer in question is Blitzen Beer and the brewery in question is True North Brew Co. Information is still a bit sparse on tinterweb but the clue to the likely physical location and expertise comes in the name - the beers are produced for the Forum Chain, i.e Old House, Forum Cafe Bar, Common Room, York and the Broadfield Ale House, by Pete Roberts of Brew Company - do you see what they did? Brew Co! How clever!
Anyhoo, it appears that more ales are to come and that Blitzen is the second. Although its not exactly awash with details. you may wish to have a look at http://twitter.com/#!/steelcitykitchn/status/150566208452820994/photo/1 for more details. And who knows, their beer may even be on at Tbroadfield when I finally make a visit over the next few days. At least this sorts out my query, and the beer's appearance may in turn discombobulate a ticker or two along the way....they do love a joke, as I recall.
Wee Beefy
just a quick update about a beer puzzle that made me scratch my head earlier in the week.
True North Brew Co
I was in regular haunt The Old House on Devonshire Street last week and amongst the beer offerings was, as I put it myself " a reindeer themed beer that looked like it was brewed by Far North" which having not noted down its name, I couldn't find despite utilising several Internet search facilities and beer databases. Intrigued, I assumed this was a new brewery that had just opened and made a note to pop back for another look.
Earlier today I was looking on the Broadfield Ale House Facebook page (and yes, they are open) and noticed the mystery pump clip was the York's profile picture. Close inspection identified the brewery - and from thence the mystery was solved.
The beer in question is Blitzen Beer and the brewery in question is True North Brew Co. Information is still a bit sparse on tinterweb but the clue to the likely physical location and expertise comes in the name - the beers are produced for the Forum Chain, i.e Old House, Forum Cafe Bar, Common Room, York and the Broadfield Ale House, by Pete Roberts of Brew Company - do you see what they did? Brew Co! How clever!
Anyhoo, it appears that more ales are to come and that Blitzen is the second. Although its not exactly awash with details. you may wish to have a look at http://twitter.com/#!/steelcitykitchn/status/150566208452820994/photo/1 for more details. And who knows, their beer may even be on at Tbroadfield when I finally make a visit over the next few days. At least this sorts out my query, and the beer's appearance may in turn discombobulate a ticker or two along the way....they do love a joke, as I recall.
Wee Beefy
Sunday, 9 October 2011
Wee Beefy's beer bites
Now then browsers,
A few more spoonfuls of wholesome beer news to digest and maintain a healthy diet of bibulous information, in no particular order.
The Railway Wadsley Bridge.
The inimitable Jean continues to single handedly steer this previously neglected ship along the treacherous waterways of the beer and pubs business, seemingly with consummate ease. On my recent visit there were only two beers on, Bradfield Blonde and Acorn Barnsley Bitter, and a decent number of punters in. I would have preferred a stronger beer option but I have to say that the Acorn was in cracking nick, and duly warranted a second pint. This pub has restricted opening hours of Friday Saturday and Sunday only, with the pub open all day Sunday and on the other two from 5 onwards, so ringing ahead may be advisable if making a trip, but its well worth a look.
Shakespeares
Recent ales seen on the bar include an incredibly bitter Three Swords from Kirkstall, Blue Bee Lustin For Stout (the brewery of which now have their own website at http://www.bluebeebrewery.co.uk/w/doku.php?id=beers ), a couple of underwhelming Geeves Brewery offerings (alas not found a good one yet!) Summer Wine Brewery Dark Mild, and 2 from Hornbeam brewery Manchester. On a recent visit one of theirs that i tried, the White Swan, was very, very strange, even though I should have read the description on the board (although poor eyesight makes this near impossible), I was really unhappy with the bubble bath taste.
I returned to the bar and asked if, given that i knew that the beer was not off, they would be kind enough to replace it anyhow since it was so affrontingly vile. They duly did, cautioning that no-one else had complained and replaced it with the Hornbeam bitter which was a much better beer altogether. Well done to Shakespeares for their admirable focus on customer satisfaction.
Ship Inn Shalesmoor
You know how it is, you don't know what it is you've missed until its gone. I have had that dread feeling many times and often rued my decision making and priorities in not getting to visit pubs that have been swallowed up by progress or disappeared altogether. Luckily, this has not happened to me regarding a pub I have passed many times without popping in, the Ship at Shalesmoor.
You can't miss it. Every time you drive from West bar past the Shakespeare (erm, you probably can't do this in a car any more, but you get my drift ), or swing round the corner to Shalesmoor tram stop on the tram, you can see this fine tiled building, proclaimimg proudly its Truswells Ales, standing steadfastly on its own on a road previously blessed with at least 5 pubs, I am told.
Its not like I haven't been in either. I went in with Chala years ago, and took a handpicked selection of the Gloystarne lads there on an epic chrisrtmas pub crawl in the late nineties, amongst other visits. The problem is, I was never totally sold on Kimberly ales, and then when the pub and Kimberly brand became owned by Greene King, I kind of lost my inspiration to go, and missed the chance to appreciate what a refreshingly traditional local this was.
I tried to pop in a couple of Sundays ago but alas it closes during the day Sunday I think, but remedied this on Friday night. Inside to my surprise there wasn't a Grim King beer in site, instead 3 guest beers, Bradfield Blonde, Thornbridge Sequoia, and the one I had, Spire Dark Side of the Moon, at £2.60 a pint. I picked a table near the door with a draught repelling snob screen to my right and sat down to take in the hub of conversation and the stream of regulars (based on their being addressed by name) to the bar to order beer.
It dawned on me that Grim King through their objectionable megalomania had previously deprived me of a great pub experience. So now I have the opportunity to make up for lost time, I strongly recommend you do the same, and give the Ship a try.
P.S - don't forget the 50p a go pool!
Double H
Earlier that same evening I had been in the Hillsborough Hotel. Always a handy stop after a slake in the Blake, especially since they serve food til 21.00. Alas I chose the wrong night for a visit. Unfortunately the manager had been in an accident and wasn't in and, whether related or not, there was only a third of the cheffing staff and it seemed, an occurrence of beermageddon.
My first pint the Crown HPA was on its last legs, but not enough that i would take it back. I knew there was a wait for food so decided to drink it quickly and move onto my favourite, the Stannington Stout. Alas, this had run out so I had a try of the Cottage - I can't recall its name, but it wasn't Golden Arrow, and to be fair their beers are usually very samey - i.e all incredibly poor. It was true to form so I got a pint of Blue Bee Bees Knees. Not my favourite Blue Bee beer, but it sufficed.
I toyed after this with the idea of a Crown bitter but after trying another grim offering I had a half of the Derby 30 hop which went off straight after, and then a half of the Cottage Golden Arrow, mainly in desperation at the lack of available options. The HPA soon disappeared and it was quite late into the evening before any beers were replaced.
I have been going to the Double H for yonks so won't be making plans to avoid it on this showing when there was a clear explanation - and significant sympathy and apologies from the staff - for this poor display. It just means I'll have to go back sometime when all is working well again and secure a pint of the fantastic Stannington Stout.
Harrisons 1854
Just a quick note about the above, to remind you if nothing else that they continue to sell two real ales from Abbeydale, at £3.00 a pint which is reasonable for West Street. Make sure you pop in for one of their DJ nights or other events - find them on Facebook (I am told this is a public page! http://www.facebook.com/Harrisons1854 - please ignore the Harrisons link posted yesterday, twas raang am afraid, sorry for any confusion.)
Ay up duck! A pub crawl with a difference
On a recent trip out with Mr Ashman, I happened across a great new idea that is being promoted in fairest Sheffield. A local artist is (with the agreement of the premises involved!) spray painting pictures of ducks on a number of Sheffield's best hostelries from the City Centre right out to the fringes of the city.
The idea is that participants will strive to find pubs emblazoned with the painted canards (the Latin name for the genus duck is Anas, so I have helpfully sidestepped that for the French instead......) and visit them to sample their unique atmosphere, appearance, music, beer garden, or hopefully decent ale, (although am not sure that everyone is guaranteed to be a real ale stockist). Each duck will carry an archetypal Sheffield phrase, and participants are encouraged to visit as many as possible to get the best drinking and pub experiences, as well as scoring points along the way.
The anticipation is that "duck hunters" will find their way to all of the duck emblazoned hostelries, and in doing so, drink some Sheffield beer and discover some pubs they may not have done before. There are prizes on offer to those who visit every venue and for other achievements in the field. To find out more details, visit Facebook and search Ay up ducks (spelling important) or follow the link (note, i am unsure if this is public) on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/ayupducks .
On the Slake in S6
The above meeting happened at my regular after work destination the Blake at Walkley. As ever the pub strives to provide a range of excellent beers on its 6 hand pulls, along with real cider and an impressive range of continental draught and bottled beers. Not forgetting of course, the fabulous pork pies. On my last visit a notable choice available on the bar was an excellent West Coast Brewery California Pale Ale. This is a beer from a new brewery from North Wales who I understand are brewing using the Conwy brewery kit at present. For (not much more) info see
http://www.conwybrewery.co.uk/16.html .
This news serves as an introduction to a recent trip round Walkley to see how the ever changing scene there is progressing. Across the park from the Blake both the Firwood and Belle Vue appear to still be trading. Try as I might, I have never been tempted to go in the Vue but note changes afoot at the Cottage.
On South Road the Freedom House has just reopened its doors, its first night was Friday 7th October. On my visit I found there was no real ale but was assured it was being delivered Tuesday and would be on by Friday. I seem to recall its only Bombadier (which I subconsiously just mis-spelled as Bombadire) but its a start, and hopefully this will be the nub of a revival. The Firwood connection is that according to Beer Matters, the new licensee is a former Firwood Cottage landlord, although am not sure if they have moved directly from there.
Further down towards Hillsborough, and on Walkley Bank the Florist had no real ale on when I visited, but I was told that they usually do, and that the Farmers Blonde was being substituted by the Bitter.
37th Sheffield Beer Festival
This year I was at two sessions of the fest, alas this is a rather expensive way of doing things, but I had hoped to see some people there on the Friday. Normally I would never go Friday, instead Saturday all day only, or maybe Thursday as well at a push. Much as I enjoyed the festival overall, I think I'd have rather used my normal plan.
Friday was a very hot day as you all know, so its important to note how impossible it would have been to predict the record breaking temperatures that week. That said, the sports hall at Ponds Forge was boiling. The beer was warmer at the cider bar end than the other (cooler beer stopped around the letter H?) and no one seemed to have thought of opening a door at each end of the hall to create a through draught, like they do in Crete for example.
That said the Hummingbirds were good, if a little quiet for such a large space, and there were some notably good beers on. Saturday was less sweaty and being a quieter session it was easier to get sat down, and near to a door at that. The quiz was as tough as always (I failed miserably again) but it was nice being there for the afternoon and still able to sample a decent range of beers, with plenty available when I left at 18.30.
The only puzzle not solved was the prices. Some lower gravity beers were well above town prices - for example a half of the Blackedge Pike which is a 3.8% session beer was £1.70. One member of the bar staff alluded to the fact that some casks had come by courier, and I also heard that some beers were as low as £2.20 a pint (Acorn perhaps?), but there were far too many beers that should have been affordable at sensible strengths that topped £3.20 a pint and some of the stronger ones, which are naturally more expensive, were over £4.00 and thus a pound more than nearby pubs. In summary - a welcome return indoors, the venue size and location are perfect, but sort out the prices!
Forum 3 - or the York at Broomhill.
Now kids, don't get all up in arms, am not sure for definite that the forum own the York and the Old House, but if they do, then visiting the three establishments shows an interesting transition, from hit and miss beer to beer heaven, but without a traditional boozer in sight.
Have not been in the forum for a couple of month but noted a reduced emphasis on the real stuff, and a friend informed me that last week there was no ale to be had at all. Up the road the Old House is also one I have missed of late but last time I went it was still serving decent beer and great food. The York, all the way out at Broomhill, is an interesting addition. The pub interior boasts a mish mash of classic and modern pub interior styles, with emphasis on food, and a good range of beer, including the Anvil Porter brewed for them by brew Company. The interior is warm and comforting and the bar is reassuringly classic looking.
Having only been on a Sunday I haven't had chance to see what the food side entails regarding seating. The impression I get is that the right hand seating is for drinkers and the left and to the back is for diners. I don't mind this per se - its no doubt essential to have dining as part of the set up given the money laid out in its transformation (the bar has moved a third time since the early nineties) but I would like to think that the drinking area is not encroached when it gets busy - I will have to come back soon and see for myself.
Drinks wise, there are 5 or 6 real ale pumps including the porter, and one or two used for real cider and perry, along with a decent range of continental bottled beers (too few darks though!) and a very impressive wine list, coupled with cocktails, softails, spirits and even speciality teas. So do give it a try, preferably to compare and contrast it with the Old house and Forum.....
Aaagh! Not the Nottingham House....
I was to have had a third trip to the above featured pub, the York, but en route my mate Carlos told me it was rammed and so we decamped to the Notty House. What a travesty this turned out to be! The pub was quiet for a Saturday night, and the plain white walls hinted at the fact that it may only have just reopened. On the bar were four handpumps, with none serving real ale. The staff were inattentive and seemingly inexperienced, more interested in the fact that me and my mate both had soft drinks (as he was taking it easy and there was no decent beer) than anything else.
I made a trip to the loo and found 7 empty toilet roll holders and some piles of hopefully unused bog roll on the floor, away from the cubicle there were no hand towels with the holders left open (assumedly by desperate blokes in the cubicles?) and along with the lack of hot water, I also had no opportunity to make my hands clean as there was also no soap or handwash.
I found Carlos in the beer garden where we paused very briefly to drink our soft drinks before heading off for a professional and enjoyable pub experience down the road at the University Arms. I don't normally rate a pub on toilet cleanliness alone, and am not going to now, but i have to say the Notty House was memorable for just how gross its facilities were, coupled with its apparent lack of management and of anything worth drinking. The fact that anyone was drinking in there at all I think says a lot about its former qualities and maybe a little about the fact that some students it seems will drink anywhere. 1 out of 10 - for having an outside space.
So that ends a beer bites that was really a beer 3 courses, hope to to be back soon with some more info and details of trips away from sunny Sheff.
Wee Beefy.
A few more spoonfuls of wholesome beer news to digest and maintain a healthy diet of bibulous information, in no particular order.
The Railway Wadsley Bridge.
The inimitable Jean continues to single handedly steer this previously neglected ship along the treacherous waterways of the beer and pubs business, seemingly with consummate ease. On my recent visit there were only two beers on, Bradfield Blonde and Acorn Barnsley Bitter, and a decent number of punters in. I would have preferred a stronger beer option but I have to say that the Acorn was in cracking nick, and duly warranted a second pint. This pub has restricted opening hours of Friday Saturday and Sunday only, with the pub open all day Sunday and on the other two from 5 onwards, so ringing ahead may be advisable if making a trip, but its well worth a look.
Shakespeares
Recent ales seen on the bar include an incredibly bitter Three Swords from Kirkstall, Blue Bee Lustin For Stout (the brewery of which now have their own website at http://www.bluebeebrewery.co.uk/w/doku.php?id=beers ), a couple of underwhelming Geeves Brewery offerings (alas not found a good one yet!) Summer Wine Brewery Dark Mild, and 2 from Hornbeam brewery Manchester. On a recent visit one of theirs that i tried, the White Swan, was very, very strange, even though I should have read the description on the board (although poor eyesight makes this near impossible), I was really unhappy with the bubble bath taste.
I returned to the bar and asked if, given that i knew that the beer was not off, they would be kind enough to replace it anyhow since it was so affrontingly vile. They duly did, cautioning that no-one else had complained and replaced it with the Hornbeam bitter which was a much better beer altogether. Well done to Shakespeares for their admirable focus on customer satisfaction.
Ship Inn Shalesmoor
You know how it is, you don't know what it is you've missed until its gone. I have had that dread feeling many times and often rued my decision making and priorities in not getting to visit pubs that have been swallowed up by progress or disappeared altogether. Luckily, this has not happened to me regarding a pub I have passed many times without popping in, the Ship at Shalesmoor.
You can't miss it. Every time you drive from West bar past the Shakespeare (erm, you probably can't do this in a car any more, but you get my drift ), or swing round the corner to Shalesmoor tram stop on the tram, you can see this fine tiled building, proclaimimg proudly its Truswells Ales, standing steadfastly on its own on a road previously blessed with at least 5 pubs, I am told.
Its not like I haven't been in either. I went in with Chala years ago, and took a handpicked selection of the Gloystarne lads there on an epic chrisrtmas pub crawl in the late nineties, amongst other visits. The problem is, I was never totally sold on Kimberly ales, and then when the pub and Kimberly brand became owned by Greene King, I kind of lost my inspiration to go, and missed the chance to appreciate what a refreshingly traditional local this was.
I tried to pop in a couple of Sundays ago but alas it closes during the day Sunday I think, but remedied this on Friday night. Inside to my surprise there wasn't a Grim King beer in site, instead 3 guest beers, Bradfield Blonde, Thornbridge Sequoia, and the one I had, Spire Dark Side of the Moon, at £2.60 a pint. I picked a table near the door with a draught repelling snob screen to my right and sat down to take in the hub of conversation and the stream of regulars (based on their being addressed by name) to the bar to order beer.
It dawned on me that Grim King through their objectionable megalomania had previously deprived me of a great pub experience. So now I have the opportunity to make up for lost time, I strongly recommend you do the same, and give the Ship a try.
P.S - don't forget the 50p a go pool!
Double H
Earlier that same evening I had been in the Hillsborough Hotel. Always a handy stop after a slake in the Blake, especially since they serve food til 21.00. Alas I chose the wrong night for a visit. Unfortunately the manager had been in an accident and wasn't in and, whether related or not, there was only a third of the cheffing staff and it seemed, an occurrence of beermageddon.
My first pint the Crown HPA was on its last legs, but not enough that i would take it back. I knew there was a wait for food so decided to drink it quickly and move onto my favourite, the Stannington Stout. Alas, this had run out so I had a try of the Cottage - I can't recall its name, but it wasn't Golden Arrow, and to be fair their beers are usually very samey - i.e all incredibly poor. It was true to form so I got a pint of Blue Bee Bees Knees. Not my favourite Blue Bee beer, but it sufficed.
I toyed after this with the idea of a Crown bitter but after trying another grim offering I had a half of the Derby 30 hop which went off straight after, and then a half of the Cottage Golden Arrow, mainly in desperation at the lack of available options. The HPA soon disappeared and it was quite late into the evening before any beers were replaced.
I have been going to the Double H for yonks so won't be making plans to avoid it on this showing when there was a clear explanation - and significant sympathy and apologies from the staff - for this poor display. It just means I'll have to go back sometime when all is working well again and secure a pint of the fantastic Stannington Stout.
Harrisons 1854
Just a quick note about the above, to remind you if nothing else that they continue to sell two real ales from Abbeydale, at £3.00 a pint which is reasonable for West Street. Make sure you pop in for one of their DJ nights or other events - find them on Facebook (I am told this is a public page! http://www.facebook.com/Harrisons1854 - please ignore the Harrisons link posted yesterday, twas raang am afraid, sorry for any confusion.)
Ay up duck! A pub crawl with a difference
On a recent trip out with Mr Ashman, I happened across a great new idea that is being promoted in fairest Sheffield. A local artist is (with the agreement of the premises involved!) spray painting pictures of ducks on a number of Sheffield's best hostelries from the City Centre right out to the fringes of the city.
The idea is that participants will strive to find pubs emblazoned with the painted canards (the Latin name for the genus duck is Anas, so I have helpfully sidestepped that for the French instead......) and visit them to sample their unique atmosphere, appearance, music, beer garden, or hopefully decent ale, (although am not sure that everyone is guaranteed to be a real ale stockist). Each duck will carry an archetypal Sheffield phrase, and participants are encouraged to visit as many as possible to get the best drinking and pub experiences, as well as scoring points along the way.
The anticipation is that "duck hunters" will find their way to all of the duck emblazoned hostelries, and in doing so, drink some Sheffield beer and discover some pubs they may not have done before. There are prizes on offer to those who visit every venue and for other achievements in the field. To find out more details, visit Facebook and search Ay up ducks (spelling important) or follow the link (note, i am unsure if this is public) on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/ayupducks .
On the Slake in S6
The above meeting happened at my regular after work destination the Blake at Walkley. As ever the pub strives to provide a range of excellent beers on its 6 hand pulls, along with real cider and an impressive range of continental draught and bottled beers. Not forgetting of course, the fabulous pork pies. On my last visit a notable choice available on the bar was an excellent West Coast Brewery California Pale Ale. This is a beer from a new brewery from North Wales who I understand are brewing using the Conwy brewery kit at present. For (not much more) info see
http://www.conwybrewery.co.uk/16.html .
This news serves as an introduction to a recent trip round Walkley to see how the ever changing scene there is progressing. Across the park from the Blake both the Firwood and Belle Vue appear to still be trading. Try as I might, I have never been tempted to go in the Vue but note changes afoot at the Cottage.
On South Road the Freedom House has just reopened its doors, its first night was Friday 7th October. On my visit I found there was no real ale but was assured it was being delivered Tuesday and would be on by Friday. I seem to recall its only Bombadier (which I subconsiously just mis-spelled as Bombadire) but its a start, and hopefully this will be the nub of a revival. The Firwood connection is that according to Beer Matters, the new licensee is a former Firwood Cottage landlord, although am not sure if they have moved directly from there.
Further down towards Hillsborough, and on Walkley Bank the Florist had no real ale on when I visited, but I was told that they usually do, and that the Farmers Blonde was being substituted by the Bitter.
37th Sheffield Beer Festival
This year I was at two sessions of the fest, alas this is a rather expensive way of doing things, but I had hoped to see some people there on the Friday. Normally I would never go Friday, instead Saturday all day only, or maybe Thursday as well at a push. Much as I enjoyed the festival overall, I think I'd have rather used my normal plan.
Friday was a very hot day as you all know, so its important to note how impossible it would have been to predict the record breaking temperatures that week. That said, the sports hall at Ponds Forge was boiling. The beer was warmer at the cider bar end than the other (cooler beer stopped around the letter H?) and no one seemed to have thought of opening a door at each end of the hall to create a through draught, like they do in Crete for example.
That said the Hummingbirds were good, if a little quiet for such a large space, and there were some notably good beers on. Saturday was less sweaty and being a quieter session it was easier to get sat down, and near to a door at that. The quiz was as tough as always (I failed miserably again) but it was nice being there for the afternoon and still able to sample a decent range of beers, with plenty available when I left at 18.30.
The only puzzle not solved was the prices. Some lower gravity beers were well above town prices - for example a half of the Blackedge Pike which is a 3.8% session beer was £1.70. One member of the bar staff alluded to the fact that some casks had come by courier, and I also heard that some beers were as low as £2.20 a pint (Acorn perhaps?), but there were far too many beers that should have been affordable at sensible strengths that topped £3.20 a pint and some of the stronger ones, which are naturally more expensive, were over £4.00 and thus a pound more than nearby pubs. In summary - a welcome return indoors, the venue size and location are perfect, but sort out the prices!
Forum 3 - or the York at Broomhill.
Now kids, don't get all up in arms, am not sure for definite that the forum own the York and the Old House, but if they do, then visiting the three establishments shows an interesting transition, from hit and miss beer to beer heaven, but without a traditional boozer in sight.
Have not been in the forum for a couple of month but noted a reduced emphasis on the real stuff, and a friend informed me that last week there was no ale to be had at all. Up the road the Old House is also one I have missed of late but last time I went it was still serving decent beer and great food. The York, all the way out at Broomhill, is an interesting addition. The pub interior boasts a mish mash of classic and modern pub interior styles, with emphasis on food, and a good range of beer, including the Anvil Porter brewed for them by brew Company. The interior is warm and comforting and the bar is reassuringly classic looking.
Having only been on a Sunday I haven't had chance to see what the food side entails regarding seating. The impression I get is that the right hand seating is for drinkers and the left and to the back is for diners. I don't mind this per se - its no doubt essential to have dining as part of the set up given the money laid out in its transformation (the bar has moved a third time since the early nineties) but I would like to think that the drinking area is not encroached when it gets busy - I will have to come back soon and see for myself.
Drinks wise, there are 5 or 6 real ale pumps including the porter, and one or two used for real cider and perry, along with a decent range of continental bottled beers (too few darks though!) and a very impressive wine list, coupled with cocktails, softails, spirits and even speciality teas. So do give it a try, preferably to compare and contrast it with the Old house and Forum.....
Aaagh! Not the Nottingham House....
I was to have had a third trip to the above featured pub, the York, but en route my mate Carlos told me it was rammed and so we decamped to the Notty House. What a travesty this turned out to be! The pub was quiet for a Saturday night, and the plain white walls hinted at the fact that it may only have just reopened. On the bar were four handpumps, with none serving real ale. The staff were inattentive and seemingly inexperienced, more interested in the fact that me and my mate both had soft drinks (as he was taking it easy and there was no decent beer) than anything else.
I made a trip to the loo and found 7 empty toilet roll holders and some piles of hopefully unused bog roll on the floor, away from the cubicle there were no hand towels with the holders left open (assumedly by desperate blokes in the cubicles?) and along with the lack of hot water, I also had no opportunity to make my hands clean as there was also no soap or handwash.
I found Carlos in the beer garden where we paused very briefly to drink our soft drinks before heading off for a professional and enjoyable pub experience down the road at the University Arms. I don't normally rate a pub on toilet cleanliness alone, and am not going to now, but i have to say the Notty House was memorable for just how gross its facilities were, coupled with its apparent lack of management and of anything worth drinking. The fact that anyone was drinking in there at all I think says a lot about its former qualities and maybe a little about the fact that some students it seems will drink anywhere. 1 out of 10 - for having an outside space.
So that ends a beer bites that was really a beer 3 courses, hope to to be back soon with some more info and details of trips away from sunny Sheff.
Wee Beefy.
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