44th Sheffield Steel City beer and cider fest

Hulloomp,

      despite my dire malagrugrous prophecy in my last post, I did in fact make it to the excellent Steel City beer festival this year after all. And, true to form, am many weeks late writing about it. I had thought I might have been invited to join the tasting panel once more, but that has been scaled down this year with only local beers tasted. Luckily my ickuw barebi bruvva WK offered to give me funds for a glass and some tokens and we went on the Wednesday night.

We didn't bother asking Wee Fatha down to join us this year. Last year, you may recall, he made his own way there and having had three or four beers and met loads of people he hadn't seen for years he was bought a taxi home. He never once mentioned whether or not he had enjoyed it, and still drove to South Normanton for theirs, so it seemed too much effort to offer the same deal again.

Tokens and glass secured we headed for the marquee and I started on the absolutely wonderful North Transmission, a 6.9% pale ale. After a brief if strange chat with JB, ho complained that there was too much choice (I asked him if that wasn't surely the idea of a festival) we got more beer, me a Neepsend Appaloosa 6.0% pale, and headed to the upper hall for a sit down and a catch up with a wonderful cavalcade of Sheffield ale folk. Here I had an Abbeydale Citizen Oatshake IPA at 6.0% and on Danny's recommendation an Almasty Brut IPA at the same strength. This was the first Brut beer I had tried and was certainly attracting plenty of attention.

Keet got us some pork pie and a chorizo or black pudding scotch egg to nibble and we once again bumped into the legend that is JB, this time a little happier having tried a few beers in the last 90 minutes (but not those beers which taste of turps which I drink....it seems...) and after a brief chat with him we headed down to the keg bar where I had a Steel City and Lost Industry Stout Wars revenge of the Pith, an excellent barrel aged stout with citrus peel or zest added.

I also had some Wylam, Child in Time, a 7.2% IPA, which was on top form, and an Abbeydale Collab with that brewery with the word hand in it which was a Brut IPA at 6.5% and once again a very fine introduction to the brut ale style.

I probably finished on another of the Transmission but I forgot to mention that I also had a Blue Bee Dead Man's Town, a 6.2% NEIPA on cask, when upstairs. Just like Indy Man Beer Con, all the beer I tried at this year's fest was excellent, although I was more cautious with the choices I made. Beers of the festival for me were the Transmission, Revenge of the Pith and the two Brut IPAs I tried on cask and keg.

Congratulations on another excellent Sheffield beer festival - once more Sheffield festival committee provided an excellent celebration of ale in the super sunny Sheffield beer capital that I know and love.

Cheers!

WB