Beery events around Sheffield

[Andy C]

CAMRA’s National Winter Ales Festival, Wed 11 – Sat 14 Feb

 

The home of the Champion Winter Beer of Britain competition where winter beer styles such as stouts, porters, barley wines and old ales are celebrated, however if pale and hoppy ales, brown malty bitters or easy drinking milds are more your thing, don’t worry – they are there too! The festival features around 400 real ales plus a good selection of ciders and perrys along with a range of continental beers and live music. The venue this year is once again the Derby College Roundhouse, which many years ago was a railway engine shed, now a seat of learning! The Roundhouse is easy to get to, located right next to Derby railway station (use the Pride Park exit at the rear of the station). Trains run from Sheffield to Derby up to 4 times an hour, journey time about 35 minutes.

 

http://www.nwaf.org.uk

 

Old Hall Inn/Paper Mill Inn (Whitehough nr Chinley), Fri 20 – Sun 22 Feb

 

The annual winter beer & cider festival in this Peak District village, a 15 minute walk from Chinley railway station (Sheffield-Manchester line). Features around 100 beers and ciders, winter foods such as stews, open fires and music spread across two neighbouring atmospheric pubs.

 

http://www.old-hall-inn.co.uk

 

Loughborough CAMRA, Thu 5 – Sat 7 Mar

 

This festival is once again held at the Polish Club on True Lovers Walk in Loughborough, featuring around 60 real ales plus cider and food. Live music Friday and Saturday. Free entry for CAMRA members and University Real Ale Societies. Direct trains run from Sheffield to Loughborough every hour, operated by East Midlands Trains.

 

http://www.loughboroughcamra.org.uk

 

Leicester CAMRA, Wed 11 – Sat 14 Mar

 

Held at the Charotar Patidar Samaj on Bay Street/South Churchgate, this beer festival is well known for the curry served at the venue as well as having a large choice of new and rare real ales. The beer range runs to a choice of over 220, there is also cider & perry available. Free entry for CAMRA members (a refundable £2.50 deposit is payable for the festival glass on entry). Direct trains run up to twice an hour from Sheffield to Leicester, operated by East Midlands Trains.

 

http://www.leicestercamra.org.uk

 

Leeds CAMRA Beer & Cider Festival, Thu 12 – Sat 14 Mar

 

Features nearly 200 different real ales from Yorkshire and beyond, this years festival theme is Rugby. There is also a range of cider, perry and world beers plus food. Venue is Pudsey Civic Hall, a short walk from New Pudsey railway station (Leeds-Bradford Interchange line).

 

SIBA BeerX, Fri 20 – Sat 21 Mar

 

SIBA host their annual BeerX in Sheffield at Ice Sheffield again this year which combines their conference, trade show, champion beer awards and a public beer festival into one big celebration of beer. The beer festival element takes place on the Friday and Saturday with a 30 meter long bar with a massive row of pumps working their way through a list of 250 beers that featured in the competition (note not all 250 beers are on at the same time).

 

The festival is open from 2pm to 11pm on the Friday, with the Everley Pregnant Brothers performing on stage in the evening, Saturday it is open from midday to 11pm with rugby on the big screen in the afternoon and live music in the evening from Bootleggers, a covers band ‘supergroup’. There is plenty of seating and also an outside street food enclosure.

 

Ice Sheffield is easy to get to, it is located alongside the Arena and Don Valley Bowl close to the Arena tram stop. Trams on the Yellow route run there from Sheffield Centre and Meadowhall every 10 minutes during the day and every 20 minutes in the evening until late. Buses 69 and 74 run along Attercliffe Common less frequently.

 

There is a discount on the ticket price for CAMRA members if you buy in advance online.

 

http://www.beerx.org

 

Burton on Trent CAMRA, Thu 26 – Sat 28 Mar

 

Held at the gothic Town Hall in Burton this event features up to 140 beers and ciders, food, plenty of seating, entertainment (including for those that like it old skool, the legendry Martin Attlebury on the Wurlitzer Organ Fri/Sat lunchtime) and free entry for CAMRA members. Direct trains run from Sheffield to Burton on Trent operated by Cross Country Trains, Derbyshire Wayfarer all day bus/train passes offer great value for this journey.

 

https://burtoncamra.wordpress.com/

 

Hope Valley Easter Beer Festival, Thu 2 – Mon 6 Apr

 

The theme for the Easter festival is ‘Rhythm and Booze’ and features around 50 real ales, cider, live music, BBQ and hog roast. The festival is held at the Old Hall Inn located at Hope Village, this year there will also be fringe events in Castleton centred on the Peak Hotel (which is now operated by the same landlord as the Old Hall Inn). There is no entry charge to this festival, held in the pub’s outdoor drinking area.

 

Bus 272 runs direct from Sheffield to Hope and Castleton every hour, additional journeys available via route 273/274. Alternatively The Old Hall is about a 10 minute walk from Hope railway station (Sheffield-Manchester line).

 

Doncaster CAMRA’s 25th annual beer festival, Thu 9 – Sat 11 Apr

 

Held at the Doncaster College Hub building, the event features over 100 real ales plus a good selection of foreign beers, ciders and perry. Food available, entertainment Friday and Saturday evenings. Free entry for CAMRA members.

 

Frequent trains run from Sheffield to Doncaster as does the X78 First bus, the venue is a short walk from Doncaster Interchange (leave door by bus stand 11 and follow path under bridge then via Tesco and the canalside).

 

http://www.doncasterbeerfestival.co.uk

 

High Peak CAMRA – 5th New Mills Beer Festival, Fri 10 – Sat 11 Apr

 

One of the smaller, grass roots CAMRA festivals, this is held in Chalkers Snooker Club in the town of New Mills, adjacent to New Mills Newtown station (Northern Rail run direct trains from Sheffield to New Mills Central station which is a 15 minute walk from the venue, Newtown station is on the Manchester-Buxton line). The festival offers free entry and has a range of about 25 beers and ciders with food also available.

 

Hull CAMRA, Thu 16 – Sat 18 Apr

 

Hull real ale and cider festival offers quite a unique experience as it is held in the Holy Trinity Church. It offers a range of about 125 real ales, 30 ciders and 20 foreign bottled beers. Free entry for CAMRA members. Direct trains run from Sheffield to Hull every hour, operated by Northern Rail, the venue is about 10 minutes walk from the station.

 

Barrow Hill Rail Ale Festival, Thu 14 – Sat 16 May

 

This popular event gets bigger every year, held at the Barrow Hill Railway roundhouse – the last working roundhouse in the country. The festival boasts a choice of over 250 real ales plus a selection of cider, perry, fruit wines, craft keg beers and foreign bottled beers. There is also a varied choice of food stalls and other traders, the opportunity to view the collection of classic locomotives stored at the Roundhouse with train rides available during the afternoon included in the ticket price and live music Friday and Saturday evening.

 

Entry tickets are £8.50 on the gate or £6.50 in advance (£5 for the Thursday evening session), CAMRA members get their first beer included (sign in at the membership stand on arrival).

 

A shuttle bus operates hourly from Chesterfield railway station (half hourly at busy times). There is no fare payable but passengers are encouraged to donate to the bus maintenance fund (they are operated by volunteers who own and restore the buses themselves).

 

Frequent and fast trains run from Sheffield to Chesterfield throughout the day and evening, as do Stagecoach buses 43,44,50,50A and X17.

 

Three Valleys Festival, Sat 6 Jun

 

A massive choice of real ales plus cider, entertainment and food – plus normal pub attractions – spread across 18 different venues with a free bus linking them and railway stations at Dronfield and Dore every half hour from midday until 11pm.

 

http://www.threevalleysfestival.org.uk

[DnAuK]

Yes,I'll be the one with all the barmaids drooling over him.

 

It'll be the long blonde hair that's attracting them then. ;c)

[Lushcannon]

It'll be the long blonde hair that's attracting them then. ;c)

More a mullet....

[DnAuK]

More a mullet....

 

Ooh yeah. I've heard that's all the rage in the Peaks! They always were 30 years behind....

[Lushcannon]

Went to Chinley last night.Well worth the journey.Some really nice beers on.I recommend Dr Mortens Accent Compensation & Downton Honey Blonde.

[DnAuK]

Went to Chinley last night.Well worth the journey.Some really nice beers on.I recommend Dr Mortens Accent Compensation & Downton Honey Blonde.

 

I agree - Abbeydale are on a roll at the moment. Was gutted to walk into the Paper Mill just as Thornbridge Otters Tears went off tho. (RIP Simon )

 

The festival was good and the train journey over quite pretty with snow on the hills.

 

NWAF the week before was also excellent if very busy. But another CAMRA festival where I had it confirmed by the serving staff that one of the beers I asked about was not due to come on until the Saturday. The evidence that this happens, despite claims to the contrary, is stacking up. Oh and no, it wasn't because it was 'not yet ready' - I asked if that was the case and was told no.

[Andy C]

I agree - Abbeydale are on a roll at the moment. Was gutted to walk into the Paper Mill just as Thornbridge Otters Tears went off tho. (RIP Simon )

 

The festival was good and the train journey over quite pretty with snow on the hills.

 

NWAF the week before was also excellent if very busy. But another CAMRA festival where I had it confirmed by the serving staff that one of the beers I asked about was not due to come on until the Saturday. The evidence that this happens, despite claims to the contrary, is stacking up. Oh and no, it wasn't because it was 'not yet ready' - I asked if that was the case and was told no.

 

At NWAF this would have been duplicate casks that were specifically brought in to maintain a good beer range on the Saturday following complaints last year. This is a scaled down version of the practice at the Great British Beer Festival where they have 4 casks of every beer, one for Tuesday, one for Wednesday, one for Thursday and one for Friday.

[DnAuK]

At NWAF this would have been duplicate casks that were specifically brought in to maintain a good beer range on the Saturday following complaints last year. This is a scaled down version of the practice at the Great British Beer Festival where they have 4 casks of every beer, one for Tuesday, one for Wednesday, one for Thursday and one for Friday.

 

Which is surely contrary to everything you said about beer being avialable to the first people who want it and Mr Steel City's insistance that he would rather not be able to have a beer because it had tun out than because it was being held back? Not that I see a difference personally. If it isn't on, it isn't on. But rather sounds like the large CAMRA beer festivals are going a similar way to SiBA doesn't it? Just saying... :c)

[Andy C]

Which is surely contrary to everything you said about beer being avialable to the first people who want it and Mr Steel City's insistance that he would rather not be able to have a beer because it had tun out than because it was being held back? Not that I see a difference personally. If it isn't on, it isn't on. But rather sounds like the large CAMRA beer festivals are going a similar way to SiBA doesn't it? Just saying... :c)

 

There is a subtle difference - every beer goes on sale on the opening day of the festival and when THAT beer runs out, it runs out, however for some beers there are additional supplies - some on sale or return - that is used to maintain choice towards the end of the festival.

[DnAuK]

There is a subtle difference - every beer goes on sale on the opening day of the festival and when THAT beer runs out, it runs out, however for some beers there are additional supplies - some on sale or return - that is used to maintain choice towards the end of the festival.

 

Fair enough. Though I'm sure the average punter is not concerned about 'subtle differences' ;c)

 

Like I said though, personally I couldn't care why a beer is off - it's just disappointing when it is. There are times when I simply can't get to an event until the Saturday so is nice to think there might be decent stuff left. For the NWAF I deliberately booked the Friday off and we got there just after mid day. Couldn't believe it was already so busy and queuing out the door! Didn't these people have work? LOL You must have been pleased with how successful it was?

 

As for the beer there was plenty of choice anyway. And we happened to stall on the 'B's for quite a while. There some cracking beers on offer from the likes of BAD, Big Rabbit, Brewsmith etc...