Horse and Jockey Wadsley Lane

[AKITA]

 

I went last week and was offered my ale in a "tall" glass or "handle". Quaint.

 

I went in last night (Tuesday night) and I was offered the same. The place were rammed, no room to sit inside, either stand at the bar or sit on the only spare bench out side. Luckily it were a warm night.

[DerbyTup]

Well if you are going to have a dig at least get the name correct.

 

You're right. Apologies for the mistake. I don't know whether this was some predictive text error or whether I'd got Lincoln City FC on my mind when I wrote it - but I sure hadn't got good beer on my mind that's for sure.

 

Look - actually I'm not meaning to "have a dig". I think it's brilliant that Sheffield has all these new microbreweries and I applaud the folks behind them for giving us this choice. I'm not a CAMRA member or anything like that - but for the past 30 years or so I've been on "the real ale trail" as you might wish to think of it.

 

I was brought up on a pint of hand-pulled Stones bitter from the age of about 14. I used to live not far from The Devonshire pub at Middle Handley. (Now some kind of country dining pub). In fact, I tell a lie, I used live about 2 miles away from it - but it was a lovely walk on a summer's evening, up through the woods via "Bole Hill Lane" - with my trusty Border collie. The landlord, "Tom" used to serve me a pint as long as I consumed it quietly in the garden outside, 'neath the spreading chestnut tree. I think that was my first taste of "real ale" and very good it was too. Anyone else on here who remembers "The Dev" back in those days may wish to confirm? But I think it was one of the best pints of Stones anywhere from what everyone I know has said since.

 

Sometime in the early-mid eighties I recall the Fat Cat opening up. It was just about the only real ale pub in Sheffield at that time. (I think the Old Toad opening a while after that - later to be called "The Good Doctor"). This pub opened my eyes to "real ale" as it were. I had a friend who lived near Wentworth and occasionally we'd go in the "Rock" (Rockingham Arms) and the George & Dragon there. The George & Dragon was my favourite. They'd got a beer called "Timothy Taylor's Landlord" - which I thought was superb. Golden beer, almost honeyed in flavour and absolutely delicious. Even though this pub was a good 25 mile from where I lived I would go there regularly because that beer was so exceptional - and you couldn't get it anywhere nearer to home. (Unlike now - where Timothy Taylor's Landlord is a poor shadow of its former self - having been taken over by the big brewers and stuck on the bar of just about every local in the country).

 

Me and my pals used to think nothing of setting off, of an evening, and travelling down into Notts or Lincs or even Leicestershire, to check out some real ales that we'd read about but couldn't get near to home. Most other pals thought we were mad - but we loved the real ale so much that we'd take it in turns to drive - just to go and try something new.

 

So, back to Sincil - or Stancil as that should be!...

 

I've tried it maybe 2 or 3 times to be fair. Once was in a pub mid-way between Consiborough and Doncaster (a cream coloured pub on top of a hill as you go towards Donny - it has a pie factory at the back). I think it was just the Stancil Bitter - it really wasn't good. Me and my pals were on our way to watch the Blades play Donny - they weren't impressed with it either (and they are admittedly not as fussy as me!).

 

I've also had it in the Micro Brew pub on Ecclesall Road - The Beer House I think it's called - not far from Hunter's Bar roundabout. I think they also have a lager by Stancil in there as well? Now, this little pub has one thing going for it above all else - they know how to keep a good pint. I've never had a bad pint in there at all - the temperature and condition of their beers is always excellent whichever one you choose. Even so, I found the Stancil beer in there to be poor tbh.

 

So, I tell you what...I will keep an open mind on it and I will give The Horse & Jockey a try. But - there seems to be enough feedback on here already to suggest that the beer isn't so clever. Take the guy who claims to have tried a half of all of them and not like any of them? If that's true then it's too much of a coincidence to be down to personal taste.

 

10 hand pumps sounds great. I hope I will find a "selection" of different beers and styles? Some blond, some pale, some amber, some dark? And will I also find, even more importantly, a selection of beer strengths? From a quaffing ale at 3.5% through to some full-bodied beauties around 6% or more? Or will they all hover around 4.3% and be very similar?

 

These are things that mark a pub out as being a bit special to me - different styles and strengths of beer. The best example of this amongst new places to open in Sheffield, is the Sentinel BrewHouse on Shoreham Street.

 

I'll go to the Horse & Jockey in Wadsley very soon and let you know what I think - but it will have to go some to beat the Sentinel - and to change my mind about the poor ale that I've experienced from that Brewery so far.

[Lurgh Mor]

Oh dear. Still not quite correct. Closer though.

[rudplast]

Norfolk arms grenoside

[Astraeus]

Norfolk arms grenoside

 

Umm, what do you mean?

[Guest makapaka]

Oh dear. Still not quite correct. Closer though.

 

Problem with these supposed beer afficianados - very keen to denounce anything they don't personally like.

 

Gets right on my nerves.

 

The pubs aren't there to cater for your personal taste - if a person can't find a single drink in a pub they can bring themselves to drink I don't think pubs are for them.

 

Just buy a bottle of what you like and drink it at home.

 

Moaning about pubs trying to succeed based on personal taste

is just damaging to an already struggling industry that we need to be doing the best to support.

[Lurgh Mor]

makapaka, what are you on about? I like the Horse and Jockey. Find where I have suggested otherwise.

Edited September 20, 2016 by Lurgh Mor

[Guest makapaka]

makapaka, what are you on about? I like the Horse and Jockey. Find where I have suggested otherwise.

 

Sorry - I just saw i quoted your post but i didn't intend to.

 

My post was in support of the horse and jockey also.

[FIRETHORN1]

Steady on there Makapaca! I liked the Horse and Jockey too! I thought they were making a real good go of it! Haven't been in there since I was last in Sheffield in July, but I'm coming home for a few days in November and will definitely give it another go.

 

I stand by what I said about the Stancill's beers though. T'Jockey had about ten hand-pumps on, I tried about 4 or 5 different beers and just didn't like any of 'em! Maybe it's just my personal taste, but Stancill's beers don't seem that popular amongst some other posters too!

 

I can happily meet friends in any kind of pub or bar and I can easily find summat else to drink if I don't like the beer in that particular pub or bar - but if the choice is up to me, I tend to choose pubs and bars where I like the beer....and so far, the Stancill's Brewery brews just about the worst beers I've ever tasted!

[DerbyTup]

Problem with these supposed beer afficianados - very keen to denounce anything they don't personally like.

 

Gets right on my nerves.

 

The pubs aren't there to cater for your personal taste - if a person can't find a single drink in a pub they can bring themselves to drink I don't think pubs are for them.

 

Just buy a bottle of what you like and drink it at home.

 

Moaning about pubs trying to succeed based on personal taste

is just damaging to an already struggling industry that we need to be doing the best to support.

 

Sorry to get on your nerves! I never refer to myself as a "beer aficionado" ("aficionado" is one "f" and an "o" after the "c" btw - just thought I'd point this out because if Lurgh Mor sees this he's bound to pull you up on it). I don't subscribe to CAMRA and I don't go around pubs with a little notebook writing down tasting notes and comparing them. Those folk are a little bit sad imo. All I'm saying is...I've been on this real ale trail for many years now and yes I've tried literally hundreds and hundreds of different "real" or "craft" ales.

 

Another good place for local beers is the micro brew Beer House on Ecclesall Road. I think that was also one of the other places I tried Stancill (with 2 "l's" obviously). Again, I wasn't impressed. They also had some beer from Sheffield's "Junction 33" brewery in there at the time - and that was excellent.

 

I think that's a very odd view to hold, that pubs aren't there to cater for personal taste. That's exactly what they are there for - it's the same with any business that caters for the general public. The idea is to have something for everyone, to have a wide appeal, not to cater for the few. And the best way of doing that, as far as beer is concerned, is to have a wide range of different types and strengths of beer. I don't know if the Horse & Jockey has this? I did ask, but all Lurgh Mor could provide me with was a comment about the mis-spelling of Stancill.

 

I think you probably need to read my post again. I am not moaning about the Horse & Jockey pub. I've never been in the place, so I know nothing about it! I've even said that I am willing to go and give it a try - I can't be much fairer than that surely? All I've said is that based on 2 or 3 different beers that I've had, so far, from this Stancill brewery, I've not been impressed with their beer. (And if I find the same the next time I drink it, I will deliberately misspell their name forever!).

 

Others on here claim they've tried them all and not been impressed with any. Which is a tad concerning - because this suggests it's not about personal taste at all, but about quality.

 

It would be nice though if someone could tell us a bit more about what beers are actually on offer at this pub? Can I get an IPA over 5% here for example?

Edited September 21, 2016 by DerbyTup