September 2023. Sheffield.
It’s great to have a Good Beer Guide, but there’s plenty of life outside the good book.
Mrs RM particularly liked the Closed Shop in student-land, as much for the quality pub food as the average Stancil beers. See if you can spot its little problem when it was a Stancil pub.
It was genuinely one of the reasons we moved north three years ago.
Well, the food stopped after Covid, the landlady left, Stancil left, the previous landlady came back, the pub’s been kept the same but freshened up,
and food starts next month. Mrs RM can’t wait.
But before that, they were advertising a rather good beer that had me chivvying Mrs RM up the hill on Sunday night.
Yep. That one.
“What should I have ?” said Mrs RM.
“Er, Plum Porter as well ?” I said. “And crisps“.
Plum Porter, Steerage, Hobgoblin, Black Sheep and Farmer’s Blonde don’t necessarily suggest a “CAMRA pub”, but this was rich and lovely (NBSS 4). I had a second pint, the bellwether Black Sheep, almost as good. All is well with world. The barman seemed genuinely enthusiastic about the beers, and I resisted the urge to say “just add Bass mate“.
Almost as good was the (entirely female) student banter from the next table, which you’d best ask Mrs RM about when you see her.
It’s Freshers Week in the best pub city in the world (Waterbeach hasn’t attained city status quite yet), and Sheffield is a cheap and friendly night out all year round, though it ought to scrap that “breadcake” nonsense now.
If 0.01% of Sheffield students can be converted to the joys of cask then real ale will be saved. Hurrah !
retiredmartin 
Does Youlgrave not count as a city either? PS Steve the landlord is getting Holden’s Golden Glow in his next order. It’ll never get in the GBG.
LikeLike
Youlgrave probably counts as a city on Trip Advisor; everywhere in a city on Trip Advisor.
Golden Glow is better than Bathams.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Golden Glow was £3 in Stafford’s Lamb Inn last week.
I don’t know what’s happening to beer prices.
LikeLike
GG one of the cheapest on Star Bars and Pubs (Heineken) price list.
LikeLike
An impressive range of ales! You hardly ever see that down south.
LikeLike
All from one brewery.
Surely that’s no choice !
LikeLike
👏🏻
I’d settle for just one in good nick, such as Young’s Ordinary, Harvey’s Best, Tetley’s, Brains Bitter, St. Austell Trelawny, or, going back, Mansfield Bitter, Shipstone’s Basford Bitter etc. Paul
LikeLike
Yes indeed, beers that we know – or knew.
LikeLike
What would be your ultimate beer range (I know, it’s all about the pub not the beer)?
Plum Porter
Bass
Doom Bar
(Abbot)?
LikeLike
Plum Porter
Bass
Something murky by Almasty or similar
And a can of imperial stout
LikeLiked by 1 person
Was that your ultimate range, Andy ?
LikeLike
A good question. It would depend on many things, such as:
Location, weather, time of year, company…
However, the following are definitely current favourites:
Eichhorn Dörfleins Kellerbier
Timothy Taylor Golden Best
Westmalle Double
De Garre Tripel
Schlenkerla Märzen Unfiltered
Boon Marriage Parfait
And of course, gone but not forgotten:
Ind Coope Burton Ale
Adnams Extra
John Smiths Magnet
Mahrs Bräu “U” of around 2007 when it was amazing.
LikeLike