The Hillsborough Hotel - Fit for Business, indeed!

Further to my blog of 2 weeks ago, I can confirm that Tom and Brigitte have well and truly got the show on the road again at The Hillsborough Hotel, 54-58 Langsett Road, Sheffield S6 2UB (Tel: 0114 232 2100 - Twitter link). This was a pub I worked at whilst at university in Sheffield, but under an owner many times removed now. It is an away fan 'friendly' pub, with B&B (6 bedrooms), good locally sourced freshly cooked food, and just 2 tram stops away from Sheffield Wednesday's ground, and easy enough to get to Sheffield United from here by tram or bus too.  

Having cleaned up and refurbished the cellar since taking over, Tom and Brigitte have 6 regularly changing, well conditioned, real ales served from handpump. There is an emphasis on promoting local ales, but they sell ales from further afield too. Today, they have some excellent local ales, from Sheffield and Yorkshire; ie the hoppy citrus flavoured 4.5% Exit 33 Hop Monster (website), 4.0% Wentworth WPA (website), 4.2% White Rose White Dragon, and the 4.3% Great Heck Voodoo Mild (website). From further afield, 4.0% Charnwood Vixen (website), and from Cornwall, the excellent stronger tasting hoppy bitter, the 5.7% Black Flag White Cross IPA (website). 

I look forward to my next visit to Sheffield, cheers!    

Drinking Ale Beasts in Hastings!

Last week I drank the superb Burning Sky Aurora, at the FILO in Hastings, and now The Rutland Beast, brewed at Oakham in Rutland by The Grainstore Brewery(website)... Seven different types of malt and wheat are used for the grist, and three different hops in the brew, though Grainstore appear to be a little shy about sharing the names of the hops used! 

Also, I didn't really find it to be a "beast", but a well-balanced ale with a deep red colour and lovely to drink. OK, it's a wee bit strong at 5.3%, but with a lovely cherry beer aroma, and fruity strong taste and plenty of body, in fact, I'd describe it as an excellent strong 'ruby mild', but what do I know? I had this very recently at the Dolphin Inn at Rock-a-Nore, and the speed of it not being on any more provides evidence of what a good beer it is/was.

So I thought I should give notice of another 'beast' of an ale, this time from an East Sussex brewer, and due to come on at the Dolphin this weekend, and that is the very seasonalDark Star Green Hopped IPA (brewery website). Seasonal, because of the use of fresh (most brewers use hops picked within 12 hours to add to their brews of this type of ale) or green hops, rather than the dried hops usually used by brewers. Very different in style, a supremely dry pale bitter with a strong aroma and taste of citrus from the Simcoe hops used, and 6.5% of strength that you may not notice, unless you drink more than one pint! 

Cheers!

Hillsborough Hotel, Sheffield

A little birdie recently told me that the Hillsborough Hotel (Top Wellie) in Sheffield had closed, so it was great to hear from Tom Delaney that he and Brigitte have now taken over the licence there. To quote Tom, "after 10 years away they are returning to take over the reins at this well known hostelry. Unfortunately the brewery is no longer part of the set up, but the take is to try, at some point, to reinstate it. Brig and Tom would like to take the opportunity to welcome customers old and new to the Hillsborough!"

Good luck to them from Steve the Beermeister! 

"Gold" Champion Beer of Britain 2015

Having had a pint or three of this Gold Champion ale at the Dolphin Inn at Rock-a-Nore in Hastings 'old town' earlier today, I had to share my thoughts on this CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain 2015 (among its honours), that went on at lunchtime at the fine Hastings public house. The deep red coloured Titanic Plum Porter (4.9%), see website, has a rich fruity aroma that wafts straight up your nostrils and with a very fruity flavour too, as you would expect, plenty of body with a dry bitter finish, I liked it a lot; and they have 2 firkins, so it should last the weekend, cheers!  

Crackin' Ales from across the Country!

I've had 2 excellent ales from Kelham Island Brewery, an old employer of mine up in Sheffield (website). Their Miami Pale Ale (5%) was a nice refreshing pale golden ale with a dry bitter finish, and their Atomic Blondie (nice pump clip!) was a more full bodied, though not as much as I expected, 6% golden, dry and bitter ale, incredibly dangerous, as very easy to drink!   

Over from Somerset, ie from RCH Brewery (website) of Western Super Mare, came another excellent 4.5% pale golden ale, their THIRTY POINT SIX, brewed with Bodicea hops, a dry citrusy bitter, enjoyed muchly too!      

And from Oakham Ales of Peterborough (website), I've very recently had 3 ales, always a dependable sight on the bar! Their 4.2% Citra, very pale with a citrus aroma and taste that smacks you in the cheeks, making them go cold, a gorgeous dry bitter! Their 4.4% Scarlet Macaw, grapefruit, but a bit more subtle, again, pale, dry and bitter! Also, their ever lovely 4.6% Bishops Farewell, I've written about this fruity dry bitter so often, I shan't bore you again, sorry! Impossible to get bored drinking Bishops Farewell, cheers! 

Crackin' East Sussex Ales!

Crackin' pale bitter from the FILO Brewery (Hastings Old Town Brewery), PIRATE GOLD, drinking it as I write! What can I say, pale, dry, bitter, strong, probably more than 6% by now! We'll likely never see it again, as brewed by chance, AWESOME...

Another great and old faithful trusty ale, Dark Star American Pale Ale (4.7%, website), much written about by me before, pale, hoppy, consistently quality!  

Finally, for today, and I have many other crackin' ales, from outside Sussex, to report about very soon, but my brother and I had this 5.5% 'monster' of an ale at the Albatross Cub (RAFA) in Bexhill, recently, Franklins New Zealand Indian Pale Ale  (NZIPA, 5.5%, website), brewed with New Zealand Rakau hops. OK, as I wrote it down, "not too fruity, quite bitter, good body, dry, with a bitter finish - Nice one!"  

The NZIPA arrived, from the supplier, at the Dolphin, Rock-a-Nore, Hastings Old Town, today, so expect it on there within the next week or so... I shan't miss it!  

Best/Interesting Pub Names?

If anyone knows a publican, or three, who believes his/her pub has an excellent name that may fit the criteria to win the Best Business Name Competition (there are prizes!), then have a look at this website by the end of August... 

 This sort of name comes to mind... 

Good luck to anyone who takes part, cheers!