I was going to wax lyrical about some of the local beers but realised that it's been several months since I actually drank any. This isn't down to some regime of abstinence but because in this part of the world there's always a range of one shots and specials on the pumps, particularly in summer.
Within 10 miles of where I live there are at least 7 breweries, all of them churning out some really good ales of all descriptions. With the combination of summer, seasonal events, festivals and other special occasions being celebrated breweries are always putting out a variation with a bit of a twist to try and capture the character of the time in the flavour of a pint. Or as one brewer said when we went on a tour, we're just a bunch of beardy idiots mucking about with booze.
I'm at the point where I'll wander into one of the local pubs and just ask "what's yer pales?" and get a pretty decent run down on the tasting notes. On the rare occasions when person at the bar hasn't tasted something, you're almost always given a taster in exchange of a description, even when the brewery's own description is chalked up behind the bar. I usually end up getting a safe bet and a long shot, setting them down on the table in front of the wife and arguing about who's drinking which one.
Anyway, for any visitors passing through the Sheffield area, here's a few of the standards that I can strongly advise as a safe and pleasurable tasting if they happen to be on at the time:
Kelhams Island - Easy Rider, Pale Rider
Abbeydale Brewery - Moonshine, Deception
Barnsley Brewery - Farmers Blonde
Sheffield Brewery - Five Rivers, Seven Hills
Thornbridge Brewery - Jaipur, Brother Rabbit, Wild Swan
Blue Bee Brewery - The Bees Knees, Lustin for Stout
