Sentinel brewhouse and eatery

They do a low ABV bitter (3.5% - Sheffield Bitter or similar name ) which is nice but it cost £3.50 last time I tried it. A bit steep I'd say.

yes it is when you consider the prices in Wetherspoons, which is where many of the student population may go. Not that I think the Sentinel should try to compete with Wetherspoons - it's a different type of business altogether. But i think a well-publicized discount scheme for students, or some type of loyalty scheme where they get a free pint every 10 or something might have been worth a try. Maybe even have one night a week when students get a sizeable discount (50p off a pint) or something on production of a student card?

---------- Post added 09-08-2017 at 17:05 ----------

Tried to nip in for a pint the other Saturday lunch whilst waiting for one of my kids.

Felt a bit of a tit to be turned away at the door because they had a wedding on.

It was done in a very pleasant and polite manner but my pride was hurt!

I understand the reasoning, but would I chance it again with the Rutland only 500 yards away?

Ended up in Fanny's at any rate...

I know what you mean about the opening hours. You never quite know if there's going to be some event or other on there. I don't blame them for trying to pull in the private functions because they'll probably make more from one of those than opening for a whole week - and by all accounts I think they are struggling financially.

(A lot of weddings end up like that btw).

They do a low ABV bitter (3.5% - Sheffield Bitter or similar name ) which is nice but it cost £3.50 last time I tried it. A bit steep I'd say.

And as someone who would swerve a 3.5% bitter like the plague...hardly a draw.

The US IPA is a cracking pint, but it's nearly a fiver, so most people won't touch it. If this was Edinburgh it would be classed as the best pint at the best price (seeing as a lot of their muck is £5+ for rubbish) but in Sheffield there are a lot of places where you can get a better beer for less, even including travel costs.

And as someone who would swerve a 3.5% bitter like the plague...hardly a draw.

 

The US IPA is a cracking pint, but it's nearly a fiver, so most people won't touch it. If this was Edinburgh it would be classed as the best pint at the best price (seeing as a lot of their muck is £5+ for rubbish) but in Sheffield there are a lot of places where you can get a better beer for less, even including travel costs.

I found there own beers pretty good, so didn't mind paying more as a treat. But they also charged £4+ for bog standard real ale type beers, which seems a bit much when you can get them a lot cheaper in other pubs!

And as someone who would swerve a 3.5% bitter like the plague...hardly a draw.

 

The US IPA is a cracking pint, but it's nearly a fiver, so most people won't touch it. If this was Edinburgh it would be classed as the best pint at the best price (seeing as a lot of their muck is £5+ for rubbish) but in Sheffield there are a lot of places where you can get a better beer for less, even including travel costs.

yep, am totally with you on that. That was one of the few beers I drank in the Sentinel, the US (or EU) IPA on cask. I wouldn't touch any beer below 4% as a rule.

Was in the Rising Sun at Fulwood the other day - it's ever so frustrating if you like strong ale on cask, going in there. There's always Absolution, which is a bit of a gesture in the direction of a strong pale ale, at 5.3%, but not much else. On this occasion, out of the 12 handpumps, the majority were for beers between 4% and 4.5%. I think there was Absolution and Voyager outside that strength range only. A few weeks ago they had a run on a few beauties, 6% and greater - ("C Monster" by Little Critters was great, as was "Hex" by the Revolutions brewing company, both upwards of 6%)but not seen anything like that recently in there.

Went in a good pub in Reading the other week. They'd got about a dozen hand pumps but they'd got them all set out in order of ascending beer strength, from the 3 percenters up to 8.3% - on cask! Then they'd got a further range of keg beers of all strengths and styles as well. I was only having one so I wanted it to be a good 'un! I went for a beer that was based on a Belgian Trippel and infused with rhubarb! Called something like, "car crashes in same place every time". At 8.6% it was appropriately named I think.

EDIT: I found it. It's here.

https://untappd.com/b/five-towns-brewery-always-crashing-in-the-same-car/2348416

They have announced today that the bar has closed with immediate effect.

Can't say that I'm surprised to hear that Sentinel's now closed, only surprised that it lasted for as long as it did.

Paid them my one & only visit two years ago & was charged £4.50 for a pint of beer - so haven't been back since!

Can't say that I'm surprised to hear that Sentinel's now closed, only surprised that it lasted for as long as it did.

 

Paid them my one & only visit two years ago & was charged £4.50 for a pint of beer - so haven't been back since!

But was the beer worth £4.50?

Their USP seemed to be that as you were getting beer as fresh as humanly possible, straight from the barrel, brewed that day, using the best ingredients etc etc then you should be happy and willing to pay for it.

Obviously they were wrong.

It was a nice pint - but even 2 years on I can get an equally nice pint in the Blake, or the Queen's Ground, or the Brothers' Arms, or the Sheaf View, or the White Lion, or the Hallamshire Hotel, (etc etc!) for around £2.80...

If they were producing beer on a par with Kernel, Cloudwater or some such then they could have justified the prices and I suspect may have had more success (but they were based in "owwwww muuuch!" Sheffield so maybe not).

I'm amazed they lasted as long as this did.

That was always my view, bit of a wasted opportunity - they had a brewkit most other brewers would kill for, Alex has the brewing knowledge and skills, but instead of going for the top end of the market and being Sheffield's answer to Northern Monk or Clownwater they went for the more traditional market, which however well brewed is neither gonna excite the beer geeks and draw crowds, nor build a loyal following of regulars, especially at £4+ for a bitter or pale.

£4.50 for a pint of beer and people are saying they should have gone for the top-end of the market - what’s that then?

£4.50 for a pint of beer and people are saying they should have gone for the top-end of the market - what’s that then?

Typically using imported hops and with an Abv over 5.5%

Surprised you dont know all this since you seem to be expert on everything.