Sentinel brewhouse and eatery

[SteelCityAle 10]

21 hours ago, DnAuK said:

I think Abbeydale have become complacent with their core range

Really? I don't drink the core beers much, but tried the Deception in the Shakey last week and it was really good, loads of hop aroma. Funk Dungeon is where it's at though...!

 

Not been to St Mars yet, I'd be there a lot more often if they'd got their originally planned premises near Abbeydale, far more convenient. I spotted the coolship in their pictures and they've confirmed plans for spontaneous fermentation so I look forward to that (though it'll presumably be a couple of years at least by time they've been aged properly).

 

Another Sheffield brewery has done a couple of spontaneous fermentation experiments recently, no prize for guessing who...

Edited January 15, 2019 by SteelCityAle

[slh73 32]

47 minutes ago, SteelCityAle said:

 

 

Another Sheffield brewery has done a couple of spontaneous fermentation experiments recently, no prize for guessing who...

Bradfield? Are they doing a farmers Brett? 

[SteelCityAle 10]

Got it in one. They've been playing the long game, a decade of bland and bland-with-Ribena, then boom, they're gonna release the results of their secret barrel aged spontaneous fermentation program, Yorkshire Gueuze

[DnAuK 10]

1 hour ago, slh73 said:

Bradfield? Are they doing a farmers Brett? 

Personally I thought he meant Stancill. They are the kind of brewer that would get a yeast infection and then pass it off as spontaneous fermentation...

 

I have had Abbeydale Moonshine, Deception and Absolution in  non-Abbeydale bars over the last few months. They have varied between bland and downright awful. Maybe the just don't respond well to less than perfect cellar management?

[jemson 10]

Still not tried a St Mars. Any good?

re Critters - yeah, Will is now Head at Kirkstall and he`s moved over to dirty leeds,

[DnAuK 10]

2 hours ago, jemson said:

Still not tried a St Mars. Any good?

re Critters - yeah, Will is now Head at Kirkstall and he`s moved over to dirty leeds,

The only two beers that St Mars have at the moment are OK, rather than spectacular, but that was just bedding in the brew kit. The Impy Stout (Barbapapa) that is currently in the fermenter is apparently a direct port of the stuff they brewed in the US under Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project. Look it up - got really decent reviews. And the guy does seem to know what he's doing.

 

Glad they settled on Sheffield. Leeds seems to be where it's at right now, given SALT breweries opening of two bars in town, North Brewing Co opening a more central taproom and Vocation dropping a 50 tap bar into the Assembly Underground (a bit like the Cutlery Works) - all in the last 3 months.  However, anyone who is retailing beer there clearly knows it's probbly the best place outside London to get it and prices are reflecting that. Not  cheap day out. So can't really knock Will for moving there really. Same with Colin from Buxton. Tho the replacement brewer in Buxton has eventually found his feet and started brewing some decent stuff of his own recipe.

 

Is this time to say that the Buxton Tap is one of the best places to drink beer on the planet, BTW? If you like Buxton beers anyway. Which, let's face it, most people who know good beer do. Wish we had a place like that closer to home.

Edited January 17, 2019 by DnAuK

[mr craig 10]

22 hours ago, DnAuK said:

Is this time to say that the Buxton Tap is one of the best places to drink beer on the planet, BTW? If you like Buxton beers anyway. Which, let's face it, most people who know good beer do. Wish we had a place like that closer to home.

I would be nice if it was a little easier to get to as well!

[jemson 10]

I do love Buxton. Think I prefer Cellar bar to Tap but I think both are being refurbed at the mo - ?

I usually expect too much though and there weren`t many dark brews on but Sounds of Islay was great as was the soft serve stuff, or it would have been if it were above 10 degrees outside.

[DerbyTup 10]

On 15/01/2019 at 10:54, SteelCityAle said:

Really? I don't drink the core beers much, but tried the Deception in the Shakey last week and it was really good, loads of hop aroma. Funk Dungeon is where it's at though...!

 

Not been to St Mars yet, I'd be there a lot more often if they'd got their originally planned premises near Abbeydale, far more convenient. I spotted the coolship in their pictures and they've confirmed plans for spontaneous fermentation so I look forward to that (though it'll presumably be a couple of years at least by time they've been aged properly).

 

Another Sheffield brewery has done a couple of spontaneous fermentation experiments recently, no prize for guessing who...

I just find Abbeydale very "mainstream".  I go in the Rising Sun and gaze along the bar at 12 hand pumps.  The majority of the beers will be around 4.5% - why?  With such a huge number of pumps I would love to see a big range - from the "Driver Friendly" 2.9% to the "Ambulance Friendly" 7% or more!

 

I must go in 2/3 times most weeks and I'm looking for a strong pale ale, or IPA.  The host beer, Absolution, isn't bad, at 5.2% (or similar).  Voyager is usually on, a bit stronger, but it's not great in taste.  Then there's...nothing much really.  I do like the Revolution Brewery beer that they have on there sometimes, but it's quite rare to find a strong IPA other than their own stuff.

 

There's a brewery up the road at Wakefied, called Five Towns.  They are making some really inspirational beers, flavoured with mango, passion fruit, all sorts of things.  I had one of their "passion fruit" IPA's a while ago down the Kelham Island Tavern.  8% or similar - and it drank like a session ale.  Beautiful!  You can't get that from Abbeydale I'm afraid.  The majority of their beers sit right bang in the middle of the strength range and are totally unremarkable imo.  

[Cyclone 10]

On the plus side I've just been on holiday and it really makes you appreciate the range and quality of beer that you can buy in Sheffield and in the UK generally these days.

[DnAuK 10]

On ‎19‎/‎01‎/‎2019 at 18:00, Cyclone said:

On the plus side I've just been on holiday and it really makes you appreciate the range and quality of beer that you can buy in Sheffield and in the UK generally these days.

Is it bad that I base a lot of my holidays around the beer choices available these days? Barcelona is surprisigly good if you're wanting a beach holiday combined with good beer. If you're like me and love to do some sightseeing I would recommed Rome too. And Copenhagen of course, as well as Stockholm, Tallinn, Helsinki... I have been told Budapest is pretty decent too, tho never been. I'm heading to Paris next month. I understand that their beer culture has taken off a bit in the last few years. Depends what you're looking for really.

[SteelCityAle 10]

Can confirm Budapest is excellent for craft beer now. Also several Polish cities e.g. Krakow, Wroclaw, Gdansk/Gdynia, Warszawa, Poznan... Slovakia is catching up, Ukraine has had a craft explosion, Romania is suddenly getting good... Riga and Vilnius. In fact there's only a few European countries with not much to offer beerwise if you know where to look!

 

Thanks to Wizzair a lot of the eastern European destinations can be done stupidly cheaply for a long weekend from Donny too