Beer Engine near Waitrose new opening times

[jemson 10]

Which `good beer bars` have gone? The Hop?

 

Not slagging anything off btw.

[DnAuK 10]

Which `good beer bars` have gone? The Hop?

 

Not slagging anything off btw.

 

Well the Hop was certainly competition - or at least was before it became the BBQ joint. So was Anchorage. DaDa. Dev Cat has gone downhill. True North places have more limited beer selection now they have their own predominantly on tap. For me Sheffield Centre is no longer an option. I am quite honest when I say that every single good beer bar you can name in Sheffield has a counterpart in Huddersfield - let alone Leeds. Huddersfield may not have quite as many, but it has the better options. I have very little incentive to come into Sheffield for beer these days, other than it doesn't cost me to get in when I get a daily/weekly pass for work.

 

Just to put in context - Maison is more than twice the size HH which means more than twice the choice, more than twice the seating, and live music at the weekend. Nigel also does not charge corkage which makes it cheaper. Its also on a direct bus route from my house!

 

That said, I had a very enjoyable night in both over the weekend. But unfortunately the only other decent place I went in Sheffield was the Beer Engine. Everything else was pretty pants. Tho I think that's maybe cos Chris and Kate have literally only just take on the Rutty.

[SteelCityAle 10]

The number of good beer bars in Sheffield has if anything increased. However, they're far more spread out now! Once upon a time almost everything worth doing was in the Kelham Island area, whereas now they're spread across the city. My current two favourites are opposite sides of town (Beer Engine and Shakey), though suspect the Rutland (already a good pub) may soon become elevated to a similar standing. As for town... I'd say the beer range in Dev Cat is better than it ever was pre-Abbeydale, Bath usually seems to have something interesting, Brewpuppy hit and miss, Head of Steam more miss than hit but occasionally gets something really good.

 

Hadn't heard of this Maison gaff, and tbh it's unlikely to feature regularly for me, as the stuff on my doorstep is pretty bloody good. As for Huddersfield, I love the place but I can only face the Train of Tedium very occasionally without losing the will to live!

[jemson 10]

Well the Hop was certainly competition - or at least was before it became the BBQ joint. So was Anchorage. DaDa. Dev Cat has gone downhill. True North places have more limited beer selection now they have their own predominantly on tap. For me Sheffield Centre is no longer an option. I am quite honest when I say that every single good beer bar you can name in Sheffield has a counterpart in Huddersfield - let alone Leeds. Huddersfield may not have quite as many, but it has the better options. I have very little incentive to come into Sheffield for beer these days, other than it doesn't cost me to get in when I get a daily/weekly pass for work.

 

Just to put in context - Maison is more than twice the size HH which means more than twice the choice, more than twice the seating, and live music at the weekend. Nigel also does not charge corkage which makes it cheaper. Its also on a direct bus route from my house!

 

That said, I had a very enjoyable night in both over the weekend. But unfortunately the only other decent place I went in Sheffield was the Beer Engine. Everything else was pretty pants. Tho I think that's maybe cos Chris and Kate have literally only just take on the Rutty.

 

I was never keen on the Hop tbh but I was struggling think of `dwindling good beer places`. DaDa closed years ago (4 years?) whilst there are lots of new places around Sheffield. Bar Stewards, Walkley BC, Sentinel, Pic House, Itchy Pig, Brothers Arms, Beer House etc whilst the likes of The Welly, Dev Cat, Forum chain, Washington have been invested in heavily. I`m not too concerned with endlessly comparing Sheff with other places because I don`t live in Leeds or Hudd anymore thankfully.

 

Elsecar is not a place I`m likely to visit for beer realistically.HH has 5 strong keg lines 10 minutes stroll from home which suffices.

[SpiderPete 10]

I was never keen on the Hop tbh but I was struggling think of `dwindling good beer places`. DaDa closed years ago (4 years?) whilst there are lots of new places around Sheffield. Bar Stewards, Walkley BC, Sentinel, Pic House, Itchy Pig, Brothers Arms, Beer House etc whilst the likes of The Welly, Dev Cat, Forum chain, Washington have been invested in heavily. I`m not too concerned with endlessly comparing Sheff with other places because I don`t live in Leeds or Hudd anymore thankfully.

 

Elsecar is not a place I`m likely to visit for beer realistically.HH has 5 strong keg lines 10 minutes stroll from home which suffices.

 

I am also struggling to think of "dwindling good beer places", if anything there is more, I can still walk round town and enjoy a good night out with the selection the pubs have, some spent a bit on refurb.

 

Heeley for a start has improved - White Lion, Brothers Arms upping their ale ranges, and Sheaf View plodding along, and you are only a stone throw away from Hop Hideout, and not far from Railway, Cremorne, Beer Engine.

 

Then you have Itchy Pig, Fox and Duck at Broomhill and only a stone throw away from Hallamshire House.

 

I could go on forever and ever.. but you get the picture.

 

So is Sheffield dwindling ale wise .. I don't think it is.

 

Maybe some people are too picky and want kegs of weird varieties at silly prices, or ales with chocolate hobnobs and chills in, or kangaroo legs with pineapple chunks .... that's not Sheffield.

[DnAuK 10]

The number of good beer bars in Sheffield has if anything increased. However, they're far more spread out now! Once upon a time almost everything worth doing was in the Kelham Island area, whereas now they're spread across the city. My current two favourites are opposite sides of town (Beer Engine and Shakey), though suspect the Rutland (already a good pub) may soon become elevated to a similar standing. As for town... I'd say the beer range in Dev Cat is better than it ever was pre-Abbeydale, Bath usually seems to have something interesting, Brewpuppy hit and miss, Head of Steam more miss than hit but occasionally gets something really good.

 

Hadn't heard of this Maison gaff, and tbh it's unlikely to feature regularly for me, as the stuff on my doorstep is pretty bloody good. As for Huddersfield, I love the place but I can only face the Train of Tedium very occasionally without losing the will to live!

 

And there you have the point nicely tied up. The bars in Sheffield ARE very spread out. Which is fine if you live in Sheffield, but hardly going to attract many from out of town when you have another 20/30 minutes to get where you are going on top of the journey into town. And that is Sheffield's downfall. From where I live I can be at Maison du Biere, Tall Boys and Little Leeds Beer market in...err...Leeds or Arcade Beers in Huddersfield, - all in less time that it takes me to get to Hop Hideout. Yet all of these places are as good if not better than HH. And don't get me started on the competition for Shakespeares - another fanboy favourite on here.

 

TBH when we were in the Rutland last we discussed what we might do with upstairs if we had it. Too small for a concert room. One friend suggested opening it as a HH rival at the weekends. I think this is a fine idea personally. Or if Sean at Beer Central could be persuaded to open a place maybe. Sadly for some reason all these interesting businesses seems to only exist outside of the town centre.

 

Sheffield is fine for the people who live there but does nothing to really attract in trade. And that's why it is slowly dying. At one time my plan was to move into Sheffield when circumstances allowed. Not any more. I'll go to Huddersfield thanks. Then I'm also on an all night train line to Leeds and Manchester, with York and Liverpool also easily doable. Many other people I know (who live outside Sheffield) feel the same way. It simply isn't worth it when you consider the competition from other nearby cities.

[jemson 10]

Wow, so it`s `dying` now not just dwindling.

 

Oh, and I forgot Head of Steam on my list; another place where there has been a large investment.

[SteelCityAle 10]

And there you have the point nicely tied up. The bars in Sheffield ARE very spread out. Which is fine if you live in Sheffield, but hardly going to attract many from out of town when you have another 20/30 minutes to get where you are going on top of the journey into town. And that is Sheffield's downfall. From where I live I can be at Maison du Biere, Tall Boys and Little Leeds Beer market in...err...Leeds or Arcade Beers in Huddersfield, - all in less time that it takes me to get to Hop Hideout. Yet all of these places are as good if not better than HH. And don't get me started on the competition for Shakespeares - another fanboy favourite on here.

 

TBH when we were in the Rutland last we discussed what we might do with upstairs if we had it. Too small for a concert room. One friend suggested opening it as a HH rival at the weekends. I think this is a fine idea personally. Or if Sean at Beer Central could be persuaded to open a place maybe. Sadly for some reason all these interesting businesses seems to only exist outside of the town centre.

 

Sheffield is fine for the people who live there but does nothing to really attract in trade. And that's why it is slowly dying. At one time my plan was to move into Sheffield when circumstances allowed. Not any more. I'll go to Huddersfield thanks. Then I'm also on an all night train line to Leeds and Manchester, with York and Liverpool also easily doable. Many other people I know (who live outside Sheffield) feel the same way. It simply isn't worth it when you consider the competition from other nearby cities.

 

yes and no... if one arrives by train (or even bus/coach), you've got the Tap, then Rutland and Sentinel a short walk away... I'll grudgingly admit that L**ds has got a bloody nice little circuit around the station, but some of the other attractions like North Bar are no different to walking from our station to say the Shakey. Overall though, the Sheffield scene is alive and well, no dying or even dwindling from where I'm standing!

[DerbyTup 10]

I like the Beer Engine for reasons that Jemson has said. Always a good range of ever changing beers and by "range" we're talking different strengths and styles of beer, both on cask and keg.

 

The Beer House on Ecclesall Road has some good beers on cask too although they tend to only have the higher alcohol volume ones on at weekends - which I suppose is because they don't sell as fast as the quaffing ales. But for me, I don't want to drink 4 or 5 pints of 4% ale. I'd rather have 2 or 3 pints of 6% plus ale. I like the more intense flavours of stronger ales.

 

Shakespeare I hear lots of good things about but, I don't know, I'm just not keen on the place or the location tbh.

 

Sentinel is also good but there are some drawbacks to it. Sunday, you never know what time it's going to close (I've been there just after 9 and they were closing up), Monday it's definitely closed, Tuesday it's open but you might have to put up with deafening movies (the so-called BrewVue Tuesday), Wednesday it might not be open as they tend to have private do's on, so that really only leaves 3 nights a week when you can be sure to walk in there and get a drink. Of course, one could argue that it's not really a pub, it's a brewhouse, but these things are a bit off-putting.

 

Washington - yes well, it has good beer but not keen on the atmosphere in there. Just find it a bit poky and parochial.

 

Sheaf View - still one of the best in Sheffield imo. Always a good range of cask ales available.

 

I've not tried the others mentioned on here, in Hudders or Elsecar. They sound interesting.

[SpiderPete 10]

yes and no... if one arrives by train (or even bus/coach), you've got the Tap, then Rutland and Sentinel a short walk away... I'll grudgingly admit that L**ds has got a bloody nice little circuit around the station, but some of the other attractions like North Bar are no different to walking from our station to say the Shakey. Overall though, the Sheffield scene is alive and well, no dying or even dwindling from where I'm standing!

 

Yes have to agree there, its not dwindling or dying.

 

I know people who come from Hull for the day and they have no trouble visiting the pubs and getting the train back home. They are coming back for Sheffield Beer Week next week and doing quite a longish walk .... all in a day.... roll on next week as well

[DerbyTup 10]

Only problem I had was lack of a beer board...I want to know the prices of all the beers without having to ask when ordering.

 

You're a true Sheffilder Sir! Price first - everything else afterwards.

[ultracynic 10]

You're a true Sheffilder Sir! Price first - everything else afterwards.

 

lol - so true!

 

The Beer Engine is a great pub and if your main focus is whether a pint is going to cost £3.30 or £3.80 or whatever then you probably shouldn't be there in the first place.