News on this page will be from the South Yorkshire Breweries. News for other Yorkshire breweries can be found on the Yorkshire News pages, while National breweries and International breweries can be found on the National News or International News pages.
Acorn Brewery
In early May Acorn Barnsley Bitter and Old Moor Porter were at the New England Real Ale Exhibition, Somerville, MA. Which leads us onto the US IPA’s. The latest in their range of American hopped IPAs, will be Cascade for June and Liberty for July, both at 5% abv. Summer Pale 4.1% abv is also back and will be available both via the free trade and the Siba Direct Delivery Scheme. Need a new shirt, T-shirt or hat? Acorn branded clothing is now available, in both male and female styles. Updated May 2008
Oakwell Brewery
Firstly may I thank the head brewer Jonathan Stancill for a recent tour of the brewery, I unfortunately was unable to make the tour but those who did had a great time, I look forward to another chance in the near future. A budding author was on the tour and an article can be found on page 14. To add to this, the brewery is doing very well and beer sales in the January February new year lull have not dropped. Also the Market, Elsecar has opted for Oakwell’s Old Tom 3.4% abv to be the house mild for the foreseeable future. Updated April 2008
Acorn Brewery
The Barnsley branch would like to thank Acorn for a recent tour of their new brewery, as well as the sampling room and bar...
Mount Hood IPA has been the best selling in the 5% abv IPA's so far, and Cluster IPA for March looks like it could match in sales. The US hopped IPA's are selling well, and when I asked Dave Hughes, what's for 2010? he said European hops, and 2011? Others we haven't used yet...
Other new beers have been Madness 4.4%, some football themed Tangerine Dreamer 3.7% and Bloomfield 4.5% (Blackpool FC). New beers for April May are Barnsley Glory 4.5%, the return of St Georges Best 4.6% Chinook IPA 5% (April) then Palisade IPA 5% (May) as well as the return of Darkness 4.2% a dark mild.
If you want a chance to try all the Acorn beers then you're in luck, for one week commencing 28th April Acorn beers will be showcasing at the Joseph Bramah, Barnsley. Five Acorn beers will be available at any one time.
Updated April 2008
Acorn Brewery Old Moor Porter has picked up a medel at this years Champion Winter Beer of Britain. This full bodied victorian style porter with hints of liquorice picked up bronze in the Porter catagory. Well done everyone.
Updated February 2008
The White Rose Brewery - Sheffield
The beers are being brewed part time at the Sheffield Brewery plant, while they slowly build a brewery next door. The next door building is only temporary until a larger building "with character, i.e. not a modern unit" can be found (anywhere in South Yorkshire). The brewers are Gary Sherrif who was head brewer for quite a while at Wentworth Brewery and Engineer, also Eric Butcher an engineer (not sure of any brewery background) a Barnsley CAMRA member. Updated January 2008
Acorn Brewery - Barnsley
We welcome John Haig to the brewery as Brewery Manager is John was the brewery's accountant. We also welcome Aston who is the drayman and brewery hand. New Beers in January were Amarillo IPA 5% the first in the series using USA hops; Kashmir 4.7% a ruby coloured malty beer. February sees Mount Hood IPA 5% another USA hop IPA and Bloomfield 4.5%. In March is the next USA hop
IPA Cluster IPA 5%. The branch are planning a brewery tour to Acorn on Thursday 21st February. If you want to reserve your place at the brewery (limited numbers) then please contact Margaret asap, CAMRA members and their guests only. Updated January 2008
Kelham Island - Sheffield Final negotiations for the new site are taking place. It is hoped that work on the new brewery site will start in autumn, the move to a larger site is long overdue as beer for export orders are having to be brewed at other breweries due to lack of capacity. Updated January 2008
Kelham Island - Sheffield
Also winners from SIBA this time in the Best PR Initiative. Floods in Sheffield in June, made the brewery an island! Beer lost and brewing stopped for some time. Potential loss of customers threatened the future. But a hastily conceived and brilliant PR response enabled the company to rise above the water and turn disaster into a marketing opportunity. Press releases to all media within 2 days kept customers informed of developments. This made national and local TV, radio and newspaper coverage. A special beer and a beer festival including local flood-hit pubs maintained the interest and consolidated the success of the company’s initiative. Well done Kelham Island. Updated November 2007
Acorn Brewery - Wombwell The team seem to have settled down well into their bigger site, and brewing is just as busy as ever. The new beers for Christmas are the 5th Noel at 5.2% abv and also a light, well hopped 4.1% abv beer called Guiding Star. New IPA for the new year will be from American Hops the January IPA is Centennial the hop has a very pronounced and unique flavour. February IPA is Mount Hood, this hop is spicy and slightly sweet, both these are 5%.
Acorn have again picked up a SIBA award, this time in the Best Innovation category. In its short time of brewing (2003) the brewery has attracted the attention of the free trade customers. New and extraordinary beers, the series of the IPA’s using one single English (now American) Hop was well received by publicans in Yorkshire, reporting that their customers were impressed with brews. In March 2007 the first IPA was brewed (10 barrels) by May the brew length was 30 barrels. This has boosted since a leading wholesaler got behind them. Well done Acorn. Updated November 2007
The Crown Brewery - Sheffield
Tom Delaney is the manager at the Crown Brewery, Sheffield. The brewery is now back up and running with new full time brewer Stuart Ross (formally of the Kalham Island Tavern and Acorn breweries), Stuart has revised all the Crown recipes. The brewery now have the following beers available both in the Hillsborough Hotel and to the free trade. H.P.A. 3.9% abv; Loxley Gold 4.5% abv; Samuel Berrys 5.1% abv; Middlewood Mild 3.8% abv; Stannington Stout 5.0% abv; Traditional Bitter 4.0% abv; Primrose Pale 4.2% abv. You can contact the brewery and Hotel by E-mail hillsborough-h@btconnect.com or call 0114 2322100. Updated September 2007
Acorn Brewery - Barnsley
Good news from the brewery is their move to the new site is now complete and brewing has started. Four beers had been brewed as I type this and all was going well. The IPA’s are very popular and are flying out, and a new permanent beer to the portfolio will be Blonde, this was showcased at the Gatehouse and proved to be a popular choice by the drinkers. Updated September 2007
Wentworth Brewery - Wentworth
Promotion for Michelle Bright as the new head brewer (Brewster) at the age of 26. Michelle has already produced award winning beers, just this year at Oakwood Real Ale and Music Festival in Rotherham Michelle picked up a Gold Award. Her past job was an chef for the army where she served in Kosovo.
Updated September 2007
Acorn Brewery of Barnsley
The move to the new site is more or less on time and brewing is set to start in the first week
in August. The IPA’s have been very popular with the drinking public, in August the hop for
the IPA will be Fuggles and September Bramling Cross. Due to the demand the IPA’s will
continue into next year, in January the brewery will be using American hops and they will all
continue at 5% abv. Updated July 2007
Clarkson’s Old Brewery Barnsley Ltd
Little is know at the moment about the company, they formed in March 2006 and bottled lagers have been seen on shelves in Barnsley pubs (produced under licence in Germany).
The company is registered to Pontefract Road, Cudworth with a PO Box number 223. The contents of the bottle was nothing to write home about. I tried it in January and thought nothing more of it. Do you have any more news about the brewery? Updated July 2007
Acorn Brewery of Barnsley
The single hopped I.P.A. are selling well, you may still catch Goldings I.P.A. but if not you can
drink Challenger I.P.A. in June, First Gold I.P.A. in July and in August and September it’s
Fuggles I.P.A. and Bramling Cross I.P.A. I did ask about some American hopped I.P.A.’s and
Dave may still try them later, but there are loads of UK hops to try first.
Other than the I.P.A.’s another new beer NORTHERN PRIDE 3.7% is available until the end
of June, and the sales of Darkness Mild have been the best ever for the month of May.
May also saw the launch of Acorn bottled beers in Threshers off licences throughout
Yorkshire via the SIBA Direct Delivery Scheme.
It is hoped that brewing will start on the new plant in early July, this would be great as the
breweries birthday is the 4th July - Happy Birthday Acorn. Updated May 2007
Acorn Brewery of Barnsley
The planned move getting closer, the painters have been into the new premises and now as we
speak, the builders are in. A range of 5% IPA’s have started to come out of the brewery. Each
one will be brewed with one variety of Hop. So possible names for forthcoming IPA’s could be
Chinook, Hallertauer, Magnum or Warrior… Updated March 2007
Acorn Brewery of Barnsley
We welcome Stuart Ross from the Kelham Island Brewery. Stuart comes to Acorn Brewery with a solid background in brewing and Dave Hughes says he is sure he will become a very valued member of staff.
Stuart’s job title will be Production Manager and will be assisting Steve Bunting with the brewing and also assisting Dave with the commissioning of the new 20 barrel plant.
The appointment of Stuart also sees the promotion of John Bell (dray-man) to Transport and Logistics manager, in charge of a fleet of 3 vehicles.
New beer for January is Northdown Blonde 4.1% brewed using Northdown hops. Also
winter Ale 4.5% will be available in Jan and Feb. February sees the return of XL 5%,( brewed originally to celebrate Steve Bunting's 40th birthday ) as we are celebrating Judi Hughes's 40th ( accounts manager and Dave's wife ). Updated January 2007.
Kelham Island - Sheffield
So having lost Stuart the brewery now has a new Head Brewer, it is congratulations to Dominic Flynn - the new Head Brewer. Dominic joined the brewery in February 2005 as the assistant brewer and was promoted to Head Brewer in December 2006. Dave Wickett said "Dominic is extremely passionate about brewing and we look forward to him carrying on the success with our regular beers but also making his mark and creating some exciting new brews in 2007!!!". Updated January 2007.
Acorn Brewery of Barnsley
Things have been a little hectic at the brewery, the Gorlovka Imperial Stout has become so popular that it is now on the permanent beer list. The beer also won class winner and overall champion at Wakefield Beer Festival in October.
The brewery’s plans to move to larger premises were hit with a set back when the new site was gazumped from them, but a new unit has now been secured and the brewery bought from Blackpool will be installed in the new year. New beers over the last months were Green Bullet 4.6% and Silver Star 4%. A new beer due as I type is Nutcracker 4% pale with malt, rye malt and Herald Hops. The 4th Noel at 5.1% should also be out of the fermenters and out in January the return of Winter Ale 4.5%.
Stuck for a Christmas present for the beer drinkers on your list? Acorn have a branded gift box containing Old Moor Porter, and Barnsley Gold, available from the brewery now, only £6. See page 16 for contact info or spend some time on the breweries website at www.acornbrewery.net. The site has loads of information about the brewery and their beers as well as contact information. Updated November 2006
Acorn Brewery of Barnsley
Congratulations go to everyone at Acorn brewery. In August at the Great British Beer Festival, Barnsley Bitter picked up the Silver Award for Champion Beer of Britain in the Bitters section with Barnsley Bitter. Congratulations again. A silver award was also picked up at the Darfield Cricket Club festival for XL. The new long awaited 6% stout “Gorlovka” is now available but if you are in the pub with our branch chair and Acorn Brewery Liaison Officer Eric, don’t let him see you ordering it, he says it’s all his. Updated October 2006
Acorn Brewery of Barnsley
Congratulations to Acorn Brewery on picking up a Silver Award at the Champion Beer Of Britain Competition at the Great British Beer Festival in Earls Court. The award was for Barnsley Bitter in the Bitter category. The new website for the brewery is also now up and running. Updated August 2006.
Rod Rivers is now the new (lad) at the brewery. A new (beer) XL 5% abv or there abouts. This is a cask lager and is brewed for Steve Bunting’s (brewer) 40th birthday, many happy returns Steve.
In July the brewery Celebrated its 3rd birthday. Since its first brew on 4th July 2003 trade has grown at a rapid rate. The first brew from the 10 barrel brewery was Acorn Barnsley Bitter 3.8% abv and since then many more fine beers have been brewed. In May the brewery brewed its one millionth pint, a big achievement for a small brewery like Acorn.
Many of the beers coming from the brewery have won both CAMRA and SIBA (Small Independent Brewery Association) competitions with Old Moor Porter winning its class nationally at the SIBA beer competition 2004 and 2005 and Barnsley Gold winning Gold at Oakwood in 2005.
Expansion of the brewery is now under way with the purchase of a 20 barrel brew plant from Blackpool, this would bring the brewery up to a capacity of 120 barrels (about 35,000 pints) per week. New premises are now being looked at to accommodate the new brewery plant and hospitality area together with a retail outlet. It is hoped that completion of the move will be around 6 months. Updated July 2006
