Hop, Clip, & Pump

There’s something immediately striking about this one. A smoked porter, packaged with imagery of British Rail porters crammed into a sardine tin , feels like a playful nod to history, though perhaps not the history you would first expect. After all, porter as a style owes its name not to railway workers, but to the street and river porters of 18th-century London , particularly those working in places like Billingsgate Market. So why the visual shift? Perhaps because this is not a London porter. This is a Sheffield interpretation, one that feels comfortable reworking tradition with a touch of humour and local identity. Porter: A Style with Working Roots Porter is one of the great historic beer styles. First emerging in 18th-century London, it became popular among labourers, particularly porters, who valued its robust, nourishing character . Brewed with dark malts, it offered depth, body, and a satisfying richness that made it ideal for long working days. Over time, the line betwe...

If you’re looking for a proper summer beer festival in Sheffield, The Rising Sun is once again hosting its much-loved Sunfest ,  a highlight of the local real ale calendar. Running from Thursday 9th to Sunday 12th July 2009 , this annual event brings together an impressive selection of drinks and live entertainment in a relaxed, welcoming setting. What to Expect 60+ real ales from across the UK A selection of ciders and bottled beers A lively atmosphere with plenty for both seasoned ale enthusiasts and casual visitors Whether you’re keen to explore new brews or simply enjoy a well-kept pint in good company, Sunfest offers plenty of choice. Live Music Line-Up The festival isn’t just about the beer, there’s a strong musical line-up across the weekend: Friday 10th July: Gentlemen of Jazz Saturday 11th July: Scuppered & The Loxley Silver Band Expect everything from smooth jazz to lively brass, adding to the festival atmosphere. Plan Your Visit 📍 Venue:...

"We’re just folk who love making quality beer." It’s a simple statement, but one that captures the ethos of Abbeydale Brewery with remarkable clarity. There is no pretension here, just a commitment to craft, consistency, and a genuine enthusiasm for brewing. From Home Brew to Sheffield Institution Like many of the best brewing stories, this one begins at home. Patrick Morton started as a home brewer, learning the fundamentals from scratch before gaining experience at Kelham Island Brewery . It was there that the idea of something more permanent began to take shape. Together with his father, he made the decision to invest in a new venture, one that would become Abbeydale Brewery, founded in 1996. From the outset, the aim was clear: to  produce high-quality beer using the best ingredients available , with careful attention paid to every stage of the brewing process. A Brewery Rooted in Place Abbeydale’s identity is closely tied to its surroundings in Sheffield . The ...

Some beers arrive with names that intrigue before the first sip is even taken. Bête Noire,  French for 'black beast,' suggests something difficult, perhaps even unwelcome. A nuisance. A challenge. Something to be endured rather than enjoyed. Yet the reality, as brewed by Kelham Island Brewery , is quite the opposite. A Name with Teeth The phrase bête noire carries weight. It speaks of irritation, of something persistently troublesome, a personal adversary. It’s an unusual choice for a beer name, particularly one accompanied by a unicorn on the pump clip, a creature more often associated with lightness and myth than menace. Perhaps the name reflects the brewing process itself, an ale that proved difficult to perfect. Or perhaps it’s simply a piece of playful contradiction, a nod to the long tradition of evocative, sometimes ironic naming in British brewing. Whatever the intention, the beer that emerges is far removed from anything troublesome. A Dark Ale with a Gentle N...

There are moments in brewing when resilience becomes part of the flavour. For Kelham Island Brewery , this year has been one of those moments. Following severe flooding in their corner of Sheffield earlier in the year, an event that threatened both infrastructure and production, the brewery has responded not with hesitation, but with renewed energy. The result has been a strong run of seasonal ales, each reflecting both craft and determination. Among them, Blitzen stands out as something particularly fitting for the season. Brewing Through Adversity Kelham Island’s location, so integral to its identity, is also its vulnerability. Situated near the River Don, the area has long been associated with Sheffield’s industrial past. Water powered the mills; now, occasionally, it disrupts them. The flooding earlier this year was a reminder of that precarious balance. Yet what followed speaks to the character of the brewery and the wider Sheffield brewing scene: recovery, adaptation, and ...

Few cultural artefacts capture the restless, searching spirit of the late 1960s quite like Easy Rider . Released in 1969 and written by Peter Fonda , Dennis Hopper , and Terry Southern , the film became an unlikely landmark of American cinema. Produced by Fonda and directed by Hopper, it distilled the anxieties, freedoms, and contradictions of a generation into a loose, drifting road narrative. At its core, Easy Rider is deceptively simple: two bikers travel across America in search of freedom. Yet beneath that surface lies a more complex meditation on disillusionment, on what happens when the dream of absolute freedom collides with the social realities of a divided nation. In 2026, the film feels less like a relic and more like a prophetic text, anticipating modern debates about individual liberty, cultural fragmentation, and the myth of the open road. The Meaning Behind the Name The title Easy Rider , coined by Southern, carries a layered and evolving history. In early 20th-century ...