George IV, Sheffield

A planned stop on a mid-May beer tour of Sheffield, this pub was reportedly shut down some weeks before my arrival, following several months of increasingly erratic opening times (according to the staff of the Hillsborough Hotel up the street and the customers at the Wellington down the street).

31 May 2009 03:35

The Bath Hotel, Sheffield

While the ale is more than adequate at this delightful establishment, atmosphere and ambiance are really the big draws. The interior is, as mentioned, delightful and the staff are friendly and interested.

31 May 2009 03:28

The Wellington, Sheffield

Despite an affection for the Kelham Island Tavern and the Hillsborough Hotel up the tram line, this was my favourite pub on my real ale tour of Sheffield in mid-May. Their own locomotive-themed ales were excellent (even if I wasn't completely enamoured of the pale colour of most of them), the publican was friendly and informative, and the regulars interested and interesting.

Apart from the Hillsborough (where I was staying) this was the only pub in Sheffield considered worth a second (and third) visit in the two days I was there.

31 May 2009 03:19

The Kelham Island Tavern, Sheffield

After a bad experience at the Fat Cat around the corner on May 13, I found this pub to fully live up to its reputation and status as CAMRA national pub of the year.

The beer was excellent, the atmosphere lively and the staff attentive. Well done.

31 May 2009 02:47

The Fat Cat, Sheffield

I hate to be a dissenting voice, but when I visited the pub on May 13, I found it to be a depressing place with good beer in only passable condition. The bar staff seemed more interested in flirting with each other than in serving the customers. The regulars (?) seemed isolated in their small groups and the place had the air of a morgue. I had just been soaked in the Sheffield monsoons, so I considered that it might be me. However, after departing the Cat, I found the Kelham Island Tavern around the corner to fully live up to its excellent reputation, so somehow I doubt it. I just hope that my experience was an evening's aberration and the reviews of others hold true.

31 May 2009 02:41