We’ve (Andy from Beer Reviews, Mark from Real Ale Reviews and myself) been discussing a beer tweet and blogger meet up for a while and now we finally have a date and a place: Saturday 23rd January 2010 in Sheffield.
The plan is simple: get to Sheffield train station for 12pm and the first pint will be ready and waiting for you (you just need to order it and pay and the bar staff will hand it over) in the Sheffield Tap (it's the new bar at the station). From here we will wander around visiting The Hillsborough Hotel, The Devonshire Cat and wherever else is considered must-visit.
The idea is that we can all meet up in the ‘real world’ and get to know who the real people are on the other ends of these avatars and blogrolls. Or, in other words, it’s a bloody good excuse to get pissed in Sheffield with other people who love good beer!
The Hillsborough Hotel (see Crownbrewerstu for more details - he's the one that makes their beer) is a good end stop if people want to sleep rather than get the last train back to god-knows-where. If anyone is around on the Sunday then we can go to Manchester or Leeds for a few more beers – I’ll be gunning for North Bar in Leeds, I think, or maybe the Marble Arch...
Everyone is welcome. Are you in?!
I’ll be coming up from London. If you book through East Midlands then tickets are £5 each way to Sheffield. At those prices it’s tempting to pop up every weekend, even if I don’t make it past the Sheffield Tap. One thing which might be important... if the football teams qualify on the next round of the FA Cup and are drawn at home then they will be played the weekend of the 23rd Jan. Could that be a problem or could we drink around it?
CAMRA's Natonal Winter Ales Festival is being held in Manchester that weekend - you may find the Manchester pubs rather busry.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to come, but I cannot pop over every month!
ReplyDeleteThere's nearly always a game on, it just dictates which end of town you start drinking in and when. You'll never see all the good pubs in one day anyway, not unless you really fancy visiting at least a dozen in a day.
ReplyDeleteIf you've not seen it, take a butchers at Gazza's superlative Sheffield map for a sense of the geogrpahy:
http://tiny.cc/scoopergensheffield
And don't forget that the Dronfield Coach & Horses is only 30 minutes away by bus... mmmm Sunday lunch!
well you know im up for it ;o)
ReplyDeleteKnut, come on, it'll be great fun!! :)
ReplyDeleteHaddonsman, that map is terrifying and exciting at the same time! I forgot Kelham Island Tavern, that's a must and Coach and Horses is very tempting... Perhaps we should arrange a mini bus for the day to drive us everywhere!!
Andy, easy tiger!
Well you have to count me out as I'll be Deputy Organising CAMRA's National Winter Ales Festival at that time. (John C mentions it above)
ReplyDeleteI do hope some bloggers will try and get along to the festival. There will be plenty interesting beers including some rare ones.
If anyone needs a ticket for the trade session as they intend to write about it, just let me know.
And bloggers - why not do both? Manchester first then a hop and skip down to Sheffield - on different days of course.
Tandleman, I'm thinking about heading up on the Friday to NWAF, but we'll have to see how things work out (plus money for extra hotels, etc). I've not been to the festival before so I should go really! Busy period for beer though - Battersea, NWAF, Sheffield, Dover and then I should be off to the US!! Let's hope Santa wraps up some cash for me this year :)
ReplyDeleteAw...bad timing. I've been wanting to go up North for a while but I'm throwing a party on that very day.
ReplyDeleteAhh, would've been tempted to travel up from London too. I've got the week after off work and will probably end up going away (including that weekend) though.
ReplyDeleteTry to control your disappointment! :P
If anyone wants to pop out and see Thornbridge, by all means get an earlier train to Dronfield, I can pick you up (well, three people anyway), we can head out there then head back in to Sheffield for a beer.
ReplyDeleteKelly
Count me in, i'll be coming up!
ReplyDeleteIn of course! Had hoped to do Manchester and would love to do Thornbridge too, we'll have to see how much we can fit in
ReplyDeleteChunk, just jump on the first and last trains, £10 return plus anything you need to get in to London! Good day out :)
ReplyDeleteKelly, cheers mate, I'll be in touch.
Pete, nice one!
Mark, Manchester beer fest would be good but I'm banking on you taking me to North Bar on Sunday :) The beer fest could be done on Friday if you can take a day off?
That really is exceptional value! If I don't go away on holiday, I'll do my best to make it too.
ReplyDeleteOff topic: Seeing as you appear to be something of a cheap fare hunter, you dont have any tips for using trains in the South East do you? I pay three times that Sheffield fare to travel probably half the distance from London into Kent.
Chunk.
I'm in. See you there. Steve
ReplyDeleteTandy, did you say beer bloggers can have a free ticket to a beer festival if they write about it? any free grog thrown in?
ReplyDeleteI regard beer bloggers as trade. Ticket yes - free grog - no.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great idea, I may well be able to wangle the day off (perk of doing the rota). I'll let you know.
ReplyDeleteI'll be there!
ReplyDeleteLooking forwards to it.
Lots of people so far, exciting stuff!! We'll blog more about it in a few weeks. Until then... Buy your train tickets!
ReplyDelete