On a cold winter’s day, I, along with Damo and my brother James, were invited on a very important and privileged mission by an old school buddy of mine (and now one of James’ best mates!), Wilson. We were asked to join Pubquest (set up by Wilson and his friend Rob) in discovering the pubs around Mosborough, Sheffield.
If you’re from Sheffield, live in Sheffield or you’re visiting Sheffield and like beer and pubs – you need to swing by their blog. Pubquest have sampled beer in 165 pubs across the Steel City – and this crawl has added to their total.
Mosborough is a beautiful, picturesque village on the cusp of Sheffield bordering Rotherham. Although I’m born and bred in Sheffield it’s a place I’ve never been before, but has a great pub walk to explore. With our thick winter coats pulled tight and bellies lined for the copious amount of beer that was about to be consumed, Wilson, his girlfriend Catriona, Rob, Damo, James and I were ready to take on this mission.
76 South St, Mosborough, Sheffield S20 5DF
After what was a close call when our taxi ran a red light going over the tramlines, one pint was the very least we needed! Stepping out of the taxi and waiting for the dizziness to stop, outside The Alma we could really take in the views of Mosborough and the Yorkshire hills. It was set on the top of a hill; it was quiet and peaceful.
On entering the pub, we soon realised we were the first people there – as there was no money in the till and no one in either side of the pub. This didn’t put us off though! It was a cosy pub with corner settees. The choice of beers here were limited; there was only one pull beer which was the Robin Red Best at 4.5%. On tap there was Tetley’s, Carling and John Smith’s. It was super cheap though and was a cute pub to visit. I didn’t see the view from the beer garden but apparently it was stunning.
NB. They only take cash here.
20 High St, Mosborough, Sheffield S20 5AE
A short walk away was the George and Dragon. This is a small pub with two rooms. I particularly enjoyed the toilets here where someone was sharing their love of Jason Momoa, of which there were posters plastered across the cubicles. Sadly, the three pull beers weren’t available but we spotted Theakston’s Best Bittier which we settled for. Also, on offer was John Smith, Carling, Strongbow and Beer Moretti. They also allow dogs here, so most of the time was spent ogling at the gorgeous dalmatian!
The Royal Oak
53 High Street, Mosborough, S20 5AFA
Compared to the first two pubs, this one was heaving. As we walked in, we clocked the broken front window which was being pieced back together and there were lots of double takes as we stepped up to the bar. I’m going to put this down to the cold gust of wind that followed us in. We don’t judge a book by its cover though because what’s the point? We received great service and three pints of Stone’s Bitter cost £9. Can’t argue with that. Part of the PubQuest rules are that Wilson and Rob must have different beers in every pub – a new beer, and a pint of it! So, they enjoyed five bottles of Pils. Charismatic pub, dogs also allowed. I think in this pub it was a rotty (grrrr!) which I stepped around. You can also bring your own food. Worth the experience for sure.
135 High Street,Sheffield, S20 5AF
I’d say this is a more typical pub akin to your Harvester-eske. It was nice and busy, but not too busy. The downside was that the boards were advertising things that weren’t available which is a big no-no and let down for Catriona who was after a cocktail at this point. We enjoyed a pint of the beautiful Farmer’s Belgium Blue (which I look forward to every winter). Also available are Carling, John Smith’s, Strongbow, Amstel, Fosters, Coors Light and Stones Bitter. As I say a nice pub, but rather standard.
1 Mosborough Moor, Sheffield, S20 5AY
Saving the best ‘til last was certainly the case for The British Oak. It was absolutely stunning. It had an authentic interior with wood panelling and stone walls. It’s everything you look for in a Yorkshire pub, coupled with a different range of ales which was something lacking from a lot of the pubs around Mosborough. It was very busy, but spacious. Beers included Cupid (Myrddin’s), Dasher the flasher (Myrddin’s) and a couple from True north.
This was a really good crawl, filled with a variety of drinkers across the board and very different pubs. If you’re in the area I’d recommend calling into a couple of these pubs to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy a good pint.
As Damo dashed for his train to London, the night was still young and in our wisdom called in at the Hammer and Pincers, Prince of Wales and The Cherry Tree in Ecclesall (I’ll do another blog about the pubs in this area at a later date, as it’s my home stomping, or should I say drinking, ground) before calling it a night.
Thanks for inviting me on Pubquest. Mission complete.
See what Puquest have to say about the Sheffield pubs they’ve visited by going to their blog: http://pub-quest.blogspot.com/
Beer, there and everywhere 