Sheffield Beer Week fills glasses from a distance in thriving virtual setup
By Michael Jones
March 8, 2021

A range of Abbeydale Brewery’s beverages (Credit: Mark Newton)

Sheffield’s largest beer festival commences today and it will showcase the city’s flourishing beer scene through virtual events featuring local brewery experts, beer apps and beer journalists.

Sheffield Beer Week is celebrating its seventh anniversary this year, however, it is having to do things a little differently for the first time with its last event in 2020 happening just before the first lockdown.

Laura Rangeley, communications manager at Abbeydale Brewery, has been working with Sheffield Beer Week since its inception in 2015 and regard it as a key component of their calendar.

Ms Rangeley said: “It’s a great way for our whole community to come together and show people what Sheffield has to offer in terms of beer.”

The festival, which was organised by its director, Jules Gray, would traditionally include brewery tours and maps outlining various drink venues to visit across the city however they have had to alter their plans for the year.

Despite this, the breweries have still been busy crafting beers in collaboration with the festival.

Ms Rangeley said: “Local breweries have still got loads of new beers out for it so there is still plenty to celebrate.”

Neepsend Brewery, manufacturer of some of Sheffield’s finest ales, said:

“Sheffield is a fantastic beer city with a host of independent breweries and pubs and Sheffield Beer Week is a perfect showcase and celebration of that independent ethos, particularly of one of the best elements of the industry in the city; its sense of community and collaboration. It’s given us a great excuse to team up with other local breweries and venues in the past and we’re looking forward to next year when we’ll all hopefully be able to attend events in person again.”

You can find out more by following the festival on twitter @SheffBeerWeek or visiting their website: https://sheffieldbeerweek.co.uk/