The Fat Cat, Kelham Island, Sheffield

I called in here yesterday as part of a five pub celebration of Beer Day Britain, a strangely named day seemingly timed to coincide with Fathers Day. Anyway, the two beers I had were both very good, and when the friend I had arranged to meet at the Sheffield Tap this evening proposed meeting here instead I wasn't at all reluctant to change. I started with a different beer from the two I had last night, Wensleydale Division Bell, a 3.7% pale with sabro and sorachi hops; for the next round I went for one of Sunday night's beers, the Deeply Vale Citra Storm, a 4% pale; and then another from Sunday, the Tatton Brewery Golden Green, a 4.3% pale with citra and jester hops. I rated all three NBSS 4. This pub has been through a torrid few years, following the death of the owner and founder of the Kelham Island Brewery, Dave Wickett. Some long standing staff have left, and the former very cheap meals have stopped - initially replaced by a different provider at around double the price, and then stopped altogether as trade dipped. Information received second hand is that takings have actually gone up since, so presumably there has been an increased turnover of cask beer and perhaps this is reflected in the consistently high beer scores I am seeing nowadays. The Timothy Taylor Landord is reputed to be among the best in Sheffield, and the house beer, brewed by local Neepsend Brewery, is not Pale Rider but is based on a recipe from the 1990s that was a stage in the development of that award winning beer. Other beers are constantly changing, with an impressive range of styles and breweries from all over the country at reasonable prices. This pub was an innovative model when it started in its present form in 1981, and is still one of the best places to try great beers in great condition.

Facebook page of The Fat Cat - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of The Fat Cat - www.facebook.com

The bar of the Fat Cat is found to the right where a central L-shaped serving counter faces banquettes across the front windows and up the right-hand wall. I counted eight hand pumps that were drawing TT Landlord, Neepsend Brew Co’s Fat Cat House Ale (Kipa?), Fixed Wheel Brewery’s Kaisia, Fat Cat Brewery’s Ultra Hopz, Wantsum’s Dynamo, Wensleydale’s Chaos or Calm, Donnington Brewery’s Best and Three Acre’s Ruby Porter. I sat at a table next to the fireplace at the rear with a pint of Dynamo, which was OK. There were less than 20 customers so I decided to take the chance to have a wander, which took seconds because this isn’t the biggest place. I finished my pint sat in the left-hand carpeted room where there’s a fireplace on the rear wall and banquettes along the front and up the left. The service was polite and the beer selection is great so a must visit in this area of great boozers.

One of those pubs that you feel can't be as good as it is reported, but each visit I end up thinking what a good pub it is, especially for a lovely dark beer and a pork pie.