The Ale House, Sheffield

I came here a few years ago, shortly after it changed from the "no real ale" estate pub that Alan reviewed below to a real ale beacon shining in the wilderness. To be honest, it wasn't really up to much, but I didn't review it then because I thought it should have a chance to settle into its new role. I arrived today just as the pub was opening and received a friendly welcome. There were six real ales lined up on the bar (see photos). I went for the Whitby Jet Black, which was a really good beer in superb condition. Whitby beers are regulars here: the landlady told me they used to go and collect them, but now the brewery delivers and they even had a meet the brewer night recently. The beers are carefully selected with the known likes of the regulars in mind. The public bar (on the left on entering) is a pleasant room, the lounge (which wasn't open) seemed a lot smarter though, from what I could see through the glazed panel in the door. It's quite a distance from my house, and I cycled here so only had a half. I'll have to look into other forms of transport, because this is definitely worth a repeat visit.