The Sheaf View, Sheffield

Nowadays, you would need a really vivid imagination to imagine you could see the river from here (although it is just down the bottom of the hill), but it is quite an imposing 3½-storey building benefiting from its position beside the leafy Heeley People's Park. You enter the bar by a corner door but the room turns out to be larger than the fenestration would suggest, and further seating is available in a conservatory area and out in the beer garden. Great selection of real ales from the two banks of four handpumps, including three from Neepsend, Night Jar School Night, Cross Bay 'The Bitter' Vesper (£1.40, half), Horbury Tiramisu, Whim Armadillo and Imperial 1650. Well worth seeking out, and I'll certainly be back after this first flying visit.

This is a sizeable street corner pub located in a suburb to the south of the city centre, close to the River Sheaf, after which it takes its name. Entering through the door at the corner of Gleadless Road and Sheaf Bank, you find yourself in a narrow seating area with rows of bench and chair seating on either side of the room. The walls are fairly plain, with just a simple brick fireplace breaking things up a bit, but thankfully some brewery posters and mirrors have been hung up to provide a bit of visual distraction and there is also a beer bottle collection running along a high shelf. The bar is in the mid section of the pub which is wider than the previous area and has plenty of room for standing as well as a few more tables and chairs. Behind the bar there is a conservatory style room with some light wood fixtures and fittings including some partitioning screens with stained glass panes which separate banks of bench seating. There is a nice outdoor terrace out the back and further bench seating down the side of the pub, as well as a steep grassy bank which people were sunning themselves on when I arrived. The pub was packed with people enjoying a pre-match pint prior to the afternoon’s fixture at Bramall Lane and the atmosphere was very friendly and welcoming. The pub has built a good reputation for offering excellent quality beer and I was certainly not disappointed by what was on offer. On hand pump there was Kelham Island Easy Rider (a regular fixture) and Firestarter, Liverpool Organic Simcoe, Gales Seafarers, Acorn Blonde and Barnsley Gold, Ilkley Lotus IPA and Potbelly Best. I gave the Simcoe a try and it was fantastic. The keg range was varied and included none of the usual suspects – unusual for a pub favoured by football fans – whilst a decent bottled beer selection was detailed on blackboards. There is no hot food available, but there were rolls on the bar which looked quite tempting. The staff were a hard working bunch and they did really well managing long queues at the bar, so that waiting times were kept surprisingly short. I thought this was a great pub that has kept things nice and simple in order to make sure that everything it provides is top quality. Had I not had to leave to go and watch the football, I would have happily stayed here for a few more pints and it will be my first port of call if I find myself in town again next season.