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Disappointment of the week with Real Ale Ray
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Detail Pages
The Closed Shop, Crookesmoor, Sheffield
Sheffield
S10 1GG
Pub Type
Punch TavernsReviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
Will Larter left this review about The Closed Shop
My first visit since Stancill's lease ended. There's been a refurbishment, with a pleasant dark colour scheme and a change in beer policy. There are six hand pumps with five cask beers and a cider. Beers today consisted of two blondes (Bradfield Farmers and Robinson's Dizzy), Hobgoblin IPA, Titanic Plum Porter and Adnams Southwold Bitter. I went for the last named, which was £3.80 for a pint, NBSS 3.5 and quite a pleasant drink. Background music was repetitive and persistent, with tracks by R.E.M. and the Rolling Stones (yes, I know, but I've never liked Satisfaction, and it's probably their most played record). It's hard to rate a pub experience when it's covered in Christmas decorations, but absent those and the BGM, I'd have scored this visit 7 or even 8. Maybe next time.
After writing the above, a young man came in, pulled a stool up to the bar and chatted with the staff. He ordered a burger and ate it while sitting at the bar. Whether a friend of bar staff, or an off-duty member of staff, this is not a good look, and although it was not busy and service not affected, it's something I would certainly not allow if it was my pub.
On 27th November 2023
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3733 recommendations about 3470 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Closed Shop
Now with 10 hand pumps on the bar: six Stancill beers plus four guests. I went for the Porter 4.4%, which is more like a strong, dark bitter than a typical porter. It was in very good condition and only £2.50 per pint. It's good to see that Stancill are still taking guest beers, unlike the Thornbridge pub across the road. Maybe I'll have to start coming here more often.
On 19th September 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3733 recommendations about 3470 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Closed Shop
Following a refurbishment under a new owner, the Closed Shop has a revitalised feel to it, though not a lot has actually changed. There's still a pool table in the raised back room, the bar still has that awkward raised area to the left, and there are still eight hand pumps arrayed along the bar. The quality is definitely better, though, and on my two recent evening visits the place has been busier than I've known it.
Beers available on my latest visit were two from Blue Bee, one from Kelham Island, the ubiquitous Sharps Doom Bar, Camerons Strongarm, Dark Star Espresso and Wharfebank Ophelia Gold. There were also four real ciders in boxed polypins. I had the Espresso Stout, which was good, and the Strongarm, which was less good, so I still think they may be stocking more beers than they can sell while they're in good condition, and my new rating is consequently a 6 rather than a 7.
There was quite a trade in food going on too, with one of the day's specials marked as sold out on the blackboard. It transpired that part of the reason for being so busy was a quiz, despite the A-board outside saying that quizzes are on Sundays and this being a Wednesday. There's a mixed client base, with a lot of apparent students (including the bar staff, most of whom I'd have asked for ID if I'd been at work) but also quite a few of less youthful appearance. This is a good alternative now to Thornbridge brewery's Hallamshire House across the road, where the concept of guest beers is an alien one.
On 4th September 2013
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3733 recommendations about 3470 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Closed Shop
A former Tetleys house where the regular real ales are now Black Sheep Bitter and Timothy Taylor Landlord, but there are also six other hand pumps and some ciders in boxed polypins. On my recent Saturday night visit all but two of the guest pump clips had been turned around, and on requesting the Thorne Dunston's Ships it was quite clearly gone off and accordingly poured down the sink by the barmaid; we had Kelham Island Easy Rider instead. Surprisingly, when I returned a while later for a second round, the same barmaid was pouring more of the Dunston's Ships for another customer, while the other barmaid was replacing a further customer's rejected pints of the same with Landlord. It seems extraordinary to be pouring rejected beers down the sink on the one hand, while with the other pouring more of the same off beer in the hope that the next customer will be too shy to complain! My guess is that a large range of beers is put on for the weekend and sold until it runs off, which is a reasonable policy if the midweek trade does not support more than two real ales, but they need to straighten out their policy on "off" beers.
The pub was busy with a mixed crowd, comprising students, ex-students and people of an older generation. The seating is mixed too, on different levels and in oddly shaped rooms, and the pub has an overall slightly chaotic yet welcoming feel to it, though the juke box was making some strange random sounds which I guess were not the intentions of the recording artists.
On 8th November 2011
- rating: 4
[User has posted 3733 recommendations about 3470 pubs]