Sheffield retains ‘real ale capital of the world’ title
Sheffield has retained its position as the real ale capital of the world, with the thriving brewing industry driving tourism and regeneration in the steel city.
Sheffield is real ale capital of the world
The 2024 report, commissioned by the University of Sheffield, found the brewing scene in Sheffield and the wider South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority area is bucking the national trend for closures, despite the challenges of Covid and the cost-of-living crisis. The region is now home to 58 breweries, more per head of population than anywhere else in the country, producing around 1,800 different beers every year.
A strong culture of traditional pubs that “feel different” to elsewhere in the country, and which see over 600 different beers being served every day on its bars, means Sheffield is experiencing a beer tourism boom, the report found. Dozens of events, from the Sheffield Folk Sessions Festival, to the Rotherham Real Ale and Music Festival, are taking advantage of, and supporting, this pub culture.
Breweries are also helping to regenerate in run-down areas, often being the forerunners of other indie and like-minded businesses that turn an area into the next hip hot-spot.
First conducted in 2016, the new report has once again been written by award-winning beer writer Pete Brown, who was born and raised in Barnsley. The report surveyed breweries across Sheffield and the wider region about the state of the industry in the area.
Key findings
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Sheffield has retained its position as the real ale capital of the world, bucking the national trend for closures within the brewing industry
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Sheffield and the wider South Yorkshire region is now home to 58 breweries, more per head of population than anywhere else in the country, producing around 1,800 different beers every year
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The region is experiencing a beer tourism boom with dozens of events, from the Sheffield Folk Session Festival to the Rotherham Real Ale and Music Festival, taking advantage of and supporting the pub culture
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Breweries are helping to regenerate run-down areas, often being the forerunners of other indie and like-minded businesses that turn an area into the next hip hot-spot
“Sheffield’s prowess as a beer city won’t come as a surprise to anyone who drinks here. But it’s fascinating that when you do the research and generate the numbers, the claim of being one of the best beer cities in the world really stands up. Sheffield is having a bit of a moment just now, punching massively above its weight, culturally. And its brewing scene is the glue that holds that culture together.” .
Report author Pete Brown