Sheffield's latest watering hole is so much more than a pub

Imagine drinking a pint of beer carefully crafted just yards away from the bar where it is served.
Sentinel Brewhouse. Picture: Andrew RoeSentinel Brewhouse. Picture: Andrew Roe
Sentinel Brewhouse. Picture: Andrew Roe

At Sentinel Brewhouse in Sheffield that is a reality.

The bright former carpet showroom off the ring road has been transformed into an innovative combination of the city’s latest brewery, pub, restaurant and conference centre.

Alex Barlow, owner, Anna Duszanskyj, head of retail and Louis Kempson-Saeton, apprentice brewer at the Sentinel Brewhouse. Picture: Andrew RoeAlex Barlow, owner, Anna Duszanskyj, head of retail and Louis Kempson-Saeton, apprentice brewer at the Sentinel Brewhouse. Picture: Andrew Roe
Alex Barlow, owner, Anna Duszanskyj, head of retail and Louis Kempson-Saeton, apprentice brewer at the Sentinel Brewhouse. Picture: Andrew Roe

There are six different house ales on tap, with plans for seasonal specials in future, and just beyond the bar is an open section where visitors can see the different pipes and tanks used to create them, from fermentation to dispensing.

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It’s a fitting, and new concept, for the country’s capital of real ale.

‘If you stand at the bar you can see the full journey of the beer that you are drinking’, said Alex Barlow, once the youngest ever Master Brewer and the first Englishman to manage a Czech brewey, now running Sentinel as his own.

‘Part of the vision was that it becomes a theatre of beer.

Master brewer Alex Barlow. Photo: Chris EtchellsMaster brewer Alex Barlow. Photo: Chris Etchells
Master brewer Alex Barlow. Photo: Chris Etchells

‘You can literally drink a beer that’s been made yards away - there’s nowhere else in the UK where you can do that.’

While beer fans, and Sheffield has many of them, can indulge in their pastime at the Brewhouse, it’s also aiming to reach a completely new audience.

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Movie nights, beer and cheese nights, workshops and women’s brewing sessions are planned to make use of the stripped back, eclectic space, in future.

And it’s likely to become a favourite dining pitstop too, with head chef Brendan Barwise and his team creating a menu that not only goes with beer, but incorporates its different ingredients too.

Triple cooked chips at the Sentinel Brewhouse. Picture: Andrew RoeTriple cooked chips at the Sentinel Brewhouse. Picture: Andrew Roe
Triple cooked chips at the Sentinel Brewhouse. Picture: Andrew Roe

Sample dishes include malt breaded crab cakes made with rye crystal malt.

Alex added: ‘I’ve always had a passion for beer but I’m also passionate about educating people.

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‘We’re not just cooking food to go with beer because it generally does but we are cooking food that has got beer in it, and the various stages of beer in it.

‘The beer geeks will find us anyway but I’d like to end up with businesses using this for opportunities as well.’