Kelham Island Brewery, the home of Pale Rider, saved by Sheffield people

When Kelham Island Brewery opened in 1990, it was reportedly the first brewery to open in Sheffield in 100 years. More than three decades later, it is still brewing in the neighbourhood that gave it its name, thanks to a group of Sheffield people who refused to let it disappear.

The brewery was founded by the late Dave Wickett, owner of the Fat Cat pub, on purpose-built premises on Alma Street. According to the brewery, it all started with a shed and a vision.

Its most famous beer is Pale Rider, which the brewery calls "Our one and true original beer." A pale ale combining floral hops, citrus and biscuity malt, it won the Champion Beer of Britain title at CAMRA's Great British Beer Festival in 2004.

In May 2022 the brewery closed, but the story did not end there. In September 2022 a group led by James O'Hara, co-founder of the Tramlines festival, saved it from closure. The team now includes Peter Donohoe, Simon Webster, Jim Harrison and Tom O'Hara, with Webster and Harrison also known as key figures behind Derbyshire's Thornbridge Brewery. The brewery says it continues Dave Wickett's passion for the business, with beer that is American-inspired and Sheffield-made.

The surroundings add to the charm. Kelham Island was created by the building of a goit, or mill race, fed from the River Don to power water wheels for workshops. From the 18th century the area grew with tanneries, gas works and steel rolling mills for the cutlery trade. Today its former industrial buildings have been converted into offices and flats, and the Kelham Island Museum, home of the River Don Engine, sits close by.

The Fat Cat remains one of the area's many pubs, with a wall marking the heights of the 1864 and 2007 floods, a reminder of how closely this corner of Sheffield is tied to its river.

Kelham Island Brewery is a fine example of a community rallying behind a local institution, and Pale Rider remains a proud taste of Sheffield.

Beers and news are on the Kelham Island Brewery website.