No need to be bitter over lost beer

But now Barnsley Bitter has been given a new lease of life after two friends joined forces to save the equipment which was used to make it and set up a brewery of their own.

Thomas Gill and Dr Adam Hague were such big fans of the brew that they decided they had to do something.

They not only saved the equipment from the former Oakwell Brewery as it was closing but also secured the services of its head brewer, Jonny Stancill.

They have decided to name their company after him and now Stancill Brewery is producing Barnsley Bitter for pubs around South Yorkshire.

Mr Gill said: “It has all happened quite quickly. We knew Jonny through a friend of a friend and when we heard Oakwell was closing we decided to go for it.”

Neither of the men had experience of brewing before.

Mr Gill has just completed a masters degree in economics while Dr Hague works as a doctor at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital.

However, they were able to find themselves both the ideal brewer and brewery equipment to make Barnsley Bitter and just needed to find a base for their new business.

Mr Stancill, who was head brewer at the former Oakwell Brewery for 10 years, looked for suitable sites around Barnsley but after being unable to find a building of a right size began to look further afield.

They have now set up in Neepsend in the north of Sheffield.

He said: “Before we decided on our present location, I tested the water in numerous locations and found that North Sheffield had the best water for brewing the original Barnsley Bitter.

“As 96 per cent of beer is water this was perhaps our most important decision.

“In 2010 we found at Oakwell that we had been moved onto a grid system by Yorkshire Water which meant we could be supplied either with very soft water from the Pennines, very hard water from the River Ouse or any mixture of the two.

“Now you can brew beer with soft water or hard but the mixture of the two meant that we had to treat it to get it right and the yeast does not like to be treated We were able to do it but the water we are using now is soft, it’s perfect for Barnsley Bitter and the process just feels more natural.

“I found that there were many sites that were almost right in and around Barnsley but either the building was not big enough for the equipment, or it was connected to a gas supply or the water was not right.

“The water here in this part of Sheffield is perfect for brewing. There are six other breweries in the S3 postcode area and that tells you something.

“Where we are based is just up the road from the Old Cannon Brewery which has closed now but that was actually where I started working in brewing as a 16-year-old and my father worked there so I have links there.”

Mr Stancill said: “All the feedback we have had is that this is Barnsley Bitter.

“Its back to tasting like it did before 2010. I think of Barnsley Bitter as a recipe. It has its own taste. It is bit darker, hoppier but it also has a sweetness to it”

Mr Gill, who is the brewery’s managing director, described the moment he tried the first pint of Stancill’s Barnsley Bitter.

He said: “It was a dream come true. Barnsley Bitter is back

“We began producing it a month ago. We are not tied to any pubs so we are selling to free trade.”

Mr Stancill said that there were also plans to produce a range of ales at the brewery which carries his name

He said: “You can make lager with soft water so I would be comfortable trying this.

“Blonde beers are what sells at the moment so we are producing one of those; we will have a mild which is darker and almost like a stout.

“We are also producing a best bitter, which will be a bit stronger than the Barnsley Bitter at 4.3 per cent alcohol by volume.

“We are going to call this one Stancill number seven – because it has taken us seven attempts to get it tasting just right.”