Pub 105, Day 40 – The Head of Steam

By Andy

When Pubquest first began – before we had any idea what a ridiculous impact it would have on our lives – there was only one ambition: to drink a pint in every pub in Sheffield.

However, like all men are prone to do when down the pub with their mates, we quickly got carried away.

Every pub in Sheffield would be too easy, we decided. It's barely even a challenge. Heck, we'd probably be done within a year!

So as that first evening wore on, we set ourselves additional targets. First up: to drink a different pint in each pub. With hindsight, this turned out to be a masterstroke, and has seen us sample everything from liquorice beer to ridiculous floral concoctions.

But still it wasn't enough.

When biographers write our story and directors shoot our movie, what tangible moments would we be able to point to?

“Well I'd like to win a pub quiz, at some point,” announced Rob. “Seeing as we'll be going to 500 pubs.”

“Good idea... I'd like to be recognised,” I declared, daydreaming. “Just once, I'd like to be at a new pub, and have the landlord ask if we're the guys from Pubquest.”

Presumably, this sick fantasy would conclude with him giving us free drinks, along with a guided tour of his establishment.

And so it was that these two loftier targets were added to our plan. As the years passed, and merely visiting the pubs seemed an impossible dream, we dared not mention these additional ambitions.

After all, we had already proved ourselves utterly incapable of achieving the first, with several dismal pub quiz attempts.

But one day, the unthinkable happened: a pub tweeted us.

Thanks @SheffPubquest - looking forward to meeting you! 🍻 https://t.co/oeA4Gzw43N

— Head of Steam Sheffield (@HOS_Sheffield) April 13, 2016

This was our moment – after years of toiling away for no reward, we had our very own superfan: the Head of Steam landlord! Had he been studying our photos, eagerly awaiting the moment we strolled through the door? Had he only become a landlord so he could feature on Pubquest, his all-time favourite blog? Was the beer emoji in his tweet an implicit promise of a free drink?

Pencilling in our visit for as soon as possible, we debated leaving our wallets at home – after all, this one would be all expenses paid. However, not wanting to seem too Big Time Charlie, we decided to take them along.

***

We swung open the doors with vigour, and they slammed slightly behind us. Never mind, our visit was hardly going to fly under the radar.

Purposefully striding to the bar, we caught the eye of the nearest barman.

“Hiya fellas,” he exclaimed, smiling.

“Hello,” we retorted, a large grin plastered on our faces.

A long pause. Our smile remained, but the barman's began to flicker.

“What can I get you?” he requested.

“Well you know how it is,” we replied. “Something we've not had before.”

A longer pause.

“Right,” came the response. Another pause. “Anything in particular?”

Rob caught my eye. Had staff members not been prepped for our visit?

There was only one thing for it: it was time to namedrop.

“Well here at Pubquest, we drink a different beer at each pub.”

“Right,” began the barman once more, his expression revealing that he understood none of my sentence. “So lager or...”

“Two pints of Olympian,” Rob interjected, pointing to the nearest pump clip.

While the barman poured our beers, we glanced around – there was no 'Welcome' banner, there was no reserved table, and there wasn't even a buffet to greet our arrival.

It soon transpired there was to be no discount on our drinks either.

Realising they had probably outsourced their social media to a teenager who was paid per tweet, we hurriedly headed to the beer garden, too ashamed to remain indoors.

Despite our humiliation, we agreed that we rather liked The Head of Steam – the inside was spacious and modern, and the tables outside were located slap-bang in Tudor Square. The drink selection too was impressive, with ale aficionados and spirit-lovers equally well-catered for.

Still, we didn't stick around.

Legends in our own lunchtime once more, we promptly made tracks for The Itchy Pig Ale House, where we were guaranteed a warm welcome – because Rob already knew the landlord.

Pub: The Head of Steam (103-107 Norfolk Street, S1 2JE)
Rating: 8.5/10
Pint: Olympian
Brewery: Rudgate Brewery (Tockwith, North Yorkshire)

NEXT UP: Our first micropub, at The Itchy Pig Ale House...