30 years on from its beginnings in a single industrial unit on Aizlewood Road, Abbeydale Brewery is still growing. What started in 1996 as the vision of founders Pat and Sue Morton has become one of Sheffield’s best-known breweries, currently producing more than 220 barrels a week across 15 different beers, while remaining proudly independent.
Alongside the brewery, the business includes The Rising Sun in Fulwood and the recently opened Abbeydale Beerworks Taproom on Abbeydale Road. Since October 2024, it’s also become employee owned, with every member of staff sharing a stake in the company.
To mark the milestone, Exposed joined marketing manager Laura Rangeley for a walk through the brewery’s past and present, following the journey of a perfect pour from grain to glass, before crossing the road for a pint at their newest venue.
Fittingly, the tour begins where the brewery itself started out. Unit Eight, now just one part of a much larger site, was once the entire operation. Today the surrounding space has gradually been absorbed as Abbeydale has expanded, each new unit, gleaming tank and production space reflecting steady, organic growth and a willingness to keep evolving.
No matter where you are on the premises, the unmistakable aroma of malt and fresh hops hangs in the air. “I’ve worked here for just over 11 years,” says Laura, “but that smell never gets old.”
While the brewery is best known for flagship pale ale Moonshine, innovation has always sat alongside tradition. Laura points out that their first ever beer, now viewed as something of a local institution and drank right across the country, was itself ahead of its time when it launched.
“It’s easy to look at a beer like Moonshine and think it’s quite traditional – and it is,” she explains. “But when we started making it 30 years ago, using American hops was really innovative. We’ve always stayed true to ourselves, but we’ve always made an effort to stay current and forward-thinking.”
That philosophy can be seen across the brewery’s core range, which has grown from five to ten over the past three decades. While Moonshine remains the calling card, still accounting for half of their output, later additions such as the Mosaic-hopped American pale ale Heathen and crisp lager Heresy have become favourites in their own right, sitting alongside an ever-changing lineup of seasonal brews and experimental releases.
Inside the brew house, brewer Sam is hard at work as the latest batch works its way through the system. Laura talks us through the process, from milling grain to extracting sugars before hops are added during the boil. One particularly striking vessel contains what she describes as “essentially like making a big cup of loose-leaf tea with hops”, slowly infusing aroma into the wort before fermentation begins.
For all the craft and creativity attached to brewing, it’s also an operation built on precise engineering and logistics. Fermentation vessels tower overhead while dedicated tanks condition lagers, yeast quietly doing the work of converting sugar into alcohol over several days. New investments, including a larger brew kettle and centrifuge, have helped improve efficiency without changing the character of the beer.
Moving into an adjoining room, the production line hums away. Casks are washed, filled and prepared for delivery while cans move steadily along the conveyor at up to 27 a minute before being checked and boxed by hand. Six drivers head out daily, supplying pubs across Sheffield four days a week before reaching customers throughout the Peak District and much of northern England. There’s some export, too, and we’re told that Abbeydale beers make occasional appearances in watering holes across Italy, Denmark and Finland.
The final stop is perhaps the most intriguing. Tucked away behind heavy doors sits the Funk Dungeon, home to the brewery’s exciting barrel-aged and mixed fermentation project. Lead by head brewer Jim, rows of former wine, bourbon and Madeira barrels quietly mature beers that spend months, sometimes years, developing layers of flavour and complexity.
Rather than chasing bold wine or spirit flavours, the focus is on how the wood itself shapes the beer over time, creating complex bottles that blur the line between brewing and winemaking. The room smells incredible and I can’t help but wonder whether I’d have enjoyed GCSE Chemistry far more if a craft brewing module was included.
Arriving at the onsite shop, shelves are stocked with freshly canned releases, merchandise and the full Abbeydale range, offering visitors the chance to take a little piece of the brewery home with them. We’re furnished with complimentary pin badges – a barrel emblazoned with the words ‘Drink Cask’ – before calling time on the tour.
Just 200 paces away, though, there’s another chapter to the story. In May this year, Abbeydale Beerworks opened its doors, giving drinkers a dedicated place to experience the brewery’s beers at the source.
Situated in the former Turner’s Bottle Shop on Abbeydale Road, the cosy taproom has quickly found its place in one of Sheffield’s liveliest independent hubs. For Laura, taking over the site wasn’t about replacing a much-loved venue, but building on what was already there.
“When we heard Turner’s were moving on, it felt like a good fit,” she explains. “It was important that we could keep it as an independent beer venue.”
The taproom acts as both a showcase and an extension of the brewery itself. Twelve draught lines feature an ever-changing cross section of Abbeydale’s output, with ten dedicated to their own beers (all of which are gluten free) across cask and keg. Moonshine, Heathen and Heresy are permanent fixtures, while seasonal releases, limited editions and beers from the Funk Dungeon regularly rotate through the remaining lines. A single guest tap – the aptly named ‘Friends of Abbeydale Brewery’ line – is reserved for fellow independent breweries that share the company’s values.
“We wanted somewhere that really showed who we are,” says Laura. “We’ve got this huge range of beers and we don’t like making assumptions about what people drink. Just because someone likes Daily Bread doesn’t mean they won’t enjoy a double IPA or one of our Funk Dungeon beers. This gives us somewhere to showcase the range we offer.”
It’s also where visitors on the monthly tours finish their experience, settling down with a tasting flight after seeing exactly how the beers are made just a few hundred feet away.
Beyond the beer, the taproom is becoming a community hangout in its own right. A monthly social run club sets off from the bar before returning for discounted pints, while quizzes, tasting evenings and collaborations with local businesses are all in the pipeline. Plans are already taking shape for a 30th birthday celebration in August, while October will see the arrival of the brewery’s annual Pilgrim Party, celebrating its cult-favourite pumpkin beer Pilgrim.
For Laura, that community focus has helped Abbeydale navigate three decades in an industry that has seen huge change.
“I think it’s because we’ve always stayed true to what we do. We’ve always put the emphasis on doing business in the right way: looking after our people, focusing on quality, keeping up with the times without following fashion too much. We just believe in what we do, what we make and the people who make it. If we can carry on doing that, hopefully we’ll still be here in another 30 years.”
