Relish Beer

Relish glowing 'Meat & Liquor'

'Relish Beer' - that hits the nail on the tiny circular steely head (and some tasty ribs to complement). Let me expand a little on these two words 'relish beer'. It was a cold, wet and windy mid week night as I headed up Ecclesall Road on a mission to see if I could recognise the newly refurbished BrewKitchen namesake venue - Relish.

On approach it was in the same spot I remembered from over a year since last visit (great food but dizzying chalk boards suddenly made your appetite disappear) however two new brightly lit words stood out ‘Meat & Liquor’. An appealing yet tried and tested combination even in Sheffield translation – food and booze.


Relish’s rejig shadows the subsequent wave of craft US beers and Ameri-meat-acana flowing back into the UK. From the likes of barbecue festival Grillstock, in Bristol, London and Manchester over the summer melding Brooklyn beers and heavy smoked racks upon racks of meat to London’s Duke’s Brew & Que where Beavertown Brewery reside casting their magical spells over Hackney residents and beyond.

Think starters of chowder, buttermilk chicken wings and fried pickles followed by mains of pulled pork, smoked brisket, foot-long hotdogs customised with your choice of toppings (Monterey jack cheese, crispy jalapenos and more) to hickory smoked baby back ribs.

Puddings are a course unto themselves with a double whammy option such as chocolate fondant (death by chocolate) matched with Relish’s self-styled ice cream shakes – the Bakewell Tart whips up vanilla ice cream, raspberry puree, milk, amaretto syrup and whipped cream (add raspberry vodka and amaretto shots for the adult version).

The beer menu focuses heavily on US hop forward thinking breweries to compliment the meat. Brooklyn, Sierra Nevada, Founders, Flying Dog, Ska, Odell and Sly Fox provide thirst quenching IPAs and pale ales to wash the sticky ribs down (£3.50-4.50). Thornbridge have personally badged favourites Tzara and Chiron beers for Relish’s keg staples ‘Hops’ and ‘Bones’. With twenty beers on offer you could easily visit as an alternative to the Eccy road pub options for a night’s imbibing.

 

Combination of the evening for me had to be Thornbridge Brewery’s Vienna style lager Kill Your Darlings 5% - with its modest malt sweetness matching lusciously to Relish’s chocolaty nougat gooey snickers brownie. I’ve already made a big cross in the diary for a Ska Brewing Modus Hoperandi IPA meets pastrami and pickle on dark rye bread date night.

For further menus and pricing check on their website:

relishrelish.co.uk

@RelishSheffield