After the success of its exclusive Pit Pony lager brewed by Sunderland based Vaux, Sheepfolds Stables – a £4m new venue in Riverside Sunderland – has partnered with North East based Camerons Brewery, to create a new lager that will be served from the venue’s main Taproom and second bar, Back of the Pit.
Lamplight, a new brand exclusively available at Sheepfolds Stables, has been named in honour of Sunderland’s mining heritage, with one of the last collieries to close on Wearside, Wearmouth Colliery, just meters from the venue. Camerons once supplied ale to the Waggon Tavern, which was positioned directly opposite the 1884-built Stables, and this provenance is part of the reason the team behind the popular new venue were keen to work in partnership, serving Lamplight alongside other locally produced drinks from suppliers including Vaux and Maxim Brewery.
Lamplight will be served as the bar’s ‘house’ lager, and is a clean and refreshing, traditional 4% pilsner style drink, that will be sold for £5 per pint. It will stand alongside a variety of IPAs and lagers, ensuring there is an option to suit all tastes.
As well as the new relationship with Camerons, Sheepfolds Stables will also be strengthening its partnership with McColls Brewery in Bishop Auckland, and will now be serving Crowded, a classic Pilsner using 100% malted barley and aromatic German hops. Cold matured for seven weeks and naturally carbonated to produce a crisp, well balanced and refreshing lager beer, Crowded has a refreshing bitterness and a touch of sweetness.
The venue is looking to have a ‘pop up’ approach, with different drinks on offer to keep the choice interesting and is even looking at introduce some vendors to serve different food options on a temporary basis, including Hair Biker, Si King, with his food offering Propa.
Nigel Wood, general manager of Sheepfolds Stables, said: “We’re thrilled to be adding to our great line up of lagers with Lamplight. It’s incredible to think that in years gone by, when the Waggon Tavern stood just meters from here, Camerons would have been making the journey north to deliver ale to be enjoyed by locals. To be able to bring that brand back to the area is brilliant and we’re really proud to add it to our line-up of lagers.
“This whole venue is built on heritage and provenance, so it was important to us to partner with drinks producers that bring that to the table. With Camerons connection to the area, it allows us to further add to the offer for customers, while restoring a trading relationship between the Brewery and our Sheepfolds venue.
“We have sold more than 20,000 pints of Pit Pony since we opened our doors. We’ve effectively been drank-dry of our supplies, and the guys at Vaux are busy brewing more to keep up with demand, but we’re sure Lamplight will prove to be just as popular with people looking to try a nice, easy drinking lager.”
The Wagon Tavern stood directly opposite the Sheepfolds Stables site and carried a mural on the front denoting its connection to Camerons Ales.
