CHESTERFIELD CAMRA MEMBERS & THE PUBLIC were invited in June 2025 to nominate their favourite micropub. An incredible 1411 votes were received on
a Facebook poll. The top four micropubs were then put forward for the prestigious Chesterfield CAMRA Micropub of the Year 2025 award, with an expert panel visiting all four pubs and judging them on merit. The three finalists and winner are shown below…
HASLAND HOPS (RUNNER UP AWARD)
24 MANSFIELD RD, HASLAND S41 0JA
An independent bar in the heart of the village of Hasland. With a strong emphasis on quality locally sourced products with great real ales, craft beers and a huge spirit collection including over 30 gins. A great range of craft keg beers and two cask ales.
Owner Dean Wilson said: “The idea of opening a bar in Hasland came after moving to the area in 2019. I began planning just before Covid and opened after the first lockdown in 2020. Having never owned a business or even worked a shift at a bar, I was going it alone during a pandemic. Luckily, the bar has been very well received and the people of Hasland have really supported the business for which I am truly grateful. The bar is going from strength to strength and I cannot wait to see where we take it next. We have space front and rear for extra seating (weather permitting) and internally the bar has had numerous upgrades” A great community micropub.
THE BYRON TAP – BOLSOVER (TOP 4 FINALIST)
4 STATION RD, BOLSOVER S44 6BE
A cosy micropub in Bolsover with an ever-changing selection of cask and kegs, gins, spirits and wines. Bolsover’s first ever micropub opened in 2023 and has gone from strength to strength. Owner Chris Christopher, a Bolsover resident said: “We take pride in offering a selection of locally crafted beverages, available in both bottled form and on draught.We work with local brewers, to deliver seasonal specials and traditional beers. We invite you to join our full bar area, cosy snug, and upstairs seating, where you’ll also find classic board games and a dart board. Running on six keg lines, two ‘specials’ and four cask ale lines, we’ve got plenty of speciality lagers, ciders, stouts plus IPAs ready on draught. Check us out on Real Ale Finder App to see what draught beers we currently have on tap. Everyone is welcome to our cosy micropub”.
BRIMMING WITH BEER – BRIMINGTON (TOP 4 FINALIST)
2 PATRICK HINDS HOUSE, CHESTERFIELD RD, BRIMINGTON S43 1AD
This popular micropub opened in June 2016, recently celebrating it’s
9th birthday. Owner Ben Stephenson who also owns the next door but one pub, the Ark Tavern is on a mission to make Brimington a must visit destination for real ale lovers. A welcoming, community focused micropub where you are guaranteed great real ales and friendly conversation.A wide range of keg craft beers and at least two cask ales, often from local breweries like Thornbridge Brewery (Bakewell). The beer line up can be viewed on the Real Ale Finder App. A credit to owner Ben Stephenson, this micropub just keeps getting better and better.
THE PICKLED PEAR – PALTERTON – WINNER
39 MAIN STREET, PALTERTON S44 6UJ
A friendly micropub in Palterton, a village near Bolsover which was opened in February 2024 by Jo and Adam Taylor. This superb little venue acts as a community hub for the village, which was without a pub for a number of years. Around 5,000 people call Palterton their home and the Pickled Pear provides an intimate meeting place, to serve the growing community. Rotating cask beers are on offer, from local breweries like Welbeck Abbey Brewery. Owner and Palterton resident, Adam Taylor, said: “The aim for the bar was to be small, but warm and welcoming. I want to give something back to the village in which I live.
The idea is for very much to be a pub for local residents and we’re running the pub to respect the surrounding area”. With cosy and relaxed atmosphere, the Pickled Pear has lots of quirky decor, with beer barrel tables, monk bench seating and unique wall features, that
catch the eye. A beautiful log burner fireplace fills the room with a warmth that is reflected in the greeting you receive. A combination of brick walls and wood panels, give a sense of style and tradition. A well deserving winner of the Chesterfield CAMRA Micropub of the Year 2025.
ADAM TAYLOR OWNER OF THE THE PICKLED PEAR PALTERTON (39 MAIN STREET, PALTERTON S44 6UJ) SPOKE TO INNSPIRE MAGAZINE ABOUT THEIR HISTORIC WIN…
Right, listen up. We’ve only gone and done it — Best Micro Pub in Chesterfield, crowned by none other than CAMRA for 2025. That’s right. Not second-best. Not “highly commended.” Best. And while we could sit here polishing our award and basking in glory, we’d rather raise a pint to you lot — the locals, the visitors, the ramblers, the whisky snobs, the ale enthusiasts, the coffee sippers — you’re the reason the Pickled Pear isn’t just another pub. From all of us: THANK YOU.
Now, here’s the thing. We’re not in some trendy postcode with a quinoa bar on every corner. We’re in a proper farming village. Mud on boots, tractors down the lane, and sheep that occasionally stare at you with suspicion. The Pickled Pear is proud to sit right in the heart of it all — and prouder still to say: we support British farmers.
This pub isn’t just a place to drink — it’s a place to belong. Tucked inside the beautifully restored Old Post Office on Main Street Palterton, it’s where time slows down in the best possible way. The kind of place where the bar still has banter, not a barcode.
We’ve got beer — the good stuff. Spirits? Absolutely. Whiskies? Enough to start a Highland feud. Tea and coffee too, for those taking the scenic route to tipsy. Fancy a board game or just staring into a fire with a decent pint? We’ve got that covered too.
We also throw the occasional tasting night, acoustic session, or event that brings the village together in the way pubs were always meant to. It’s warm, it’s welcoming, and it smells faintly of wood smoke and laughter. So, if you like your pubs proper, your drinks mostly British and your company top-drawer…The Pickled Pear is calling.
WE’LL KEEP THE FIRE WARM AND THE PINTS COLD.
WHAT IS A MICROPUB?
So, you may be thinking “What is a micropub?”. And, that’s a very good question with no definitive answer. But, we’ll give it a go… A micropub is a small, often one-room (But not always a single room), licensed establishment focusing on serving high-quality beers and ales. Simples. More than likely it will be a freehouse that serves cask ales and keg craft beers, often from local or even in-house breweries.
Traditionally micropubs shun all forms of electronic entertainment. So, no TV’s, no music and no slot machines. The focus is to promote conversation and prioritize a cozy, intimate atmosphere. The kind of places where locals gather and visitors are welcomed and encouraged to join in. Of course, over the passing of time and to suit customers’ needs, the original definition of the micropub has evolved, with multi-room but still small establishments now popular. Micropubs by their very nature tend to be community focused and sometimes can be the only pub in the villages where they are based.