A traditional pub with a modern twist, the Chesterfield Arms has long been known for its impressive selection of real ales and craft beers. And, since business owners Emma and Josh Clarke launched their own microbrewery three years ago, customers have been able to enjoy a tantalising array of pale ales, bitters and stouts which have been brewed right there in the pub.

Emma and Josh have been running the Chesterfield Arms – which Emma describes as a “local institution” - since November 2017. Both brought with them plenty of industry experience, with Emma having spent most of her career working in pubs, and Josh having worked as a brewer.

“My mum and dad used to run pubs, so I’ve always been in the pub environment,” says Emma, who also spent five years managing Brampton Brewery/Everards pub, the Tramway Tavern, in the Chesterfield suburb of Brampton.

After leaving the Tramway, Emma decided to try her hand at something new, and did retail and office work for a while. However, when she found out the Chesterfield Arms was available, she couldn’t resist the lure of returning to the familiar industry and having the opportunity to run her own pub, together with husband Josh.

“It’s a local institution this place, and it’s always been really well run. We decided to give it a go – and we’re still here, so we must be doing something right!” she laughs.

Talking about becoming a business owner for the first time, Emma says: “It was a huge step. It was quite daunting, but the support that Martin and everyone at Everards has given us has been great.”

The biggest change the couple have made to ‘The Chezzy Arms’, as it is known to locals, is undoubtedly the addition of the microbrewery – the Resting Devil – which is situated in the former function room, which Emma says was underused.

The name of the brewery relates to an old folk tale about the crooked spire of Chesterfield’s Church of St Mary and All Saints. According to the tale, the Devil rested on the spire and wrapped his tail around it, before being startled by the bells and causing the spire to twist as he leapt off.

Explaining their decision to launch a microbrewery, Emma says: “Josh was working for Thornbridge and it got to the pandemic and he decided that he wanted to make the leap and make his own beers. We were also thinking of ways that we could come back fighting, rather than just throwing the doors open and see what happened.”

“When we were coming out of Covid, we were expecting our son, and the brewery I was working at were talking about taking us back to night shifts,” adds Josh. “The microbrewery was a way of me being here, and also creating something that would benefit the pub.”

“We did have to plead the case to Everards, but they just wanted to make sure we weren’t overstretching ourselves. We expected that we’d have to prove it wouldn’t affect sales of their products, but that never came up. They were always really supportive.”

The first beer he brewed in-house was the Twisted Pale, which has now become the pub’s house beer. “We’ve got about 20 different beers on our books. We brew the Twisted Pale constantly and the others, we’ll just cycle through,” says Josh, who together with his apprentice, usually brews twice a week.

Josh also works with Chatsworth House to produce limited edition beers for them to sell in their shop. “We brew them a range of beers containing something that has been grown in their kitchen garden,” he says. This has included a rhubarb and ginger ale and a plum porter.

Plus, the couple have just opened a micropub and bottle shop on the other side of town. There are three hand pulls and one draft machine, offering a mix of Resting Devil and other locally produced beers.

Reflecting on what she enjoys about running her own pub, Emma says: “There’s nothing quite like being in the pub environment. It’s a bit clichéd, but no two days are the same.”

“I think what makes it so appealing is that every day is different”, says Josh. “You’ll have days when you’re in the office, or I might be in the brewery, but then you’ve got days when you can sit and talk to customers, and that social aspect of it is really nice.”

Interested in running a pub? Give us a call 0116 201 4260 or get in touch here.