Black Sheep Brewery
The Black Sheep Brewery is a brewery in Masham, North Yorkshire, England. The brewery was founded after the tradition Brewery Theakston was acquired from 1823 in 1987 by Scottish & Newcastle. The Theakston heritage and since 1969 CEO of the brewery, Paul Theakston, decided after a short time to leave the group and to brew again at the historical site.
The Black Sheep Brewery is now one of the most successful independent breweries in the United Kingdom, of by their sponsoring a fixture in Yorkshire cultural and sports landscape, and through individual actions such as cooperation with Monty Python in the production of a Holy Grail Ale beyond the borders known country of beer drinkers scene beyond.
Beer
The brewery began with a bitter, but has since specialized in a wider range of real ales and brews them in Yorkshire Square boilers with Maris Otter barley. Black Sheep making it a pioneer of the trend to produce high quality traditional ales and thus create a market segment in which they are going to direct competition of multinational corporations out of the way.
The beer expert Michael Jackson described the bitter when it was introduced in 1992 as a remarkably smooth and firm, very dry, with a hint of fruit acidity on the finish. The Special has the same characteristics, but more pronounced flavors, at the beginning of more malt flavor, then to finish out rosy hops. Compared to the Theakston beers Black Sheep had more malt and hop flavor would taste less like yeast and fruit. The brewery itself is based on the traditional Yorkshire beer, on the one hand relatively bitter, but on the other hand, enforces the creamy head, a counterbalance to the flavor. Since the traditional beer in Yorkshire should serve the factory workers to quench your thirst after work especially, it has a relatively low alcohol content from 3.8 to 4.4 %. The Riggwelter, named after the traditional term for an overturned Sheep, comes to 5.9%.
History
The 1980s were marked in the 160-year old family brewery Theakstons mainly by internal family disputes. After Theakstons had been sold to the large group Scottish & Newcastle, Paul Theakston worked for one year in the group, only to leave him in 1988. After some consideration, he sold his shares in Theakstons and began to set up with this money has its own brewery. The brewery moved to the brewery of Lightfoot 's, another local beer, which had also been sold and the eyebrows had set in Masham therefore. The Victorian brewery building is located in the center of Masham, the same place where even Theakstons is; the two breweries were separated only by an old stone wall. Theakston bought equipment at other breweries from Yorkshire who had ceased operations. 1992 began production. The attempt to revive the Lightfoot brand name failed. The Theakston Brewery had this bought earlier, he was in 1992 so Scottish & Newcastle. These are no longer used the brand, but was not willing to sell the rights. The name Black Sheep ( dt: Black Sheep ) arose both as a reference to the regionally widespread sheep farms, often with breeds such as the Scottish Blackface or other partially black sheep. On the other hand also because Theakston as " black sheep of the family " placed directly as a competitor to the 170 year-old former family.
Theakston discovered a gap in the market and was able to fill it successfully. While the dominant Ale Beer of Britain was until the 1970s into it, began to train bearing down in the 1970s and 1980s a trend. Camp was the dominant beer in haute cuisine; as well as at parties and many events. Ale, however, sank in a few years in a market niche as a beer for middle-aged men in traditional pubs. While the imported bearings could cover all market segments from discount beer to design brands, ale was considered only as a beer for the lower market segment. Theakston managed successfully to target the high-end segment with traditional brewing methods and innovative marketing and the first ale to land there in the 1990s. He was a pioneer of a trend that has now led to dozens of similar breweries and far more microbreweries with local responsibility, and called a Campaign for Real Ale ( Campaign for Real Ale ) to life in the UK.
While the brewery focuses on the regional market and, like a number of similar new breweries makes up about 60% of sales in Yorkshire, she also managed an international success: Monty Python's Holy Grail Ale, 1999 at the 30th anniversary and in collaboration with Monty create Python, especially in the U.S. market was a success. Since then, the brewery ran a steady course of expansion, of the construction of a completely new brewery took its objective expression 2006.
The first test Koster of beer was the local Anglican vicar who said he was indeed primarily responsible for the black sheep in the community. Meanwhile himself brought the Archbishop of York and Black Sheep Holy Grail as a gift for Pope Benedict XVI. with.
While the brewing industry in the last 20 years tremendous upheaval experienced in the business task or in the portfolio of a handful of large corporations led many traditional companies, Black Sheep is now one of the largest independent breweries in the British Isles. Black Sheep is one of the few breweries in the United Kingdom that can consistently increase in a steadily declining market environment, sales. Among other things, the brewery has an intense local marketing, which is to emphasize the earthiness and roots of the company: as sponsors Black Sheep various local events, as well as set them up similar to the Scottish whiskey trails a Yorkshire brewery trail. The visitor center at the brewery is now a standard attraction in all major travel guides. In addition, there is a Black- Sheep -Fanclub and other activities including a Black- Sheep Rowing Club The Flock. The brewery has now managed as a typical beer from Yorkshire to the fiction. The original Theakston Brewery is now again in the family: 2004, brothers Nick, Simon, Tim and Edward Theakston bought the brewery Scottish & Newcastle back.