Black Sheep Brewery

The proverbial black sheep of a group is a person who stands out from the homogenous mass of his or her fellow people. This difference is usually seen as negative and non-conformist and makes the black sheep an outsider. In addition to the saying, there are also actual black sheep, i.e. goat-like mammals with dark fur instead of the usual light fur, and a British brewery that bears this name. We would like to introduce the latter to you here.

Someone who set out to do his own thing

If you look closely, the story of the Black Sheep Brewery does not begin with its founding in 1992, but 169 years earlier. That is when the family brewery Theakston was founded. The boss of today's Black Sheep Brewery, Paul Theakston, inherited his family's brewery in 1969 and ran the company for several years. When the Theakston Brewery was to be sold to a large corporation, Paul vetoed the plan. He was outvoted and decided to leave his family business and sell his shares in the company. A few wild years followed in which Paul got over the loss of the family brewery and made plans for his own brewery. In 1991 the time had come: together with his wife Sue, Paul bought an old malt house in Masham. The brewing equipment that Paul pieced together from disused breweries is still used today. The first beer left the brewery in 1992 and the name of the company was also quickly found: Because Paul turned his back on the family business, he was considered the unofficial black sheep among his relatives. His wife saw the blessing in disguise and named the brewery Black Sheep.

Independent and unstoppable

Paul and his team believe that beer can only be as good as the work, dedication and raw materials that go into it. According to this motto, the brewers only use hand-picked ingredients and the crystal-clear water from their home in New Yorkshire to create an eclectic bouquet of British classics and modern styles from the craft beer scene. They share their joy in brewing with curious visitors: everyone can get their own impression of how much the team with the horned black sheep in their logo enjoys brewing in the visitor center and on tours of the brewery. Today, Paul is at the helm of the Black Sheep Brewery together with his sons Jo and Rob and is forming new family traditions with them. And you can taste their creations here with us!