It is almost impossible to believe that The Black Sheep Brewery is only 11 years old.

In fact it was in October 1992 when our beers first made an appearance in pubs in and around the Yorkshire Dales. The delivery of those first casks of beer over ten years ago began a new era for Paul Theakston, whose family has brewed in Masham for five generations.

It also allowed him to put behind him the heartache left by the often acrimonious battles that culminated in the “old” family firm of T & R Theakston Ltd ending up as part of Scottish & Newcastle Breweries.

The events that led to the loss of the Theakston brewery had rumbled on since the early 1970s, with Scottish & Newcastle finally seizing power in 1988. Although they offered him a position, Paul decided corporate life wasn't for him. What's more, it would have meant him leaving his beloved Masham.

Determined to stay in Masham and being a long, long way from retirement (both age-wise and financially!!) it didn't take long for Paul to conclude that it was brewing that he was best at. The decision was made, create a “new” brewery in Masham.

It would have been much easier to acquire a new factory unit, install some shiny, stainless steel brewing plant and produce perfectly acceptable beer, but that was a million miles away from what Paul had in mind.

Great beer is not just the product of the ingredients and the recipe, but also of the plant that brews it.

In a world of ever increasing bland, mass-produced beer Paul saw an opportunity to return to what his family had done best since 1827, making real beer in the timely fashion.

A name was needed to reflect the area and history of the place. Use of the Theakston name was irretrievably linked with the “old” company and anyway, we wanted to ensure that there was no confusion in the minds of the drinking public. So we were back to thinking about what the area is known for...


Sheep have always figured largely in the history of the area.Masham was once an important centre for sheep trading and famous for its sheep fair.

However, Sheep Brewery seemed a bit tame. In a timely stroke of inspiration Sue, Paul's wife, coined the name Black Sheep Brewery.  Now we had a name that sat well with the area, spoke volumes about our maverick attitude to the multi-nationals seeking to dominate the brewing industry and captured the essence of the family struggle that led to our birth.

Here we are over 10 years on, having survived probably the most tumultuous time in British brewing history. Many famous, long-established brewers have ceased brewing or gone out of business completely; Bass, Whitbread, Vaux, Wards, Mansfield and Morrells' to name but a few.

Pub companies with thousands of outlets now dominate the industry and in the bottled beer sector the giant supermarket groups call the tune, but the Black Sheep Brewery has prospered, overtaking many famous old names.

In the words of well-respected beer writer, Roger Protz, “Black Sheep Brewery is a modern day miracle.”

...we can't argue with that