Theakston
Brewery - (en)
Theakston is a British regional brewery located in the town of Masham,
North Yorkshire, England.
History
T&R Theakston Ltd. was founded in 1827 by Robert Theakston and
John Wood at The Black Bull pub in Masham. By 1832 Theakston had sole
ownership of the brewery and in 1875 he passed control over to his son
Thomas who expanded the range of buildings.
In 1919 the company acquired and closed down the Lightfoot Brewery,
also in Masham. Theakston at one time had a brewery in Carlisle.
In 1987 the company was purchased by Scottish & Newcastle. The
cousin of the four Theakston brothers, Paul, left the business in 1992
and set up the Black Sheep Brewery in the old Lightfoot Brewery
premises.
In 2004 the business returned to family ownership after being
purchased back from Scottish & Newcastle by the four Theakston
brothers.
Beers
The company produces cask ale and pasteurised bottled ales. Theakston
cask ales are widely available in pubs in the north of England, though
are less common in other parts of the country. The bottled beers are
also widely distributed to British supermarkets and exported to
Germany and the United States.
The company produces five regular cask ales and six seasonal. Only two
of the beers are filtered and pasteurised to be made available in
bottles, Theakston XB and Old Peculier.
Best Bitter is regularly paired with XB in pubs, Theakston Best Bitter
is the company's most easily found product, served in many pubs,
mainly in the north of England.
XB is a premium strength Bitter with a more complex flavour.
Black Bull Bitter was brewed to commemorate the Theakston's first pub
where the first Theakston's beers were brewed and sold.
Traditional Mild is the weakest beer produced by Theakston, a dark and
dry drink created as an alternative for dark ales.
Old Peculier is Theakston's most famous beer. Old Peculier has been
made under this name since the 1890s. In 2000, it won the silver medal
in the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA)'s "Champion Winter Beer of
Britain" 2000 competition. The label on the bottle describes it
as a "full bodied, rich, smooth tasting ale with a mysterious and
distinctive flavour". It is named after the peculier of Masham, a
peculier being a parish outside the jurisdiction of a diocese.
The six seasonal ales are Cooper's Butt, Hogshead Bitter, Lightfoot
Bitter, Grouse Beater, Masham Ale and Paradise Ale.
