Black Sheep Brewery

Regional Brewery in Masham, North Yorkshire, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Associated Venue: Black Sheep Brewery Visitor Centre

Established in 1992

Contact
The Black Sheep Brewery, Wellgarth, Masham, HG4 4EN, England
Subsidiaries
Black Sheep Brewery owns 3 breweries:
Description
In 1992, Paul Theakston took a daring leap into the unknown. As a fifth generation brewer of his family company, he chose to leave T&R Theakstons following its sale to a national brewery. Instead, he chose to champion independent brewing in Yorkshire and built his own brewery in the very same town, Masham. The brewhouse contains a mixture of tradition and innovation, using the Yorkshire Square Fermentation system which we hold dearly. Our original brewhouse was built from reclaimed equipment which we still use to this day.

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7/10 Appearance 7 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 7 Overall 7
Near black with a frothy tan head. Has a mellow fruit muesli aroma, medium bodied with a soft roasted malt, milk chocolate and slightly tart cherry flavour, dry bitterness comes through in the finish
Tried from Cask at Shrewsbury Hotel on 13 Mar 2025 at 19:30

7.1/10 Appearance 7 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 7 Overall 7.5
Third of a pint on cask at the gate house jdw.
Medium creamy beige head. Clear almost black pour. Lots of chocolate. A lot better than I was expecting
Tried from Cask at Gate House (JDW) on 11 Mar 2025 at 18:17

8/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
On cask at the Caley Picture House.
Appearance - deep brown with a red chink. White head.
Nose - cherry and chocolate.
Taste - sweet chocolate, caramel and cherry. .
Palate - medium bodied and creamy middle. Light roast.
Overall - lovely stuff!
Tried from Cask at Caley Picture House on 10 Mar 2025 at 15:11

8.1/10 Appearance 9 Aroma 7 Flavor 9.5 Texture 7 Overall 8
Cask at North Western, Liverpool. Pours a very dark reddish-brown with a small beige head and good lacing. There’s oats, roasted malts and dark fruits in the aroma. In the mouth it is pleasantly sweet and somewhat juicy. Plenty of variety in the flavour, Roasted malts, cherries, chocolate, milky coffee and hints of vanilla. Sweetness lasts into the fruity finish. This is really nice – and hides it’s strength well.
Tried from Cask at North Western (JDW) on 10 Mar 2025 at 00:00

7.3/10 Appearance 7 Aroma 7 Flavor 7.5 Texture 8 Overall 7
Beer Number 18 at the Wetherspoon Spring Beer Festival 2025, leaving 10 of 30 still untried. Hints of roasted, but a crisp dark malt ale is probably the best way to describe this one.
Tried from Cask at Waterhouse on 09 Mar 2025 at 16:59

8/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
Cask up the White Lady. Pours clear dark brown with a thick beige head. Aromas of black cherry and light roast. Taste adds chocolate. Smooth. Roasty finish.
Tried from Cask at White Lady (JDW) on 09 Mar 2025 at 15:48

6.6/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 6.5 Flavor 7 Texture 7 Overall 6.5
Spotty beige head on clear amber coloured body.
Malt, pine & light hop aroma.
Medium bodied, sharp dry & clean.
Malt, floral, resinous & grapefruit tastes with a bitter finish.
Drinks well.
Tried from Bottle on 09 Mar 2025 at 15:43

6.9/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 5 Overall 7
Cask at the White Hart, Aylesbury before heading off to see "Pretty Vacant: A History of Punk and New Wave" at the nearby Waterside Theatre. Black with a thick tan head. Tastes of cherry liqueurs chocolates and marzipan, with hints of cherry blossom and ash. Rather thin for the strength. An interesting and tasty brew that I'd have enjoyed a lot more if it didn't taste of marzipan. I don't like marzipan! Personal preferences aside it's a well-thought out been, and the floral notes were a pleasing and unexpected touch. Nice to have something a bit different at the fest; well done to the brewer for pushing the boundaries a little.
Tried from Cask at White Hart (JDW) on 08 Mar 2025 at 18:00

6.5/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 6 Flavor 7 Texture 5 Overall 6.5
(Cask at Akkurat, Stockholm, 31 Jan 2025) Ruby colour with foamy, beige head. Malty nose with notes of caramel, dark bread, dried fruit and prunes. Malty taste with caramel, chocolate, dried fruit, toast, prunes and a balanced spicy bitterness in the finish. Medium body, with a slight sweetness. Well balanced winter ale. Quite nice.
Tried from Cask at Akkurat on 08 Mar 2025 at 15:59

6.6/10 Appearance 7 Aroma 6.5 Flavor 6 Texture 7 Overall 7
Cask handpull at County Hotel JDW Ashford. Black beer lasting tan head. Certainly chocolate and coffee on the aroma. Then dark chocolate and cherry flavour in the mouth. Decent malts. Some cherry. Some dryness on the finish. Quite full in the mouth. Hides abv well. Yep OK just a bit too much liquorice for my palate.
Tried from Cask at County Hotel on 08 Mar 2025 at 08:17