York Brewery
Microbrewery
in York,
North Yorkshire,
England 🏴
Owned by
Black Sheep Brewery
Associated with 2 Venues
Established in 1996
Closed in 2020
Our birth marked a return to brewing inside the city walls of York after a 40-year absence. The original site of the brewery, our home for just over 23 years, was located just inside the city walls on Toft Green; a mere stone's throw from the historic royal entrance to the city, Micklegate Bar.
The site housed a 20-barrel brew plant, with six traditional open-top fermenters and five conditioning tanks. A gallery constructed above the brewhouse offered visitors a fantastic viewing platform while on one of our popular guided brewery tours.
The frontage of the brewery on Toft Green was relatively modern, with the rear significantly older. Built in the late 16th Century, the section overlooking Micklegate was the birthplace of Joseph Hansom (1803-82), the inventor of the Hansom Cab. He probably served as an apprentice joiner in his grandfather's workshop in the former stables that housed our conditioning and racking equipment. A provisions merchant then briefly owned the building until 1897 when furniture company Whitby Oliver took residence. Their logo can still be seen on the side of the top floor offices above Brigantes pub on Micklegate.
In December 2008 York Brewery was purchased by Mitchells of Lancaster, a 150-year-old family-run pub company who themselves brewed until 1999. A rebrand followed, and York Brewery was expanded to include a new distribution warehouse to allow the servicing of the large pub estate. Unfortunately, harsh trading conditions within the industry soon meant that a large portion of the Mitchells pub estate was sold off no longer warranting a separate warehouse. After ten years under their ownership, in December 2018 Mitchells of Lancaster, and therefore York Brewery, went into administration.
Thankfully that wasn't the end of our story, with Black Sheep Brewery stepping in to purchase the brewery and four linked pubs as part of their expansion into retail. Since this acquisition, sales of York Brewery beers have grown steadily, especially the already best-selling Guzzler and perennial favourite Yorkshire Terrier.
Reubs (35480) reviewed Centurion's Ghost Ale (Cask) from York Brewery 4 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Cask@Charlies Bar, Copenhagen (05/03/2022) - very dark amber brown with a off white head. Sweet and light roasted malty, light cocoa and dark fruity notes, fruit cake, caramel and toffee sweetness, hoppy undertones surfacing, low soft cask carbonation and a medium body, lingering malty finish. Nice.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8.5
Bottle at home, 13th December 2021. Pours a chestnut brown and clear. Aroma is caramel and nutty. Taste is caramel, roasted malts, smooth, light burnt sugar and molssses. It’s delicious.
Solastalgic (4951) ticked Snowflake from York Brewery 4 years ago
Fergus (31329) reviewed Guzzler (Cask) from York Brewery 4 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5
Cask at the maltings. A clear gold coloured pour with a lasting fine white head. Aroma is semi sweet, bready grains, buttery grains, light apple, straw. Flavour is composed of semi sweet, pale grains, light tang, apple, straw. Palate is light ok cask condition.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Cask at Head of Steam Huddersfield. June 2014. Pours clear golden with a white head. Aroma: grains, cereal, dough, light caramel, a little citrus. Taste: light sweet & bitter. More grains, cereal, light dough, citrus fruits. Medium body with soft carbonation
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
Bottle from House Of Trembling Madness. Clear ruby/amber body with a thin beige head. Low carbonation. Patchy lacing. Aroma of dumpling, coffee and rust. Flavour of nuts, copper and stewed tea. Medium body with a slick texture. Soft fizz. A delicious beery beer. I’d love to try this on cask.
Deanso (15673) reviewed Minster Ale from York Brewery 5 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
50cl bottle from Morrisons. Thin creamy white head. Clear very light amber pour. Light bitterness
Nisse666 (17733) reviewed Guzzler (Cask) from York Brewery 5 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5
Cask at BA västra Hamngatan 2020-09-01 Göteborg AR: bready, apricots AP: clear golden, frothy white steady foam F: bready, dry
Ungstrup (52110) reviewed Off the Wall Moors-ish Ale from York Brewery 5 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Cask. A yellow beer with a white head. The aroma has notes of herbs, straw, and malt. The flavor is sweet with notes of malt, straw, and herb, leading to a dry finish.
_angst_ (8410) ticked Guzzler (Cask) from York Brewery 6 years ago
Very flavourful low abv offering. Nice cracker maltiness and a hint of a green bitter bite. Good shape on the cask with soft carbonation and a delicate mouthfeel.