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.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Bottle at home in Hackney - sourced from the Trembling Madness in York. Pours clear reddish brown with an amble, frothy khaki head. Really nicely rounded, lots of leathery berries, a little earthy hop, toasted toffee and leaves. Light to medium bodied with fine carbonation. Balanced finish, moderate English yeast, well toasted town bread, burnt caramel. Great fun.
_angst_ (8410) ticked Yorkshire Terrier (Cask) from York Brewery 7 years ago
Cask
fonefan (84534) reviewed Mostly Ghostly from York Brewery 7 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
Cask (handpump) @ #MBCF17, [ Manchester Beer & Cider Festival 2017 ], Manchester Central Convention Complex, Windmill St, Petersfield, Manchester, Great Manchester, England M2 3GX. [ As York Mostly Ghostly ].Clear medium to dark red brown colour with a average, frothy and open, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, dark malt, chili fruit, fruity, toffee. Flavor is moderate sweet with a long duration, chili burn, toffee, dark malt, chili warm finish. Body is medium, texture is oily to watery, carbonation is soft to flat. [20170120] 5-3-6-3-11
Nisse666 (17733) reviewed Centurion's Ghost Ale (Cask) from York Brewery 7 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
Cask at Haket 2018-12-07 Göteborg AR: roasted malt, wee dull, dark syrup AP: dark ruby, no head F: dry, dark syrup, sweet mouth feeling, very dry, grainy, caramel
potjebier (6609) reviewed Yorkshire Terrier (Cask) from York Brewery 7 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8
From old notes: Cask @ Booze on the Ouse fest, St. Ives, 2000. Firm malty and hoppy aroma. Mild bitter flavour, but the finish was firm bitter with a malty note> Good.
TimE (11146) reviewed Yorkshire Terrier (Cask) from York Brewery 7 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Golden color. Apple and orange on a soft hoppy nose. Med body. Well balanced. Moderate bitterness. Well balanced. Nice golden ale
omhper (44752) reviewed Freja's Tipple from York Brewery 7 years ago
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 4
Cask at Ångkvarn, Uppsala. Almost clear deep amber, peculiar huge head. Aroma of dishwater and lingonberry. Mid dry with light-medium body and rounded mouthfeel. Sloppy caramel, pine, and lemon peels. Resinous bitter finish.
AndySnow (19631) reviewed Centurion's Ghost Ale (Cask) from York Brewery 7 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
How: Cask.
Where: SBWF 2018.
Appearance: Dark brown colour with an off-white head.
Aroma: Roasted malt, chocolate, fruit.
Body: Medium body, low carbonation.
Flavour: Chocolate, malt, fruit, hops.
AndySnow (19631) reviewed Ruby Wedding from York Brewery 7 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
How: Cask.
Where: SBWF 2018.
Appearance: Amber colour with an off-white head.
Aroma: Fruit, malt, some butter.
Body: Medium body, low carbonation.
Flavour: Malt, some lingonberries, a bit of bitterness in the finish.
Olut (21769) reviewed Guzzler (Bottle) from York Brewery 7 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5
Bottle from Lidl, Todmorden. Golden with a small head. Its lowish citrus-fruitiness in its nose isn't so apparent amongst a dry, somewhat blandish hoppy-dry taste.