Black Sheep Brewery – Masham

Brewery tour in North Yorkshire

The Black Sheep Brewery in Masham is well worth a visit for several reasons, not least to enjoy the landscapes of the Yorkshire Dales and its quaint villages (decorated with the remains of Tour de France bunting, bicycles and all sorts of paraphernalia on our visit today).

There’s a Visitor Centre with a ‘baa..r and bistro‘ serving fresh fayre sourced from local produce (from light bites to main courses) and several Black Sheep beers on tap (and bottled too).

Baa..r + Bistro at the Visitor Centre

But the highlight has to be the brewery tour (£6.95 for adults, £5.95 for senior citizens) which lasts about 75 minutes.

The tour starts with a seated talk about the Theakston family’s long brewing history (in parts complex, but our guide made it thoroughly entertaining) interspersed with video footage and samples of barley and hops to smell and taste, before the ‘shepherded’ part of the tour begins in the boiler room.

Mash tun + boiler room

Apparently, this boiler room gets so hot and steamy that it’s unbearable to be in for more than a few minutes in the heat of summer. Perhaps thankfully, a new boiler was being delivered today so although we didn’t see all the equipment in full working order, that mightn’t have been such a bad thing.

What happens in this room?
~ crushed malt from the grist hopper gets mashed with hot water into the mash tun
~ starch from the malt is converted to sugars (wort)
~ the wort is drawn off into the copper where hops are added
~ when full, the copper is brought to the boil then boiled for exactly an hour
~ the brew gets dropped into the hop back where the hops settle at the bottom so that the brew can be pumped across to the fermentation room

Fermentation room:

Yeast residue that gets transported to the East Midlands + used in Marmite

Then it’s on to the packing and distribution area…

Preparing for disribution

…before learning a bit more about each particular beer.

Variety of Black Sheep beers, as well as kegs and casks

And the only way to finish is to taste-test your new knowledge!

Beer tasting l-r, front to back – Riggwelter, Golden Sheep, Black Sheep ale + Velo drafts (Imperial Russian Stout + All Creatures bottled)

 

I was particularly taken with Velo, a special, seasonal pale ale with subtle hints of orange and coriander, created for the Tour de France 2014 in North Yorkshire – perfectly hoppy and very easy drinking, and the Imperial Russian Stout – strong, dark and velvety.

Imperial Russian stout

The verdict: A great day out if you’re in the area. Or well worth arranging a trip if you’re not.

 

Cool Velo beer mats for the 2014 Tour de France 

 

Restaurant info:

~ Lardbutty rating: 4 / 5
~ Type: Brewery, bar
~ Address: The Black Sheep Brewery, Wellgarth, Masham, North Yorkshire, HG4 4EN
~ Website: Black Sheep Brewery website
~ Photos on flickr: images of Black Sheep Brewery
~ facebook page: Black Sheep Brewery on fb
~ Location: Black Sheep Brewery map

 

RELATED LINKS
Harrogate Borough dining:
~ Drum + Monkey – seafood in Harrogate
~ Storm at The Dower House – Knaresborough
~ Sukhothai – Harrogate, top Thai in Yorkshire

Exciting day at the brewery today! Our new boiler has arrived! pic.twitter.com/lEeCtSCWBf

— BlackSheep (@BlackSheepBeer) August 15, 2014