Theakston Brewery

{{short description|Brewery in Masham, North Yorkshire, England}}

T&R Theakston is a British brewery in Masham, North Yorkshire and the sixteenth largest brewer in the United Kingdom by market share. It is the second largest under family ownership, after Shepherd Neame,{{citation needed|date=June 2020}} and is known for its Old Peculier beer.[https://www.theakstons.co.uk/pages/theakstons-old-peculier Theakston Old Peculier]. Theakston. Retrieved 14 May 2024

The brewery is one of the few remaining in the UK to have an in-house cooperage.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

History

Image:Theakstons Brewery.jpg

The business was founded in 1827 by Robert Theakston and John Wood at the Black Bull pub and brewhouse in College Lane, Masham.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}} By 1832, Theakston had sole ownership of the brewery and in 1875 he passed control over to his sons Thomas and Robert. They formed the T&R Theakston partnership and constructed a new brewery on Paradise Fields, near the original site.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}

In 1919, the company acquired the Lightfoot Brewery, also in Masham, now home to The White Bear.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}

The business grew in North Yorkshire and benefitted from renewed interest in cask ale in the 1960s. To meet growing demand T&R Theakston bought the UK Government owned Carlisle State Management Brewery. The transaction put financial strain on the business which was taken over in 1987 by Blackburn based brewer, Matthew Brown & Co Ltd. Matthew Brown was itself taken over by Scottish & Newcastle the same year.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

Following these transactions, the brewing of some Theakston beers, including Theakston Best Bitter, was transferred to Scottish & Newcastle's Tyne Brewery.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

In 2003, Simon Theakston and three of his brothers purchased a majority shareholding back from Scottish & Newcastle.{{cite news | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/2862826/Civil-war-brews-in-Masham-as-Theakston-brothers-hit-the-town.html | title = Civil war brews in Masham as Theakston brothers hit the town | work = The Telegraph | url-access = registration | access-date = 3 April 2018 | archive-date = 13 July 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180713071627/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/2862826/Civil-war-brews-in-Masham-as-Theakston-brothers-hit-the-town.html | url-status = live }}{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/north_yorkshire/3096732.stm|title=Brewer goes back to its roots|date=10 September 2003|work=BBC News|accessdate=6 December 2011|archive-date=29 December 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031229214444/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/north_yorkshire/3096732.stm|url-status=live}}

Beers

File:Old Peculier.jpg

The company produces cask and 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 distributed to British supermarkets and exported.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

The company produces eight permanent beers and a range of seasonal ales. The permanent ales are:

Summit (4.2% ABV) - A cask-conditioned pale ale

Barista Stout (4.2% ABV) - A nitrogen infused, coffee flavoured stout

Pale (4.5% ABV) – A hoppy, cold filtered and unpasteurised pale ale

Best Bitter (3.8% ABV) was awarded First Prize in the 1910 London Brewers Exhibition.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

XB (4.5% ABV) - A stronger bitter

Mild (3.5% ABV) - A dry Dark Mild

Lightfoot (4.1% ABV) - Golden in colour and bitter in taste

Old Peculier (5.6% ABV) - An old ale made under this name since the early 1800s. In 1989, the cask version of Old Peculier was voted Champion Strong Ale of Britain at the Great British Beer Festival. In 2000, the beer won the silver medal in the Campaign for Real Ale’s Champion Winter Beer of Britain competition.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}} It was voted Champion of Champions in the 2007 Yorkshire Beer Championship.{{Cite web |title=Old Peculier takes Yorkshire title |url=https://www.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk/news/1216440.old-peculier-takes-yorkshire-title/ |access-date=2022-08-16 |website=Darlington and Stockton Times |date=23 February 2007 |language=en |archive-date=16 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816150041/https://www.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk/news/1216440.old-peculier-takes-yorkshire-title/ |url-status=live }} It is named after the peculier of Masham, a peculier being a parish outside the jurisdiction of a diocese. In 1985, The Economist dubbed it the "doyen of real ales".{{Cite web |title=Old Peculier from Theakston's Brewery |url=https://www.theretreat.pub/real-ale-reading/old-peculier-from-theakstons-brewery/ |access-date=2022-08-16 |website=theretreat.pub |archive-date=16 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816150044/https://www.theretreat.pub/real-ale-reading/old-peculier-from-theakstons-brewery/ |url-status=live }}

In 2022, Theakston launched Paradise Gold Dry Vintage Cider (6.8% ABV).{{Cite web |last=Darren |date=2022-06-06 |title=Theakston goes back in time to launch a sparkling cider |url=https://beertoday.co.uk/2022/06/06/theakston-paradise-gold-cider/,%20https://beertoday.co.uk/2022/06/06/theakston-paradise-gold-cider/ |access-date=2022-08-16 |website=beertoday.co.uk |language=en-US |archive-date=2 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240602012359/https://beertoday.co.uk/2022/06/06/theakston-paradise-gold-cider/ |url-status=live }}

Brennan's Irish Stout (4.1% ABV) - a classic award winning smooth Irish Stout in partnership with the Brennan family from county wexford, Ireland

Theakston Cooperage

Theakston has one of the last remaining full-time brewery coopers in the country. Euan Findlay makes oak casks for Old Peculier beer.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

A cooper’s apprenticeship lasts four years and is marked by a ‘Trussing-In’ ceremony on completion. Euan’s ceremony in October 2021 was the first held in over 20 years.{{Cite news |date=2021-10-07 |title=Brewery marks apprentice's graduation in unusual ceremony |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-58829231 |access-date=2022-08-16 |archive-date=16 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816150041/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-58829231 |url-status=live }}

Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival

In 2004, Theakston became inaugural title sponsor of the Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival and sponsors of the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

The Harrogate event is held in July and has welcomed John Grisham, Lee Child, Michael Connelly, PD James, Ruth Rendell, Colin Dexter, Reginald Hill, Val McDermid, Kathy Reichs, Jed Mercurio and Lynda La Plante.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}