Viking Supporters Co-operative

Viking Chat => Off Topic => Topic started by: River Don on December 04, 2025, 05:05:00 pm

Title: Black Sheep Brewery
Post by: River Don on December 04, 2025, 05:05:00 pm
The Black Sheep Brewery up in Masham is fighting for its life apparently.

I've just been in Sainsbury's and it's still available, 4 bottles for the price of 3. I've bought the amber ale which isn't the world's greatest beer but it's decent enough. I'm not a stout drinker but that's available and it'll be better than the mass produced big brand Guiness.

Christmas is the crucial time for brewers, so perhaps consider getting some in this year, eh? There are as many as 60 jobs depending on it.
Title: Re: Black Sheep Brewery
Post by: idler on December 04, 2025, 07:45:08 pm
I’ll do my bit.
Title: Re: Black Sheep Brewery
Post by: bobbymax on December 05, 2025, 07:42:44 am
Black Sheep is OK bottled but it's like nectar on draught in the Dales.
Title: Re: Black Sheep Brewery
Post by: River Don on December 05, 2025, 08:01:28 am
Yes Black Sheep is better on draught. They also do that Riggwelter which has a decent reputation.

It's a strong brand and it's a brand I strongly associate with Yorkshire. It'd be a shame to see it go.
Title: Re: Black Sheep Brewery
Post by: idler on December 06, 2025, 09:30:09 am
Rigwelter on draught is to die for.
Title: Re: Black Sheep Brewery
Post by: Donnywolf on December 06, 2025, 10:31:11 am
Yes , you could end up truly Riggwelted or Rigweltered.
Title: Re: Black Sheep Brewery
Post by: idler on December 06, 2025, 12:57:47 pm
I used to have the Rigwelter i tee shirt with the sheep on its back and legs in the air. It was decent quality as well.
Title: Re: Black Sheep Brewery
Post by: Sprotyrover on December 06, 2025, 01:06:50 pm
Theakston, heard that Darleys was being Demolished,he shot Down the A1 and saved three Yorkshire squares which he used to make Black sheep, they them expanded and the Yorkshire square make speciality beers which you can buy in M and S And Aldi.
Title: Re: Black Sheep Brewery
Post by: River Don on December 06, 2025, 02:59:07 pm
Masham’s Black Sheep Brewery has moved to reassure customers after the business confirmed that its parent company intends to appoint administrators.

The Masham brewery - which also operates the Three Legged Mare pub in York - responded after reports surfaced suggesting Keystone Brewing Group, its parent company, had already entered administration.

The brewery said the claim was inaccurate and stressed that it continues to trade.

A spokesperson for Black Sheep Brewery said:

“Around the industry you may have seen several headlines or rumours that Keystone Brewing Group has gone into administration. Let us be clear: that is not the case.

We have filed a notice of intent to appoint an administrator, which is a protective measure that allows us to keep trading as normal while we secure new investment or explore a potential sale.

“It gives us the breathing space we need to protect our people, our brands, and our customers. We’re still brewing. We’re still delivering. We’re still here.”

The brewery also emphasised that its product range and standards remain unchanged.
Title: Re: Black Sheep Brewery
Post by: Draytonian III on December 07, 2025, 03:10:36 pm
I’ll stick to lager
Title: Re: Black Sheep Brewery
Post by: Donnywolf on December 10, 2025, 10:43:41 am
German "real" Lager such as Helles is good especially the ones brewed under their purity laws and if possible drunk there



Title: Re: Black Sheep Brewery
Post by: River Don on December 10, 2025, 11:55:15 am
German "real" Lager such as Helles is good especially the ones brewed under their purity laws and if possible drunk there


Not the flavourless, wet British brewed stuff like Carling, Stella, San Miguel, Madri, Fosters and almost everything in large cases at the supermarket.

Fair play to Clarkson, Hawkstone is a British larger that isn't pretending to be foreign and is of a decent quality. Bit dear though.

*fascinating fact I learned recently. Carling isn't a British brand, it's Canadian. Also Madri is exactly the same as Carling but not watered down quite as much.
Title: Re: Black Sheep Brewery
Post by: BobG on December 10, 2025, 10:42:51 pm
Lol. Although it wasn't a lager, I'd  still rather swig Madri than f**king Watneys Red Barrel!

BobG
Title: Re: Black Sheep Brewery
Post by: Donnywolf on December 11, 2025, 07:09:57 am
The Travel Agent sketch by Monty Python mentioned Watneys Red Barrel quite a lot as well . Still funny if you lived through those times
Title: Re: Black Sheep Brewery
Post by: Spud on December 11, 2025, 08:40:18 pm
German "real" Lager such as Helles is good especially the ones brewed under their purity laws and if possible drunk there


Not the flavourless, wet British brewed stuff like Carling, Stella, San Miguel, Madri, Fosters and almost everything in large cases at the supermarket.

Fair play to Clarkson, Hawkstone is a British larger that isn't pretending to be foreign and is of a decent quality. Bit dear though.

*fascinating fact I learned recently. Carling isn't a British brand, it's Canadian. Also Madri is exactly the same as Carling but not watered down quite as much.

Hawkstone surprised me, very nice pint.
Title: Re: Black Sheep Brewery
Post by: River Don on December 12, 2025, 06:30:51 pm
German "real" Lager such as Helles is good especially the ones brewed under their purity laws and if possible drunk there


Not the flavourless, wet British brewed stuff like Carling, Stella, San Miguel, Madri, Fosters and almost everything in large cases at the supermarket.

Fair play to Clarkson, Hawkstone is a British larger that isn't pretending to be foreign and is of a decent quality. Bit dear though.

*fascinating fact I learned recently. Carling isn't a British brand, it's Canadian. Also Madri is exactly the same as Carling but not watered down quite as much.

Hawkstone surprised me, very nice pint.

Well that's because of the ethos and process behind it. Fiercely proud of it's local roots and a certain unwillingness to compromise.

The same thing exists at Black Sheep but they don't have an international celebrity to promote it.
Title: Re: Black Sheep Brewery
Post by: goalkick on December 13, 2025, 01:51:07 pm
Decent pint black sheep.my worst beer was brew 10.
Title: Re: Black Sheep Brewery
Post by: Bentley Bullet on December 13, 2025, 02:41:53 pm
My worst beer is Greene King IPA. I was chatting to a barman who had just poured me one, once. I had a sup of it and was sick in my mouth, but managed to swallow it again without him noticing.

Being the nice guy I am, I just smiled and let out an "Aaaaaah" of satisfaction.

Verdict - Battery acid.

Title: Re: Black Sheep Brewery
Post by: silent majority on December 14, 2025, 07:26:23 pm
German "real" Lager such as Helles is good especially the ones brewed under their purity laws and if possible drunk there


Not the flavourless, wet British brewed stuff like Carling, Stella, San Miguel, Madri, Fosters and almost everything in large cases at the supermarket.

Fair play to Clarkson, Hawkstone is a British larger that isn't pretending to be foreign and is of a decent quality. Bit dear though.

*fascinating fact I learned recently. Carling isn't a British brand, it's Canadian. Also Madri is exactly the same as Carling but not watered down quite as much.

The last time England played in Glasgow we decided on doing a trip around the Tennents Brewery. During the tour the host told us that lagers tend to be done to a formula which essentially meant that they could produce anybody else’s lager once they were given the ingredients list etc. And lo and behold that’s exactly what we saw on the trip, lots of lagers being produced and canned from a range of different brewers, including the own label Aldi lagers that used the Tennents own formula.
Title: Re: Black Sheep Brewery
Post by: moses on December 15, 2025, 09:09:15 am
Worst pint was Darleys, canal water.
In a conversation on holiday with some old timers about terrible beer I once claimed Thorne was in Humberside so we would not be tainted by it in Donny.
Did like the smell of the town when we went to visit my grans house though.
Title: Re: Black Sheep Brewery
Post by: Donnywolf on December 15, 2025, 09:56:13 am
I love Barnsley Bitter esp the original Oakwell Ales version

The 2 versions now are ok in comparison and imo the Acorn variety (Little Plough) is slightly better than the Stancil version (Windmill Thorne)

However I wasn't much of a Bitter fan when 18 to say 21 so my memory doesn't run to a real opinion of Darleys the pride of my adopted home town and I would love to travel back in time now for a session in the Rising Sun and or New Inn at Stainy where I used to drink it for a real appraisal

Older timers than me said it was good , especially in some of the out of Thorne sites of which there were many.

Hull and East Coast Beverley Pontefract Scunny Grimsby to name but a few
Title: Re: Black Sheep Brewery
Post by: Donnywolf on December 15, 2025, 10:01:33 am
Check these out , and I'll count how many I visited ... Maybe only 20..... Edit 28 for sure . Some great ones like Crooked Billet at Owston Ferry in the 28


List of W. M. Darley Ltd. pubs - Brewery History Society Wiki


  https://share.google/h1M3Xo8XbaChPtZYy (https://share.google/h1M3Xo8XbaChPtZYy)
Title: Re: Black Sheep Brewery
Post by: idler on December 15, 2025, 12:38:57 pm
Check these out , and I'll count how many I visited ... Maybe only 20..... Edit 28 for sure . Some great ones like Crooked Billet at Owston Ferry in the 28


List of W. M. Darley Ltd. pubs - Brewery History Society Wiki


  https://share.google/h1M3Xo8XbaChPtZYy (https://share.google/h1M3Xo8XbaChPtZYy)
We did plumbing and heating jobs in quite a few of those pubs in the 60s
Abbey Vaults had an A and B team in the Donny Sunday league in the 60s and played at Selby Town’s ground.
Title: Re: Black Sheep Brewery
Post by: turnbull for england on December 15, 2025, 02:14:43 pm
Worst pint was Darleys, canal water.
In a conversation on holiday with some old timers about terrible beer I once claimed Thorne was in Humberside so we would be tainted by it in Donny.
Did like the smell of the town when we went to visit my grans house though.


It was Wards owned before I became old enough to try it, but as a Thorne lad they always reckon best pint of it was in the in house bar under the brewery,open t staff and police on night shift allegedly
Title: Re: Black Sheep Brewery
Post by: Filo on December 15, 2025, 07:14:11 pm
Worst pint was Darleys, canal water.
In a conversation on holiday with some old timers about terrible beer I once claimed Thorne was in Humberside so we would be tainted by it in Donny.
Did like the smell of the town when we went to visit my grans house though.


It was Wards owned before I became old enough to try it, but as a Thorne lad they always reckon best pint of it was in the in house bar under the brewery,open t staff and police on night shift allegedly

It didn’t travel well the 10 yards next door to the North Eastern/Corner Pin
Title: Re: Black Sheep Brewery
Post by: moses on December 16, 2025, 09:22:17 am
It think Darleys smelt even worse than it tasted.
My cousin worked there delivering and used to stop at my mums house if he was passing. When I next popped in, you knew he had been even if it was days later.
Title: Re: Black Sheep Brewery
Post by: Filo on December 16, 2025, 10:12:14 am
It think Darleys smelt even worse than it tasted.
My cousin worked there delivering and used to stop at my mums house if he was passing. When I next popped in, you knew he had been even if it was days later.
Are you sure thats not after Vaux took them over, their Bitter smelled like rotten eggs
Title: Re: Black Sheep Brewery
Post by: moses on December 17, 2025, 05:01:52 pm
It would be mid 80's Filo.
Title: Re: Black Sheep Brewery
Post by: Donnywolf on December 17, 2025, 07:35:30 pm
Vaux took Darleys over in 1978 together with their then 88 pubs so they stink down to them lol
Title: Re: Black Sheep Brewery
Post by: colfromdonny on December 18, 2025, 10:22:23 am
Don't know if this is an urban myth or not but sometime in the 80's Rovers were playing Exeter or Plymouth away and a local pub had a guess the ale and you get it free and it was Darleys  and a Rovers fan recognised it and the landlord asked him to keep it quiet...who knows !!, is it true??
Title: Re: Black Sheep Brewery
Post by: Herbert Anchovy on December 19, 2025, 12:18:13 am
A couple of years ago my niece bought me some beers from a small brewery called Cropton way up in the North Yorks Moors. Bloody lovely they were too.
Title: Re: Black Sheep Brewery
Post by: Donnywolf on December 19, 2025, 07:25:02 am
New Inn Cropton. Make some nice Beers in Brewery at rear

Good place to stay as well with rooms and a Camp ground I think

Not far from Pickering and the Lodges of Forrst Holidays at Cropton
Title: Re: Black Sheep Brewery
Post by: River Don on December 19, 2025, 08:30:14 pm
Took my Mum to a nice pub for her birthday dinner today. Blacksheep on draught, so I ordered it, lovely much better than bottled. I asked the Landlord if he thought they would survive. He said he didn't know but he would keep it whilst ever they supplied it.