Samuel Smith Brewery
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| Samuel Smith | |
|---|---|
| Location | Tadcaster Yorkshire England |
| Year opened | 1758 |
Samuel Smith's (informally and popularly known as Sam Smith's) is an independent British brewery in Tadcaster, Yorkshire, England. It brews at Yorkshire's oldest brewery, which was founded in 1758.
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[edit] History
In 1847, Samuel Smith, a butcher and cattle dealer from Meanwood, Leeds, funded his son John to buy a struggling brewing business in Tadcaster from the Hartley family. That brewery, founded in 1758, is said to be the oldest in Yorkshire.
John Smith took over the brewery in 1852 forming John Smith's Brewery. He was later joined by his brother William. John then left the brewery to the eldest son of his other brother Samuel and the joint custiodianship of the business to both William and Samuel. However William bought Samuel's half and moved the business to a new brewery, next door, which is where John Smiths is now brewed, then leaving the business to his sister's sons. Meanwhile Samuel's son Samuel Smith, inherited the Old Brewery on William's death in 1886, and re-opened the brewery under his own name. He then ran it in competition with his cousins' business, John Smiths. Samuel Smith's remains independent, the only brewery in Tadcaster to do so.
[edit] Pubs
The brewery operates some pubs, which are notable for their independence: The beers are all produced by the Tadcaster brewery and no large-corporation spirits or soft-drinks are available. Prices are kept minimal by only increasing in line with alcohol duty and inflation increases. In November 2004 the company took the decision to ban music in its pubs to save Performing Rights levy.
Samuel Smith still delivers multiple-trip bottles in beer crates - a very environmentally friendly system.
[edit] The Old Brewery
The Old Brewery at Tadcaster was founded in 1758 and bears the name of famous local brewer Samuel Smith. It is both the oldest brewery in Yorkshire and the only surviving independent brewery in Tadcaster.
The smallest of the three modern-day Tadcaster breweries, Sam Smith's is one of the few remaining British breweries to employ the traditional Yorkshire Square system in the production of its beers.
Brewing water for ales and stouts is still drawn from the original 85 foot well, sunk when the site was established in 1758, and the yeast used in the fermentation process is of a strain that has been used continuously since approximately 1900 - one of the oldest unchanged strains in the country.
In keeping with this rich sense of history and tradition, the brewery keeps a small team of dapple-grey Shire Horses. Far from being simply show horses, these gentle giants are among the last active dray horses in the world. They deliver beer around the town of Tadcaster.
[edit] Beers
Samuel Smith produces a wide range of beers, all vegan and brewed solely (except for the Oatmeal Stout, Wheat Beer and Organic Cherry Fruit Beer) with malt, hops, yeast and water. The bottled beers are available in some off-licences in the UK. In the United States, Samuel Smith's bottled beers are imported by Merchant du Vin. In Norway, the beers are imported by Strag AS. [1].
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To meet Wikipedia's quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup because it is in a list format that may be better presented using prose. You can help by converting this section to prose, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (February 2008) |
| Beer Name | Style | Alcohol Strength abv |
|---|---|---|
| Old Brewery Bitter | English Bitter | 4.0% |
| Old Brewery Pale Ale | English Pale Ale | 5.0% |
| Yorkshire | English Bitter | 3.8% |
| Organically Produced Ale | English Pale Ale | 5.0% |
| Taddy Porter | English Porter | 5.0% |
| Winter Welcome Ale | Winter Warmer | 6.0% |
| Extra Stout | Dry Stout | 4.5% |
| Imperial Stout | Russian Imperial Stout | 7.0% |
| India Ale | India Pale Ale (IPA) | 5.0% |
| Nut Brown Ale | Brown Ale | 5.0% |
| Oatmeal Stout | Oatmeal Stout | 5.0% |
| Organically Produced Lager | European Pale Lager | 5.0% |
| Alpine Lager (formerly Ayingerbräu Lager) | European Pale Lager | 4.5% |
| Pure Brewed Lager | European Pale Lager | 5.0% |
| Cider Reserve | Dry Cider | 5.2% |
| Organic Cider | Cider | 5.0% |
| Wheat Beer (formerly Ayingerbräu Hefe Weiss) | Wheat Beer | 5.0% |
| Sovereign Bitter | English Bitter | 4.1% |
| Dark Mild | Mild Ale | 3.7% |
| Taddy Lager | European Pale Lager | 3.7% |
| Organic Cherry Fruit Beer | Fruit beer | 5.1% |
Samuel Smith's are also notable for the fact that they produce cider. 'Organic Cider' is available in bottles while 'Cider Reserve' is sold on draught solely in the UK.
[edit] Ayingerbräu
Until 2006 Samuel Smith's used the brand name Ayingerbräu for its lagers and wheat beers, using the name and logo of German brewery, Brauerei Aying. The brand was best known for its 'man-in-a-box' pump for Ayingerbräu Lager, which featured a model Bavarian man in a plastic box.
Ayingerbräu Lager gained a cult following in some parts of the UK and a beer drinking challenge is held annually. In 2006, Ayingerbräu Lager reverted to Alpine Lager, its original name in the 1960s.
In late 2005, Samuel Smith's ceased production of both the Ayingerbräu D Pils and Prinz Lager brands. These have been replaced by Samuel Smith's Pure Brewed Lager.
[edit] References
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This article does not cite any references or sources. (February 2008) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
[edit] External links
Note: the brewery does not have a website.
- Ayingerbrau Challenge website
- Sam Smith's Pubs - Beer in the Evening website
- Merchant du Vin, US Importers
- RateBeer Brewery Profile
- Quaffale
- Evening Press article on the removal of Sam Smiths logo from pubs
- The Old Brewery at Tadcaster Article about The Old Brewery at Tadcaster on a local website
