Samuel Smith Old Brewery

Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, has produced beer since the 14th century owing to the quality and accessibility of the local water supply, which is rich in lime sulphate after being pumped up from an underground lake of limestone water; it became second only to Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire as an English brewing centre.[1] Two of Tadcaster's three surviving breweries were founded by members of the Smith family.

The Old Brewery was established as the Backhouse & Hartley Brewery in 1758.[3][1] In 1847, John Smith purchased the small brewery with funding provided by his father,[4] a successful butcher and cattle dealer from Meanwood, Leeds, but soon built his own new brewery John Smith's, close by. John Smith's brother William, who ran the business after John's death in 1879, left the Old Brewery to his young nephew Samuel in 1886. However, Samuel inherited an empty building and its well, with all equipment having been moved to the New Brewery. Nevertheless, he was enabled by the buoyant beer industry to open Samuel Smith's Brewery under his own name and was able to compete with the established John Smith's Brewery.[3][5]

Samuel Smith beers in bottled form were a major influence on American craft brewers such as Goose Island and Brooklyn Brewery in the late 1970s and early 1980s, helped popularise classic British beer styles.[6][1]

Stables for the dray horses at the Old Brewery

The Old Brewery is both the oldest brewery in Yorkshire and the only surviving independent brewery in Tadcaster.[1] The smallest of the three modern-day Tadcaster breweries, Samuel Smith's is one of the few remaining British breweries to employ the traditional Yorkshire Square system, a method of fermentation developed in the 19th century to cleanse beer of yeast. Most modern squares are made of stainless steel but Smith’s prefers Welsh slate, which they feel helps keep natural carbonation entrained in the beer, imparting a creamier texture.[1]

Brewing water for ales and stouts is still drawn from the original 85 ft (26 m) well, sunk when the site was established in 1758,[2] 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 sense of history and tradition, the brewery keeps a small team of dapple-grey shire horses. Rather than being show horses, they are among the last active dray horses in the world; they deliver beer around the town of Tadcaster five days a week.[7] The brewery site has expanded over the years and is divided by Centre Lane. New Street separates it from the adjacent John Smith's Brewery.

Assorted keg beer taps (Dark Mild, Taddy Lager, Pure Brew Organic Lager)

Samuel Smith's Old Brewery Bitter pumps

A bottle of Imperial Stout, a vegan beer

Since discontinuing Museum Ale in the early 1990s, Samuel Smith's has brewed only one cask beer, Old Brewery Bitter (OBB). This is unusual in the British brewing industry, as most brewers will either produce a range of real ales or none at all.

The brewery also produces a range of brewery-conditioned beers. All its beers, with the exception of the Old Brewery Bitter and Yorkshire Stingo, are vegan.[8]

In the United States, Samuel Smith's bottled beers are imported by Merchant du Vin. In Norway, the beers are imported by Strag AS.[9] Samuel Smith's Organic Cider is available in bottles, while Cider Reserve is sold on draught in the UK. The brewery offers two draught milds, Dark Mild and Light Mild. The brewery used to produce a super strength Barley Wine called Strong Golden at 10.2%. A range of bottled fruit beers are available, flavoured with cherry, apricot or raspberry.

Best Bitter and Sovereign are the brewery's keg bitters. They introduced Double Four in late 2013, a 4% standard strength lager to bridge the gap between Alpine (2.8%) and Taddy Lager (4.5%). A wheat beer has been added to the draught product range, although few pubs stock it. Until 2006 Samuel Smith's used the brand name Ayingerbräu for its lagers and wheat beers, from the Ayinger Brewery. The pump for Ayingerbräu Lager featured a model of a Bavarian man inside a plastic box.[2]

Samuel Smith's operates over 200 pubs - including rural, suburban, inner-city and city-centre ones, with over 20 pubs in central London - 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. Irrespective of the location, the pubs are maintained in a traditional manner. Most incorporate multiple bars and rooms, often with a spartan public bar and a more plush lounge.[2] Samuel Smith's still delivers multiple-trip reusable bottles in beer crates.

In 2000, the "publicity-shy" company began removing the branding from its pubs and delivery vehicles,[10] making it difficult to determine the exact number it operates. Samuel Smith's public houses are distinctive in their plain appearance with limited signage or artwork. In November 2004, the company took the decision to ban music and televisions in its pubs, saving it from paying Performing Rights levy.[11]

The brewery's pubs now have centrally determined set menus from which individual pubs can select to create its menu. All portion sizes and serving practice. The company that produces the reheatable food is owned by the brewery. Further to the company phasing out brands, some pubs now sell Samuel Smith's branded crisps, peanuts, pork scratchings, and cheese biscuits.

In 2019, the brewery became further notorious for its prohibitions after introducing rules banning the use of mobile telephones, tablets, e-books and laptops within the indoor area of its pubs with the aim of removing activities that discouraged conversation. The ban also includes "pictures of sport".[12]

• 
  The Angel Inn, Briggate, Leeds
• 
  Old Red Lion, Leeds
• 
  Brown Hare, Harehills, Leeds
• 
  Fitzroy Tavern, London
• 
  Borough Bailiff (now the Commercial Hotel), Knaresborough, North Yorkshire
• 
  Sun Inn, Long Marston, North Yorkshire
• 
  Railway Inn, Spofforth, North Yorkshire
• 
  Tankard Inn, Rufforth, North Yorkshire
• 
  Crown Inn, Wetherby, West Yorkshire
• 
  Harewood Arms, Harewood, West Yorkshire
• 
  Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, City of London

Design of pubs

Interior of the Railway Inn in Spofforth, North Yorkshire showing decoration typical of Samuel Smiths pubs

Most of the Samuel Smith's pubs are traditional in their layout and decoration. Many have multiple rooms, most have a lounge and a tap room. Most Samuel Smith's pubs have traditional frosted windows for privacy; many decorated with stained glass. The interiors are often characterised with having either brown or beige walls or elaborate wall paper. Some have notable furniture such as the Crown Inn in Wetherby which has furniture by Robert Thompson or the Princess Louise in High Holborn with its unique booths around the bar.[13][14]

• 
  Bar of the Old Star, Clifford, West Yorkshire
• 
  Lounge of the White House in Featherstone, West Yorkshire
• 
  Fire place and dartboard at the Tankard Inn, Rufforth, North Yorkshire
• 
  Bar of the Radcliffe Arms, Follifoot
• 
  One of the characteristic booths at the Princess Louise in High Holborn
• 
  Interior of the Angel and White Horse, Tadcaster

The Junction Inn in Royton, the subject of a closure controversy

The GMB trade union has criticised the company for its treatment and sudden dismissal of pub managers, resulting in numerous employment tribunals.[15][16]

The brewery, under the direction of Humphrey Smith, is a major landowner within Tadcaster and a holder of many properties across England. Accusations of neglect to long-term empty properties were aired during a 2009 edition of BBC Inside Out Yorkshire & Lincolnshire. It also explored Smith's local power and disputes with Selby District Council, the local authority for Tadcaster, such as his pursuit of a number of planning application objections to judicial review stage at the council's cost.[16]

• British regional breweries using wooden casks

• Oliver, Garrett. 'The Brewmaster's Table: Discovering the Pleasures of Real Beer with Real Food.' New York: HarperCollins, 2005. ISBN 978-0-06-000571-9. Retrieved 10 December 2011.

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• Official website