Harrogate Town and Black Sheep Brewery launch new beer

Harrogate Town FC and Black Sheep Brewery in Masham have collaborated to launch a new beer.

Called Yellow Black Army, the launch is part of the brewery’s official sponsorship of the club.

The beer, which is a session IPA, will be available to buy online and from the club’s shop on Commercial Street from Monday.

Simon Weaver, manager of Harrogate Town, said:

“I’m sure our fans will be delighted to be able to drink our very own, official beer.

“Just like our club, Black Sheep does things its own way and has created a unique sense of identity in the process. We can’t wait to see our fans’ response to Yellow Black Army, and give them another chance to enjoy how far our club has come in recent years.”

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Charlene Lyons, chief executive of Black Sheep Brewery said:

“We’ve been working really hard behind-the-scenes to create a beer that perfectly encapsulates the essence of Harrogate Town AFC, and we think fans will absolutely love the final result.

“Given the club’s recent promotion to the Football League for the first time in its history, we felt it was only right to celebrate Harrogate Town’s success in true Black Sheep fashion – with its very own, official beer.

“Our deal with Harrogate Town is the first time Black Sheep has sponsored a football club.”

The sponsorship deal is for two years with an option to extend. It’s the first time the company has sponsored a football club.

Masham brewery brings back tours after 18 months

A brewery in Masham has started offering tours again, 18 months after coronavirus restrictions forced them to stop.

Black Sheep Brewery has announced the tours will return on Wednesday next week. The last one took place on March 19 last year.

Tours last about an hour and run daily at 11am, 12.30pm, 2pm and 3.30pm. They cost £9.95 for an adult, £8.50 for seniors and students and £4.95 for children.

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The tour starts with a look at the history of the company, including a short video featuring its founders Paul and Rob Theakston.

They left Masham’s other famous brewery, Theakston, to set up Black Sheep.

The guide then takes people to the brewhouse to show how the beer is made before finishing at the bar.

Spaces are limited so Black Sheep advises people to book in advance by calling 01765 680101 or 01765 680100 for large group bookings.

Masham’s Black Sheep Brewery signs renewable energy deal

Black Sheep Brewery has signed a three-year deal with a biogas company to create renewable energy.

The Masham-based brewery has made the agreement with Warrens Group, which recycles food waste into energy.

Warrens Group will buy items such as spent grains, hops and yeast, as well as food waste from Black Sheep’s visitor centre restaurant, and use them to make biogas and fuel its fleet of gas-powered vehicles.

The partnership aims to support sustainability at Black Sheep and create a new income stream from the by-products of the brewing process.

Warrens Group, which has a recycling facility in County Durham, uses a process called anaerobic digestion to produce gas, which is then used as fuel, either for grid resources such as heat and electricity generation or as biofuels for vehicles.

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Black Sheep said the deal will support the brewery’s ambition to use 100 per cent renewable energy in the production of its range of beers and lager in line with the retail and wholesale industries’ targets for reducing environmental impact from within its supply chains.

Dan Scott-Paul, head brewer at Black Sheep Brewery, said: 

“Demonstrating that 100 percent of our brewing by-products will support renewable energy generation is an important part of our contribution to an environmentally conscious food and drink industry.

“It also puts us on the road to our ambition of brewing using only renewable energy, some of which will be generated by the waste products we provide.”