On a warm sunny day in July, 18 members of the club assembled in the visitor centre at the Black Sheep brewery in Masham, Yorkshire. We were met by Emma from the visitor centre, and introduced to head brewer Dan and company Chairman Andy. The visitor centre offers a range of tasty food and all of the Black Sheep beers are available on cask.
At 1.00pm the tour commenced with an introductory talk from Dan. He explained the history of the brewery and outlined the brewing process. We then spent around 45 minutes touring the various rooms that make up the brewery, seeing the process stages from when the malt is first introduced, right through to where the casks are filled.
Head brewer Dan explaining the history of the brewery and the brewing process.
Viewing the mash tuns in the brewhouse.
After the tour, Dan led us through a tasting session where we had an opportunity to try all of the cask Black Sheep beers currently produced. For each one, he talked us through the details of the ingredients, including the types of malt and hops used.
Club members enjoying a beer tasting session following their brewery visit.
The company Chairman, Andy Slee, spoke to us and emphasised how grateful he was for the support shown to the company by the club. Our most recent investment was made a few months before lockdown, and funded the installation of an in-house packaging line, which proved invaluable when lockdown drove consumption patterns away from the pub and into the home.
Overall, a very successful day where we were made to feel very welcome as valued investors.
Viewing the copper kettle in the brewhouse.
Report by Ian Brindley – CMIC Committee Member