The Old Brewery - Tadcaster

Samuel Smith's

In July of 1994, Karen and I visited The Old Brewery - Tadcaster, where they brew Samuel Smith's beers. Tadcaster is a town southwest of York, and is the home of three breweries (John Smith's Magnet Brewery [Courage] and a small Bass brewery are the other two). Judging from the streetside exterior, shown here, you would never guess that this is a brewery, especially as traditionally-minded a brewery as the one at which they make Samuel Smith's. In fact, we drove past the brewery three times and if I hadn't stopped to take a picture of John Smith's Magnet Brewery down the street, I may have never noticed that the buildings we were seeking were right in front of us!

Built in 1758, The Old Brewery -Tadcaster is the oldest surviving brewery in Yorkshire and one of the oldest in all of England. Here they make probably the widest ranges of beers of any English brewery (thanks, in part, to the efforts of their US importer, Charlie Finkel):

The best place to taste Samuel Smith's beers is undoubtedly at The Angel and White Horse, the pub adjacent to the brewery. The archway directly below the pub sign leads to the stables where the shire horses that pull the drays are kept. Weather permitting, you can enjoy your pints at several round white tables which share a courtyard with the stables.