This Father’s Day, we raise a glass to one of our partner: Theakston, the legendary family Yorkshire brewery that’s been pulling pints since 1827.
Theakston is one of Britain’s oldest independent family brewing companies, founded in the Yorkshire Dales market town of Masham and still run by direct descendants of founder Robert Theakston. It’s a partnership that pairs nearly 200 years of brewing heritage with the same commitment to provenance we champion in everything we serve.
Theakston: A Yorkshire Institution Rooted in Masham
Long before “local” became a marketing word, Theakston was just… local. Robert Theakston started brewing in the cellar of the Black Bull Inn, Masham, back in 1827, and by 1840 had built a proper brewhouse behind it – quite possibly the country’s first purpose-built brewpub. The current Victorian tower brewery on Paradise Fields has turned out ale since 1875 and remains the heart of the operation today.
A Brewing Legacy Built on Family
What sets Theakston apart isn’t only the beer – it’s who’s making it.
Five Generations Strong: The brewery is still controlled by direct descendants of founder Robert Theakston, who guide every brew with his original passion for quality ingredients.
A Dying Craft, Kept Alive: Theakston is one of the last breweries in Britain with a full-time, on-site cooper, hand-crafting oak casks the traditional way – a four-year apprenticeship marked by a centuries-old “Trussing-In” ceremony.
Roots in the Community: From the Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival to the Nidderdale Cricket League, Theakston has spent decades putting money and energy back into Yorkshire life.
Nearly 200 Years of Independent Brewing
In 2003, the Theakston family did something almost unheard of in British brewing: they bought their own company back. After a 1980s family dispute saw control pass to national owners, Simon Theakston and his brothers negotiated the buy-back from Scottish & Newcastle – believed to be a first in modern British brewing history.
Legendary Ales, Brewed the Traditional Way
At the centre of it all sits Old Peculier, the rich, dark old ale that’s won over drinkers since the early 1800s and is now savoured well beyond Yorkshire’s borders. Alongside it, the modern Theakston range spans cask-conditioned classics, premium keg, bottle and can – proof a brewery steeped in tradition can still keep pace with how people drink today.
Experience the Best of Yorkshire Food and Ale
This partnership means guests across Provenance Collection’s pubs and inns can settle in with a proper pint of Yorkshire heritage, the perfect match for our locally sourced menus.
Old Peculier: A dark, complex old ale with notes of liquorice, treacle and dark fruit – best enjoyed slowly, the way it’s meant to be drunk.
Best Bitter: A classic, sessionable bitter, well-balanced and easy-drinking – the pint that built Theakston’s reputation in the first place.
Cask Conditioning: The Traditional Art
Unlike keg beer, cask ale keeps fermenting in the barrel after it leaves the brewery, developing flavour right up until it’s poured. It’s a slower, more hands-on way of brewing that demands real skill in the cellar – exactly why Theakston has spent generations perfecting it.
This Father’s Day, the Tour’s on Us
This Father’s Day, we’ve partnered with Theakston to give you the opportunity to discover Theakston first-hand: every father, grandfather and father figure dining with us on the day will receive a voucher for a complimentary Theakston Brewery Tour. As a Yorkshire Father & Son family business ourselves, we couldn’t think of a better partner to mark the occasion with.
