BREWERS' GUARDIAN: Black Sheep 2.0

Black Sheep 2.0
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Larry Nelson on 10 February, 2010 03:46:00
 
Leadership of traditional family cask ale brewer Black Sheep has moved on to a
second generation, with company founder and managing director Paul Theakston
today naming his eldest son, Rob, as joint managing director.
Rob, 36, spent his summer holidays in the 1990s helping rebuild the brewery and
then learned about the science of brewing at Heriot-Watt University. He spent
two years as a brewer with Carlsberg’s Joshua Tetley brewery in Leeds before
returning to Black Sheep in 2007 as an assistant brewer.
Said Rob of his appointment, “Black Sheep has grown to be a well known brand
and we have survived probably the most turbulent times in British brewing
history, out-living many long-established brewers. I hope to continue this
success and innovation for years to come.”
Black Sheep came to life in Masham, North Yorkshire in 1992, with Paul
Theakston choosing an independent course after the family brewing business, T&R
Theakston, was acquired by Scottish & Newcastle. (Theakston regained its
independence in late 2003 when the business was required by other members of the
Theakston family. The Black Sheep and Theakston breweries sit cheek by jowl in
Masham.)
Black Sheep today brews in the region of 70,000 barrels. Two-thirds of the
output is cask ale, with this unique beer style recently described by Paul
Theakston as “our lifeblood and our passion.”
Paul Theakston boasts four sons, two of which have joined the family business.
The second, Jo, heads the marketing team and is responsible for bottled beer
sales.
The Theakston clan, from left: Jo Theakston holding his son Oliver; Paul
Theakston with his grandson George (Rob's son): and Rob Theakston with his
eldest child, Sam