Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster)

4.94/5  rDev +12.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5

I visited a while ago; about 1984. It was on a trip with a society from the nearby University of Leeds. There must have been about 20 of us making an evening of it. We did an escorted tour seeing where barrels are made (ie the cooperage), seeing up close all the various ingredients, then around the building with huge brewing vats. I can still visualise it now it was fascinating. We ended in a small quite spartan whitewashed cellar-type bar with simple chairs and tables and a short bar-top with a few 'hand-pull' beer pumps. The guide announced 'You've all been well behaved this evening and now [to much anticipation] it's time for the free sampling of the finished products'. It gets rather blurry from here on. I believe we could have a pint or two and after that the understanding was that we might be expected to leave. Any employees/staff at that point appeared to be absent and several hours later, with us having been leaning over the bar-top (from the front) 'reverse pumping' ourselves pints, we staggered out of there, having had both a great evening and my only claim to having had an authentic P-up in a brewery. Naturally I've been an ardent fan of theirs to this day, and am always pleased to be able to find their beers regionally and abroad.
A pint of Old Brewery Bitter still gives me amused nostalgic flashbacks. I am prompted to write this years later having visited one of their pubs Cittie of York on Holborn in London this week and once again enjoying their beers and hospitality.

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