Theakston Brewery company acquired and closed down the Lightfoot Brewery, also in Masham. Theakston's expanded into Cumbria in 1974 buying the Carlisle State Management Brewery. The brewery had been owned and operated by the government since 1916. However, the site was a financial drain on Theakston's and led to the company being taken over in 1984 by Blackburn based brewer, Matthew Brown plc. Matthew Brown was itself taken over by Scottish & Newcastle in 1987. Paul Theakston (Managing Director since 1968) left Theakston's in 1988, and in 1992 established the Black Sheep Brewery in the old Lightfoot Brewery premises - located adjacent
Black Isle Brewery through the WWOOF programme. Black Isle Brewery Black Isle Brewery Ltd. is an organic brewery on the Black Isle, in the Highland region of Scotland, near the village of Munlochy. The brewery makes a variety of beers including Yellowhammer, Red Kite Ale, Goldfinch Porter and Scotch Ale. All of their beers are organic and suitable for vegetarians, as they do not use isinglass in the brewing process. The brewery manufactures organic beers using ingredients and produce from its own organic farm and other organic suppliers. The company is heavily involved in the organic movement and supports this by offering volunteer