Black Sheep Brewery Theakston left in 1988, and after a hiatus of more than a year purchased the North Yorkshire Malt Roasting Company, originally part of the former Lightfoot's brewery site, from an animal feed company, in order to start a new brewery in Masham. Theakston wanted to use the Lightfoot name to bring back an old brewing tradition, but Scottish and Newcastle had already trademarked the name. The association of Masham with sheep led Theakston to come up with the name "Sheep Brewery" which rapidly became "Black Sheep" at his wife's suggestion. The first and original Black Sheep Best Bitter was sold
The Black Sheep Cafe The Black Sheep Cafe The Black Sheep Cafe is an all ages music venue in Springfield, Illinois. The Black Sheep opened for its first shows in September 2005, and since then has become a notable venue in the Springfield, Illinois music scene. The venue is a drug and alcohol free space and is also entirely volunteer-ran. The Black Sheep hosts many shows each month, and a few big annual events including Black Sheep Fest and Dumb Fest in the summer. The Black Sheep Cafe was founded in 2005 under four owners, in aim of creating an all-ages music space in