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
Wye Valley Brewery a short walk from the canal basin and Stourport town centre, The Black Star reopened as a Wye Valley Brewery pub in October 2014 and now provides all the comforts of a traditional pub in a truly beautiful setting – an extensive food menu and a selection of Wye Valley Brewery ales. Just a short walk from the centre of Hereford, The Britannia has a large beer garden and recently refurbished spacious bar. Like all of Wye Valley Brewery's pubs, you can expect a good choice of our ales, as well as a selection of freshly made sandwiches and pork