Samuel Smith

The Old Brewery at Tadcaster was founded in 1758 and is Yorkshire’s oldest brewery. Samuel Smith is one of the few remaining independent breweries in England, and further is the last to utilize the classic Yorkshire Square system of fermentation solely in stone squares.

The rich Samuel Smith strain of yeast at The Old Brewery dates from the early 1900s. Hops are hand-weighed by the master hop blender, and the brewing water is drawn from a well sunk over 200 years ago.

First introduced to the U.S. market in 1978 by Merchant du Vin, Samuel Smith beers quickly became the benchmark ales for the emerging craft beer movement. To this day, they remain among the most awarded.

All Samuel Smith beers are vegan products, you can learn more at Samuel Smith.

Oatmeal Stout


Almost opaque, with an unusually silky texture and complex, medium-dry velvet palate. Bittersweet finish.

Originally a drink for lactating mothers, oatmeal stout was described as nutritional on early labels. Oats are in the same family as barley, and a small addition yields great flavor. Popular in the late 1800’s, the last oatmeal stout was brewed before the First World War until Samuel Smith reintroduced this style in 1980. 5%ABV


Nut Brown Ale


Walnut-like color and palate of hazelnuts. Wonderful balance of roasted crystal malt and aromatic hops. Long clean finish.

Brown ale is a walnut-colored specialty of the North of England. A festive-occasion beer, brown ale is one of the oldest English brewing styles, mentioned in literature in the 16th century. While Nut Brown Ale contains no nuts, it has a round, nutty flavor from dark malt and because of the Yorkshire Square system of fermentation. 5% ABV


Old Brewery Pale Ale


Captures the soul of beer. It has a fresh maltiness that reminds you that good beer is a product of the soil. Beautiful balance of malt and fresh hops.

Beers were dark before the Industrial Revolution. With the introduction of inexpensive clear drinking vessels, translucent beers became fashionable. When this sparkling amber beer was produced, it was declared pale to differentiate it from porter. Many modern breweries consider pale ale to be their flagship beer. 5% ABV


Taddy Porter


Very dark, fairly full in body and packed with flavor. Intense, dry tangy character of roasted barley. Rich chocolate color. A world classic porter.

Porter was the first commercially brewed beer. It was named for the train porters who were its original servers and consumers. Samuel Smith’s Old Brewery, Yorkshire’s oldest, reintroduced authentic porter to the British beer scene in 1979 after an absence of more than 50 years. 5% ABV


Indian Ale


Amber color, with a restrained maltiness and an emphasis on the aroma and flavor of hops from England’s finest hop gardens.

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, there was a considerable trade in beer to India. Leaving the India Docks in London, ships would sail around the Cape of Good Hope through the Indian Ocean to Bombay and beyond, a three- to four-month trip. Highly hopped pale beers brewed to withstand the trip became known as “IPA,” India Pale Ale. 5% ABV


Imperial Stout


Opaque, ebony color with rich espresso-like depth. Roasted barley aroma and palate, firm structure, balanced with intense hoppiness.

Russian Imperial Stout was originally brewed in Great Britain to satisfy the Czarist courts, who were great connoisseurs of Champagne, caviar and the art of the table. Because it was transported across the freezing Baltic, Russian Imperial Stout was brewed with a high level of alcohol. 7% ABV


Pure Brewed Lager


Rich golden color; delightful floral bouquet; and light, fresh flavor that suggests newly-mown hay.

Samuel Smith is most famous for ales, but it also offers what is described as “England’s finest lager.” The all-malt beer is brewed in a separate brew house using bottom-fermenting yeast. Rohan Daft, the author of Daft about Lager, calls it “One of the best British brewed lagers on the market from the company that knows a thing or two about its craft.” 5% ABV


Organic Ale


A delicately flavored golden ale in which subtle fruity esters from the Samuel Smith yeast strain interact with a background of maltiness and fresh hops.

Reminiscent of early 20th century brews not only in the brewing process and flavor, but in the label design as well. The barley malt and aromatic hops used to brew Samuel Smith Organic Ale are all grown by registered farmers. USDA Certified Organic by the UK Soils Association and – like all Samuel Smith beers – vegan. 5% ABV


Organic Lager


A full-bodied lager, a touch hoppier than many lagers yet perfectly balanced by malt backbone. Lots of fruity hop character and fragrance.

Lightly kilned Certified Organic malt grown in the United Kingdom is the main ingredient in this crisp, beautifully-conditioned lager, but there is also a substantial addition of organic Vienna malt from Germany and organic hops from New Zealand. USDA Certified Organic by the UK Soils Association. 5% ABV