is one of the oldest family-owned breweries in Britain. It was founded in 1758 in the Yorkshire town of Tadcaster, where beer has been produced since the 14th century with the aid of water pumped up 85 feet from an underground lake of limestone water. The importance of the water supply gave Tadcaster the nickname of “the Burton of the North” because Burton-on-Trent in the Midlands is also famous for excellent brewing water.

Tadcaster today has three breweries: a former Bass brewery owned by Molson Coors and two breweries named Smith, John and Samuel. The Smiths come from the same family but a major disagreement early in the 20th century led to John Smith opening a rival plant in the town.

Samuel Smith Old Brewery playing card, c. 1920. pike microbrewery museum, seattle, wa

Sam Smith’s, as the company is popularly called, is fiercely traditional. It owns more than 200 pubs and delivers to those close to Tadcaster with horse-drawn drays. It is one of the few remaining brewers to use “Yorkshire Squares,” a method of fermentation developed in the 19th century to cleanse beer of yeast. See yorkshire square. Most modern squares are made from stainless steel but Smith’s prefers Welsh slate, which they feel helps keep natural carbonation entrained in the beer, imparting a creamier texture.

Sam Smith’s Old Brewery bitter—labeled Old Brewery pale ale in the bottle—is a classic Yorkshire pale ale, brewed with pale and crystal malts and hopped with English Fuggles and Goldings. The brewery is also acclaimed for its bottled Oatmeal stout, Imperial stout, and Taddy porter (Taddy is a diminutive of Tadcaster). The brewery also brews a bottled brown ale, organic lager, and alpine lager. For many American craft brewers in the 1980s and early 1990s, Samuel Smith’s beers were a singular touchstone and helped popularize classic British beer styles. The brewery is also famous for eccentric behavior. In the early 2000s, they removed all branding and music from their pubs and their delivery trucks became free of logos. Even in the main street of Tadcaster, a casual observer might not notice the brewery at all, hidden as it is behind an unmarked door.