Take an armchair visit to a unique brewery, pub or other intoxicating venue that has a story you’ll love.
Yorkshire Square Brewery:
Gary Croft emigrated from Leeds, England to the United States in the 1980’s. Over time his desire for an England-style local pub to drink authentic British-style beer turned into a business plan. And with lots of work Gary’s vision eventually became Yorkshire Square Brewery, today’s #stayhome brewery tour.
Yorkshire Square Brewery specializes in English-style cask-conditioned ales, also known in England as real ales. As described by London’s Independent Real Ale Guide – “Real ale or cask-conditioned beer is a natural, living product. At the end of the production process – using the finest malted barley, hops, yeast and pure water – the beer is not filtered, pasteurized or artificially carbonated. It’s placed into casks (called firkins), often with extra hops for aroma, and delivered in unfinished form to pubs. Here the beer enjoys a secondary fermentation in cask that creates a full, mature flavor. In UK pubs, when the yeast has settled, the beer is drawn by the familiar hand-pump attached to a suction pump known as a beer engine. Some pubs without cellars still serve beer straight from the cask using a simple gravity tap.”
Yorkshire Square Brewery owner Gary Croft demonstrates how to pour the perfect cask ale
Cask-conditioned ales offer nuanced, complex aromas and flavors, presented gentler on the palate due to the natural fermentation. The process allows classic English ale styles to showcase their subtle flavors.
And cask ales are truly a work of brewing art and expertise. As pointed out by the cask aficionado Owen Ogletree, “Every small aspect of conditioning, handling, and aging can alter the profile of cask ale, so each cask can exhibit subtle differences.”
To create Yorkshire Square Brewery, Gary Croft needed an expert consultant to design the brewery and tasting room and he needed a brewer with proven expertise in creating English-style cask-conditioned beers. He found both in Andy Black.
Andy Black is obsessed with English brewing tradition. He learned the brewer’s craft by interning at breweries in England. When Andy met Gary Croft, he was working as brewmaster for Los Angeles’s first cask-focused brewery, MacLeod Ale Brewing Company. Eventually, Croft persuaded Black to come to Yorkshire Square. The pair worked together to design the brewery, develop beer concepts and strategize how best to lure beer drinkers into the British beer tradition. The strategy had to include educating beer drinkers about the unique qualities of cask-conditioned ale as well as to dispel the myth that cask-conditioned ale is “warm and flat”.
Head Brewer Andy Black discusses cask-conditioned ale and Yorkshire Square Brewery operations
Yorkshire Square Brewery opened May 2017 in Torrance, CA. And since their very first day, Yorkshire Square Brewery strives to deliver an unparalleled beer experience by brewing proper British beers and championing real cask ale.
“Cask ale is one of the few genuinely different, sublime experiences left in beer”, said Black. “Cask ale has a certain magic to it. It is either good to sublime or garbage. We create the good and better.”
You’ll find a wide range of classic British beer styles at Yorkshire Square Brewery and sometimes a few styles with a slight U.S. influence. “We offer a greater breadth and depth of British styles than you’ll find at most U.K. breweries”, says Black. Eight pumps at Yorkshire Square Brewery dispense Bitter, Pale Ale, Stout and even Dark Mild to fill your (proper) 20 ounce pint-glass.
You’ll find a wide range of English-style beers at Yorkshire Square Brewery
To focus on brewing cask ales in the U.S. requires not only specialized expertise but also determination, belief, guts, and a notable rebellious streak. Andy Black possesses all those traits. Determined to protect “a key heritage of beer”, Andy Black works tirelessly to create and present cask ale at its finest. In fact, Andy’s efforts have resulted in Yorkshire Square Brewery receiving Cask Marque Accreditation. Cask Marque is an independent agency that audits breweries and pubs to ensure that the cask ale you drink in pubs (usually in the UK) is in perfect condition.
The tap room of the brewery and restaurant imparts a bit of an England collided with Southern California vibe but in a way that actually works. And don’t be surprised to find an English soccer (uh, I mean football) game on the television.
Don’t miss visiting Yorkshire Square Brewery. You’ll find a friendly pub environment that delivers English-style beers that are authentic, filled with richness and depth of flavor, and very quaffable.
