Whitakers in Otley celebrates its 200th guest cask ale

The occasion coincides with National Cask Ale Week which runs from 29 March to 5 April. Greg Mullholland MP for Leeds North West and a member of the all party beer group was on hand to pull the first pint.

To celebrate the event, Wayne and Melanie Green who run the pub have organised a “meet the Brewer” event with Phil Douglas from Black Sheep Brewery who will talk about beer and its history, the raw materials involved in its production and specifically how Black Sheep operates. This will be followed by a tasting session featuring their brand new Golden Sheep beer.

Wayne and Mel said “It seems only fitting that in a difficult time for the trade, with cask ale being one of the very few growing trends, that we mark the event with a local brewer who is having a nationwide impact with a range of fabulous products.  Although we are delighted to have had 200 different guest ales, the Black Sheep flock is always by far the most popular choice.”

Greg Mullholland said: "Cask Ale Week is a great opportunity to celebrate our national drink and I was delighted to be asked to pull the first pint of Golden Sheep in Whitaker's in Otley.  It was great to have Phil the brewer there and Golden Sheep is the 200th Ale that Whitaker's have put on. Black Sheep have done a lot to support towns and villages in Yorkshire and it was great to have them in Otley, supporting one of our excellent local pubs.  Sales of real ale continue to grow and I hope that Cask Ale Week will get even more people trying our national drink in pubs up and down the country".

Whitakers is a community pub based on the High Street in Otley, serving a mixed range of regular clientele from the village. Wayne and Melanie have been operating the pub since April 2007 and live on site with their 6 children.

Black Sheep has an active policy of supporting rural and community pubs by encouraging responsible drinking and through the establishment of the annual Boots and Beer Festival, originally devised to attract walkers back to the Dales after the foot and mouth outbreak in 2001. The Brewery prides itself on developing partnerships between the brewer and the licensee enabling them to fully nurture the pint all the way through to the customer’s glass. New customers have been attracted with the introduction of the Best Bitter fully illuminated ‘Dazzler’ hand pump.

Black Sheep beers remain one of the most popular choices for cask beers stocked in rural pubs. They also support a number of charity events in the Yorkshire region.