Our History
Beer has been brewed in Cropton since 1613. The early brews were illegal, and any wrong do-ers were sent to York Gaol. It's likely that the local women helped in the production of the earlier beers, and the 'Ale Wives' as they were known, were often cursed if they produced a bad brew.
In 1984, the ancient craft of brewing returned to the village when Cropton Brewery was established in the cellars of the New Inn. Customers enjoyed the first brew of 'Two Pints' to such an extent that extra beer was produced to supply outlets further afield.
In 1994, the brewery was built at 'Woolcroft', the farmland behind the New Inn. Within a year production had doubled. The same year saw the introduction of their first bottle-conditioned beer.
The Brewing Process
The water, which is heated to 72c, half fills the 'Mash Tun' to which pale malt is added and crystal malt. (for darker beers we also add chocolate and roated malts). This is allowed to rest for 2 hours, during which period all of the sugar is extracted from the malt.
This sweet coloured liquid known as 'Wort' is then transferred to the copper where it is heated to boiling point. Once boiling, hops are added for bitterness. After another hour more hops are added (this time for aroma) which helps to take the edge off the bitterness.
The 'Hopped Wort' is then transferred via a cooler into a fermenting vessel where yeast is added. Yeast turns the sugar (which was previously extracted from the malt) into alcohol and after 3-5 days we have our beer.
