Brewery of the Day: Timothy Taylor

There aren’t many breweries that can look back on more than 165 years of history and still feel like they’re moving forward. Timothy Taylor’s is one of them. Founded in Keighley in 1858 and brewing at Knowle Spring since 1863, it has remained fiercely independent and family-owned through five generations. That’s quite an achievement in itself, but what we really love is that Taylor’s has never treated its heritage as an excuse to stand still. It has built an incredibly loyal following over the years, grown from a Yorkshire favourite into a name recognised in pubs across the country, and continues to invest in the brewery and, importantly, in cask.

And this month there’s a new look to go with it. Taylor’s has unveiled its first major brand refresh in more than a decade, with a rather lovely British racing green taking centre stage across its pump clips, glassware and bottles. We think they’ve got the balance just right: it feels fresh and contemporary without losing any of the character that makes Taylor’s, well, Taylor’s. The brewery says the aim is to carry the best of its 168-year history forward – and that feels particularly fitting during Cask Ale Week.

There was another reason Timothy Taylor’s caught our attention this week. Writing in The Good Food Guide, beer writer Pete Brown makes a brilliant case for cask as Britain’s “original craft beer” – fresh, living beer that isn’t truly finished until it reaches the pub. His visit to Taylor’s gets right to the heart of why this brewery has earned such a following: an almost obsessive attention to detail and a determination to do things properly rather than simply doing what’s easiest. At a time when we’re encouraging more people to discover just how special great cask beer can be, we can’t think of a more fitting Brewery of the Day.

Discover more: Visit the Timothy Taylor’s website and read Pete Brown’s excellent “Cask ale: Britain’s original craft beer” in The Good Food Guide.