Harrogate-based Rooster’s Brewing Co. is celebrating a milestone anniversary for Yankee, its flag ship pale ale, which was first released 30 years ago, blazing a trail that has since left an indelible mark on the UK craft beer scene.
Hatched in 1993, at a time when most ales on the market were brown, Rooster’s fast developed a reputation for brewing ground-breaking, hop-forward pale ales that showcase exciting new hops from the USA. Their flagship pale ale, Yankee™, named in recognition of its ground-breaking use of Cascade hops, soon started to attract the attention of judges at beer festivals across the UK, racking up countless awards along the way.
First brewed by Rooster’s founding brewer, Sean Franklin, in 1993, Yankee revolutionised British craft brewing by introducing drinkers to new hop varieties from the USA and in doing so, developed a new style of Pale Ale at the same time. With a light and refreshing character, Yankee showcases the magnificent floral and citrus fruit aromas of the Cascade hop, sourced from the renowned Yakima Valley in Washington State, USA, projected against a backdrop of soft Yorkshire water and Golden Promise pale malt.
To commemorate 30 years of Yankee and to tie in with Independence Day, Rooster’s is offering 30% off the beer via www.roosters.co.uk on July 4th using code YANKEE30. This discount applies to cans, mini casks, mini kegs and bag in boxes, subject to availability, and will run until 11.59pm July 4th.
Still going strong and winning awards three decades later, Yankee holds a special place in the hearts of beer lovers across generations. As Tom Fozard, Rooster’s Commercial Director, states in Matthew Curtis’s book Modern British Beer: “Yankee is enjoyed by people now in their sixties and seventies who have been drinking it for several decades, as much as it is by younger drinkers who are setting out on their voyage of beer discovery. It’s a modern Pale Ale that’s capable of being both a gateway beer and a conjurer of Proustian memories.”
In the broader context of brewing history in the UK, Yankee’s impact cannot be overstated. Its early use of American hops paved the way for the evolution of a vibrant landscape of modern British brewing, that has grown and developed beyond Rooster’s and across the industry as a whole.
Since taking over the brewery from Franklin in 2011, the Fozard family, who continued Rooster’s legacy of being an independent family owned business, have upheld the rich legacy of the flagship beer, with the dedication and passion invested in this iconic beer resulting in a series of notable achievements over the years.
Previously only ever available in cask, Rooster’s became one of the breweries in the UK to invest in a canning line in 2014 and included Yankee as part of their early foray into the small pack market in January 2015, simultaneously releasing the beer in keg for the first time too. Since winning its first award in 1994, Yankee has continued to scoop major accolades and in recent years won a Silver award in the keg category at the prestigious International Brewing Awards in 2017, as well as Gold award at the SIBA National Beer Competition in 2019.
In 2018, it was nominated, shortlisted, and ultimately crowned the Product of the Year at the revered Yorkshire Life Food & Drink Awards, showcasing its popularity and appeal among consumers in particular.
The same year M&S selected the beer as part of a range refreshment, with Sainsbury’s following suit, helping Yankee to reach an even wider audience. The beers is currently stocked by Morrisons and is also available to buy direct from brewery via www.roosters.co.uk.
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For further information, please contact Tom Fozard on tom@roosters.co.uk or 01423 222312.
Rooster’s Brewing Co. www.roosters.co.uk
Notes to Editors
About Rooster’s Brewing Company
Rooster’s Brewing Co. has always been an independent, family-run brewery, focussed on creating quality new world pale ales, with an emphasis on flavour and aroma.
It was established in 1993 by the pioneering brewer Sean Franklin, who developed a new style of beer that had, up to that point, never been tried in the UK before. At a time when most breweries were taking flavour out, Sean was trying to put more in, using imported flavourful hops from the west coast of America.
His pioneering and innovative approach began to turn heads, with Rooster’s flavour-packed beers standing out in a sea of brown beer – with its flagship pale ale, Yankee, leading the way. The awards began to pour in, with Rooster’s beers winning gold medals at the biggest and most renowned international and national beer awards.
Having won pretty much everything there was to win, in 2011 Sean decided to retire and chose to sell the brewery to Ian Fozard and his sons, Tom and Oliver, in a move that ensured Rooster’s would remain a family-owned brewery.
Ian has had an affinity with beer for over forty years, having been an active member of CAMRA since the 1970s and the founder of Market Town Taverns, which grew into a portfolio of 15 bars and pubs across Yorkshire.
Oliver, who has been brewing professionally since 2000, became the head brewer at Rooster’s, and Tom, also an active brewer, became the company’s commercial director. Oliver was awarded Brewer of the Year in December 2020 by the British Guild of Beer Writers.
In 2018, it became clear that Rooster’s was rapidly outgrowing its site in Knaresborough and in 2019 the decision was made to invest in a new state-of-the-art brewery and taproom. Finding the right location, that offered Rooster’s the opportunity to become part of the fabric of the local community wasn’t easy, but the team were delighted when the perfect space became available at Hornbeam Park in Harrogate. Over the course of 2019 and the early part of January 2020, the company created a bespoke, state-of-the-art facility that it now calls home, in a move that saw it return to the town where Rooster’s was first started some twenty-seven years earlier.
For further information, please contact Tom Fozard on tom@roosters.co.uk or 01423 222312.
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