Founded in 1827, and still run by the Theakston family (despite a spell in the ownership of global brewer Scottish & Newcastle), Theakston's has long been one of Yorkshire's most famous breweries. Old Peculier, its best-known ale, takes its name from the Peculier of Masham, a medieval parish court established to deal with offences such as drunkenness and brawling. There's a visitor centre that doubles as a bar, and four tours a day (five in August) of the traditional gravity-fed brewery works.