Split by a feud
The Family Feud
Origin: The business was originally built up by John Smith in the mid-19th century. Upon his death in 1879, his will left his personal estate to his brothers William and Samuel, while entailing his real estate to Samuel's heirs.
The Split: Fearing he would lose everything he helped build, William transferred the brewing equipment, the trade name, and the core operations of the brewery to a newly built "New Brewery" across the road before his death. This left Samuel's son (also named Samuel) with the old, largely empty brewery.
The Rivalry: Refusing to back down, Samuel re-equipped the old site and reopened it in 1886 as Samuel Smith's Old Brewery, kicking off a bitter, century-long competition right next door to John Smith's.
John Smith'sOwnership: Following various corporate acquisitions over the decades, John Smith's is now owned by Heineken UK.Focus: It is a mass-market, globally distributed brand, most famous for its smooth ales, such as John Smith's Extra Smooth.Style: Brewed on an industrial scale, its modern variants are formulated for mass consumption rather than traditional cask brewing.
Samuel Smith'sOwnership: Often referred to as "Sam Smith's", the brewery is fiercely independent and was managed by the fiercely traditional, late family patriarch Humphrey Smith.Focus: Famous for producing traditional, high-quality British ales, porters, and stouts using historic methods, such as the open Yorkshire Square fermentation system.Pub Chain: Samuel Smith's owns a highly recognizable, strictly traditional pub estate across the UK. Their pubs are notorious for their highly preserved, historic interiors, strict rules (no swearing, no electronic devices in certain rooms), and exclusive pouring of their own products
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Only retired at Xmas. Sad news,,...[more]