A BREWERY has launched its first seasonal ale developed using its new small-scale production unit.

Masham-based Black Sheep Brewery has transferred Bighorn to its main brewhouse, which has a minimum run of 50 barrels from the microbrewery it launched in October, featuring the world’s smallest five-barrel Yorkshire Square fermenter.

The beer, which is made from a mixture of UK and American hops, takes its name from a breed of sheep found in the Rocky Mountains, in the United States.

A brewery spokeswoman said: “We are very proud of Bighorn as it is very different to anything else among our flock of beers, yet is still brewed using the traditional methods and Yorkshire Square fermenters we employ throughout the Black Sheep range.”