BREWERY bosses have been raising a glass to a decade in business in which they have exceeded even their own expectations.

Paul Theakston had his sights set no higher than survival in 1992 when he took on the might of Scottish and Newcastle, after it acquired his family's Masham-based firm.

But, today, an estimated 250,000 pints of Black Sheep are sold every week and the company has plans to expand at its North Yorkshire base with new jobs also a strong possibility.

Sales and marketing director Patrick Green said the Black Sheep phenomena was as much down to good fortune as planning.

"We rode in on a wave when we started selling bottled beer in the supermarkets - because we started with Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury sat up and took notice and it went from there,'' he said.

He said the Theakston name and the location of the brewery in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales had also proved strong selling points which have contributed to the Black Sheep success story.

To celebrate, Black Sheep will be on sale at 1992 prices at selected pubs next week.

Mr Green said: "We don't have the capacity to brew a special beer, so we thought the next best thing to do was turn back the clock with our prices."