THERE is nothing "mildly mad" about York Brewery entering the Small Business of the Year category of the 2003 Evening Press Business of the Year Awards.

After all, York's famous private brewery in Toft Green has had its most successful year in its short history.

Last July, its Centurion's Ghost Ale was champion and gold medal winner at the Brewing Industry International Awards - the industry's "Oscars" - at The Guildhall in London. And in February, Yorkshire Terrier was awarded the silver medal in the Society of Independent Brewers North Beer competition.

The triumphs coincided with huge investment at the brewery, including increasing capacity by 20 per cent by installing a new 20-barrel fermenter, converting a storeroom into a head brewer's office, obtaining two new Mercedes Sprinter vehicles and tidying up a park.

Having set up the thriving pub outlet The Last Drop Inn in Colliergate, the York Brewery teamed up with Tynemill Ltd, a Nottingham brewery with 24 pubs, forming jointly The Mildly Mad Pub Co Ltd as a result of which The Three-Legged Mare at High Petergate came into being, and last July the brewery acquired The Queens in Lawrence Street, renaming it The Rook & Gaskill Inn. A fourth pub is planned in the next year.

Tony Thomson, managing director, foresees a 20 per cent increase in sales and marketing projects, increased trading with wholesalers for cask ales and establishing an export agreement in the US for bottled beers

Updated: 12:01 Tuesday, June 24, 2003