There have also been several reports over the years of managers being suddenly dismissed, often for alleged breaches of the rules the brewery imposed.
A number of the firm’s pubs have also been closed, often at short notice, and, in some cases, left standing empty for many years.
Last year, The Abbey, a Samuel Smith pub in Derby, abruptly closed with a handwritten note placed on the door saying the brewery owner was unhappy about photos of it being shared online.
Multiple sources told the the landlords were informed by the brewery that they had broken policies and were dismissed with immediate effect.
In 2024, The Shoulder of Mutton in the centre of Bradford also shut unexpectedly, with the brewery refusing to share the reason why.
At the time, Bradford’s CAMRA branch secretary Kate Ahern said that the closure was part of a “pattern” of unexplained losses of Samuel Smith’s licensed premises.
Samuel Smith Old Brewery caused a stir once again, when bikers were barred from The Royal Oak at Ulley, near Rotherham.
Punters were greeted by a member of staff in the car park and told, ‘I can’t serve you, we’ve barred bikes’.