In 1666 an early "Yankee" named Nicholas Cottrell, together with a group of other settlers, purchased land from the native Narragansett Indians which would eventually become known as the town of Westerly Rhode Island. Long after the establishment of the town, in 1855, a descendent of Nicholas named Calvert B. Cottrell formed a manufacturing company in Pawcatuck Connecticut, on the other side of the small river across from Westerly.  C.B. Cottrell & Sons, Inc., gained a worldwide reputation as manufacturers of printing presses. With over 100 patents, the Cottrell Company revolutionized printing so much that there was scarcely a magazine or periodical of any standing issued in the United States that was not printed on a Cottrell press in the late 19th and early 20th century.

Now, many years later, the great, great grandson of C.B. Cottrell, Charles Cottrell Buffum, Jr., a native of Westerly, is pleased to offer Cottrell Brewing Company's flagship product, Old Yankee Ale.  Old Yankee is brewed and bottled within the old factory walls and with the same pride and attention to quality that generations of Cottrells put into their presses for over 100 years. Occupying 9000 square feet of the former 350,000 square foot factory, the brewery's present annual production capacity is about 2000 barrels, primarily made for the southern New England marketplace.

The new company was formed in 1996, and is family owned by Charles and his wife Ann. Together with Head Brewer, Woody Culpepper, himself a local Yankee from Charleston Rhode Island, the company aims to provide only products that are fresh, full of character, and at the top of their class. The first shipment of Old Yankee was on February 28th, 1997, when the first keg was "rolled" a few hundred yards down the street to the local watering hole and tapped to the cheers of an enthusiastic local crowd. The ale has since become the local beer of choice in Connecticut and Rhode Island.