Cornish Brewery News

In Stithians, the newly-installed tiny Bathtub Brewery has started brewing on site.  Some experimental brews have already appeared over the bar in the village pub, and following the success of Pete's Porter (story, above) a strong bitter has been developed and is currently maturing nicely for a January launch.  Based on an earlier trial version called Wasted which made its debut at the pub in September, it has been through several iterations (via, recently, a 'Wasted Version 2.2), to its current incarnation as Wasted 3.

The newly-revivified Wooden Hand Brewery at Grampound Road goes from strength to strength, is adding a fourth beer to their portfolio.  Called Cornish Buccaneer,  it is a 4.3% abv brew which for some reason will be sold over the border in Devon as such, but will be available in Cornwall with a different name!  The other three beers produced by ex-Redruth Brewery employees Kevin Frantham and Mel Hill are Cornish Mutiny (4.8%abv, their first brew), Smugglers' Gold, a lighter beer at 3.6%abv that has sold well in spite of limited fine weather; and Black Pearl (4.3%), not a dark bber as its name implies but a best bitter aimed at the likes of Doom Bar and Betty Stogs drinkers.  The brewery's premises, the original Ventonwyn Brewery site, was too cramped for everything that Kev and Mel want to do, so they have acquired another industrial unit close by where they can store the beer for maturing.

Sharp's Brewery has been going all out recently to expand its operation both within the county and beyond.  Sales have gone up 30% during the autumn quarter of 2004 compared with the same period in 2003, presumably as a result of their new sales team operating all over the south-west, as far up as Swindon  so far.  The brewery has installed 6 new fermenters, and plan to have doubled plant capacity to 100 barrels by this time next year with further work planned for the winter months.

Skinner's Brewery in Truro are now looking to take forward plans to instal two more fermenters in the brewhouse.  This will be the first stage in a move into keg lager to satisfy the demands of the surfing fraternity.  It has made the occasional appearance in cask form as Cornish Storm, but the plant looks likely to handle a keg version of Pennycomequick Stout as well, which may rival Guinness in some of the local pubs.

St. Austell Brewery  are planning to brew Admiral's Ale again after a long period of absence and its successful appearance at Falmouth beer festival; the plan is to sell it in bottled form to be launched before Easter, but with a cask-conditioned draught version available on a seasonal basis, in the summer.  Its strength is 5.0%abv.

The Driftwood Spars Brewery recently stopped dry-hopping its Cuckoo Ale, which has reportedly improved the flavour.  Keltek Brewery continues to be very busy, selling everything it can brew as well as being kept busy bottling the Spingo range for the Blue Anchor in Helston and other brewers in the county and beyond.  Keltek have also initiated a serious expansion on their Lostwithiel site, with new fermenters installed to increase their brewing capacity to a massive 20 barrels from two and a half. Not all of this will be used immediately however, which will allow some capacity for experimental brewing.  Blackawton Brewery in Saltash is continuing production of the beers as before despite being sold to new owners in the autumn.  Last but not least, Doghouse Brewery reported brisk sales of Staffi Stout, competing well with Guinness since the prices of the latter in Cornwall started to reach near rip-off levels.  And - at last - a name has been decided for the long-awaited brew using the new Susan hops.  It is called Snoozy Suzy, and has been generating a strong demand.  Its strength is 4.3%abv.

Cornish Pub News

West Cornwall

For four long years the Good Beer Guide listed Star Inn at Crowlas has been preparing for the day when it would be able to supplement an ever-varying range of real ales with a bit of solid sustenance for its beer-loving customers.  Now, at long last it has happened, with the newly-refurbished kitchen going 'live' on 17 November to offer an excellent selection of bar food to go with the drink.  Licensees Peter Elvin and Tracey Cornelius are doing the catering for the moment 'until the food side picks up', says Peter, when extra staff may be taken on.  The refit job may have been slow but it has been very thorough, Peter having done the bulk of the work himself.  An area of the single large bar room has been set aside for eating, and food is going to be available, at least for the time being, between 1200 and 1800 Thursday to Sunday.  If demand warrants it, Peter is willing to be flexible and run on a bit later at the weekends.  Though he might find that sales of his customers' staple diet of peanuts and crisps take a hit as a result!

In Falmouth, the long-running saga of the Admiral Nelson (or Dock & Railway, via the Riviera Hotel depending on your preference and age), rumbles on.  Following unsuccessful attempts by local residents, Cornwall CAMRA and Carrick District Council to save the historic pub, it was finally closed at the end of September to allow the developer who bought it to demolish all but the frontage and build 'luxury apartments'.  The irony has not been lost on locals that the pub has been closed down just a year before the town's big celebrations to mark the 200th anniversary of Admiral Horatio Nelson's victory at the battle of Trafalgar, and it could have been at centre stage during the proceedings.  However, there is a slim chance that the situation might yet be saved.  Our lounging reporter Lizard's ears started flapping at bar-corner reports that the developer has pulled out of the deal, and there are moves to try to reopen it as a pub again.  The truth of this will no doubt surface in due course - we'll let you know if the corpse of this grand old building has new life breathed into it.  Late news - the colony of squatters who recently set up residence - and a bar! - in the pub have now been evicted.

Shorts....... The lease of the Red Lion in Redruth's town centre has been sold, reports agents Miller Commercial.  The pub went for the asking price of £75000 on a 3-year secure lease, taken by a local couple who say they want to develop the local trade.  The Red Lion has long served real ale from Sharp's or Skinner's, let's hope the interest is maintained.... Long-serving landlord Mike Mildren of the Fisherman's Arms in Newlyn has given notice to St. Austell Brewery that he wants to retire after some 25 years, and hopes to leave for a quieter life in February, or at least by the spring....... The Union Hotel in Penzance is on the market.  Once famous for its draught Bass, it refurbished its back room, the old Theatre Bar, last spring and relaunched it as a 'prime real ale venue' for the town (see report, May-June Digital CAMRA).  However, reports of restricted opening times and sporadically available ale (of sometimes dubious quality) cannot have helped the hotel's continuing success.  The asking price for the freehold is upwards of £880.000..... The new licensee  at the Star Inn in St. Just is planning some structural changes, in spite of pledges to 'keep the pub exactly as it was' before previous landlord Peter Angwin's death last summer.  It seems the gravity stillage is out, at least for the moment, and some work will be done on the bar structure.  Admittedly the fabric of the pub needs some attention and perhaps now is the appropriate time to make necessary alterations, but it is hoped that the essential character of this ancient old village boozer will be preserved.....  In Helston, the famous old Blue Anchor has found since it started providing meals that demand has outstripped capacity, so it is having to expand.  The plan reported here earlier to convert an upstairs room is not now going ahead, instead the restaurant area will be accommodated in the building next door  This will take pressure off the pub's tiny family room which currently functions as the eaterie.  Planned opening date is April 2005.....  In Penryn, it looks as if grant money is being awarded to help refurbish the frontage of the King's Head.  This fine old building, dating at least from 1489, has been sadly neglected by its current owners, Countryman Inns, and is badly in need of a facelift as well as revival of the spacious upstairs accomodation, long since closed - especially relevant with current expansion of the new university campus nearby..... The New Inn at Wendron has now closed and apparently has been sold.  Work appears to be going on there however, and the word is that is should reopen for trade at the end of February.  This free house, which for some time has offered at least three decent real ales, has suffered several landlord changes in recent years, so making only sporadic appearances in the Good Beer Guide. It appears in the new 2005 edition, but the local CAMRA branch have decided to wait and see what happens before possibly removing it through an amendment..... The prominent Plume of Feathers, by the A30 slip road at Scorrier and somewhat isolated by the surrounding road network, has been sold, with new owners moving in at the beginning of February.  Its recent real ale career has been something of a roller-coaster and has attracted only sporadic interest from CAMRA, but we remain hopeful.  The Punch Taverns lease went for £75,000.....  Just down the road close to Redruth, the foodie road-house the Inn for All Seasons is back on the market at a guide price of £260,000....  Changes are planned in Falmouth.  The St. Austell Brewery distribution depot behind the Four Winds has closed along with the similar depot at Hayle.  The plan is now to refurbish and extend the Four Winds, turning it into a lodge-style of operation...

Mid-Cornwall

East Cornwall

The Rifle Volunteer at St. Ann's Chapel near Gunnislake has made some internal changes to provide a novel solution to the problem of a long pull from cellar to bar.  They have actually moved the cellar closer!  Part of the external wall behind the bar was removed and a new temperature-controlled cellar space constructed behind it.  A 'flexi' glass screen was then installed between the cask stillage and the bar, allowing customers to see the beer racked up.  The pints are now drawn by gravity dispense, passing from the cask down a tube that penetrates the screen to the tap controlling the flow.  There is space for up two 10 casks in the new cellar, 5 each on two levels, and although not all this space will be normally in use, it is intended to feature mainly local south-west brewery beers with one or two from Sharp's always present.
(thanks to Bob Husband for this report)

North Cornwall

Shorts....... The Golden Lion Inn in Padstow, the town's oldest pub, is to be sold..... And across the river at Rock, landlord Jeremy Turner is selling the lease of the Rock Inn and is taking the nearby Pityme Inn instead.....In Boscastle, rebuilding work at the Wellington Hotel, badly damaged in last August's floods, continues apace and the hotel is expected to reopen for business at Easter next year..... The Mill House Inn at Trebarwith Strand has been sold for £750,000.  Lucky to escape with minimal damage during last August's floods in north Cornwall, the 9-bedroom hotel was once a water-driven corn mill and stands in a narrow wooded valley.  New owner Mark Forbes also owns the Slipway Hotel at Port Isaac....

(Sources: CAMRA members, Packet Newspapers, the West Briton and allied publications, pub gossip, Scilly locals and Lizard's beer-stained notebook).  And One & Ale!

Pubs Diary

Welcome to our feature, the Cornish Pubs Diary. The idea is that anything to do with the promotion of real ale by our local landlords will warrant an entry here. Events will mostly take the form of beer festivals no doubt, but with a growing fund of experience in this field and their growing popularity, we feel that some central listing is useful - which also helps landlords to avoid clashes! Do let us know of any planned real ale events at your local boozer. For further details of pub festivals, go to our beer festival page.

Cornish Ale Guide On Sale

This is the definitive guide to real ale in Cornwall - and it is on sale now, with recent updates included.

Members of Cornwall CAMRA spent no less than 12 months researching every one (we hope) of the county's pubs, sampling the ale, and writing about it in order to bring you the most comprehensive guide to date. Every known real ale pub has been listed in standard Good Beer Guide format, and the ones which don't have any also get a mention, so that you don't have to waste time going through the door (and in the hope that they may change their policy in future).  AND we are not standing still.  Research is continuous, so every so often we can bring the listings up to date, even if the cover still looks the same.

Because we are such a large county, the Guide has been divided into 5 geographical areas for convenience - north, east, mid-Cornwall, west, and Scilly. This keeps nearby pubs grouped together in the book and should make it easier to refer to. Street maps are provided for the bigger towns, and all of Cornwall's 13 breweries - including the newest on the Isles of Scilly - are listed with a description of the beers they produce.

Due to the lack of public transport in some areas, willing driving partners and the foot & mouth epidemic (one of our busiest researchers is a ministry vet!), as well as everyone being volunteers with other jobs to do, it took us longer than anticipated to get the thing published. However, the means are now in place to update it easily, and we are now able quickly to produce updated editions from time to time.

Want a copy? Of course you do. It is available by post to UK CAMRA members for £5.00 including the stamp (quote your membership number) or £5.66 to non-CAMRA members. Send cheques (made payable to Cornwall CAMRA) to editor Steve Willmott - see Contacts list for address details. Or we'll take €10.

One & Ale - the Cornwall CAMRA Newsletter

In common with the other branches of CAMRA, the Cornwall branch produces its own hard-copy newsletter, One & Ale. It appears about 5 times a year, at slightly irregular intervals because it may be timed to coincide with the major events such as the local beer festivals. It is aimed both at the branch membership, who are widely scattered around the county and each get a copy through the post, and non-members who may pick it up to read in selected pubs.

One & Ale contains news of breweries, brews and pubs in the county, as well as views and reports of pub crawls and the like written by the branch members. As a free publication, its only source of funding is its advertising income, which is of course to an extent dependent on how interesting the contents are. We are always looking for reports or articles from CAMRA members, and new contributors are especially welcome. Copy should be submitted to Steve Willmott, who is also the Editor and Distribution Manager (see Contacts page). If it is a word processor file and sent on a floppy disk, it's even more welcome!

Some earlier editions of One & Ale On-line can be seen in our archive. Just click on the one you want to see:

January-February 2004 
March-April 2004 
May-June 2004 
July-August 2004 
September-October 2004 
November-December 2004 

The views expressed in these pages are of course those of the authors, and not necessarily of CAMRA Ltd or the Cornwall Branch of CAMRA.