St Austell Brewery named regional UK brewer of the year

St Austell Brewery has been crowned the UK’s Regional Brewer of the Year.

The Brewery beat off competition from some of the biggest names in the business to clinch the top title at The Publican Awards 20009. It marks national recognition of how St Austell Brewery has transformed its business over the last decade, with its flagship Tribute Ale now among the UK’s biggest selling premium cask ales, a vibrant and successful estate of 169 pubs and a raft of awards for the quality of its beers, staff, food and training.
 
James Staughton, managing director of St Austell Brewery, said: “This is a massive award for us and really cements the Brewery’s growing reputation nationally for our beers, for our pub estate and the forward thinking way we run our business.
 
“Perhaps more than any other industry, our business is all about people and this award is a tribute to the whole team who work for and are involved with St Austell Brewery and our pub estate. It is also a great day for the South West and the principle that a family-owned, independent business from Cornwall can lead the way nationally.”
 
Honours also went to Stephanie Todd, manager of St Austell Brewery’s Atlantic Inn, on St Mary’s, on the Isles of Scilly, who won the Newcomer of the Year title for her ‘enthusiasm, creative energy and determination’ in transforming the pub in her first year.
 
The Brewery has enjoyed a busy start to the year with two significant investments. Work started on a major £700k project to build a new in-house bottling line and the doors opened on the Brewery’s new Cornwall Distribution Centre in St Columb Major to serve as a regional hub for all of the 2,000 pubs, clubs, hotels and other licensed premises across the South West.
 
Sales of St Austell Brewery’s flagship Tribute Ale have risen for eight consecutive years since its launch in 2001, and by 20% in the past 12 months, continuing the meteoric success of the beer which has become the first and only Cornish beer to make it into the UK Top 10 of premium cask ales.