Beer quality: The cream of Cornwall

In the latest of our features on the quest for quality, Adam Withrington met two regional brewers who are proudly flying the flag for quality cask beer in Cornwall - Sharp's and St Austell.

The sales and marketing office at Sharp's Brewery reminds me of a war room. Phones and computers lined up against the wall - all waiting expectantly for the next order to come in. Next to that is a map of the south west of England with a whole host of blue pins, dotted all over Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, all the way up to South Wales. It is like a strategic battle plan, with each pin signifying a different account for the Cornish brewer.

It is a daily reminder of how Sharp's has grown. Nick Baker, director and co-owner of Sharp's, tells me they don't have enough pins to show the actual number of accounts they have built up.

Sharp's certainly has come a long way in 11 years. Started up as a hobby by local businessman Bill Sharp, the Rock-based brewery has moved from micro to macro in a decade. It now brews 25,000 barrels of cask beer a year, and with plans to double in size it is well on its way to being recognised as a significant regional brewer.

Bill has handed over the reins of his business to Nick and his business partner of six years, Joe Keohane. They bought the brewery two years ago after falling out of love with their previous line of business, food retail.

Nick started out in his family business, R&B Foods, in which he was later joined by Joe. It claimed to be the first company to market fresh pasta and chilled pasta sauces, one of which was Dolmio, and soon became a major supplier to retail multiples.

In 1997 the company was bought by Hazlewood Foods and both Nick and Joe stayed on to run the business independently.

However, by 2003 they were losing faith in the direction of the business.

"The most important thing for us in business is to be entrepreneurial," says Nick, "and we think that the retail sector has got a bit regressive in the last few years.

"Things have become too focused on price. We have always been involved in quality products and if you start getting obsessed with price then the quality will slip."

A new challenge​

Disillusioned, they left and looked for a new challenge. The fundamental requirement for both Nick and Joe was to be involved in a business that had quality at its core. And they identified brewing as that industry.

"We met Bill Sharp and it was obvious that he had a great business that met all of our criteria and he admitted to us that he needed help to develop the business," says Nick. "We were delighted really because brewing is a business that still has a strong demand for quality and we felt that cask beer was seeing a real resurgence."

Yes you did read that last sentence correctly. Do Nick and Joe really believe cask is resurgent? After all, what I hear from most cask ale brewers is that they are doing well in the face of a faltering market.

"We've seen strong sales growth and good consumer profiles," says Nick. "The idea that the cask ale market is dying is absolute nonsense."

Indeed, through its top brand, Doom Bar, Sharp's has scored some significant successes in a sceptical marketplace. Nick is particularly proud of its success in so-called young persons' venues in Newquay, where he says the brand now outsells Foster's.

Look at the example of the bar in the local football club St Minver's, where club officials refused to sell Doom Bar when first approached because, in their words, "we have never stocked a cask ale on our bar before".

According to Joe, the club was given a barrel of Doom Bar to test on unwitting customers. "It now outsells all lager there," he says.

Joe believes Sharp's success is due to its unique profile. "We're a young company and we don't pretend to be stuck in the old ways of doing things. We're a modern company and our imagery is young and energetic," he enthuses.

Ensuring quality​

Nick argues that the aim of the Sharp's business is "to retain the quality of the product but move the business into the 21st century and to appeal to younger consumers but not to leave the current drinkers behind".

This sounds very laudable, but it is surely something that any brewer would aspire to? How does Sharp's hope to fulfil these aims?

"The focus has to be on getting new drinkers - particularly women," Nick continues. "And I think the way to do this is to stress the fact that our product is natural; that it is fresh and has no additives. Young people latch onto that."

The most important factor in Joe and Nick's eyes is to ensure quality. "We have cellar service people available to licensees to ensure the quality is right," explains Nick. "And if we are not happy with how the licensee is serving our beer then we will take it out. There is a licensee in Bristol who currently wants our beer but his cellar is not really suitable to keep cask beer, so we have said that we won't supply him until he sorts it out."

Sharp's is now gaining real momentum as a business. Sales have expanded through the south west and the beers are now listed locally in both Punch and Enterprise pubs.

Over 300 pubs in Bristol now stock Sharp's beer and thanks to a deal struck with Cardiff brewer SA Brain, so do outlets in South Wales. Last year Sharp's also opened a distribution depot in Bristol, where three of the company's sales team are now based.

The brewery itself is being constantly developed. A new malt silo, which will provide 35 kilos of storage, has just been installed and now the local council has granted planning permission for an extension to the brewery to double capacity.

Back in the sales and marketing "war room" one thought strikes me. Joe and Nick may need a bigger map…

The Sharp's way​

Stuart Howe - Head Brewer:​

"Everyone involved in the business is familiar with the production process of our beer. Our dray crews are involved in brewing and packaging as well.

"We use Optic malt rather than the more popular Maris Otter barley because it offers more consistency. The latter tends to be used by brewers that have older brewing equipment.

"Ours is very modern and up-to-date. It is all modern German brewhouse equipment which again helps to ensure better consistency. Older brewhouses are all very nice but you wouldn't use a steam engine to win a Formula One race.

"We are not looking for the overly hopped very floral brews that are in vogue now, like Pale Rider. Using our conditioning tanks means that our beer settles a lot more quickly in cask than other beers. There are times when it is ready to be sold by a licensee six hours after being stored."

St Austell sits comfortably in the pantheon of top regional brewers. It is as synonymous with Cornwall as Adnams is with Suffolk, as Fuller's is with London and Shepherd Neame with Kent.​

And yet until recently it did not have a "national" beer with the clout of an Adnams Bitter, a London Pride or indeed a Spitfire.

This in itself is not a massive problem. Not having a national brand does not mean you are an ineffective regional brewer. But if you want to break the boundaries of your region and spread your name nationwide then launching one of your beer brands nationally is the best way of doing it.

Your company is promoted more effectively through a brand than by any advertising campaign. London Pride has done more for Fuller's than any clever marketing plan or, arguably, any of its pubs.

St Austell now has that national brand in Tribute. Launched at the end of 2000 it has seen fast growth, moving from nothing to 10,00