63 Trevarthian Road,
St. Austell, PL25 4BY
Tel: (01726) 66022
Email: vcentre@staustellbrewery.co.uk
Web: www.staustellbrewery.co.uk
Cornwall's Oldest Independent Family Brewery
In 1851, Walter Hicks turned his back on a 400-year old family tradition and mortgaged his farm for £1,500. From his fields above Luxulyan he could see Cornwall's industrial future taking shape and he would ensure it had plenty to drink.
Hicks was an incredibly successful entrepreneur who learned his new trade, first as a maltster, then a wine-and-spirit merchant, before building his first brewery in 1869. Within 25 years the business had outgrown the building and The Walter Hicks Brewery was established on the present panoramic site above St. Austell. Since then there have been alterations and improvements but the essential "brew-house" of 1893 is still the working heart of the brewery today: a tour will give you a fascinating insight into brewing and industrial methods which have changed only in detail in 140 years. In the best tradition of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it, you will see malted barley for ales with medieval recipes being ground on an 1890 belt-driven mill and heated to a steaming mash in still older cast-iron tuns. Overseeing the process are descendants, not only of the Hicks family but the brewers who joined the Luxulyan farmer at the birth of his venture.
Originally named Walter Hicks & Co: brewers and wine merchants, the brewing company was renamed St. Austell Brewery and significantly expanded by his daughter Hester Parnall (1868–1939), who became a director in 1911. She took over running the company on her father's death in 1916 (her husband Thomas Parnall, having died in 1915), and added nearly 80 pubs and hotels to the brewery's holdings,
After the milling and mashing are done; when the goods have been sparged, the wort drawn off and hopped, and the yeast added, you can sample the end result from the cask. Better still, there is a fully licensed gift shop in the Visitor Centre which stocks the full range of beers and spirits produced by the Brewery.
Our horizons expanded in 2016 with the acquisition of Bath Ales and, two years later, the opening of the state-of-the-art Hare Brewery. In Cornwall, our Small Batch Brewery – launched in 2018 – fuels our drive for exploration with unique, limited-edition brews. With an expert team led by industry legend Georgina Young, we continue to brew our flagship favourites and small-batch beers with the passion, craft and spirit of the South West.
The brewery's flagship beer is Tribute Ale, which accounts for around 80% of sales. Other popular ales include Proper Job, Tinner's Ale and Duchy Bitter.
On the 5th April 2019 HRH Prince Charles Duke of Cornwall visited the Brewery.
Our Celtic Beer Festival - Cornwall’s biggest event for beer lovers - is coming back on Saturday 25th November 2023.
Half a mile north of St. Austell railway station.
Opening TimesMonday to Saturday, 9.00am - 5.30pm Admission Charged |
St. Austell St. Austell Town Museum Cornish Pubs