Beer booming in Hardy country (South West of England)
The South West of England is associated with cider production but it has a thriving brewery industry too. Adrian Tierney-Jones acts as tour guide
The towns and villages of the southwest all bear traces of the region’s brewing heritage.
In Bristol, alongside the Avon, in the centre of the city, a block of bijou flats are all that remains of the brewery where Georges and then Courage made their renowned Boys Bitters.
Further south in the seaside town of Weymouth, the Brewers Quay shopping complex once housed Devenish, while John Groves & Sons were nextdoor neighbours.
Meanwhile, in the centre of St Austell there is a massive square building that marks the birthplace of St Austell brewery, who now brew on the hill above the town. All these and more demonstrate that the region has a strong and enviable brewing reputation going back centuries — though this wasn’t always seen as a good thing.
Back in the 16th century, Cornish ale was described as if pigs had wallowed in it, while the white ales of Newton Abbot in the late 1800s included pigeon droppings in the mix. Local doctors thought they were good for the sick. Georges’ logo was a carthorse, a highly appropriate image for its beers according to those that remember them.
Yet, it’s not all ancient history. The region is now home to dozens of craft breweries and the odd brewpub, trading alongside resilient and everexpanding family firms such as Badger and Palmers in Dorset, Wadworth and Arkell’s in Wiltshire and St Austell in Cornwall.
Some breweries, such as Otter in the hills around Honiton in Devon, make their beers in picture postcard locations. Others are hidden .....
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By Adrian Tierney-Jones
Section : Regional Focus
Page number : 30
