Region & History

Where is Doom Bar brewed, and who is behind Tribute? Both beers come from Cornwall, the far southwestern tip of England. Between Land's End and Bristol, cider has always been the drink of choice, and beer has carved out its place mainly through the pubs of the coastal towns.

The older of the two major breweries is based in St Austell. Walter Hicks founded it in 1851 as a wine merchant and brewer. His daughter Hester Parnall became director in 1911 and continued running the company after her father's death in 1916. By its own account, St Austell Brewery remains independent and family-owned to this day, with its own pubs across Cornwall, Devon and Somerset.

Sharp's is much younger. Bill Sharp founded the brewery in 1994 in Rock, on the Camel river across from Padstow. On 2 February 2011, Molson Coors bought it for around £20 million. The reason was largely Doom Bar, now considered the group's biggest cask ale brand.

There is no registered designation of origin for beer in the Southwest. Food, however, is protected: since 20 July 2011, the name Cornish Pasty has carried the EU's PGI designation, the protected geographical indication.

Because Cornwall lies far from the great brewing centres like Burton or London, the pub networks of individual breweries grew strong here for a long time. Anyone drinking an ale usually drinks it where it was brewed, or not far from there. Bristol, the region's largest city to the east, has always been a port and still has its own small scene of breweries and pubs today.