St Austell Brewery managing director, James Staughton (left) and Dartmoor Brewery chairman, Philip Davies
St Austell Brewery cask ale Dartmoor Best is to become Cornish Best as the independent family brewer hands over the Dartmoor Best brand name to Dartmoor Brewery.
The Dartmoor Best brand became part of the St Austell range in 1993 when its former owner Carlsberg Tetley closed its brewery in Plympton and St Austell agreed to brew the beer in Cornwall.
St Austell Brewery is now passing the brand name to Dartmoor Brewery, based in the heart of the Dartmoor National Park in Devon, following a recent distribution deal between the two businesses.
The deal means that St Austell has become the sole wholesale distributor for Dartmoor Brewery, significantly extending the distribution of Dartmoor Brewery’s Legend, Jail Ale and Dartmoor IPA beers to free trade outlets across the region.
James Staughton, managing director of St Austell Brewery, said: “Dartmoor Best was a popular beer within our range for a long time. Having been contracted to brew the beer for many years, St Austell Brewery decided to buy the brand name and trademark in 2002, and I think if we hadn’t done so, it was at risk of dying out. We feel it is now time to pass on the brand to Dartmoor Brewery, so they can continue producing a beer under this well-known name.”
Philip Davies, chairman of Dartmoor Brewery, added: “The addition of the Dartmoor Best brand within our beer portfolio is a natural fit and provides customers with clarity – it is a Dartmoor branded beer which will now be brewed on Dartmoor.
“We have developed a new recipe for the beer, which has been well received in trials, and like all our beers it uses Dartmoor ingredients. We look forward to launching the new Dartmoor Best in [the first quarter of 2015] with a new identity under the Dartmoor Brewery brand.”
