Ian Cobham (pictured) has been named as the new head brewer at Dartmoor Brewery, joining from Harbour Brewing Company where he worked as lead brewer.
He will be working alongside the outgoing head brewer, Mike Lunney, who is due to take up a consultant role within the brewery after more than 40 years in the brewing industry.
Ian will be concentrating on the core range of ales, including Jail Ale, Legend and Dartmoor Gold, while also developing new recipes in the background.
Ian, 44, has worked in the alcohol industry for the past 15 years, including as a wine maker in France, a sommelier in Glasgow and a brewer in Cornwall.
In Bordeaux, Ian worked as the cellar master for Château St Georges, where he produced world-class wine at a rate of 300,000 bottles per year. Later, he worked as a wine salesman in London, before going on to become a fully-qualified sommelier and working in hotels across the North East and Scotland.
In 2012, Ian left the wine trade and moved to the South West and began working in the beer world, starting as a production brewer at Sharps Brewery, before going on to join Dartmoor Brewery as second brewer late in 2013. After 18 months, he moved to Harbour Brewing Company as the lead brewer to gain experience in producing different styles of beer in a variety of packaging formats.
Now, Ian has returned to Dartmoor Brewery. He said: “It’s a daunting prospect to work on a product which has such a cult following, but with the team here I know that I can maintain the high standards of quality that customers have come to expect from Dartmoor Brewery.
“I’m also very excited to develop some new additions to the range. I’ve got lots of ideas, and look forward to working with the team to turn these ideas into a reality.”
