Bill Sharp, founder of Sharp’s Brewery, in Cornwall, has been named as one of a group of ‘pub superheroes’ in the new edition of the annual Good Pub Guide.

gpg2015“We first came across Bill Sharp in 1994, when he was delivering a keg of a beer we’d never heard of to a little Cornish pub,” says the Good Pub Guide team.

“We tried that beer and liked it a lot. Bill had just started a small brewery in the nearby village of Rock, and was beginning to attract a keen local following. The business grew, and was sold in 2003 and again in 2011 — but Bill Sharp’s beers have stayed the same.

“On the quality foundations he’d laid down, Sharp’s Doom Bar has become a top seller, found in pubs throughout Britain. His success has been an inspiration to hundreds of other brewers, now producing literally thousands of different beers — a revolution in drinks choice for pub lovers.”

Also singled out for praise is Greene King boss Rooney Anand, for successfully steering the business through the credit crunch and focusing sharply on what customers want. “Providing proper jobs for over 20,000 people, he’s proved that sound management pays off,” says the guide.

Tim Martin is mentioned, too, for his steadfast leadership of the Wetherspoon chain he founded from scratch in the 1980s.