The Star Inn, at Vogue, has been named pub of the season by members of Cornwall CAMRA (CAMRA Kernow).
Mark and Rachel Graham, licensees at The Star Inn, Vogue, with their CAMRA award. Photograph: Steve Barber
The presentation coincided with a joint beer festival, staged with Cornwall CAMRA, at the pub. A good crowd enjoyed a line-up of some 16 cask beers from all around Cornwall.
It was a first beer festival appearance for Penzance Brewing Co’s Mild (3.6% ABV) since its national mild category win in the CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain competition recently. New head brewer Lewis Elliott was on hand for quality control!
Bude Coastal Brewery are a relatively new name on the Cornish brewing scene. The business has been set-up by multi-award-winning brewer Warren Bryant, formerly of the Cotswold Spring Brewery. Bude, however, is Warren’s home town. There was great interest in Sea Serpent, a 3.9% ABV ruby ale and a 4.9% ABV honey beer, Honey Bear.
The sole out-of-county beers were from Exeter Brewery, who I have been ranking highly all this year, particularly best bitter County Best (4.6% ABV), offering robust bready malt, a hint of red apple skin, and some nice hedgerow hop notes.
The Star made the headlines earlier this year when Mark started charging customers extra is the leave excessive food, having been up to the all-you-can-eat carvery.
In 2022, the pub gained national attention when it was served with a cease and desist letter by Vogue magazine for using the name Vogue — the village where the pub is situated — in its title. In the end, seeing its error, publisher Condé Nast sent a famed apology.
