To St Ives for the soft opening of Mine Brewing Co’s taproom, on a busy town centre corner. We arrive on time and it’s already very busy.
Mine was born in 2020 at Consols, St Ives — the top end of town, where the fringes of the popular Cornish resort nudge against the wild expanses and rocky outcrops of the west Penwith moors. At one time this was tin mining country, and from that era Mine takes its inspiration.
Several beer names give a nod to this heritage. Adit is a magnificent 6% ABV IPA, In Vein a popular 4.6% ABV stout, and FES2 — an enormously popular keg pale — takes its name from the chemical formula for sulphide mineral pyrite, or, more commonly, Fool’s Gold.
For the past three or four summers, the Andrews family, husband and wife Shane and Janet, with daughter and son-in-law Elise and James Worrell, and brewer André Hitchinson, have been hosting beer garden parties at their Consols base. At the same time, they took the brewery from a shipping container operation into a converted former coach garage, and production gradually ramped up.
Left to right: the exterior of the taproom on the first evening after the clocks going back; the cask selection; Superjack, a stylised character based on the Davy lamp, the brewery mascot
While the beer does escape to a few trusted outlets, the long-term aim was always to have their own premises in town, and now the opening of the taproom, at 4 Tregenna Place, St Ives, brings that ambition to life.
It opens officially today, at 3pm (staying open until about 10.30pm for the foreseeable), and when you walk in you’ll find a bar offering four cask beers and eight craft brews from a rear keg wall. From mild to pale to session IPA, NEIPA, and stout, all palates are catered for, and there’s a lively, engaging team seam serving. A chef is on board and there will be food soon.
There are window seats to watch the world go by (this is St Ives — there’s a lot to watch!). And further into the premises there’s a more comfortable seating area with tables for a good get-together. The bus station’s close by, so it’s a great spot to sit in the warm with a beer while waiting for the 17A.
I’ll be back for a closer look this week, and to sample more of the offerings!
