Three years after its launch, Bluntrock Brewing is moving to a new base with new kit, and a focus on developing a sustainable business, complete with carbon capture.
George and Hugo in the new brewhouse
Bluntrock was founded in Rock, Cornwall in 2021, by 24-year-old George Collins and 21-year-old
Hugo Roads. Starting his brewing career at Sharp’s Brewery nearby, George spent two years in training there before moving on to Padstow Brewing Co, where he helped to develop their one-off range.
The pair joined forces to bring their newly-discovered obsession with quality-focused, US-style pale ales and IPAs to their local area. These beers were making waves in the craft beer industry, but they couldn’t access to them in their little pocket of North Cornwall.
Soon after setting up, the 150-litre brew kit reached full capacity. Since then, the team at Bluntrock have been doing their best to keep up with the demand from their taproom alone. After two and a half years of non-stop brewing and exploring countless recipes, they are now moving on to the next chapter in the Bluntrock journey.
Over the last year, the team have been busy building a new, state-of-the-art brewery, just 600
metres from the original Bluntrock container brewery.
Hugo said: “Here, not only will we aim to produce much more beer, but we’ll aim to achieve new heights of innovation and quality in our brewing techniques, along with doing our best to operate in the most inclusive, sustainable, and honest way possible. All while continuing the fun!”
The Bluntrock team in the new brewhouse. Left to right are Carys Williams, Hugo Roads, Simon Howers, George Collins, and Thom Yates
In March 2023, the team were lucky enough to acquire a 15-hectolitre three-vessel brewhouse at an auction in London. They have since re-installed it with SSV Ltd at the new Bluntrock site. Alongside the brewhouse, this new facility will feature eight 30hl dual-purpose fermentation vessels, two 30hl bright tanks, and two 45hl traditional square fermentation vessels.
This set-up will give a total production capacity of roughly 100hl of beer per week, or about 17,500 pints. A substantial increase from the 4hl, or 700 pints, brewed per week at their container brewery. In fact, the majority of the equipment acquired for the new site has had a previous life, extending the life of existing equipment.
As the business expands, the team has started to grow. Simon Howers (ex-Padstow Brewing Co) and Thom Yates (ex-Goodh/Skinners Brewery) have joined George in the brewing team as operational and technical brewers respectively. As a diverse team of three, they have a combined brewing experience of more than two decades, and a whole load of passion.
The kit was commissioned on 14th May, so expect to see a diverse range of pale ales, lagers, cask beers, and monthly specials start to flow out from the new site in early June. After the first release, find the freshest Bluntrock beers at the container Taproom, selected venues in Cornwall and further afield in the national craft beer scene, as well as a new online store.
