Monday (26th August) marks 30 years since Bill Sharp dispatched his first brew from Rock’s Pityme Industrial Estate, starting what is now Sharp’s Brewing Co in earnest.
Left to right: Chris Winn (Sharp’s racking team leader), Jon Wide (Sharp’s technical brewing optimisation manager), Bill Sharp (founder), James Nicholls (Sharp’s marketing controller and employee since 1995), and Donna Breakspear (Sharp’s head of supply chain)
Almost on the eve of that anniversary, Bill returned to the brewery to join members of the current team to reflect on, and celebrate, what 30 years of Sharp’s brewing success means for the business and the team.
Pityme Industrial Estate stands on the St Minver Lowlands, on the edge of picturesque Rock, and in 1994 Bill Sharp took over the unit, which had previously been a store for speedboats. Prior to the move, he had trialled home brewing in his garage, also in Rock, and had been pleased with the taste and quality of the results.
Believing he was on to something, and determined to service the local summer holiday trade while creating an income for himself and family, he took on a four-year lease on the 1,000 sq ft unit. He then set up a microbrewery next to the local milkman, and set about producing his first small scale commercial brews, selling and delivering the results to local pubs and bars.
The first Sharp’s beers were Sharp’s Own, a rich malty best bitter, and Cornish Coaster, a light and hoppy pale ale. In 1995, the inspiration for what was set to become a legendary new style UK amber ale struck.
“This new style of beer and ale was a growing trend in the UK, and I realised no-one was making beer like this in Cornwall,” said Bill. “The main challenge at the time was to achieve good quality and consistency. This needed attention to detail, and not leaving anything to chance, with good cleanliness and good management of the product. That’s what I set out to do.
“So Doom Bar came about by sheer chance. My Dad and I used to sit in The Maltsters pub, of a Friday, seeing if anyone would dare come in and order a pint of our brew — summing up what the chances were, and taking bets on what we thought they were going to order. Dad used to always have a pint of our Sharp’s Coaster and Sharp’s Own. And if he fancied another pint, he’d put what he had left of both together in one glass. So, he could be blamed for giving me the idea of Doom Bar.”
Back at the brewery, Bill experimented with this new blend of the two already popular Sharp’s beers, and christened the new cask ale brew Doom Bar after the treacherous sandbar nearby in the Camel Estuary. And from there, the rest is history.
Doom Bar became exceedingly popular in the county, and then Bill and the team began to find and untap the demand for the amber ale in bars and pubs further up the West Country. It then became clear that there was a demand for the brew far beyond the region.
With Doom Bar growing so quickly, alongside other popular Sharp’s beers, Bill took the decision to sell the brewery so that even more investment in bigger facilities could be made. It was acquired in 2003 by Nick Baker and Joe Keohane who set about bringing Sharp’s beers to a younger audience across the UK. As a result, volumes rose from 25,000 brewers barrels a year in 1993 to 75,000 in 2010.
In 2011, the two entrepreneurs sold to global brewer Molson Coors Beverage Co, who have continued to invest in the brands, people, and brewery site in Rock. Since Molson Coors’ involvement, more than £20 million has been invested into the Pityme Industrial site to unlock its growth potential. All the Sharp’s beers are now available to pubs, bars, and restaurants right across the country, and many of the brews are also available in can and bottle.
Bill Sharp on a tour of the modern brewery
As a result of this investment, Doom Bar became the UK’s number 1 selling cask ale in 2013 and the number 1 premium bottled ale in 2015. Today, Doom Bar is the UK’s best-selling amber ale.
In April, Molson Coors announced further investment in Sharp’s, to support new and existing cask ale brands such as Doom Bar, Solar Wave Hazy, and Twin Coast.
Just last week, Sharp’s learned that it had again won several medals at the prestigious World Beer Awards. In the pale beer category, Doom Bar was named as the best amber ae in the UK, taking the gold medal and country winner awards, and Chalky’s Bite best Belgian blonde, again winning both the gold medal and country award.
Donna Breakspear, head of supply chain at Sharp’s, said: “I’ve worked with Sharp’s and Molson Coors teams for almost a decade in different capacities, and I can safely say there is a certain energy and passion that runs through our core that is unique, and unlike anything I have experienced previously, and I am thrilled to be part of this.
“It’s been great to see Bill return for our 30th anniversary and to hear how things were when he first set up the brewery. Much has changed, with over £20m of ongoing investment from our parent company Molson Coors, and we have majorly grown our volume as a direct result.
“However, Bill’s utter commitment to the highest of quality and consistency remains unchanged to this day. ‘We are only as good as our last pint’ is still our mantra on the walls of our packaging hall. We are proud of our achievement in the last 30 years and looking forward to the next 30.”
James Nicholls and Chris Winn both started with Sharp’s Brewery doing summer jobs while they studied or worked elsewhere in the winters — James in 1995 and Chris in 1997. Bill Sharp saw the talent and passion in both of them, and persuaded them to join as full-time team members.
Chris, now Sharp’s racking leader, said: “When I started here, it was one small unit and there were six of us working here. We each took it in turn to do every job and, over the last 27 years, I’ve pretty much followed that pattern as I’ve loved the ongoing opportunity for progression and personal development and have had the chance to learn about so many aspects of the production side of the business. I’ve been a senior brewer, I’ve done the dray, I’ve driven the forklifts, and I’ve been known as the ‘racking guru’.”
James, who was born and brought up in nearby Chapel Amble, is now Sharp’s marketing controller. He said: “It is phenomenal to stand back for a moment and think about the major work we have done since those early days, and how far the brewery and its beers — particularly Doom Bar — have come.
“Standout moments for me include winning Grocer drinks brand of the year in 2017, sponsoring the Oxbridge Boat Race, and then, as a passionate rugby fan, working with former English Rugby Union captain, Phil Vickery MBE, on our British and Irish Lions sponsorship.
“The relentless focus on the quality of our beer gives me much pride, as do the medal tallies, given we’ve now won over 170 international brewing awards and accolades.
“As a passionate surfer, it’s also been a privilege to work with renowned musicians like Nick Mulvey to make tracks that provide funding for Surfers Against Sewage with every stream and download, and also to have provided financial backing for the utterly vital surf lifesaving clubs around the Cornish coastline during and after the Covid crisis.”
In 1994, Sharp’s Brewery could brew 40 casks of ale per day. Thirty years later, all Sharp’s cask beer is still brewed and produced on site, with the capacity to create more than 2,500 casks per day.
Bill joined the team at Rock to reflect on what these 30 years mean to him and to those who work at the brewery now. Along with Sharp’s technical brewing optimisation manager, Jon Wide, and James Nicholls, Bill got involved in the brewing of a limited edition of Sharp’s Own, the original beer that was dispatched to those local pubs 30 years ago. The team enjoyed a sample of the beer with a multi-layered 30th birthday cake, made with both Doom Bar and Atlantic by Eddy Rains, chef at the Halfway House pub, near Wadebridge.
“The novelty of knowing how well the Sharp’s beers are doing will never wear off,” said Bill. “It does make me very proud. I do get emotional, wobbly bottom lip. Even with all the technical know-how and jargon that comes into it now, the same philosophy that was always at the heart of our work back then still applies — don’t cut any corners!”
Bill added: “It has been very rewarding and nostalgic to come back today, and to see faces that I took on nearly 30 years ago, still here. It’s very special, and it’s incredibly pleasing. So, I’m very proud, very impressed, and technically I’m completely lost about what’s going on here today!
“It’s a great team, and it’s so brilliant to see the pride that’s attached to working at Sharp’s, and to know what making and selling our beers has done for the county and lots of other businesses.
“It’s been great to see how everyone’s really settled at Sharp’s, and to see that it’s still the case that it’s not just a job, it’s a way of life. And Sharp’s is going to go even further. It’s special, very special.”
