The taste of Cornwall is clearly going down well in the north of England, with growing demand from pub landlords leading St Austell Brewery to supply more of its flagship Tribute Cornish Pale Ale to the region.
The brewery has teamed up with regional drinks distributors Pat Green and Hamish Boyle from Up North Beer to roll out an expanded service to pubs whose customers are increasingly asking for Tribute to be on the bar at their local.
Tribute is one of the fastest growing premium ale brands in the UK and has experienced significant growth over the past three years. The ale has taken off internationally too, with St Austell Brewery recently agreeing an exclusive deal with British Airways for Tribute to be served on all but the airline’s domestic flights.
Martin Breading, National Sales Director, St Austell Brewery, said: “Tribute has an established national presence in supermarkets but until recently, we couldn’t sufficiently meet the growing demand from the on-trade market in the north of England. Thanks to the increasing interest for Tribute from pub groups and wholesalers supplying pubs in the north, we have decided to appoint Pat and Hamish to support us in the region.
“They both have an excellent understanding of the area and, most importantly, are the right people to establish relationships to drive the brand forward. We still work in an industry driven by people, and though the success of Tribute is down to its great taste, the personal approach we have always adopted is essential to ensure success.”
The partnership benefits from Pat and Hamish’s wealth of relationships and experience in the drinks trade, and their excellent understanding of the market in the north of England.
Pat Green, Director of the Up North Beer Agency, said: “Tribute is known nationally as one of the premium cask ales on the market. The challenge that St Austell Brewery has previously faced is that Tribute’s reputation has spread quicker than its availability. But that’s now changed and with summer well underway, we’re seeing more requests for Tribute from pubs with great beer gardens.
“We’re driving the growth from Yorkshire, where there is a real appetite for Tribute. One thing that landlords like is that they can offer a taste of Cornwall to their customers, as many will have holidayed there and have a positive association with the county.”
The areas which Pat and Hamish are initially focusing on to increase Tribute sales are York, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and Manchester.
Tribute is St Austell’s flagship brand and one of the fastest growing premium ale brands in the UK. The 4.2% award winning brew is a light, hoppy, zesty, easy to drink ale and consistently delicious.
Founded in 1851 by Cornishman Walter Hicks, today St Austell Brewery remains an independent and family-owned business, offering a wide range of top quality award winning beers and operating an estate of pubs, inns and hotels.
Tribute started out as Daylight Robbery, the very first ale created for St Austell Brewery by head brewer Roger Ryman to mark the solar eclipse in 1999. The secret recipe which Roger had been keeping until he became a head brewer proved so popular that the ale was renamed Tribute and is now the company’s best-selling beer.
Last year St Austell Brewery reached the landmark figure of having brewed and sold 100,000 brewers’ barrels of its own brand beers in a calendar year – the first time this milestone amount has been reached during the independent company’s 165-year history.
This success was in large part due to the ongoing popularity of its multi award-winning Tribute Pale Ale, Proper Job IPA and Korev lager.
Copy ends
Image caption: (L-R) Pat and Hamish celebrate the new partnership with two of St Austell’s other core brands Proper Job and Trelawny.