The 15 Best Breweries In Cornwall

The Fowey Brewery was born in 2016, when friends Dom & Geoff joined forces to produce (in their own words) “great tasting beers that combine the use of some fantastic new world hops, artisan brewing methods and a little bit of brewing alchemy”. The selection includes ‘Lostwithiel Amber’, An American inspired beer, made with English hops has a light caramel malt richness, or the session strength ‘Sawmills Session IPA’ containing five exotic hops, including Citra, Amarillo and Mozaic. his small batch brewery offers local delivery in the Lostwithiel area, or you can buy online from Wadebridge Wines,

Keltek Brewery was founded by Stuart Heath in 1997, after a wager with the landlord of his local pub led to him winning gold for his very first brew. The brewery expanded in 2007, moving from Lostwithiel to Redruth. Keltek has continued to expand, now operating 6 pubs in the local area. You can stop by any of the pubs to sample some of the Keltek Brewery beers. Keltek offers local delivery or UK delivery through Eebria.com. To sample the beers, head to the Keltek operated Mount Ambrose Inn, Treleigh to sample the full selection.

“Cooler than a polar bear’s toenail” is how Dynamite Valley Brewing Co. describe themselves. They specialise in creating American style craft beer that's full of flavour. Setup in a cabin in the middle of nowhere in 2015, Dynamite Valley soon grew thanks to a successful crowdfunding campaign, which helped to finance a move to larger premises and allowed them to open their doors of their ‘beer café’ every Saturday afternoon. Pop from 12pm – 6pm by to try the great beer selection, accompanied by some great food created by local guest chefs (food subject to availability). The beers include ‘Gold Rush’ a crisp golden ale with hints of apricot, saffron and honey, and ‘Black Charge’, a sweet oatmeal stout with coffee notes and a creamy sweetness. The bees can be found in a range of stockists across Cornwall, or from the Eden project shop at edenproject.com/shop.

Woodman’s Wild Ale was started by Stuart Woodman, after moving to Cornwall to study. Stuart, already an expert in foraging and wild food cookery, learned to brew at a local brewery, before taking the plunge in 2016 to setup Woodman’s Wild Ale. Woodman’s specialises in brewing beer using natural ingredients, including wild seasonal plants, wild yeasts, and bacteria. They believe in working with nature and emphasise sustainability in everything they do. The spent grain from the brewing process is used in animal feed or compost, and a percentage of profits goes to charities including RSPB, Greenpeace and Cornwall Wildlife Trust They also run brew days, beer foraging walks and beer pairing events. Brews include ‘Wild Mild’, a rich combination of malt, hop and wild flavours, and ‘growsette, a Belgian style beer wildcrafted with gooseberries.

Padstow Brewing Company is a micro-brewery located just outside Padstow. Setup in 2013 by Caron & Des Archer, the brewery has expanded to incorporate a brewery hop and two tasting rooms in the centre of Padstow on Duke Street and Broad Street. They also offer brewery tours, showing you the full brewing process from end to end, and giving you the opportunity to try a few of their beers. If you are looking for a more in-depth insight into the brewing process, the brew day experience gives you the opportunity to spend the day with the head brewer to learn how Padstow Brewing Company craft their award-winning beers. The experience includes lunch and best of all... as much beer as you can drink! If you can’t make it to the brewery or taprooms, their online store gives you the option of sampling the selection without leaving home.

Verdant Brewing Co. was founded in 2014, when Adam, James & Rich teamed up to produce hoppy, hazy beers that are completely vegan friendly. The hop-forward, flavour paced beers are Inspired by American craft beers but made with local ingredients. The brewery in Falmouth produces 8,000 litres a week and hosts a brewery shop where you can buy your beers to go. The online store has a range of Verdant merch, and you can pop into the taproom at the Verdant Seafood Bar in Falmouth.

The Driftwood Spars Brewery was founded in 2000, when Pete Martin began brewing beer at the Driftwood Spars pub in Trevaunance Cove, St Agnes. Specialising in gluten-free, vegan friendly beers the brewery has grown to produce a wide range of contemporary craft beers. The brewery has a strong focus on the environment, reusing hops and malt to hep grow local produce, and using local hops to reduce beer miles as much as possible. Beers can be bought online, and they also offer brewery tours and a full day brewing experience. The adjoining pub, built in 1650 showcases the beers from the brewery, as well as beers from across Cornwall and the rest of the UK.

The most south-westerly brewery in Britain, The Ales of Scilly Brewery is the only brewery on St Mary, the largest of the Scilly Islands. The brewery was setup in 2001 by local teacher Mark Praeger and now produces great quality craft ale under the direction of Jen Trevithick. The beers are sold across the Scilly Isles, and bottle beers can be bought from the website. The beers are named after ships wrecked off the Isles of Scilly, Popular shipwrecks (beers) include the Schiller Golden Ale, named after a German ferry travelling from New York, T.W Lawson Porter, named after the first sailing tanker, wrecked at shag rock and the Minnehaha IPA, a cargo shop that ran aground off Bryher.

The Bearded Brewery produce fine Cornish cider with a ‘no frills’ attitude. Located in Saint Mawgan, The Bearded Brewery was setup by lifelong friends Rob & Mark. Their showpiece is the award winning ‘Suicyder, Juice from the Noose’, a sweet bouncy cider which can be enjoyed in the onsite bar or visit the bottle shop to grab some to take home.

St Ives Brewery has been located on Trenwith Burrows for 10 years, with stunning views across the harbour, the Brewery also incorporates a gift shop and café. Popular beers include Daydream IPA, a hoppy, juicy, hazy IPA with peach and citrus flavours, the latest Dawn Neipa, a hoppy New England IPA, and their flagship Boilers Golden Cornish Ale, a glorious session ale that can be found in pubs and bars across the UK. All their beers are available to order directly from the website.

Tintagel Brewery can be found at Condolden Farm, the highest farm in Cornwall. Originally housed in a milking shed the beer is now brewed in a state-of-the-art facility on the site. The beers are brewed using water from a natural spring on the grounds of the farm, using English hops and malts. Popular brews include ‘Castle Gold’, a hoppy session beer and Merlin’s Muddle, a full-bodied dark beer with a clean refreshing taste. If you fancy something a little different, they also produce ‘Juniper Tree’, a Cornish artisan Gin. You can enjoy a flight of beer from the viewing gallery, and the on-site restaurant specialises in locally reared Wagyu beef.

St Austell Brewery was founded in 1851, by Walter Hicks and is still completely independent and family owned. Beers from St Austell Brewery are stocked across the UK (and the world) and include favourites like ‘Tribute’ and ‘Proper job’. The massive brewery has its own visitor centre, offering an interactive guide to the history of the brewery a well as a bar and onsite shop. The tour starts with a welcome drink from the small batch bar, before giving you a historical look at how beer used to be brewed, including a look at some of the oldest brewing equipment in the country. The journey ends back at the small batch bar, with a beer tasting session, giving you the opportunity to ample 8 of the award-winning beers brewed at the St Austell Brewery.

Situated on the north Cornish coast, looking out to the Atlantic, Sharp’s Brewery is home to ‘Doom Bar’. Named after a perilous sandbank in North Cornwall, Doom Bar is the UKs best-selling cask and bottled beer. Sharps was founded in 1994 by Bill Sharp, growing from a micro-brewery to the largest brewery in the South West.

Sharp’s offer Brewery tours complete with Tasting sessions, and for a sneak peak you can head to their website for a virtual tour. As well as the popular Doom Bar, other Sharps favourites include Atlantic Pale Ale, and Wolf Rock IPA

Skinner’s Brewery was setup in 1997 on the banks of the Truro River, brewing a range of ales including the popular ‘Cornish Knocker’ and the award winning ‘Betty Stoggs’. Names by Camra as Britain’s best bitter. Skinner’s is still a family brewery, with hundreds of awards under their belt and a global following. You can visit the brewery in Truro for a tour, to see the brewery in action, followed by a beer tasting in the tap room. You will learn all about the brewing process and see the beer being brewed. If you just want to try the beers, head to the brewery tap at The Old Ale House in Truro to try out the whole range of Skinners beers, plus a huge selection of guest ales.

Lizard Ales is located in an old nuclear bunker on the Lizard Peninsula, brewing classic Cornish ales, like ‘Kernow Gold’, ‘An Gof’ and ‘Lizard Bitter’. These are true Cornish beers, brewed in one of the mist beautiful parts of the country. They use local water, local barley and yeasts originally sourced from St Austells Brewery. Lizard Ales can be found throughout Cornwall or can be bought online at cornish-bottled-beer.co.uk.