Cornish Crown Brewery has invested in a major equipment overhaul and relaunched with a new look to keep pace with the rapidly evolving market for craft beer. The microbrewery, which overlooks St Michael’s Mount, was created in 2012 initially to supply brewery tap The Crown – an award-winning real ale pub in Penzance. It has grown to become one of the South West’s most iconic small breweries, supplying independent pubs, bottle shops and food stores, and epitomising the quality and innovation of contemporary Cornish brewing.
Founder Josh Dunkley recently revealed a rebrand for the brewery, a revamped website for online sales, and an eco-friendly service for doorstep deliveries in West Cornwall; he has already had to hire two new employees to help him keep up with demand.
Josh explained: “Pre-Covid we were still producing quite a lot of cask beer for pubs. It was a shrinking market, accelerated by the effects of the pandemic. Our response has been to completely overhaul our business, taking it in a new and exciting direction.”
Josh has invested in cutting-edge equipment for seamless production of small batch, hop forward beers which he will mainly be selling in can; Premium Pilsner, Citra Boom Pale Ale, and Cornish IPA are amongst the core range, which will regularly be supplemented by limited edition, seasonal releases.
He elaborates: “We now have a filtration system to produce clear and crisp lagers; a hop gun to deliver optimum infusion for hop-forward IPAs; and a canning machine which allows us to be seriously agile in creating an ever-evolving range of beers.”
While Cornish Crown are still producing cask and kegged beers for pubs across the South West, canned lagers and IPAs will be the new focus, with sales through the relaunched website delivered promptly across the UK.
Meanwhile Josh has bought an electric van for local deliveries, enabling Cornish Crown to make eco-friendly doorstep drops around West Cornwall from his base at Badger’s Cross – perched between Mount’s Bay and the West Penwith moors.
Josh says: “Local customers can also order online for ease, and delivery over a certain amount is free within the immediate area. Our customers are embracing the opportunity to drink a great range of beer made locally in small batches, with carbon-neutral delivery to their doors.”
Brewery tap The Crown remains a warm and welcoming home for local beer lovers; Josh and his wife Michelle have been able to retain the character and atmosphere of the pub while adhering strictly to Covid-19 measures.
Is has been a year of adaptation for Josh, who says: “Like a lot of businesses, the pandemic brought forward and intensified changes we would’ve made over a period of several years. I have other exciting plans – like opening a Visitor’s Centre and hosting regular pop-up food events at the brewery – and hope to kick-start those projects later this year.”
The brewery’s current offering can be view and purchased via the website, where new releases and seasonal specials will appear – keep an eye on social media for news of freshly-brewed batches.
For more information about the brewery, visit www.cornishcrown.co.uk.
