What does it take to build an independent brewery from the ground up? In this episode of The Beer Rep Chats With, Martin sits down with George Parker Collins, co-founder and head brewer of Bluntrock Brewery in Rock, North Cornwall, to hear the story behind one of Cornwall's most distinctive independent breweries.
George grew up in Burton upon Trent, surrounded by brewing. His parents met while working at Allied Breweries, and his childhood was spent around Tower Brewery, giving him an early connection to brewing before he even realised it. At 18, he moved into the brewing industry and began his career at Sharp's Brewery, gaining experience of the standards, systems and discipline of a large-scale brewery.
He then moved to Padstow Brewing, where he went from working within a large brewing team to effectively running the brewing operation himself. It was at Padstow that George began experimenting with modern hoppy beers, one-off releases and canned beer, discovering the ingredients and techniques that would eventually influence Bluntrock's brewing philosophy.
George explains how the idea for Bluntrock started with a simple ambition to build a brewpub in Rock and Polzeath where beer could be brewed and sold directly at the source. That dream eventually became reality through four shipping containers, a tiny 150-litre brew kit and plenty of DIY work during the pandemic.
The story didn't stop there. After demand quickly outgrew the original brewery, George and business partner Hugo took an unexpected gamble at the auction of Boxcar Brewery's equipment. They won the bid and suddenly found themselves owning a much larger brewery, despite having nowhere to put it.
George talks openly about the challenges of scaling Bluntrock, moving into the new brewery in 2023, dealing with second-hand equipment, building a team of almost 30 people and expanding to three taprooms.
We also get into Bluntrock's beers and brewing philosophy, including Pagan Juice, the beer inspired by George's Cornish cookouts, the distinctive Bluntrock artwork and the story behind the brewery's \"bucket head\" characters.
George also discusses one of the most fascinating projects in the brewery's history: Ambassador, a Burton-inspired best bitter that led to an 18-month research project involving historic bottles of Bass, Allsopp and other Burton beers and an attempt to recover historic brewing yeast.
The conversation also explores the challenges facing independent breweries in Cornwall, including tied pubs, limited freehouses, seasonality and the difficulty of getting beer into the local market.
Bluntrock Socials:
Shop - https://www.bluntrockbrewery.co.uk/pages/shop
Insta - https://www.instagram.com/bluntrockbrewery/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/bluntrockbrewery/
CHAPTERS
00:41 - 03:09 Growing Up in Burton and Discovering Brewing
03:10 - 05:16 Starting at Sharp's Brewery and Learning the Fundamentals
05:17 - 10:45 Padstow Brewing and Discovering Modern Hoppy Beer
10:46 - 13:49 The Dream of Starting Bluntrock Brewery
13:50 - 20:10 From a 150 Litre Brew Kit to Four Shipping Containers
20:11 - 26:29 Buying the Boxcar Brewery Equipment at Auction
26:30 - 29:21 Pagan Juice, Bluntrock's Brand and the Bucket Heads
29:22 - 33:34 Brewing in Cornwall and the Battle for Market Access
33:35 - 43:32 Recreating Burton Beer: The Story Behind Ambassador
43:33 - Dream Collaborations and Final Thoughts
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