Consumer group wants pasty-style guarantee from brewing giant and Government.
Beer drinkers and pub campaigners in Cornwall are calling for a Cornish pasty style protection for iconic local beers to prevent beers marketed as Cornish being brewed elsewhere in the UK.
It comes after the news that Molson Coors are shutting the Sharp’s brewery at Rock and will move all production, including Cornish favourite Doom Bar, elsewhere.
CAMRA Cornwall have issued a stern warning to the global brewing giant, telling them that any attempts to market Doom Bar, and Sharp’s award-winning beer range, made outside the Duchy as a ‘Cornish’ product will be met with a robust and vocal campaign in response.
CAMRA fears that the brewing giant could follow in the footsteps of Carlsberg, who market Wainwrights as a ‘Lake District Original’ despite brewing it over 100 miles away in Wolverhampton.
Vince Curtis, CAMRA Cornwall Vice Chairman, said:
“Although we were expecting this eventually, it doesn’t make the announcement any less devastating. Whether it’s the team that have lost their jobs, or Cornish locals losing more of our proud brewing heritage, this is just another blow during a tough time for brewers and publicans across the Duchy.
“Our message to Molson Coors is clear. If you’re shuttering the brewery, you can’t keep claiming that Doom Bar is a Cornish beer. It’s misleading for consumers and insulting to Cornwall’s brewing legacy. Molson Coors have chosen to sever ties with brewing in the South West, and shouldn’t try to suggest otherwise.
“We also want the Government to change the law to stop misleading practices from global brewing companies implying a beer is Cornish if it is brewed miles away. That’s already the case with our pasties; it should be the same for our beers too.”
ENDS
Notes to editor
CAMRA Cornwall will also be writing formally to Molson Coors.
More information about Cornwall CAMRA is on their website here.
The Cornish pasty has protections under UK law so that it has to be made in Cornwall in order to be called Cornish.
Speaking as the news broke on 25 February, CAMRA Chief Executive Tom Stainer said:
“Today’s news is just another example of a global brewing giant destroying the nation’s cask brewing heritage. Sharp’s has been brewing cask for over 30 years and this will just be dismantled overnight. Trying to produce iconic Cornish beers outside of the Duchy would be a disgrace.
“We are losing far too many cask brands and the breweries who craft them at the hands of global brewers more interested in profit than our brewing heritage, and making sure drinkers can enjoy authentic products. Not only does it impact our local pubs and consumer choice, but it damages Cornish and UK brewing heritage, culture and of course jobs.
“This once again puts a spotlight on the stranglehold global brewing giants have over our pubs. The Government must use their Access to Market Review to ensure that local, independent brewers and cider makers can get their produce on offer at the bar, so the wide range of beer styles that the UK’s pubs are known for can be protected and expanded.”
