St Austell Brewery cask ale Dartmoor Best will become Cornish Best as the Cornish independent family brewer hands over the Dartmoor Best brand name to Dartmoor Brewery.
The Dartmoor Best brand originally became part of the St Austell range in 1993 when its former owner Carlsberg Tetley closed their brewery in Plympton and St Austell agreed to brew the beer in Cornwall.
St Austell Brewery is now passing the brand name to Dartmoor Brewery based in the heart of the Dartmoor National Park in Devon following a recent distribution deal between the two businesses.
The deal means that St Austell has become the sole wholesale distributor for Dartmoor Brewery, significantly extending the distribution of Dartmoor Brewery’s Legend, Jail Ale and Dartmoor IPA beers to free trade outlets across the region.
James Staughton, MD of St Austell Brewery, said: “Dartmoor Best was a popular beer within our range for a long time. Having been contracted to brew the beer for many years, St Austell Brewery decided to buy the brand name and trade mark in 2002, and I think if we hadn’t done so, it was at risk of dying out.
“We feel it is now time to pass on the brand to Dartmoor Brewery, so they can continue producing a beer under this well-known name.”
Philip Davies, chairman of Dartmoor Brewery, added: “The addition of the Dartmoor Best brand within our beer portfolio is a natural fit and provides customers with clarity – it is a Dartmoor branded beer which will now be brewed on Dartmoor.”
