CAMRA Cornwall Issue Cornish Pasty Warning To Molson Coors Over Sharp’s Closure

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.”