PRESS RELEASE

Award-winning Stuart Howe joins Harbour Brewing Co

Former Parliamentary Beer Group brewer of the year and multiple global award winner Stuart Howe has returned to Cornwall to take up the role of head brewer at Harbour Brewing Company, near Bodmin.

Stuart left Sharp’s Brewery, in Rock, in 2015, having been promoted to head of innovation and craft brewing by parent company Molson Coors. He has since been director of brewing at Butcombe Brewery, at Wrington, and head brewer at Lost and Grounded Brewers, in Bristol.

Harbour Brewing founder, Eddie Lofthouse, said Stuart stood out from other candidates because of his breadth of industry experience, technical ability and creativity.

“Stuart is here to oversee the next stage of our growth,” said Eddie, who explained that the business has seen a huge increase in sales in this, its fifth year. New fermenting vessels are due to be installed later this year to cope with demand.

He said he was keen to see Stuart get a new project under way, studying a beer style for a couple of months then brewing to that style for a new limited-edition range.

Stuart will lead a team of three other brewers and started this week creating a new coffee porter, using Nicaraguan beans supplied by Origin Coffee. Also due for release soon is a raspberry vanilla Berliner weisse, tart and fruity, yet very sessionable at 3.5% ABV.

Stuart said he had followed Harbour’s progress keenly over the past five years and was keen to take on the new challenge. He has already noted that the spring water the brewery uses is very similar to that in Czech lager capital Pilsen. “That’s one of my ambitions, here, to make a brilliant Cornish lager,” he said.

“I have a lot of experience of breweries and this place is run very well. The brewing team are good guys – the sexiest brewing team in Cornwall!”