Recently, a group of us took a visit to St Ives Brewery’s brand-new taproom in Hayle, just opposite our head office, for a tour and beer-tasting experience. A unique and new experience, having only started in June 2023, the tours invite you to immerse yourself in day-to-day life at a Cornish brewery. 

We met the fantastically knowledgeable Fran, who started by delving into the captivating history of the evolution of beer and how St Ives Brewery was born. We then explored the impressive 60-hectoliter tanks, learning about the process from grain to beer. It was fascinating to see how the beer is bottled, canned and labelled at the production line.

We then indulged in a tasting experience of some of their best sellers, we all loved every one of them, and even the non-beer drinkers were pleasantly surprised at how much they liked them.

Here is what the team thought about the experience:

“I loved the tour! I found Fran so knowledgeable, and any questions we asked she was super quick with the answers. Highly recommend taking a visit.”

“I really enjoyed this little trip to the Brewery, who knew beer could be so interesting! The lady conducting the tour, Fran was so engaging, a really knowledgeable young lady and so friendly, you could ask her anything, and she knew all the answers!”

“Fran was amazing, very informative and even when we asked questions she knew the answers, really enjoyed the time and of course the tasting at the end was a bonus. I now will not shy away from drinking ale, something I hadn’t tried until yesterday.”

The tour lasts a total of 1 hour and 30 minutes and there is a bonus of 10% off in the bar and gift shop at the end, and if you visit on a Friday there will be food trucks waiting to serve you delicious street food. To find out how to book head to their website!

Looking for a Cornish getaway? Take a look at our holiday cottages.

Tags: Beer | Hayle | St Ives | Food and Drink |