St Austell Brewery beat off competition from some of the biggest names in the business to clinch the top title Regional Brewer of the Year at The Publican Awards 2009.

It marks national recognition of how St Austell Brewery has transformed its business over the last decade, with its flagship Tribute Ale now among the UK's biggest selling premium cask ales, a vibrant and successful estate of 169 pubs and a raft of awards for the quality of its beers, staff, food and training.

James Staughton, Managing Director of St Austell Brewery, said: "This is a massive award for us and really cements the Brewery's growing reputation nationally for our beers, for our pub estate and the forward thinking way we run our business.

"Perhaps more than any other industry, our business is all about people and this award is a tribute to the whole team who work for and are involved with St Austell Brewery and our pub estate. It is also a great day for the South West and the principle that a family-owned, independent business from Cornwall can lead the way nationally."

Honours also went to Stephanie Todd, manager of St Austell Brewery's Atlantic Inn, on St Mary's, on the Isles of Scilly, who won the Newcomer of the Year title for her ‘enthusiasm, creative energy and determination' in transforming the pub in her first year.

Judges commented on St Austell Brewery's beers and its pubs:

 "Strong growth in its core beer brand [Tribute] on a national scale has made St Austell the winner of Regional Brewer of the Year......Tribute is blossoming now to become a national brand."

"In a challenging market in 2008 St Austell Brewery has developed its pub estate so that it can trade excellently throughout the year within a market that is notoriously seasonal. Judges were impressed by a business that is well funded and structured, strengths which have enabled St Austell Brewery to invest in its estate, its people and its future."

The Brewery has enjoyed a busy start to the year with two significant investments on the back of soaring demand for its award-winning ales both regionally and nationally.

Work started on a major £700,000 project to build a new in-house bottling line and the doors opened on the Brewery's new Cornwall Distribution Centre in St Columb Major to serve as a regional hub for all of the 3,000 pubs, clubs, hotels and other licensed premises served by St Austell Brewery across the South West.

Sales of St Austell Brewery's flagship Tribute Ale have risen for eight consecutive years since its launch in 2001, and by an amazing 20 per cent in the past 12 months, continuing the meteoric success of the beer which has become the first and only Cornish beer to make it into the UK Top 10 of premium cask ales.

Other highlights in the last six months for St Austell Brewery include:

• Top quality chefs, Rick Stein and Paul Ripley have taken on St Austell Brewery pubs (The Cornish Arms, St Merryn and the St Kew Inn, St Kew, respectively).
• St Austell Brewery was awarded Food Company of the Year at the prestigious Publican Food and Drink Awards in November 2008.
• A national deal with Waitrose for Tribute to be sold in selected larger stores across the country - existing national listings for Tribute with Asda and Sainsbury as well as being sold across the South West in Tesco, Co-op, Spar and Thresher stores
• Admiral's Ale being voted the best packaged beer in the world at the International Beer Challenge
• Admiral's Ale securing a national listing with Sainsbury's, in addition to existing regional listings with Asda and Waitrose.
• St Austell Brewery was selected by Marks and Spencer to brew a new beer - Cornish IPA - to be sold in its stores and the ale has gone on to become the bestselling of its new range of regional beers.