St Austell appoints new brewing director

Cornish brewer St Austell has appointed Georgina Young as its brewing director following the death of the role’s previous incumbent, Roger Ryman, in May.

Young has been promoted from her previous role of head brewer at Bath Ales, which was bought by Cornwall’s St Austell in 2016.

In her new position, she will oversee brewing and operations at both Bath Ales and St Austell Brewery.

Young was formerly head brewer of London’s Fuller’s and joined St Austell in May 2019 after being recruited by Ryman.

She will continue to be based at the Hare Brewery in the outskirts of Bristol and will report to managing director, Andrew Turner. Turner said Young has been “instrumental” since joining the company. “We can’t think of a better person to lead us into our next chapter and inspire the next generation of brewers,” he said.

Commenting on her new role, Young said: “I’ve been a long-time admirer of St Austell Brewery’s beers, and feel honoured to be taking up the reins from Roger.

“Overseeing production down in Cornwall, while continuing to head up Bath Ales, offers me a new challenge. I’m looking forward to this next chapter and working more closely with the brilliant team down in Cornwall.”

Ryman passed away in May this year from cancer aged 52. He had worked at the brewery for over 20 years and created its flagship beer, Tribute.

Kevin Georgel, chief executive of St Austell added: “We’re delighted to have appointed Georgina as our new brewing director. As one of Roger’s oldest friends in the industry, he was thrilled when she joined the business last year. He held her in the highest regard, and we know he would be very proud to see her take the helm and steer us forward.”

Young has an MSc in brewing and distilling from Heriot Watt and held roles at Smiles Brewery in Bristol and Camden BRI before joining Fuller’s in 1999. She was appointed head brewer in 2017, becoming the first female to hold the role at the Chiswick-based firm.