Hardknott Brewery hits out at local competition after award win

Dave Bailey, head brewer at Cumbria’s Hardknott Brewery, said he preferred to sell to the world market and invest in equipment, training and ingredients, rather than drop his prices at the expense of quality to compete with the high number of breweries in the county.

Bailey admitted his strategy at the International Craft Brewing and Distilling Convention in Dublin last week after winning bronze medal for his Azimuth IPA and Continuum brews in the International Craft Beer Cup. The beers were picked out of a field of 120 beers entered into the category.

He said: “We are delighted to have gained bronze alongside some very highly thought of international craft brewers. It proves that our strategy is correct if we are to compete on the world stage and bring revenue into the area.

“It’s almost amusing that it is easier some days to get my beer in Rome than it is in Ravenglass or Barcelona than Bowness.

Head and shoulders​

“It’s not that we object to selling our beer into Cumbrian pubs, but rather the market is a little saturated and many breweries are competing on price rather than quality.

“If we dropped our prices to compete in Cumbria, simply to increase sales locally, we could not continue to grow, develop new products and invest in the economic future of the area. We simply need to remain head and shoulders above our competition.”

Will Hanrahan, a representative from the Convention, which is run by US-based brewer Alltech, travelled to see Bailey and his wife Ann Wedgwood earlier this summer to invite them to the event personally.

Hanrahan said: “Dave is pushing the boundaries with his beer. His beers don’t conform to those rules often set within the industry but he still offers quality cask beers and bottle conditioned ales, tipping his hat to the British traditions.”