Tucked just up the coast in the heart of North Cornwall’s rugged landscape, Bluntrock Brewery has quickly become one of the region’s most exciting independent breweries—known for its small-batch creativity, bold flavours, and unmistakably Cornish character.
With the festivities almost in full swing we catch-up for a pint and chat with Bluntrock’s head brewer George Collins.
For readers who may not yet know you, can you share the story behind Bluntrock Brewery and how it all began?
Bluntrock Brewery was founded by George & Hugo back in 2021 bringing their shared passion for modern quality focused beer styles to their local community of Rock and Polzeath. A move towards food in the pubs and bars locally was pushing out people just looking for a great locally brewed beer, so we decided to create our own venue to fulfil that need.
In 2021 we built a brewery and taproom out of some retired yellow shipping containers and started brewing on a 150-litre nano brewery in one container and serving the beers in the one next to it. The aim was to shorten the distance between brewer and drinker, and build a laid-back, community focused venue for our local area.
3 years later, with demand outstretching supply, we opened a brand-new state of the art brewery just 0.3 miles away where we’ve been producing since.
What ingredients or flavours do you find yourself drawn to, especially when crafting seasonal or experimental brews?
For me what I’m drawn to very much depends on the season and the weather. If it’s cold, dark and wintery, I’m going to be drawn much more to warming flavours from the malt; like caramel, toasted bread, biscuits, dried berries.
Whereas in the heat of summer, a juicy fruit forward IPA or crisp dry lager is much more appealing… That’s the most beautiful thing about beer; there’s a style just right for any moment.
What does Christmas at the brewery look like—do you have seasonal traditions, tasting events, or community festivities?
Christmas means we’re busy… It’s one of the busiest times of the year for pubs and restaurants, so there’s plenty of beer going out the door as well as lots of evenings spent at christmas markets and beer tastings. All whilst making sure to get in lots of pints with family and friends…
How important are local events like the Fayre for independent producers like yourselves?
For us local events like the Fayre are really important. Talking directly to customers and other independent producers from all over the county makes trading at events like the Fayre incredibly rewarding. I think it’s also important to highlight independent Cornish producers over huge multinational companies. With an independent producer like ourselves, a much more hands on type of passion and love goes into what we do. We love what we do, and we love where we do it. I’d like to think that shows in Bluntrock.
Does Bluntrock take part in any community or sustainability initiatives that you’d like readers to know about?
The new brewery takes advantage of progressive systems such as CO2 recovery, solar power and an onsite borehole (our own water supply), all of which pull us closer to achieving our goal of becoming a net zero business in the future. We have also worked hard to incorporate wildlife habitat into our new brewery, setting aside space on the site for a wildflower meadow, orchard, Cornish hedge development, wildlife pond and bird & bat boxes. We like to think we’re good neighbours to all our animal and insect friends.
If you could pair one of your beers with a classic Christmas dish what would it be and why?
If I had to choose one, I’d choose Mr Milksop (our oatmilk stout) with a nice warm mince pie.
Pagan Juice, our best-selling 5% Hazy Pale Ale
This is the beer that started it all. Inspired while dancing around campfires and sunsets; while listening to our favourite old school grooves, this is our happy beer.
It’s a soft, clean pale ale with intense tropical aromatics. A proper nod to the East Coast US IPA movement that shook up the brewing world in the early 2010s. Originating in Vermont, these beers became icons for their hazy pours, low bitterness and big juicy hop character. Less sharp bite, more silky smoothness. All about that pillowy mouthfeel and waves of tropical fruits.
Pagan Juice is our love letter to that style. Brewed with oats and wheat for that classic haze. Dry-hopped with a dialled-in blend of modern American hops. Big hits of ripe mango, succulent peach flesh, and fresh orange zest. We keep the bitterness low and let the rich hop oils sing.
If you’ve long been on the haze hype or if you’re just dipping your toes in, Pagan Juice boasts everything we love about this style. Unfiltered. Hop forward. Dangerously crushable.
Chub, our 4% Bright Pale Ale
Chub. Our house Bright Pale Ale. Soft, squishy, and easy drinking.
In the glass it sits just off bright, beaming with a light straw colour. We’ve used Talus and Sabro hops, slightly lower hopping than usual, for delicate aromas of sherbet and coconut, and flavours of lemon zest and shortbread. Rounded off with a subtle bitterness. Boom.
Chub recently became part of our core range and has since grown to be a firm favourite amongst our community. It is also Gluten Free! Have yourself a gorgeous, session-able little pale ale.
Bluntrock Lagers
At Bluntrock, we’re typically known for our hop-forward pales and IPAs – but our lagers are where patience, tradition, and a little innovation really shine. Crisp, refreshing, and brewed with care, they’re designed for pure refreshment. Unlike ales, lagers ferment low and slow. Weeks of cold maturation (lagering) smooth out the flavour profile, creating that crisp finish. With Cornish spring water from our own borehole, traditionally floor-malted barley from Warminster Maltings, and a keen eye on the details, every pint is worth the wait.
Kanpai, our 5% Japanese Rice Lager
Kanpai is a super light, ultra-crisp Japanese Lager brewed with rice for a beautifully dry finish.
It has gentle aromas of gooseberry and lemon, and drinks almost like a white wine… Devilishly refreshing.
Translated from Japanese to English, Kanpai means ‘Cheers’!
Helles, our 4.2% Helles Lager
Helles is a true easy-drinker, perfect after a day on the Cornish coast or alongside some deliciously fresh seafood. Smooth, golden, and malt-forward with a gentle floral hop finish.
The German word Hell can be translated as bright, light, or pale… a perfect summary of the beer.
Seasonal Beers
Our special releases – IPAs like our recent drops Queen Bee (7.3% Hazy IPA) and More Dogs (5.6% Pale Ale) – fly off the shelves as quickly as we can brew them. Each release is a chance for our head brewer George to get creative with the latest hop crops, push the boundaries of our hop forward beers even further, and keep everyone guessing what’s next. Not one of these beers has hung around for long, and loyal patrons of our Taprooms are always eager to try the newest IPA’s and Pale Ales.
Alongside our hop forward beers, we frequently explore other styles; Sour beers, like Red Cloud a 6% Raspberry & Peach sour that we brewed earlier in the summer, Stouts, like our latest batch of Mr Milksop a 5% Milk Stout, and Traditional Cask Styles, like Bluntrock Gold our 4.8% Golden Pale Ale.
Whether it’s the crowd pleasers like Pagan Juice and Kanpai, or the limited specials like Queen Bee and Red Cloud, one thing’s for sure: the Bluntrock community knows good beer. We are champions of beer that has absolutely no compromise on the quality of its ingredients, and the care that is put into every batch.
