Bath Ales’ head brewer Georgina Young has been promoted to the role of brewing director for parent group St Austell.
In her new role Georgina, pictured, will oversee brewing and operations at both St Austell Brewery in Cornwall and Bath Ales Hare Brewery at Warmley, between Bath and Bristol. 
Georgina joined the group in May last year after leaving her leading role at London brewer Fuller, Smith & Turner.
She was recruited by her long-time friend Roger Ryman – St Austell’s previous brewing director who died in May.
She will continue to be based at Bath Ales while also overseeing operations in St Austell and will report to Andrew Turner, managing director of St Austell’s Beer and Brands business, who joined from Heineken earlier this year
St Austell chief executive Kevin Georgel said: “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.”
Andrew Turner added: “Since welcoming Georgina to the business, she’s been instrumental in helping us to realise the full potential of Bath Ales’ beer brands.
“She’s respected throughout the industry and is the perfect guardian for St Austell Brewery’s portfolio of beers. We can’t think of a better person to lead us into our next chapter and inspire the next generation of brewers.”
After graduating from Heriot Watt University with an MSc in Brewing and Distilling, Georgina started her career at Smiles Brewery in Bristol, working alongside Richard Dempster – one of the founders of Bath Ales.
She went on to run the pilot brewery at Camden BRI before joining Fuller’s as a production brewer in 1999, where she served in roles across all aspects of production.
She ascended to the role of head brewer in 2017 – the first female at Fuller’s to take on the role – and is a master brewer of the Institute of Brewing and Distilling.
Georgina 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.”
Bath Ales, which owns city pubs The Swan, The Griffin, The Hop Pole and The Salamander, was acquired in 2016 by Cornish brewer St Austell, best known for its Tribute, Proper Job IPA and Korev lager brands.
Two years later, St Austell funded a multi-million pound investment in Bath Ales’ Hare Brewery, pictured above, doubling its capacity to produce more than 50,000 brewers’ barrels of beer per year – the equivalent of over 14.5m pints.
As well as its flagship beer Gem, Hare Brewery also makes Lansdown West Coast IPA and Bath Ales’ first lager Sulis along with a growing portfolio of seasonal and specialist beers.
