Brewer and pub company Bath Ales has been acquired by Cornwall-based St Austell Brewery, with the new owners promising investment in its brands, brewery and pubs.
The deal, financial details of which have not been disclosed, includes Bath Ales’ brewery and bottling plant at Warmley, between Bath and Bristol, its portfolio of beer brands and its 11-strong pub estate.
The firm’s Bath outlets include The Hop Pole and The Salamander pubs while its Graze bar and restaurant next to Bath Spa railway station also features a microbrewery.
Bath Ales was founded in 1995 and has since expanded into Bristol, Cirencester and Oxford.
St Austell today said all Bath Ales’ beer brands, which include its flagship Gem bitter as well as Barnsey, Dark Side, Wild Hare and Ginger Hare, will continue to be brewed at its existing brewery.
It also said it had a schedule of investment to expand the brewing and packaging facilities.
St Austell Brewery was founded in 1851 and owns 167 pubs across the South West. Best known for Tribute Cornish Pale Ale, Proper Job IPA and Korev lager, it reached the landmark figure of 100,000 brewer’s barrels (163,659 hectolitres) of its own brand beers last year – equivalent to 28.8m pints.
It is one of only 28 independent family-owned brewers in the UK. 
Bath Ales also had a strong 2015 with revenue up 7% to £15.6m. Sales of its beer brands, led by Gem, were up 18% to more than 20,000 brewer’s barrels – more than five million pints.
The firm said the success was based on simplifying its management reporting lines, reducing its supplier base and focusing its investment in key areas for business growth.
Bath Ales’ directors, including managing director and founder Roger Jones, will play an active role during the transition and integration process.
Mr Jones said: “This is a really exciting move for Bath Ales. With the investment and broader support from St Austell Brewery we are better placed to capture the opportunity that exists for Bath Ales.
“We are confident that we can also make a strong contribution to their operations so that the combined organisation can really set the standard for quality beers and outstanding venues.
“From the first contact with St Austell Brewery we genuinely found people and an operation that have a consistent set of values and the same commitment to quality. The combined business will be a force to be reckoned with.”
St Austell Brewery chief executive James Staughton added: “For a long time Bath Ales has been a company I have admired and this exciting acquisition provides the coming together of two like-minded businesses.
“Bath Ales brews great beer and has a thriving pub estate, both of which complement those of St Austell Brewery. We want to build on Bath Ales’ success to date and are committing to a long-term significant investment in the Bath Ales brands, pub estate, people and brewing facilities.
“Together St Austell Brewery and Bath Ales will deliver solid and distinctive offerings to customers combining conscious innovation, service excellence and the scaling of what works.”
Pictured: St Austell Brewery CEO James Staughton, left, and Bath Ales Founder Roger Jones toast today’s announcement
