Doom Bar

Coordinates: 50°33′47″N 4°56′17″W / 50.563°N 4.938°W / 50.563; -4.938

The Doom Bar (previously known as Dunbar sands, Dune-bar, and similar names) is a sandbar at the mouth of the estuary of the River Camel, where it meets the Celtic Sea on the north coast of Cornwall, England. Like two other permanent sandbanks further up the estuary, the Doom Bar is composed mainly of marine sand that is continually being carried up from the seabed. More than 60 percent of the sand is derived from marine shells, making it an important source of agricultural lime, which has been collected for hundreds of years; an estimated 10 million tons of sand or more has been removed from the estuary since the early nineteenth century, mainly by dredging.

The estuary mouth, exposed to the Atlantic Ocean, is a highly dynamic environment, and the sands have been prone to dramatic shifts during storms. According to tradition, the Doom Bar formed in the reign of Henry VIII, damaging the prosperity of the port of Padstow a mile up the estuary.

Sharp's Brewery

Sharp's Brewery is a British regional brewery company founded in 1994 in St Minver Lowlands, Rock, Cornwall, by Bill Sharp. Since 2011, the brewery has been owned by Molson Coors. It is best known for its flagship ale, Doom Bar, the bottled version of which has been brewed in Burton-upon-Trent, 267 miles away from Rock, since 2013.

History

The brewery has been through three phases - from a small micro brewery, to a larger facility within the same building and finally to the current phase that has seen the Brewery extend its premises to accommodate more vessels and increase its brewing capacity.

Unlike many breweries, they do not own or operate any public houses, hotels or restaurants. Their focus is solely on brewing beer.

On 2 February 2011 the brewery was bought by Molson Coors Brewing Company for £20 million.

Beers

Sharp's produce regular cask ales, seasonal ales, and pasteurised bottled beers.

Doom Bar bitter

Doom Bar bitter (4.0% abv), the brewery's flagship ale, accounts for nearly 90% of sales. Over 24,000,000 imperial pints (14,000 kl) of Doom Bar was produced in 2010. In 2011, sales increased by 22 per cent, making it the UK's fastest growing ale for three years in a row. The beer is named after the dangerous Doom Bar sandbank at the mouth of the Camel Estuary in north Cornwall. Cask Doom Bar is brewed at Rock, but bottled Doom Bar has been produced in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, since 2013. This ale can now be found across the UK and in Italy, Sweden, and Japan.