St Austell Brewery launches 150-pub Tribute Ale Trail

A pint of Tribute now comes with homework. St Austell Brewery has sent out maps, stickers and the promise of a free night away to anyone willing to drink their way across the South West, launching a trail that spans more than 150 pubs the same year its flagship pale ale turns 25.

How the Tribute Ale Trail works

The trail launches today to mark the start of Cask Ale Week 2026, taking in pubs across Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset. Trail maps are available from any participating pub. Buy a pint of Tribute there and you get that venue’s own location sticker, with only one available per pub, so the trail rewards finding somewhere new rather than returning to the same local.

The prizes for pint by pint

The rewards build with the miles. Ten different pubs earns a free pint of Tribute. Fifty earns a £50 St Austell Brewery voucher, and 100 earns a second £50 voucher on top of that. Anyone who makes it round every participating pub, more than 150 of them, wins a one-night stay at a St Austell Brewery managed house worth £200.

A pub trail 25 years in the making

St Austell Brewery says it is the first trail to span its whole pub estate in more than a decade, timed for a year in which the brewery itself turns 175. A commemorative Tribute glass has been produced to mark the anniversary, and the beer remains closely tied to South West sport, having sponsored Cornwall County Cricket Club, Cornish Pirates and Bath Rugby over the years. It is currently the official beer partner of Plymouth Argyle.

Georgina Young, Brewing Director at St Austell Brewery, said the aim was simple. “The South West is home to some of Britain’s best pubs, so we wanted to create something that gives people a reason to get out and experience more of them,” she said. “The Tribute Trail is part pub adventure, part celebration of cask ale and a chance to support the brilliant pubs and communities that make this region so special. Whether you’re aiming for 10 pubs or all 150-plus, it’s a great excuse to explore somewhere new, find a new favourite pub and enjoy a pint along the way.”

Where Tribute actually began

Full trail details, including the pub list, are on St Austell Brewery’s own site. Tribute itself started out as an experimental brew, created by former Head Brewer Roger Ryman to mark the total solar eclipse of 1999, before becoming a permanent part of the range in 2001. Twenty-five years on, it is one of Britain’s best-known cask ales, and this trail is the first time the brewery has sent drinkers to every pub that pours it.