Sharp’s Brewing Co Launches Guild’s Choice Ale for Cask Ale Week 2025

A beer built from a nationwide pub quiz of cask wisdom

Rock-based Sharp’s Brewing Co has announced the launch of a unique limited-edition brew for Cask Ale Week 2025 (18th – 28th September 2025). Called Guild’s Choice, the ale has been created in an entirely new way, with the recipe crowdsourced from leading experts in the beer industry.

Sharp’s beer sommelier, Ed Hughes, devised the idea with support from the Guild of Beer Sommeliers. He asked the Guild’s advisory board to share their favourites across five categories of cask enjoyment: all-time favourite cask ale, favourite hop, favourite pub food, favourite malt and ideal cask ABV. Their collective responses were combined into a recipe, resulting in a beer described as a true expression of collaboration.

The Guild of Beer Sommeliers

The Guild of Beer Sommeliers was formed to promote beer knowledge and appreciation across the UK. Its members include sommeliers, writers, educators, brewers and hospitality leaders, all united in encouraging beer quality and collaboration.

Sharp’s partnership with the Guild highlights its commitment to drawing on the experience of those shaping the future of cask.

What to expect from Guild’s Choice

Brewed at 4.2% ABV, Guild’s Choice is a copper-coloured ale with a malt-forward base of Maris Otter, Munich, Caramalt and wheat. Drinkers can expect biscuity sweetness, caramel and honeyed warmth, balanced with Amarillo and Nelson Sauvin hops for bright citrus aromas and a gentle tropical edge.

Sharp’s Technical Brewing Optimisation Manager, Jon Wide, brewed the beer at the company’s pilot plant. He said:

“Working from the advisory board’s choices was really inspiring and quite fascinating. It was so interesting to get insights from the most respected minds in beer. My goal was to keep the soul of their selections while making a beer that pours beautifully on cask. We are really pleased with the finished product and can’t wait to get it out for public consumption during Cask Ale Week 2025. With its sweetness and warmth, Guild’s Choice is a great ale for those who appreciate depth, balance and character.”

Jon added:

“We are beyond committed to this category, and Cask Ale Week provides an extra opportunity to highlight the extra qualities and care and attention that goes into not only brewing, but also treating and serving, the perfect pint of cask ale.”

Ed Hughes said:

“We were intrigued to know what would happen if we blended the collective experience of the country’s top cask minds into one pint and now we have it! Guild’s Choice. This limited-edition release blends insights from a whole advisory board of elite beer professionals, the answers we received quite literally became our recipe, a recipe that captures what experts love most about cask. We believe this process reflects Sharp’s commitment to bringing people together, elevating great British cask and the pubs that are proud to serve it and is proof that when the cask community comes together, we create something really special.”

Beer sommelier Annabel Smith, also a member of the Guild, said:

“Cask beer is one of the great institutions of British culture, and it’s the cornerstone of British pubs. This beer is a collaboration between the Guild of Beer Sommeliers and Sharp’s, using all natural ingredients and produced using traditional methods. It’s a fantastic way of celebrating our national drink and recognising the importance of Cask Ale Week.”

Where you can try it in Cornwall

Guild’s Choice will be available during Cask Ale Week 2025, until stocks last, at:

• The Mariners in Rock

• The Blisland Inn in Bodmin

• The Front in Falmouth

• The Brendon Arms in Bude

It will also be available in mini casks from the Sharp’s Brewing Co shop and online.

Sharp’s Cask Quality Club and rebrand

Earlier this year, Sharp’s introduced a new Cask Quality Club for select Cornish customer pubs, recognising establishments committed to serving cask at its best. All four pubs serving Guild’s Choice are members of the club.

The brewery has also unveiled a refreshed look across its cask and keg range, including flagship Doom Bar amber ale, Twin Coast session pale ale and Sea Fury special ale. Offshore Pilsner and Atlantic Pale Ale have also been rebranded, with the designs inspired by Cornwall’s coastal identity.

For more information on Sharp’s Brewing Co’s cask ale products and Guild’s Choice, visit www.sharpsbrewery.co.uk.

Drink responsibly: www.drinkaware.co.uk