Celebrating 40 years with St Austell Brewery

May 15, 2006: Friends and colleagues at St Austell Brewery helped quality manager Rodney Sprague, 56, celebrate his four decades with the family-owned company and the continuation of a long and proud tradition for the Sprague family.

Rodney started out at the brewery at the age of 16, working in the brew house and following in the footsteps of his father Jack, who spent 45 years with the brewery, and his mother Gladys who worked there for 10 years.

While the traditional brewing process for St Austell’s real ales hasn’t changed much, some of the machinery involved has and Rodney remembers pumps and the hoist bringing malt to the top of the brew house being powered by steam when he first started.

After 10 years in the brew house, Rodney spent 18 years as technical services manager, responsible for installing the pipework and cellar equipment in many hundreds of pubs, hotels and inns supplied by St Austell across the South West.

His huge range of experience means Rodney is perfectly qualified for his current job of 12 years as St Austell’s full-time quality manager, visiting every one of the 163 brewery-owned pubs, inns and hotels at least four times a year to check and advise on cellar management and serving St Austell ales in tip top condition.

His dedication recently helped St Austell Brewery pubs win praise from brewing watchdogs after Cornwall’s inns came out on top in a nationwide survey of beer quality by independent monitors Cask Marque.

Rodney said: “I work very closely with our head brewer Roger Ryman to make sure that St Austell ales reach our customers exactly as they are meant to.

"Roger’s motto is about ensuring top quality beer ‘from grain to glass’ and a large part of that responsibility comes down to me and the cellar-keeping skills of our landlords.

"We set ourselves very high standards and I’m very proud to say that we consistently reach them, which is reflected in the awards and acclaim St Austell pubs receive.”

Rodney added: “I really do enjoy my work for the brewery and I have done for the last 40 years. It’s great to work for a family firm and one in which my own family has had three generations of involvement.”

Rodney’s wife Annie has worked for the brewery for 19 years and their son Adam Sprague is taking forward the tradition by running the Western Inn, in St Austell, with his partner Carly Price. They are the current holders of South West regional newcomers of the year title in the Morning Advertiser awards.

James Staughton, managing director of St Austell Brewery, said: “Rodney, and indeed his entire family, have given a great deal to the brewery over three generations and we’re delighted that he is still playing such a vital role in helping us carry forward the tradition of family brewing in Cornwall.”