Falmouth harbour rock inspiration for beer (From Boating Cornwall)

Falmouth harbour rock inspiration for beer

11:53am Thursday 25th June 2009

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A rock familiar to thousands of seafarers at the entrance to Falmouth harbour has won further fame as the inspiration for the name of a new beer.

The Falmouth Beach Hotel held a competition for its name and logo when it joined forces with Truro-based Skinners Brewery to launch the latest Cornish real ale.

“Black Rock Wrecker” was the name in the winning entry, which was described as a real family affair with input from seven people from Cornwall and further afield.

“Over the years, many a shipwrecked sailor has found safe refuge in the Black Rock’s cage whilst awaiting rescue,” explained Simon Deeble, who submitted the entry jointly with grandfather Hugh Pearce. “What would they have given for a pint of Black Rock Wrecker!”

The logo for the new beer, drawn by Simon, depicts a tall ship wrecked on the infamous rock, together with the Falmouth Beach parrot clinging to the rock for safety.

A copy of the final artwork for the logo – supplied by Skinners’ Barnabus design team – was part of the prize presented to Simon and Hugh in a grand family gathering at the hotel.

The pair also received an 18-pint polypin of Black Rock Wrecker, with Simon quipping: “It’s such a mouthful to say that you will easily be able to tell if a customer has had enough when they ask for another pint!”

Joining them for lunch in the hotel’s Feather’s Bar were Hugh’s wife Sheila and Simon’s other grandparents, Thelma and Russell Gay, and his parents, Diane and Matt Deeble, originally from Helston, who travelled down specially from West Sussex.

All his grandparents live in Truro and Simon, who grew up in the city, now works in London as a lawyer. A member of CAMRA, he has travelled all over Europe in pursuit of his passion for real ale. “Cornwall is very similar to Belgium with a real growth of successful smaller independent brewers making some real quality local ales,” he commented.

The hotel received a diverse selection of entries to choose from with some interesting Cornish folk stories supporting the names and artwork submitted, with part of the entry fee going to Cornwall Hospice Care.

The idea for the new ale was prompted by the great interest shown in Cornish ales by the hotel’s guests and by CAMRA’s recent LocAle initiative promoting pubs stocking locally brewed real ale.

“We buy locally wherever possible and felt this was a great way of increasing our support for Cornish producers,” said hotel bar manager Travis Manning. “There is clearly a growing consumer demand for quality local produce along with the increased awareness of ‘green’ issues.”

Black Rock Wrecker is now on sale exclusively at the Falmouth Beach Hotel.

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