Speakers

Georgina Young is Brewing Director at St Austell Family Group, leading the production teams at St Austell Brewery in Cornwall and Bath Ales. She joined the company in May 2019, leaving her role as Head Brewer at Fuller’s to return to the West Country where she grew up.

Georgina’s passion for brewing started during her student years at King’s College London. She studied biotechnology at undergraduate level, before completing a Master’s degree in Brewing and Distilling at Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh.

Georgina’s career began in her hometown of Bristol, at Smiles Brewery, where she learnt from the floor upwards – starting in the lab before progressing to shift brewing. She then moved to Brewing Research International (now Camden BRI) to run the pilot brewing facilities, where she worked alongside the likes of Professor Charles Bamforth.

In April 1999, Georgina joined Fuller’s as a Production Brewer under the wing of Brewing Director, John Keeling. During her time at Fuller’s she installed a new tank farm to increase fermentation capacity, assisted with the brewery’s ISO 9002 quality certification, recreated beers such as Gales HSB and Prize Old Ale, and developed new beers such as Honeydew as well as a selection of seasonals.

Following Georgina’s second maternity leave, she took a break from brewing and became a Science teacher at a comprehensive school in Richmond, Surrey where she stayed for four years.

It was not long before the draw of Fuller’s brought her back to the Griffin Brewery and in October 2013, Georgina rejoined the company as Brewing and Packaging Manager. Georgina coordinated the installation of a new Crossflow membrane filter and CBS system (continuous beer stabilisation system) and – when Fuller’s acquired Dark Star brewery – she transited the brewing of Hophead pale ale to Chiswick. Georgina was promoted to the role of Head Brewer in 2017 and was the first woman in Fuller’s history to take on the role.

In May 2019, Georgina joined St Austell Family Group as Head Brewer for Bath Ales, optimising the new brewing and bottling facilities which had been installed the year before. Fermentation capacity increased to 50K barrels by the end of 2019, with the installation of further kit. Georgina introduced a second shift and went on to install a new kegger and robotic palletiser.

Following the untimely passing of her long-time friend Roger Ryman, who had led brewing operations at St Austell since 1999, Georgina was promoted to Brewing Director in July 2020. She now oversees brewing and packaging at both Bath Ales and St Austell Brewery. Since taking on this enlarged role, she has successfully commissioned a new canning line and launched a new permeant cask beer – Anthem British pale ale.

Georgina has been Chairman of the Southern Section of the IBD, is currently a Director at Cask Marque and a member of the Worshipful Company of Brewers.

Independent, family-owned St Austell Brewery has been brewing beer in Cornwall, England since 1851. Fast forward 170 years and, while traditional brewing techniques remain, innovation, passion and craftsmanship continue to evolve.

Most famous for its flagship pale ale, Tribute, St Austell Brewery’s range of award-winning beers – also including Proper Job IPA and korev lager – are available in pubs and supermarkets nationwide and in Europe.

The business owns and operates over 180 pubs, inns, and hotels across the West Country and two breweries in St Austell and Bath.

With a network of six depots across the West Country the company is the leading wholesale distributor of beers, wines, spirits, ciders, minerals, and soft drinks in the region.