A BREWERY apprentice from Cornwall is set to have his beer showcased in more than 800 pubs across the UK later this month.

Joe Baker, 26 took up an apprenticeship at St Austell Brewery two years ago.

As part of his apprenticeship, he designed his own beer named ‘Average Joe!’ – a sweet, amber ale (4.5%ABV) which featured as part of the brewery’s Cask Club series around a year ago.

However, Average Joe! has had more than an average reception, having been selected to feature as one of 30 real ales in Wetherspoon’s 12-day autumn ale festival which starts on October 11, 2023.

Joe, who is from Camborne said: “I came up with the recipe design at the start of my apprenticeship. There was a beer that we had on at the time which had the Branning Cross hop in it which I enjoyed, so I thought I’d make a sweet, sessionable beer I would like to drink.

“It came out on Cask Club, and it went down really well.”

On finding out his beer will be sold in Wetherspoons up and down the country, Joe added: “I was really excited.

“When Average Joe! came out, I was away so I didn’t get to have that much of it, so it’s nice to be able to have it again.

“My uni friends around Guildford will be able to try it as well.

“I met up with some friends recently. We all have jobs now, but they were all talking about how I was brewing beer, and it was going into Wetherspoons.”

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The UK’s first brewing apprenticeship launched in 2019. It was first founded by a group of trailblazing brewers, including St Austell’s brewing director Georgia Young – and offers hands-on experience to academically-based training sessions at Nottingham University.

Wetherspoon’s real ale festival will be in pubs nationwide from Wednesday, October 11 to Sunday, 22.