A new 4.5% Cold IPA combining Derbyshire brewing heritage, Cornish malt and English hops launches today at Buxton Brewery.

What happens when two brewing friends with more than 40 years of combined experience bring the character of the Derbyshire Peaks together with the spirit of the Cornish coast?Thermal Shock.

The brand-new 4.5% Cold IPA from Buxton Brewery and St Austell Brewery is the result of a long-awaited collaboration between Rob Topham, Production Director at Buxton Brewery, and George Young, Brewing Director at St Austell Brewery.

And while the name might hint at something dramatic, the beer itself takes a remarkably clean and refreshing approach to IPA.

What is a Cold IPA?

If you’ve never tried a Cold IPA, Thermal Shock is a particularly good reason to start.

Unlike a traditional IPA, a Cold IPA is fermented at a much lower temperature using lager yeast. The result is a beer with a crisp, clean and exceptionally refreshing body, while dry hopping brings the bold hop character you’d expect from an IPA.

Think lager-like refreshment with IPA-level hop aroma.

For Thermal Shock, that clean foundation becomes the canvas for a carefully selected combination of English hops.

English hops meet Cornish malt

Rob and George brewed Thermal Shock using Cornish Gold Malt, alongside a hop combination designed to deliver plenty of character without weighing down the beer.

Target and Jester hops bring layers of pine, zesty citrus and grapefruit, with Chinook adding another lift of bold hop character.

The result is deliberately balanced: bright, aromatic and hop-forward, yet light enough to leave your palate feeling refreshed.

It’s the kind of beer that makes you want to take another sip just to work out what you’re tasting.

A collaboration years in the making

There is more to Thermal Shock than a new beer release.

The collaboration brings together two breweries with strong regional identities and two brewers who have been developing their craft for decades.

George Young (pictured left) travelled north from St Austell Brewery in Cornwall to reunite with longtime brewing friend Rob Topham (picture right) at Buxton Brewery in Derbyshire.

Their combined experience, more than four decades in brewing, provided plenty of ideas. But the real challenge was turning those ideas into something that felt true to both breweries.

The answer was a beer that connects two very different landscapes.

Cornish malt. Derbyshire brewing. English hops. 

Why “Thermal Shock”?

The name captures the idea behind the collaboration perfectly.

From the rugged Cornish coastline to the cooler air of the Peak District, Thermal Shock is built around contrast: warm brewing traditions meeting a crisp, modern beer style.

It is a meeting of places, people and brewing philosophies — and that makes this more than simply another IPA release.

It’s a snapshot of what can happen when two established breweries decide to experiment together.

Thermal Shock launches at Buxton Brewery today

Thermal Shock | 4.5% Cold IPA launches Friday 21 August 2026.

To mark the release, Buxton Brewery is giving beer lovers the chance to try the new collaboration with 50 free pints at 5pm across three locations:

• Trackside Taproom, Buxton
• Buxton Tap House
• The Dukes at Bustler Derby

If you’re looking for a new craft beer in Buxton, a refreshing IPA for the weekend, or simply want to discover what happens when Buxton Brewery and St Austell Brewery collaborate, this is the perfect opportunity to taste Thermal Shock for yourself.

Because some collaborations are best understood one sip at a time.

Thermal Shock at a glance

Beer: Thermal Shock
Style: Cold IPA
ABV: 4.5%
Breweries: Buxton Brewery × St Austell Brewery
Hops: Target, Jester & Chinook
Malt: Cornish Gold Malt
Flavour profile: Pine, grapefruit, zesty citrus and a crisp, clean finish
Launch: Friday 21 August 2026
Free tasting: 50 pints from 5pm at selected Buxton Brewery venues

From the Peaks to the coast, discover what happens when two brewing worlds collide.