A ROYAL wedding beer, more seasonal ales and stronger inroads into Cornwall and other counties are some of the plans unveiled by Torbay's Bays Brewery for 2011.

Bays has revealed last year's sales were up 26 per cent on 2009. Now the company hopes to do even better this year with a series of expansion plans including bottling its best-selling beer.

Co-director Pete Salmon said the brewery had a lot of scope to expand and increase its slice of the beer market.

At present the brewery, which employs 18 full-time staff and one part-timer, is producing 25,000 pints of ale a week, which is half its capacity.

However, Mr Salmon said plans were in the pipeline to increase production and push further with its Topsail beer – fast becoming a top seller.

He said: "The feedback we've had from people has been great. It is a good session beer.

"Bays Gold has remained our best-selling beer since we started. But Topsail is spearheading our expansion plans. Every month it is creeping up. Sales are good."

Mr Salmon put Topsail's success down to the nautical theme and the fact punters like the seaside.

He said: "We have a deal with Punch Taverns to have Topsail as a guest ale in all their pubs around the country until March.

"It has really helped boost sales by 50 per cent, and helped ensure our beer is known in other parts of the country.

"It's good for us and it's good for Torbay."

He added: "We're planning to increase our presence in Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset, which is why we need more delivery drivers to bring the beer to those areas."

Bays is looking to employ extra staff including an assistant brewer to help with the expansion project.

Mr Salmon added: "We find that pubs in places like Cornwall are incredibly receptive to our beers.

"They want something different from Sharps or Tribute.

"We're one of the few breweries from outside Cornwall that delivers into Cornwall."

Bays' beers are available in more than 300 pubs.

"At present we're not looking at becoming a pub landlord or moving premises.

"But it is something we're considering for the future. If an opportunity arises, then we'll look into it.

"We still have room for expansion, capacity wise. But again expanding into bigger premises is something we might look into in the future."

Mr Salmon said one of Bays' expansion plans for this year was to push Topsail into an even greater number of premises including supermarkets.

He said: "We're going to start bottling Topsail in April. It has been successful on draught in pubs. Now is the time to roll it out in bottles."

To commemorate Prince William's wedding to Kate Middleton, Bays will brew a special ale provisionally called Windsor Knot. It will be released for a month around the April 29 date.