A BEER-LOVING student who started a brewing business with a friend has won a royal seal of approval, tributes from a senior business chief, and a top award from the Duke of York.

Prince Andrew praised Sussex-born George Grant and his business partner Paul Delamere, who are thought to be the youngest established professional brewers in the country, for their novel approach to branding.

George and Paul were 21-year-old Manchester University undergraduates when they first tried home-brewing as a hobby in their student digs, using a plastic stick and bucket.

Now they are stirring up the UK craft beer sector with their firm the ShinDigger Brewing Company, selling 50,000 pints a month across the north of England from

George, 26, who lived in Buxted and Lewes and went to school in Brighton, said: “We wanted to start a company focusing on people like ourselves and our friends.

“When we were home-brewing in 2012, the main beers available to us were macro lagers and traditional British ales.

“Our aim was to create beers with a younger image and bolder flavours.

“We feel it’s vital that the millennial generation and our drinkers can identify with our beers and company, not just consume it.

“Our core customers are people like ourselves.”

At university house parties they began selling 50 pints of home-brew a week, charging £2 for beers that cost them just 60p a pint to produce.

Now they sell American-style craft beers in more than 130 Manchester bars and to more than 60 stockists across England and Scotland, including in Brighton.

At a ceremony at the University of Huddersfield, George and Paul received the award for Young Entrepreneurs of the Year and met the duke afterwards.

George said: “I was really impressed with his attitude towards young entrepreneurs and the encouragement he gave us.”

Tim Sawyer, CEO of The Start Up Loans Company, said: “Paul and George have shown that it’s possible to transition an unusual, fun-filled hobby into a fast-growing, profitable small business. The fact they run a business with international scale in just five years is a testament to their hard work, determination and acumen.”