Brewery Closures – Local Quality or National Mediocrity ?
On 26th May, the BBC ran a story with the headline: ‘Beer boom goes flat as breweries call last orders.’ This was featured on their website and even led to a pre-breakfast interview on Radio Sheffield with one of our Committee. Their story was based on a mix of Companies House and national CAMRA data and stated that:
- ‘In April, the number of UK beer brewing companies fell to 2,320. It peaked at 2,594 in 2022.’
- ‘Across the UK 320 businesses shut last year, Companies House data shows. Yet only 170 opened, resulting in a net loss of 150.’
The story takes no account of the many nuances which are hidden in the figures. For example, Grizzly Grains ran successfully for four years from 2020. It closed when the owner and sole employee, Sam Bennett, became Head Brewer at Little Mesters as they moved to their new premises in Attercliffe. The result was a net loss of one brewery but an increase in both numbers employed and beer production. It’s also worth mentioning that the effect of one closure can vary dramatically. In February, Molson Coors announced the closure of Sharp’s Brewery in Cornwall with the loss of 50 jobs.
It would also be interesting to see more depth. Perhaps, only consider, breweries which have existed for over five years? Sheffield currently has 17 independent working breweries. Of these, 15 have been in operation for over 5 years: they are established, have a working business model, and, most importantly, customers. In the last five years, another three breweries have come and gone (BrewSocial, Heist and HQ Brew).
Local independent breweries have many pressures: post-covid, energy costs, the rising cost of ingredients, the effects of Brexit … however, the main challenge is getting to market, making their beers available for sale. If you visit a big supermarket, how many indie beers are on the shelves?
Sheffield City Council missed an opportunity with the Cambridge Street Collective. The ‘largest food hall in Europe’ has very little local indie beer on the bars, However, recently, the council do seem to have seen the errors of their ways. One of the key strands of their Sheffield Inspires marketing campaign is ‘The Craft of Beer’
Taxation is another issue. It’s difficult not just for breweries, but for all small independent businesses. However, breweries do seem to have to engage with a perhaps excessive amount of paperwork: perhaps the indie beer companies need a special overseer who will bring things together?
It’s also worth noting in addition to 20% VAT, alcohol is also subject to specific duties. The UK tax on beer is one of the highest in Europe. For example, a 4.5% beer sold at £4/pint : beer duty 13% , VAT 17% : 30% of your spend is on tax (£1.31). A reduction in alcohol tax would be welcomed by our local independent breweries.
The BBC did note that both Bristol and Sheffield have one of the densest brewery scenes in the country, each with over 10 breweries within a mile of each other. Sheffield is a strong beer city due to local co-operation, collaboration and support. In short, the things that make Sheffield a great city, make it, possibly the best beer city in the world.
As co-founder of Triple Point, George Brook said in the BBC piece: “One of the reasons why I love this city, and also Bristol, both are so much more accepting of independents than anywhere else I have been or lived. The culture of drinking local beer is one of the things that makes Sheffield great.”
Choosing an independent pint genuinely makes a difference. It supports local businesses, local employment and is also good for the environment. Do you really want to drink Doom Bar which has travelled over 300 miles from Cornwall, when there is a choice of many excellent, locally-made beers? The difficulty for the small brewery is getting to market, not the quality of their beer. Consumers deserve the opportunity to choose: local quality or multinational mediocrity.
- Dave Pickersgill
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Current Sheffield Breweries:
Abbeydale 1996 – established
Bradfield 2005
Blue Bee 2011
Tapped 2013
Toolmakers 2013
Emmanuales 2014
Fuggle Bunny 2014
Stancill 2014
Neepsend 2015
True North 2015 (brewery available for outside use)
Little Critters 2016
Loxley 2018
Dead Parrot 2018
Saint Mars of the Desert (SMOD) 2018
Triple Point 2019
Little Mesters 2020
Duality 2024
AleChemist 2025
NOT IN SHEFFIELD BUT STILL IN SHEFFIELD & DISTRICT CAMRA BRANCH AREA:
Eyam 2017
Intrepid 2014