News

Research since the Budget shows that, far from going down, business rates for pubs will rise dramatically over the next few years. Hospitality experts say thousands more pubs will close, hut not only by business rates but high costs for energy, increases in the Minimum Wage and National Insurance plus a rise in the price of beer as duty goes up.

Added: Saturday, December 6th 2025

AB In Bev, the world's biggest brewer, has bowed to grassroots campaigners and has launched a major promotion for Draught Bass. Bass was once Britain's leading premium cask ale, worth close to one million barrels a year, but that has fallen to 30,000 barrels and the beer has become hard to find. But now more than 1,000 pubs will serve it with new pump clips and glasses.

Added: Tuesday, December 2nd 2025

An appeal to Chancellor Rachel Reeves to take urgent steps to help British pubs by removing business rates, cutting VAT and excise duty and removing anomaly where supermarkets don't pay VAT on beer sales

Added: Wednesday, October 8th 2025

Global brewers say demand for cask beer has fallen, forcing them to close breweries. But a growing number of independents say they are brewing back to pre-Covid levels and even beyond that. The successful indies include Bathams in the Black Country, who brew at the Vine pub (pictured). Demand for their Bitter is so high they deliver to some pubs in 54-gallon hogsheads

Added: Sunday, July 6th 2025

Martyn Cornell, a brilliant beer writer, researcher and historian of brewing, has died suddenly aged 72. He is pictured above left with his brother Dave. Martyn spent many years researching the origins of beer styles, in particular porter and stout from the 18th century. His blog Zythophile was a must-read for all lovers of beer. He died on the eve of a major new book on the history and revival of porter and stout

Added: Friday, June 6th 2025

Ken Don was head brewer at Young's from 1980 until it closed. He then spent many weeks at Charles Wells Brewery in Bedford where his beers were transferred. He had to train his yeast culture to work in Wells' conical vessels. The beers continued to be brewed at Bedford when Marston's bought the plant but it was then sold to Estrella Damm. Young's beer are now at Banks's but will find end at Marston's in Burton, a long way from their ancestral home

Added: Tuesday, June 3rd 2025

Covid still has an impact on sales of beer today. As a result of pub lockdowns drinkers bought beer from supermarkets and chose global lagers sold at huge discounts. Now in pubs many people you would expect to drink cask ale are still choosing lager while small brewers find the route to market hard

Added: Sunday, November 10th 2024

Not content with closing Jennings, Ringwood and Wychwood, Carlsberg now plans to close Banks's in Wolverhampton, the 100,000 barrel a year brewery famous for Black Country Mild and Bitter. The Danish lager giant plans to invest £6m in expanding Marston's in Burton, its last remaining ale brewery, but it's likely that many current ale brands will disappear.

Added: Thursday, October 24th 2024

There's a growing media storm warning of the dangers of drinking alcohol. Most of the advice is based on ignorance and much of the material in newspapers comes as a result of clever campaigning and influence by the temperance movement using a number of names that cover its real intentions

Added: Wednesday, September 4th 2024

Last month Bateman's Brewery in Lincolnshire celebrated its 150th anniversary with a special lunch attended by several hundred fellow brewers, retailers and beer writers. The media was noticeable by its absence. It could have interviewed Stuart and Jaclyn Bateman (pictured), the fourth generation of the family but chose to stay away. Britain is as great brewing nation but is badly served by the media

Added: Monday, May 6th 2024