BREWERY NUMBERS STABLE DESPITE ECONOMIC CHALLENGES

There are a multitude of factors affecting businesses across the UK in brewing, wider hospitality and beyond. There has been disruption to supply chains, periods of high energy prices, and the cost of living crisis. You can also add inflation, along with a challenging recruitment environment where getting the right person for your role is rarely a straightforward task.

However, at the time of going to press, The International Monetary Fund (IMF) revealed an upgrade to its outlook for the UK, forecasting 0.4% growth rather than a 0.7% contraction.

In a statement, it said the UK had been “buoyed by resilient demand in the context of declining energy prices” and that “the outlook for growth, while improving somewhat in recent months, remains subdued.”

The projected 0.4% growth is a reflection of the easing of global energy prices and improved wage growth. The update from the IMF arrived shortly after figures released by SIBA through its ‘UK Brewery Tracker’ revealed that brewery numbers in the UK remained “relatively stable” in the first quarter of the year.

In the period from January 2023 to the end of March 2023, figures show that some regions increased their net brewery number, with the overall UK number being down by just four on the start of 2023, equal to a 0.22% change. A better position than previously expected.

According to the research, Wales led the UK in terms of brewery growth. The country’s net number rose by five overall, while in the West of England numbers dipped by four. The same figure applies to the South East while the South West and North East of England both had a decline in overall brewery numbers of just two. In Scotland, one brewery closure was recorded in that time.

However, in the East and Midlands regions there were two openings each and in the North West of England and Northern Ireland, figures stayed the same throughout the first quarter.

Looking at the UK as a whole, the research shows brewery numbers at the end of the quarter to be 1824. 145 of these are in Scotland, 29 in Northern Ireland, 263 in the North East, 209 in the North West, 180 in the East of England, 284 in the Midlands, 71 in the West of England, 107 in Wales, 331 in the South East with 205 in the South West. A drop, as mentioned above, of four from the 1828 recorded at the start of the year,

Commenting, the association’s chief executive Andy Lee said: “It is very positive to see some areas of the UK now in growth and a national figure which has beaten the odds to remain relatively stable, despite the challenges faced by brewers.

“Small breweries have a hugely positive impact on their local community, providing jobs, raising money for charity, supporting local initiatives, and providing access to the freshly-brewed local beers that are now in such demand across the UK. All small independent breweries deserve your support.”

This level of support should also extend to many brewery’s customers - the UK’s fantastic pubs - too. But numbers have been slowly declining across the UK for decades and recent shocks, such as the pandemic and the energy crisis, have put these pubs under increased pressure. Figures released by the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) showed that more than 150 pubs have disappeared in first quarter of 2023. The UK’s beer and pub industry supports close to 940,000 jobs, while adding £26.2 billion to the economy each year.

Lallemand has launched a new Saccharomyces cerevisiae hybrid yeast that offers a “game-changing solution” for no-and-low alcohol brewing.

LalBrew LoNa is a maltose-negative hybrid strain that has been selected to have ideal characteristics for the production of low and non-alcoholic beers.

Advanced classical and non-GMO breeding methods were used to select a strain that does not consume maltose or maltotriose, resulting in very low attenuation.

LalBrew LoNa is the first maltosenegative Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain specifically selected for beer fermentations.

As a S. cerevisiae strain, the company said it performs like an ale producing a clean and neutral aroma profile, no phenolic flavors, and significantly reducing aldehydes that cause worty flavours.

Additionally, the patented technology from the University of California Davis (USA) ensures that the strain will not produce sulfurous off-flavours, allowing the malt and hop flavours to shine through.

The brewing group, In Good Company Limited, has announced its craft beer brands Magic Rock and Fourpure have been reinstated as SIBA (Society of Independent Brewers) members. Following the new independent ownership of the breweries, this is the first time in SIBA history that a brewery has been given back its membership. After the sale of Fourpure and Magic Rock to Odyssey Inns Ltd in 2022, the breweries are now part of a new independent brewing group: In Good Company Limited allowing it to be reinstated to SIBA. With the ability to offer a selection of exciting craft beers from a single supplier, In Good Company provides the hospitality sector with an easy way to serve up a range of craft beers.

Steve Cox, chief executive officer at In Good Company said: “As independent breweries, Magic Rock and Fourpure value the support that SIBA provides. We believe that it’s important for them to be reinstated as members of SIBA, as it allows us to connect with like-minded brewers and access valuable resources. “We’re continuing to look at ways of how contribute to the vibrant craft beer community and it’s a step in the right direction to do it as a SIBA member.”

The chief executive of SIBA, Andy Slee said: “SIBA are delighted to welcome back former members Fourpure and Magic Rock, who under their new ownership are now once again eligible for membership and for entry into SIBA competitions.

“I want to wish them both a warm welcome back to the fold, and to congratulate Magic Rock who picked up two Gold awards at their inaugural SIBA North East Independent Beer Awards last week.”

BarthHaas X has launched a new ecommerce shop which offers direct access to suppliers for thousands of breweries across the UK. The new platform has been designed to help breweries easily find and purchase the supplies they need to create highquality brews.

By offering direct access to top suppliers BarthHaas X, in collaboration with Muntons Malt and WHC Labs, is providing an innovative solution to breweries large and small during the cost of living crisis and helping them compete in an increasingly crowded market.

John Willetts, director of BarthHaas X, said: “We are thrilled to be launching this new platform and to be offering the smaller breweries a solution that will help them succeed.

“We believe that by providing direct access to top suppliers, we can help small breweries grow and thrive, and we are excited to be a part of that journey.

“So many breweries have to buy through third parties rather than direct from the producers like ourselves, and this causes additional costs that small businesses, in particular, can barely support, so we wanted to produce a way for everyone to be able to have direct access to the best producers in the marketplace.

“Therefore we have got together with our friends Muntons Malt and WHC Labs to offer direct access to all of our products, with the beneficial cashflow protection and quality benefits that brings.”

Budweiser Budvar has collaborated with Thornbridge on its first ever collaboration lager to be brewed outside its home country.

The lager is called Czech Mates and is brewed with Thornbridge, the original UK craft brewery, home to award-winning craft beers and ales. Czech Mates will be available to purchase from May 16 from Thornbridge and major UK retailers. Bringing together centuries of Czech brewing expertise, the finest British ingredients and cutting-edge technology, Czech Mates is a Czech-style lager that aims to fuel a growing appreciation for quality, traditionally brewed lager across the UK.

Czech Mates is an “aromatic, crisp and beautifully balanced” 4.8% beer, brewed to the same high standards as all Budweiser Budvar and Thornbridge products, and made at Thornbridge brewery, located in Bakewell in the heart of the Derbyshire Dales.

The traditional Czech brewing method of decoction and long, slow maturing complement the British-grown Maris Otter malt and East Kent Goldings hops, while Budvar’s decades-old yeast strain makes the journey from Budweis to Bakewell to bring it all to life.

In addition, the famously soft water of the Peak District, just like that found in České Budějovice (Budweis), is ideal for brewing lager. Given its dedication to quality and authenticity in brewing, Thornbridge made a natural partner for Budvar. Research shows that the craft lager sector is growing faster than any other, and Czech Mates will set a new benchmark, the company said.

London’s craft beer scene is gearing up for a major celebration as the London Brewers Alliance (LBA) brings back its legendary LBA Festival on 17th June. With 50 London breweries and more than 100 different beers set to feature at the historic Fuller’s Griffin Brewery, this event promises to be the ultimate craft beer extravaganza.

The LBA Festival is a unique opportunity for beer lovers to come together and experience the incredible range and diversity of London’s brewing scene. Attendees will be able to taste some of the best and most innovative beers the capital has to offer, all while enjoying the fantastic atmosphere of one of the city’s most iconic breweries.

“The LBA Festival is not just about beer though, there will be a fantastic selection of food on offer to complement the beers, with a range of street food and other tasty treats to choose from. There will also be live music and entertainment throughout the day, ensuring that the festival is an unforgettable experience for everyone who attends,” they said in a statement.

Otter Brewery has launched a “new and exciting category” that it said bridges the gap between craft beer, cask ale and lager.

Fresh Ale is a new form of ale that is brewed in exactly the same way as Otter’s other cask beers, but rather than being filled into a cask, the beer is gently carbonated before being racked into a keg.

Otter Brewery’s Fresh Ale is dispensed slightly cooler than traditional cask ale but not as cold as keg, with a light carbonation that allows the beer to remain true to its cask ale equivalent in taste and body.

As the beer has been filtered, the ale remains in perfect condition for weeks rather than days, an important factor in the current environment.

Patrick McCaig, managing director at Otter Brewery is confident that the cask ale sector has legs but it “needs to modernise” as well.

He said: “Our Fresh Ale concept arrives at a time when customers are searching out drinks that are flavoursome, gently carbonated and slightly cooler than traditional cask ale.

“Our first beer in this category, Amber Fresh, has been developed to help both revive and energise the ale sector (including cask) giving drinkers of all ages the confidence of quality when making their bar call.

“All too often a pint of cask ale can be disappointing and often this is largely due to the lack of throughput resulting from too many beers on the bar. Fresh Ale comes with a guarantee of flavour and condition.”

Two specialists in manufacturing equipment have teamed up to help brewers maximise consistency in their production through enhanced automation.

Brewery machinery expert, Collective Motion Brewing, is working in partnership with Krohne, a worldleading manufacturer of industrial instrumentation, to introduce flow tracking technology to keg filling processes for clients throughout the UK and Europe.

Collective Motion Brewing is utilising Krohne’s in-line and battery-operated flowmeters to enhance the accuracy of keg washer fillers with a repeatable transfer operation and reliable monitoring of flow rate, total flow and temperature.

Dominic Smith, director at Collective Motion Brewing, said: “The growing use of flowmeters to enable precision batch control is part of a wider trend of increased automation within the industry. We integrate Krohne’s electromagnetic flowmeters into our clients’ existing keg systems as well as supplying them for new facilities and equipment upgrades in conjunction with our own range of compact keg washer fillers.

“Krohne’s flowmeters are best-in-class for temperature range, accuracy, pressure drop and flow range. We’ve received a lot of demand from smaller brewing businesses keen to move away from keg couplers and less efficient methods of filling.”

Chris Lawler, regional sales manager at Krohne, said: “These technologies are useful for breweries of all sizes, but they are especially suitable for smaller brewing businesses and microbreweries. They value the ultra-compact design for parallel installation and tight spaces, as well as ease of operation, with simple handling and no mobile devices needed for set-up.”

Tanks and process technology business Ziemann Holvrieka has been named official solution partner of Siemens AG. The partnership applies to automation systems, drives and Siemens Sistar Braumat expert module. Ziemann Holvrieka, which specialises in the brewing, beverage and liquid food industries is certified for “exceptional expertise in automation”.

From its base in Ludwigsburg it said it can provide “top-quality future-ready automation solutions” anywhere in the world in conjunction with systems from Siemens. In addition, Ziemann Holvrieka is celebrating a world first, as Koray Müftiler, key account manager of Siemens, explained: “I’m very pleased that the certification is now complete and that we can officially announce our solution partnership. This makes Ziemann Holvrieka the first plant engineering company in the market to be certified for Braumat and Sistar.”

The certificate was presented in Ludwigsburg by a Siemens delegation. Ziemann Holvrieka was represented at the ceremony by Klaus Gehrig, who said: “Cooperation between our companies in automation began decades ago.

Ziemann Holvrieka has therefore become an expert in Braumat and created highly efficient module libraries. This knowledge is unique in the market. So it’s appropriate that we should be the first to be certified for Braumat and Sistar.”