The edition of the Good Beer Guide reports a reports that 158 breweries have opened up in the space of just 12 months, the highest rate of new openings ever recorded in the Guide’s 40 year history.
Roger Protz, Good Beer Guide editor, said: “A double dip recession has done nothing to halt the incredible surge in the number of brewers coming on stream, making the small brewing sector surely one of the most remarkable UK industry success stories of the last decade. In fact, the boom in new breweries has, in many cases, made the term ‘micro’ obsolete, with some small brewers having become remarkably large, installing new equipment or doubling production to keep up with demand.
“As a ratio there is now just under one brewery for every 50 pubs in the UK, so for certain pubs who are struggling in the current climate, there is a big opportunity to tap into this exciting market and work with a local brewery.”
The pubs are the Buckingham Arms, Petty France, London; New Inn in Kilmington, Devon; the Queen’s Head in Newton, Cambridgeshire; Roscoe Head in Liverpool; Square & Compass in Worth Matravers, Dorset; the Star in Netherton, Northumberland; and the Star Tavern in Belgrave Mews, London.