Announced in a social media post on Instagram earlier this week, the brewery, owned by Chris and Julia Mckenzie, thanked supporters for helping to create “fantastic memories”.
The post said: “It is with immense sadness that we announce the immediate closure of Cellar Head Brewing Company & Tap Room.
“The whole team over the past 7 years have ploughed heart, soul, blood, sweat and a few tears along the way, into creating amazing beers and fantastic memories.”
Uphill struggle
Cellar Head explained the closure followed two years of “uphill struggle” due to financial pressures, including an increase in production costs and a “stressed market”, all of which have led the business to being “unavailable”.
Evelyn Partners have been appointed as administrators in a bid to find a buyer and take the brewery into its “next chapter”, the post said.
It continued: “We personally want to thank our team, supporters and every one of you who has bought a pint of Cellar Head over the years or spent time with us at the tap room.
“Your support, whether that was in our early days in Uckfield, over COVID when the community dug deep and supported local businesses with open arms, or more recently in spending time with us at the tap room, will always be appreciated by us.
Touch economic climate
“We hope we’ve added some happiness and good times to your lives as you have to ours.”
In addition, Cellar Head “raised a toast to the memories” and urged people to keep supporting independent breweries, adding “it’s tough out there”.
This comes as data from Price Bailey earlier this week showed the number of craft breweries becoming insolvent in 2023 almost doubled as interest rates surged.
Moreover, the price of a pint of draught lager increased by 0.5% during the first quarter of 2024 alone, the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed.
