Brewers' droop

"It's like death by a thousand cuts at the moment" is precisely the sort of statement that might be uttered by many a grassroots music venue manager. But it actually comes from Alex Troncoso of brewer Lost & Grounded, as reported in this Guardian article by Rob Davies, which makes it abundantly clear that times are tough for the craft beer industry.

Some of the challenges are common to both venues and brewers: most prominently, the cost of living crisis, which has meant the double whammy of rising costs coupled with a growing reluctance among consumers to spend money; burdensome repayments for loans taken out to ensure survival through the COVID-19 lockdowns; changing post-pandemic drinking/leisure habits; and the multifarious negative repercussions of Brexit.

However, other challenges identified by Davies and his interviewees are specific to the brewing industry. For example, while the Tories may be widely trumpeting their draught-duty freeze, the tax charged on beer remains hefty compared to our continental neighbours. Meanwhile, the supermarkets' apparently growing reluctance to stock the produce of independent breweries is undermining those breweries' efforts to stay afloat, as well as reducing and narrowing the selection of beers on offer to customers.

Davies quotes some in the industry who are up for the fight, but survival instinct hasn't been enough to save the likes of Purity and, very much closer to home, Rival. Some small-scale solutions and strategies are discussed in the article, but intervention on a national level seems necessary, and increasingly urgent.

Of course, Carling and Madri drinkers most likely won't care, and there will be some real ale aficionados celebrating the fact that the craft beer bubble may have burst, or at least arguing that the boom couldn't last. But biodiversity is inherently a good thing in any ecosystem, so its loss is a serious cause for concern.