A special one-off beer brewed to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Small Breweries’ Relief (SBR) is pouring in Parliament this week. Meg Hillier MP chose Five Points Brewing Co’s beer as the guest ale in The Strangers’ Bar, inside the House of Commons.
The SBR IPA is a special edition beer which was brewed collaboratively by brewers and supporters who helped introduce Small Breweries’ Relief – the tax scheme which has defined the modern craft beer industry. SBR allows smaller breweries to pay a proportionate amount of beer duty to the Treasury, using the savings to invest in their businesses and grow.
Featuring all-British grown malts and hops, the 5.1% beer provides aromas of stone fruit and orange. The names of the hops form the letters SBR: Sovereign, Bullion and Relentless (the latter is a new experimental British hop).
Five Points Director Greg Hobbs joined Meg Hillier MP to pour the first pints, along with Barry Watts from the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA).
Meg Hillier MP said: “It’s a great pleasure to see Five Points’ SBR IPA being served in Parliament and for MPs to celebrate the impact that Small Breweries’ Relief has had over the past two decades. Five Points’ success is just one example of how the Small Breweries’ Relief tax scheme has helped more small breweries to set up and grow.”
Greg Hobbs, Director of Brewing at Five Points, said: “We’re delighted to see Five Points being poured in Parliament and grateful to Meg Hillier for putting us forward. Five Points’ growth has been possible because of SBR and it’s great to see it being recognised in Parliament.”
SBR IPA was showcased in The Strangers’ Bar through a scheme run by the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group and SIBA, to which Five Points belongs.
SIBA Head of Public Affairs Barry Watts said: “Seeing the SBR beer enjoyed in Parliament is a reminder of the work that went into making the scheme possible twenty years ago and has resulted in more than 1,900 small independent breweries in the UK producing some of the best beer in the world.”
Images attached: Barry Watts from SIBA with Meg Hillier MP in The Strangers’ Bar..
ENDS
Notes to editor:
The Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) was founded in 1980 to represent the UK’s smaller, independent breweries. Today it has more than 700 brewer members, on whose behalf it lobbies at Westminster and in Europe.
The All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group organises meetings, receptions, briefings and other activities for around 400 supportive MPs and Peers. Its purpose is to promote understanding amongst Parliamentarians of the UK beer and pub industries. The Group is supported by around 70 individual brewing and pub companies and by SIBA. An officially registered all-party parliamentary group, the Group is one of the largest industry groups at Westminster.
The Five Points Brewing Company is an independent brewery based in Hackney, London, brewing with a commitment to quality and the community since 2013.
Championing flavour, provenance and consistent quality in everything it makes, the brewery’s beers are award-winning modern classics.
Just as important as beer-making is the company’s commitment to community. Five Points was the first brewery in the UK to be an accredited Living Wage Employer, and the company strives to continue supporting its community through charity partnerships and making more sustainable choices.
Press release from Five Points Brewing.
For further information, please contact Rhona McKeran via rhona@fivepointsbrewing.co.uk.