NEWS

The award-winning Brussels café zine Pintjes returns for its third edition on 11 December, this time celebrating the folksy cafés of Brussels’ most iconic square. PINTJES, the zine celebrating Brussels’ unique café culture, is set to launch its third edition this week at the iconic CHAFF on Place du Jeu de Balle . This edition of the zine - its third - captures the square and its iconic folkloric cafés at a moment of change. With several having disappeared in recent years, an

French & Jupps Maltings, Britain's oldest maltster established in 1689, has appointed Annabelle Degroot as its new Managing Director, effective Wednesday, 3 December 2025.   As an accomplished leader, Annabelle brings a wealth of global experience and specialised expertise from her career in the beer industry with SAB Miller and AB InBev and more recently with Unilever where she focussed on climate and nature related initiatives. Grounded in her financial background, Annabell

Devon-based Sandford Orchards is celebrating a fantastic year of awards for its new non-alcoholic cider, Red Zero . It has just been named ‘Low and No Alcohol Category Champion’ by Taste of the West after winning Best Non-Alcoholic Cider at the World Cider Awards, Best New Drink at the Food Drink Devon Awards, Gold from The Farm Shop and Deli Awards and Silver from the Great British Food Awards.   Barny Butterfield, founder of Sandford Orchards comments: “Red Zero has had an

The Society of Independent Brewers & Associates (SIBA) have today written an open letter to Mark Drakeford MS, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language, calling for further support for Welsh brewers in light of the Budget announcements on Business rates. The letter reads; Dear Cabinet Secretary  The Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) represents around 700 independent breweries across the UK including around 40 in Wales. Our members operate at the hea

Beer & Pub Assoc. Respond to Scotland Matches Scheduled for 11PM and 2AM Commenting, Paul Togneri of the Scottish Beer & Pub Association said: “This is a once-in-a-generation moment for Scotland fans and should be a major boost for Scotland’s pubs, but with kick-offs at 11:00 PM and 2:00 AM, that opportunity is at risk. Each match should give an estimated £3m boost to Scotland’s pubs but we need licensing boards to show flexibility and allow pubs to open their doors, that’s w

Scottish pubs could get £15m boost with licensing change for World Cup The Scottish Beer and Pub Association (SBPA) is urging decision makers to support extension to licensing hours to ensure fans can enjoy next year’s historic World Cup matches in their local pubs. The current licensing regulations restrict pubs in most parts of the country from operating beyond 1am, which could mean fans miss key games likely to kick off at 11pm and 2am. Pubs may also miss out on a signific

The Scottish Beer & Pub Association (SBPA) has today announced current Vice President Anne Toms, External and Government Affairs Lead at Budweiser Brewing Group, will become its new President.  Anne takes over from Andrew Lawrence of Molson Coors Beverage Company, who has held the position since March 2022 and is moving on to become Chair of the BBPA's Future Brewing Group. Anne Toms will join Chief Executive Emma McClarkin, Strategy & Policy Director Andy Tighe, and Senior P

The first rooms at The Potter’s Heron, in Chandler’s Ford, have been released for reservation by Heartwood Inns.  The landmark thatched building is currently undergoing an extensive, multi-million-pound refurbishment to create a stunning pub with 323 internal covers, 125 external seats, and 58 beautifully designed bedrooms including two newly created rooms featuring adjoining bunk beds, perfect for families. When complete, The Potter’s Heron will reopen as a warm and welcomin

Toast Brewing has teamed up with Northern Monk for the second in its Breaking Bread series, a brand new beer brewed with surplus bakery bread . In the UK, 20 million slices of bread are wasted every single day. Across bakeries, sandwich factories, retailers and in our homes, we waste 44% of all the bread baked. In the lead up to Christmas, things get worse: 4.2 million Christmas dinners are wasted each year across the UK. Toast has been using surplus bread to brew beer since

Northampton’s newest social hotspot, The Phipps, officially opened its doors on Thursday 4th December with a buzzing VIP launch night that saw hundreds of local guests, familiar faces, and Northampton businesses take their first look at the stunning £350,000 refurbishment.   The transformed venue, formerly The Sir Pickering Phipps, impressed from the moment doors opened, with guests exploring the striking new central bar, bold décor, and fresh layout built for big nights, sha

A landmark new initiative to champion and protect the quality of the pint  was officially unveiled at the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) Council meeting . The Perfect Pint Promise  brings together leading brewers, pub companies and industry stakeholders in a shared commitment to deliver consistently excellent draught beer and cider — every time. The Perfect Pint Promise establishes the first truly industry-wide, independent benchmark and accreditation  for draught qual

Some good news for those looking for the perfect gift for the beer lover in your life, as the best beers in the UK have been revealed just in time for Christmas.    The results of the UK's biggest judging of beers from independent breweries are in, with a range of breweries taking home silverware with Bronze, Silver, Gold and 'Category Champion' awards being given in a broad range of beer style catgeories.   The Indie Beer Awards are organised by the Society of Independent Br

Two Brakspear pubs in the Cotswolds have triumphed in the Cotswolds Awards 2025. The Lamb Inn at Great Rissington won the Best Sunday Lunch award in the competition and The Five Alls in Filkins took home the Best Pub with Rooms title. Both pubs are run by talented licensees: Elliot & Kath Cree at The Lamb Inn and Tom Downing at The Five Alls. Their hospitality skills, embracing food, drink and accommodation, ensure that guests enjoy a memorable experience on every visit. Elli

An open letter has been sent to Chancellor Rachel Reeves today from the Society of Independent Brewers & Associates (SIBA) Board of Directors. The letter reads; "Dear Chancellor   As members of the Board of the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) we represent around 700 independent breweries, operating at the heart of our communities across the UK. We are an integral part of the UK’s brewing and pub sector that as a whole supports one million jobs and pays £1

Publican Rhiannon Metters from The Halfway in Tal-y-Coed, Wales, visited 10 Downing Street this week talking with Prime Minister Kier Starmer to highlight the vital role that pubs play in supporting local communities.    The Halfway joined five other artisan food producers and creative retailers for a Christmas market-style showcase hosted by the Prime Minister ahead of Small Business Saturday. The event was celebrating small firms, frontline workers and community champions a

Popular community pub, The Travellers Rest on Ashbourne Road in Derby, reopened on Monday 1st December following the first phase of a phenomenal £320,000 combined investment from experienced licensee, Andy Newton, and Admiral Taverns.    Thanks to the investment –  which has been split into two parts, with the second phase due to commence at the start of 2026 – The Travellers Rest has undergone a full refurbishment to enhance and modernise the overall look and feel of the pub

Christmas has come early for UK fans following the release of a limited-edition craft ale from a leading Edinburgh microbrewery.    The team behind Edinburgh’s Cold Town Beer have poured their passion into the extra special ‘Barrel Aged Imperial Stout’, which has been described as the ultimate Christmas tipple for craft beer connoisseurs, due to its smooth whisky character and deep complexity.   The Barrel Aged Imperial Stout is aged in Speyside whisky casks, making it a rare

The British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) has today released the results of their flash survey following the Chancellor’s budget announcement last week, with the devastating impact of broken promises destroying the pub sector. BII members revealed that only 1-in-3 are currently  profitable , thanks in the main to the previous budget in October 2024, which delivered huge increases in Employer NICs, Minimum Wage and the doubling of business rates bills as the relief was slashed

Griffin Trophy 2025 winner and runners-up announced Fuller, Smith & Turner , the premium pubs and hotels business, is delighted to announce The Coach & Horses, Soho [29 Greek St, London W1D 5DH] is the 2025 winner of its Pub of the Year competition – The Griffin Trophy. The competition is open to all Fuller’s 185 Managed Pubs and Hotels and 151 Tenanted Inns and sees the winner take home the coveted Griffin Trophy. The Coach & Horses, managed by Ali Ross, is a Soho instituti

A drive to reuse, refurbish, repurpose or recycle pub kitchen equipment has resulted in positive financial and environmental impacts for Greene King.   Greene King, the country’s leading pub company and brewer, is working in collaboration with contractors and suppliers to reinforce the value of sustainability during pub investments and maintenance projects.   Greene King’s property and maintenance team is trialling a complete end-to-end circular economy solution this year to