NEWS

Craft beer brand Outland is adopting a new, more colourful design, for the first time since its launch in 2023, to strengthen its appeal as a ‘mainstream craft’ brand. The update sees the range of beers given distinctive names alongside a style description for each, as part of the ongoing drive to keep the brand fresh and interesting to drinkers, while also offering stability in a turbulent market. Outland is currently stocked in Tesco, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Ocado, as wel

The very best beers in the UK will be battling it out to be named the cream of the crop at the Cambridge Beer Festival, with the famous event hosting CAMRA’s prestigious Champion Beer of Britain 2026 competition. CAMRA’s longest running festival, and one of the largest in the UK, it runs from Monday 18 May to Saturday 23 May at the picturesque Jesus Green park, just across the road from the historic Jesus College. The winner of Champion Beer of Britain 2026 will be announced

Bustler has announced that Buxton Brewery Company will be the independent brewery behind the dedicated taproom, Dukes, at its new St James Yard development in Derby city centre, with plans to serve exclusive, ultra-limited beers available nowhere else. In a unique move, the Peak District-based brewery will introduce small-batch beers brewed on its forthcoming pilot system, with each one-off creation available only at its taprooms in Buxton and Derby. The dedicated taproom wil

CAMRA's new edition of the Good Beer Guide Belgium is published on 14 May 2026, and a launch event will take place on Thursday 21 May, 6.30pm–8.30pm, at the Ambassador's Residence, Belgian Embassy, Belgravia, London. Written by beer and travel guide writer Tim Skelton, the fully revised and updated ninth edition showcases over 1,500 beers and the 400 brewers and lambic blenders who make them, plus 650 of the very best places to enjoy them across Belgium. If you wish to attend

Greene King, the country’s leading pub company and brewer, has announced that its ever-popular Tub2Pub community recycling initiative has collected a record number of tubs in 2026 – for the sixth consecutive year. This year’s campaign saw almost 295,000 plastic sweet and biscuit tubs dropped off at Greene King pubs, diverting them from landfill and raising funds for its charity partner, Macmillan Cancer Support. This represents an increase of over 20% on the number of tubs co

The Drinks Trust, the UK’s drinks industry charity, has launched a new campaign to raise awareness of the vital services available through its 24/7 confidential Support Line, with a particular focus on the key challenges affecting those working across the sector. Launching at the start of Mental Health Awareness Week, the campaign highlights four critical issues currently facing the drinks industry workforce: financial hardship, mental health challenges, pressures on families

Independent breweries from across Scotland have come together to celebrate the country’s qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a unique beer collaboration that supports a Scottish children’s charity founded by football fans. The Tartan Army Sunshine Appeal (TASA) has partnered with a number of Scottish craft breweries to launch the “Everywhere We Brew: TASA Beer Series” – a collection of limited-edition beers created to mark Scotland’s return to football’s biggest st

Brewers from Norwich and Leuven are raising a glass once again to the long-standing connection between the two regions, with the launch of Strangers’ Blonde, a new Anglo-Belgian collaboration beer inspired by Belgian and British brewing traditions and brewed in Norwich. The new beer has been created through the ongoing brewing partnership between Norfolk brewers and Belgian breweries, building on the success of previous cross-border collaboration brews developed through the N

Popular community pub, the Red Lion on Marford Hill in Marford, officially reopened on Saturday 9th May following an impressive combined investment of £177,000 from dedicated licensee Sophie Crewe and Admiral Taverns, the UK’s leading pub company. This refurbishment will breathe a new lease of life into the Red Lion to elevate and modernise the overall look and feel of the pub – whilst still retaining its original, characterful features such as the traditional wooden flooring

Yorkshire-based independent brewer Vocation Brewery is helping pubs and bars make the most of the summer trading season with a new range of bold and flavourful beers. Available on draught in keg format, the new beers are crafted to help venues differentiate their offer and drive trade-up. Rolling out from May and throughout the summer months, the lineup spans a mix of refreshing, sessionable styles and more expressive, hop-forward beers – giving operators the flexibility to c

Wells & Co has announced the appointment of two senior leaders, further strengthening its executive team as the business continues to invest in its people, technology and long-term growth. Andy Garrard joins as IT Director, starting on 11 May 2026. He brings significant experience in leading large-scale technology transformation programmes, most recently serving as Head of Technology Delivery at Moto Hospitality, where he was responsible for driving technology strategy and ch

A small independent brewery in the Geordie heartland of Blaydon-on-Tyne has beaten competition from across the North East of England to be named Overall Champions at the Indie Beer Awards North East. Firebrick Brewery won their beer category before going on to win the Overall Champions judging, where the best-of-the-best from across the SIBA North East Region fight it out for the top spot – including breweries from Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, Durham, Cleveland, Yorkshire and

Independent Yorkshire brewery T&R Theakston has secured national and regional listings across a number of supermarkets for a trio of its legendary ales. From May, cans of the brewery’s iconic Old Peculier will be available in Tesco. The legend’s alcohol-free counterpart Nowt Peculier will also be stocked in Morrisons nationally and in the Co-op regionally from June. Thanks to advanced filtration technology, Nowt Peculier preserves everything that makes Old Peculier the classi

Sunrise Beverages and Days Brewing have announced a partnership that will see Sunrise take a strategic investment in the fast-growing, non-alcoholic beer brand as it looks to scale distribution and growth across the UK. The partnership combines one of the UK's most exciting non-alcoholic beer brands with Sunrise’s industry-leading drinks platform and expertise. Days is currently stocked in more than 3,500 distribution points across the UK and recently launched on tap in Decem

A Yorkshire Wolds brewery has launched the first in a series of four seasonal brews for a Leeds-based supermarket chain. Wold Top Brewery’s Alpine Pale is the spring/summer edition and is available exclusively in selected Asda stores throughout Yorkshire and the north of England. Wold Top’s MD Kate Balchin explained the rationale for the launch: “We were speaking to the buyer at Asda about range changes, and they mentioned that a new, seasonal beer, with the same ABV for each

The Westcroft, located on Ombersley Street West in Droitwich, officially reopened on Friday 1st May following a transformational investment of more than £273,005. The pub is part of Proper Pubs, the award-winning community wet-led operator division of Admiral Taverns, which operates more than 200 pubs across England, Scotland and Wales. Inside, the pub has been completely transformed to include brand new flooring, fixtures and fittings throughout, as well as five flat screen

Siren Craft Brew is launching Every Minute Matters, a campaign celebrating the value of time in all its forms – and rewarding people for getting active. Whether it's taking on the London Marathon or pushing a toddler round the street, the campaign is built on the idea that every minute of movement counts. From 29 April, participants can unlock rewards at Siren's venues – the Tap Yard, Siren RG1 bar or George & Dragon Swallowfield – and anyone around the country can get involv

London-based brewery Signature Brew has teamed up with iconic British amplifier brand Orange Amplification to launch a special edition of Backstage IPA, with all profits supporting the Featured Artists Coalition. The collaboration sees one of Signature Brew's core beers reimagined as a purpose-led release, available exclusively in independent music venues on draught and in specially redesigned cans. Profits from every pint sold in participating venues will be donated to the F

On 11th May, to kick off Mental Health Awareness Week 2026, Tūn Brewing is partnering with The Burnt Chef Project to highlight the struggles of mental health issues, especially for hospitality workers. Tūn Brewing's founder Richard Alston is a psychiatrist by training, and he has spent years observing the complexities of this country's drinking culture. Brewing has been a part of Richard's life since his teenage years, when he first discovered the joy of creating beer. More r

The winners of the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards 2026 were announced at a ceremony hosted by Andi Oliver and Angela Hartnett OBE, held at The Royal Exchange, London. The 14th annual Awards honour the richness and diversity in food and drink writing and broadcasting in the UK and Republic of Ireland. Recognised for their varied cultural influences, culinary traditions, and storytelling, these talented individuals inspire us to deepen our appreciation of food and drink