NEWS

Sport and exceptional hospitality remain at the heart of this iconic pub and hotel The Wellington in Waterloo has reopened after significant investment in its bedrooms, bar area and kitchen – including the addition of a new private meeting space. With Sky Sports, TNT Sports, and 14 TVs throughout the pub, The Wellington has become a regular for sports fans – serving up the best atmosphere to catch all the action. The pub’s new look offers up even better viewing opportunities

Independent family brewer, Shepherd Neame, is pulling out all the festive stops to ensure it’s a season to celebrate in its pubs and hotels – and also at home.   Festive favourite Christmas Ale (5% ABV on draught) has returned, and is now available at selected pubs across Kent, London and the South East.   The full-bodied beer, which boasts warming notes of mulled fruits and spices, combines pale and crystal malts with Target and Challenger hops for bitterness, and Goldings h

BeerX UK, organised by the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA), has been shortlisted as a Finalist in the Trade Association Forum (TAF) Awards 2026 after achieving impressive growth in recent years.   Now by far the UK's biggest beer and brewing trade event, BeerX has been recognised by the judging panel of the TAF Awards after a record-breaking year in 2025, which clocked their largest attendance ever and a 50% bigger footprint than previous years.   “I am h

Locals in the village of Alpington and its surrounding villages can pop to the pub for all their essential food items after The Wheel of Fortune opened its village store in support of its local community.   The Alpington Community Shop was officially opened by local celebrity ITV Anglia news presenter David Whiteley.   Publicans Naomi Shulver and Barry Gelder took over The Wheel of Fortune in March 2022 after purchasing the freehold. They have worked hard to ensure the pub o

Sales of SALT’s Alpacalypse have surged to make it the UK’s second most popular session IPA after just 10 months on sale [1] . Launched by the Yorkshire craft specialist SALT, in partnership with Molson Coors, in January 2025, the 4.3% ABV IPA has quickly become one of the fastest-growing craft beers in the UK on-trade and is now the third-best selling beer of all craft keg ales [2] . Having secured listings in over 4,000 pubs and bars, venues are pouring the accessible and r

Now that our annual awards and dinner is over for another year, we're starting to plan the 2026 awards, and we need your help! Whether you came along to the event this year or not, we'd like to hear from you. Please spare a couple of minutes to complete the feedback form (the deadline is 31st December 2025). Thanks! Feedback Form

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

1. International Cider Awards: 3-5 March 2026 I am the Chair of  this amazing competition  which only happens every 2 years. I believe this to be THE global benchmark for cider competitions. It's not the cheapest competition but it is the best. The cost ensures the highest calibre of judges, which are all cider makers. In 2026 they will be from the UK ( Josh Faulkner-Elliott -  Aston Manor ), USA ( Christine Walter -  Bauman's Cider   &  Eleanor Leger -  Eden Cider ) , Norway

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