NEWS

Joule’s Brewery has announced a recruitment open day for the Red Lion in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, as plans continue for the redevelopment of the historic pub. The open day will take place on Tuesday 11 February 2026, from 10am to 6pm , and will be hosted at Waterside Tap, Gas Street Basin, B1 2JT, while the Red Lion itself is under development. The event offers an opportunity for those interested in working with Joule’s to find out more about the Red Lion project, meet

In 2026, the iconic festival will be held at Denver’s Levitt Pavilion   Boulder, CO | January 27, 2026  — The Great American Beer Festival ®(GABF®) is stepping outside. In a historic first, the nation’s favorite craft beer celebration will move outdoors on Saturday, October 10 and Sunday, October 11, 2026, relocating from the Colorado Convention Center to Denver’s Levitt Pavilion.   The move signals a bold new chapter for GABF, blending its legendary beer lineup with live mus

Kevin Georgel, Chief Executive, St Austell Brewery:  “We welcome today’s intervention by the government which will mitigate the impact of business rates increases that were scheduled for April. We are pleased that the government has engaged with our trade bodies and heard the voice of the British public who so clearly recognise and value the enormous economic, social and cultural contribution of our pubs.   “It has been heartening to see the support of the public play out so

Nick Mackenzie, CEO of Greene King , said: “The Government’s announcement today offers some much-needed relief to pubs, and recognises the important role they play at the heart of communities across the country. This package gives reassurance to publicans by easing some of the considerable cost increases due to come into effect in April.    “We look forward to continuing to work with the Government on its longer-term plan for fundamental reform of the business rates system, a

Emma McClarkin, CEO of the British Beer and Pub Association, said: “We are pleased the government has listened to our concerns, and those of publicans, consumers and MPs who rallied to defend our locals. This pub specific package will stave off the immediate financial threat posed by accelerating business costs and will help keep the doors open for many. “This additional support will provide certainty for tens of thousands of pubs, with many seeing their bills frozen or falli

"SIBA welcomes the announcement from Government they're backing Britain’s pubs and the breweries which supply them. On the basis the further 15% cut announced today applies to the business rates bills that were due in April this is good news for pubs and brewers, and will allay some of their worst fears.   At the heart of revitalising hospitality is a rebalancing of the tax burden between online and highstreet businesses and pubs, and as such it is welcome to see recognition

FSA Gold verification across malting barley supply Berwick-upon-Tweed; January 27, 2026: Simpsons Malt Limited, the independent, fifthgeneration malting and merchanting business and Certified B Corporation, has successfully completed SAI Platform’s Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) third-party verification process, achieving Gold performance level across its entire UK malting barley procurement.  A total of 678 growers – all directly contracted through agricultural merchan

Please find attached a release following the announcement on Business Rates from Dan Tomlinson in the House of Commons this afternoon.   Notes to the editor:   About the British Institute of Innkeeping:   The BII is the leading independent licensee support organisation for individuals working in hospitality, with over 13,500 individual members running premises across the UK - predominantly tenanted, leased, managed and freehold pubs. The organisation provides expert helplines

Responding to the Treasury’s announcement of extra help for pubs in England with business rates, Ash Corbett-Collins, CAMRA Chairman (above) said:     “This short-term announcement is not the ‘permanently lower business rates’ that pubs were promised. While it is positive that the Chancellor has listened and announced extra discounts for pubs facing the threat of closure, it is short-sighted to think that today’s statement will give publicans the certainty they need.     “The

SUPPORT FOR SCOTTISH PUBS ALREADY FALLING BEHIND ENGLAND Following today’s announcement by the UK Government of increased business rates support for pubs in England, the Scottish Beer & Pub Association (SBPA) has warned that the Scottish Government must now follow through on its commitment to enhance relief north of the border—or risk further pub closures and job losses. Commenting, Paul Togneri of the SBPA said: “Pubs across Scotland urgently need additional support. While w

BEER & PUB ASSOC. REVEAL ELECTION MANIFESTO AS CLOSURE RATE 50% HIGHER THAN ENGLAND Scottish pub closure rate 50% higher than England One pub per week closed permanently in Scotland during 2025 1 in 16 Scottish pubs closed in last 5 years Additional business rates support and reintroduction of alcohol in football stadia key asks ahead of election Industry supports 65,000 jobs and contributes £2.3bn to Scottish economy Ahead of May’s Holyrood election, the Scottish Beer and Pu

The Guild’s Membership Sub-committee is looking for new members. Formed 12 years ago, the Sub-committee plays an important role in assessing all new applications for both Full and Associate membership, including evaluating support material. The Sub-committee also considers applications from Associate Members to progress to Full Membership.     In addition, from time to time, the Sub-committee considers any amendments needed to the Guild’s membership criteria, and makes recomm

The BBPA have kindly supplied a limited number of their 2025 Statistical Handbook for Guild members. If you would like to recieve a copy, please email your postal address to secretary@beerguild.co.uk

According to new figures released today by the  SIBA UK Brewery Tracker , brewery closure rates increased dramatically during 2025 compared to previous years, with a 37% spike compared to the previous year.   The UK now has just 1578 individual breweries as of 1 st  January 2026, compared to 1715 at the start of 2025, 1815 in 2024 and 1828 in 2023 when the brewery tracker started.    The  SIBA UK Brewery Tracker  is compiled by the Society of Independent Brewers & Associates

According to an exclusive  published in The Grocer today, the UK’s first deposit return scheme (DRS), due to launch in October next year, will go under the name Exchange for Change .   According to the article, Russell Davies, chief executive of UK DMO said: “Our new name reflects what this scheme is about: making a simple change that has the power to transform streets, communities and recycling habits across the UK. The brand icon is intended to become synonymous with the sc

January 28th 2026 7-8pm Zoom Learn from British Guild of Beer Writers winners (past and present) about the steps you can take to produce award winning work in 2026 and beyond. Chaired by Guild Chair and previous winner, Jonny Garrett, this panel will explore our winner’s journeys and will be jam-packed with hints & tips to help you craft work that you’ll feel confident entering into this year’s Guild Awards this autumn. The panel will last one hour and be on zoom. Free for me

The deadline to submit content for this month's mailout is Tuesday 27th January. Each month, the Guild distributes a newsletter to members, industry partner representatives and the public which contains information and links to our members' latest work. Whether it is a book, an article, a broadcast or an event, this is a great way to share. To submit your work, please fill in the form found here . Guild members and industry partner representatives will automatically receive t

Hosted by British Beer Sommelier James Kellow Hamburg, Germany - Riverside Luxury Cruises have announced a beer-focused river cruise for summer 2026 , with British beer sommelier James Kellow  hosting a seven-night voyage through some of the most historically significant brewing regions within Western Europe’s ' Beer Belt' . Titled Hops & Heritage , the cruise takes place from 29 July to 5 August 2026 , following the Rhine from Basel to Amsterdam . Calling at beer cities acro

The BBPA has warmly welcomed the Licensing Hours Extensions Bill passing its Third Reading at the House of Lords today.   The bill, backed by the British Beer and Pub Association, had government and cross party support.   Licensing regulations currently have excessive restrictions which limit the Government's ability to quickly approve extending pubs’ opening hours during moments of national significance when Parliament is in recess - from qualifying sports matches to country

Everards is proud to announce it has raised £10,000 for Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland, its Charity of the Year, thanks to the generosity of its teams, business owners and customers throughout 2025. The impressive total was achieved through a wide range of fundraising activities across the year, including £1 “invisible” hash browns and chips on the Beer Hall menu, inflatable football darts at the Summer Social, a Race Day auction, raffles, and organised dog walks. Many of t