“While every sector across the UK has felt the burden of Covid-19, brewers and pubs have taken the brunt of the impact. “These figures are an early indication that all is not as it should be following a difficult year of lockdown restriction and social distancing measures,” he writes. The guide’s foreword is penned by chef and restaurant owner Tom Kerridge who urges consumers to continue to support breweries and pubs to preserve them for future generations. It’s clear that preventing widespread closure and rebuilding our pub culture will be Camra’s greatest challenge yet.”Īmong the independent breweries to have called time this year is the award-winning Pershore Brewery in Worcestershire, whose owners Elizabeth and Sean Barnett announced its closure “with very heavy heart” in September. “Since then, breweries have all but been forgotten as new restrictions have been introduced, despite relying heavily on pubs as a key outlet for their products. “Many pubs and breweries have fought hard and the majority have survived the first lockdown, but it’s clear the industry was already in a vulnerable position when Covid-19 hit,” he said. While 163 breweries have opened this year and are newly listed, many more have closed their doors, cutting the net figure.Ĭamra’s national chairman, Nik Antona, said Covid-19 was the biggest threat to British pubs in the organisation’s 50-year history. It reveals that the total number of independent UK breweries has dipped to 1,816 from 1,823 last year – the first time it has recorded a decline in numbers since the explosion in UK breweries started in 2008. There are an estimated 40,800 pubs in England and Wales.
Despite being hampered by lockdown and ongoing restrictions, thousands of volunteers worked to compile this year’s entries.
The annual guide – now in its 48th edition – is considered the definitive guide to the best pints of real ale pulled in the UK and this year features 4,500 pubs, from country inns to no-frills micropubs and taprooms.
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