UK Breweries At 70 Year High

There are now 1,000 independent breweries in the UK, the highest figure for 70 years, the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) have said.

Calling the figure "astonishing", Camra said 158 new breweries had opened in the past year alone, the highest number ever recorded by the lobby group's annual Good Beer Guide.

The growth rate has quickened over the past 10 years and the number had doubled in that time, with there now being one brewery for every 50 pubs.

The increase has come against a backdrop of continuing pub closures. Almost 10,000 pubs have closed in the past decade.

Much of the increase in the number of breweries is thanks to the rising popularity of micro-breweries, which produce small batches of beer.

Camra says some of these have expanded to the extent they no longer fit the description.

Roger Protz, editor of the Good Beer Guide, said: "The boom in new breweries has, in many cases, made the term 'micro' obsolete, with some small brewers having become remarkably large, installing new equipment or doubling production to keep up with demand."

(H)