78 new breweries opened in last 12 months
CAMRA's Good Beer Guide 2011, launched today (Thursday 16th September 2010), has announced there are now a staggering 767 breweries operating in Britain - that's four times the number than when the Campaign for Real Ale was founded in 1971.
The Good Beer Guide reports that 78 new breweries have opened in the past year. Allowing for closures, that's a net increase of 56.
Good Beer Guide editor Roger Protz says:
"The real ale revolution goes on in spite of all the problems facing the brewing industry such as the often anti-competitive behaviour of the large pub companies, the heavy and continuing rise in tax on beer, grossly unfair competition from supermarkets, and the smoking ban in pubs. Yet, against all the odds, craft breweries continue to sprout like mushrooms at dawn."
"The main reason is a simple one: craft brewers are responding to genuine consumer demand. Beer in pubs may be expensive compared to cheap supermarkets but drinkers are prepared to pay a bit extra for beer with taste and quality. Real ale hits the spot in every way: it has flavour and is made from pure, natural ingredients that are grown mainly here in Britain. More and more people want to think local and drink local and real ale meets that demand."
The Guide highlights just a few of the breweries chalking up success:
Castle Rock Brewery in Nottingham won the prestigious Champion Beer of Britain award in August 2010 for its Harvest Pale. In the summer Castle Rock faced so much demand for Harvest Pale that it was rationing supplies to free trade pubs and withdrawing the beer from its own pubs in the East Midlands.
But a brand-new brewery was about to come on stream near Nottingham station that will enable Castle Rock to increase production to 20,000 barrels a year.
A near neighbour of Castle Rock, the Thornbridge Brewery in the Derbyshire Peak District, won the Strong Bitter class in the championship with Jaipur IPA. The brewery opened just five years ago in small sheds in the grounds of Thornbridge Hall but it has now moved to a custom-built site near Bakewell where it can produce 20,000 barrels a year, with plenty of room for expansion.
Another brewery that has hit the 20,000 barrels mark is Dark Star in Sussex. In 1994 the brewery started life in the cellar of the Evening Star pub in Brighton, using equipment similar in size to home-brewing kit. The popularity of the beers led to Dark Star building bigger plant at Ansty but again demand outstripped supply and in January the brewery moved to a state-of-the-art plant near Hayward's Heath capable of producing 20,000 barrels a year.
In London, the innovative Meantime Brewery has opened not one but two new sites. As well as a brand-new main brewery near Blackwall Tunnel, it has also built a micro plant in the Old Naval College in Greenwich, close to the Cutty Sark. In the 18th century, the college had a small brewery where it made Porter -- a dark beer that was the forerunner of Stout -- for sick and dying sailors. Brewer Alastair Hook has re-created the college's Porter and now plans to brew even older styles, some dating back to Tudor times.
Also in the capital, two young enthusiasts, James Morgan and Michael-George Hemus, have brought the famous East London name of Truman back to life. Truman in Brick Lane, Whitechapel, closed in the 1980s as a result of takeovers and mergers. But now Morgan and Hemus have launched Truman's Runner, a traditional bitter, and plan to recreate old Truman recipes. The beer is currently brewed for them by Nethergate of Essex but Morgan and Hemus hope to open their own brewery in East London within a few years.
In Yorkshire, another piece of brewing history in the shape of Barnsley Bitter has been restored. The original Barnsley Brewery in Oakwell was bought and closed by John Smith's in the 1970s. In 2003 Dave and Judi Hughes bought the much-loved beer back to life when they opened Acorn Brewery, using the original yeast culture. Brewing started on a small plant bought from a home-brew pub but demand forced the Hughes to move to new premises with a 20-barrel plant.
They have now expanded to a 100-barrel plant and that figure will grow when new fermenting vessels are installed. As well as Barnsley Bitter, Acorn claims the world record for the number of IPAs (India Pale Ale) it has brewed - 36 to date - plus Gorlovka Imperial Stout in honour of Barnsley's twin town in Ukraine.
"These breweries are just the tip of the famous iceberg," editor Roger Protz says.
"The breweries section of the Guide is full of similar success stories of small craft breweries that are booming and growing as a result of beer lovers' demand.
"The British are notoriously bad at celebrating the things we do well but let's raise a glass to the success of the good old British pint!"
ENDS
Notes to editors:
The 2011 edition of CAMRA's best-selling guide to Britain's 4,500 best real ale pubs
will be launched on Thursday 16th September 2010.
38th edition of the original independent guide to great beer and good pubs.
There is no charge for entry into the Good Beer Guide. All entries are surveyed on a regular basis by CAMRA members. Other guides may only send a questionnaire and may never be visited.
Information about pub facilities for families and disabled visitors, history, architecture, food, accommodation, local places of interest... and of course, the beer: the best pubs serving the finest real ale in the country.
Unique brewery section listing all British real ale breweries and their regular beers.
Radio Interviews:
Please call CAMRA's Press Office on 01727 798443 if you would like an interview with the Good Beer Guide's Editor Roger Protz or a local CAMRA spokesperson on Thursday 16th September 2010. CAMRA has ISDN facilities.
Good Beer Guide Media Site - Available from Tuesday 14th September 2010:
Please visit the new Good Beer Guide Media Site - www.camra.org.uk/gbgmedia. Here you will find press releases, regional stories, photographs, book imagery and plenty of other interesting information to support the launch of the guide.
Review Copies:
Please email tony.jerome@camra.org.uk
if you are interested in receiving a review copy of the guide. Limited numbers available.
Good Beer Guide Sponsorship:
The 2011 Good Beer Guide is sponsored by Cask Marque - www.cask-marque.co.uk
For further information:
CAMRA Press Office: 01727 798443
Tony Jerome, Senior Press Manager: 07736 948186
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