Join beer writer Matthew Curtis at Tottenham’s Five Miles as he hosts what will almost certainly be a scintillating debate on the present and future of the independent UK brewing industry. Joining Curtis will be Ed Mason, founder of London’s The Five Points Brewing Company, Adam Robertson of Cornwall’s Verdant Brewing Co. and co-founder Norfolk’s forthcoming Duration Brewing, Miranda Hudson.
It’s been a challenging few months for the UK’s small and independent brewing industry. Year on year growth from small brewers is marked by an increasing amount of consolidation. The acquisition of Fourpure by Lion, Fuller’s by Asahi and Heineken taking minority stakes in both Beavertown and Brixton will only make things tougher for the rest of the industry—and they’re unlikely to be the last to sell.
Adding to this pressure is the rising cost of staffing and raw materials, more competitors entering the sector both nationally and internationally—and the not insignificant looming threat of Brexit. Where It’s At will debate the challenges facing three very different breweries, and how they hope to build on their positives, whilst riding out the negatives.
The future for Britain’s small brewers is something of an uncertainty, hopefully by the end of this discussion things will start to feel a little less hazy…
Where It’s At will be recorded for a forthcoming podcast from Matthew Curtis. The debate will begin at 7.30pm sharp, and will be followed by an audience Q&A session with the panelists.