Brewery hosts talk to discuss industry issues

A Birmingham brewery has hosted a roundtable discussion of issues facing the industry.

In 2025, 320 breweries closed while only 170 opened, resulting in a net loss of 150. Furthermore, the beer industry estimates that around two pubs closed every day in the first quarter of 2026.

On Wednesday, independent brewers in Birmingham met with two local MPs in a bid to get more support with business rates and high costs.

The meeting was held at Attic Brew Co, named after the attic Sam Back started the brewery from, which has been running successfully for eight years and employs 50 people.

Back said: "We've grown over tenfold since we started and we've constantly reinvested the whole time.

"We've been very fortunate to have a lot of local support and our regulars love us.

"We've just invested that back in to keep us growing and keep employing local people."

Back anticipates the brewery will double in size over the next year and a half.

Taking part in the roundtable were MPs for Birmingham Selly Oak and Birmingham Northfield, Al Carns and Laurence Turner.

Carns, who has four breweries in his constituency, says the brewing trade is good for society.

"They come together, they have a beer, they socialise and they build community," he said.

"In some cases alcohol in excess can be bad but it can also be a huge or really effective glue that sticks the country together."

Turner told the BBC: "It's hard for independent producers to actually get their products in.

"I think that's something we can really push on because the Competition and Markets Authority hasn't looked at this issue for about four decades.

"I think it's well overdue for this matter to be looked at."

The pub and hospitality trades employ more than 200,000 people in Birmingham alone.

Local brewers want the new prime minister to step in and protect the industry before it is lost for good.

However, reports have circulated that Andy Burnham might promote so-called "sin taxes", seeing an introduction of a minimum unit price of alcohol and restricting availability as part of the health agenda.

Barry Watts from the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates said: "[Burnham's] been saying the price of a pint is really important to him, he wants to look at supporting our community pubs and businesses that make a difference to the community, and breweries and pubs make a real key difference to our local communities.

"So I think he really understands that. We've just got to wait and see what action he's going to take."

Watts pointed to Burnham's suggestion of reforming business rates as a hopeful sign of that action.

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