Indie Beer Week 2025: A National celebration of independent beer, pubs and people

SIBA | A new UK-wide beer week has been launched by independent beer campaigners to promote ‘independent beer, pubs and people’, with a string of events set to take place in community pubs, bars and brewery taprooms.

Building on the hugely successful launch of the Indie Beer campaign at the end of 2024, Indie Beer Week will take place from the 11th to the 20th April (taking in two weekends) and is being officially launched at the “Maltings Fest” Beer Festival in Newton Abbot, Devon, ahead of events taking place all across the UK.

“Indie Beer Week is a National celebration of great independent beer and a chance for our superb pubs and breweries to attract new customers, or give regulars a great new beer experience by running special events, beer festivals, tap takeovers, meet the brewer evenings or tasting experiences which celebrate local beer and producers.

The huge response to the launch of the Indie Beer campaign - which is now supported by over 400 breweries and has been used by tens of thousands of consumers - shows how important supporting local independent beer is to people. The Indie Beer campaign and Indie Beer Week shines a light on genuinely independent breweries and makes it easier for consumers to find out what is or isn’t independent via the IndieBeer.uk website.” Neil Walker, Indie Beer / SIBA.

 YouGov data published by SIBA found that 75% of people surveyed believe consumers are being misled when purchasing beer from once independent craft breweries, such as Beavertown, Camden, and Fullers that are now owned by Global beer giants Heineken, Budweiser and Asahi respectively.

 People were shown images of five beers from once-independent breweries that have been bought-out by Global beer companies; Beavertown Neck Oil (Heineken), Fullers London Pride (Asahi), Camden Hells (Budweiser), Brixton Reliance Pale Ale (Heineken), and Sharp’s Doombar (Molson Coors). When informed that these breweries were actually owned by Global companies and not independent, 75% of people surveyed said they felt consumers were being misled, with the figure for the beer drinkers surveyed even higher at 81% who believe consumers are being misled.

The Indie Beer campaign and Indie Beer Week have been launched by the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA), a not-for-profit trade association which campaigns for the fair treatment and promotion of independent brewers and supplier businesses in the UK. The campaign is open to all independent UK breweries and is supported by consumer and industry organisations representing the beer and pub sector, including; Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), British Institute of Innkeepers (Bii), and the Independent Family Brewers of Britain (IFBB).

The UK-wide beer week is being run via the IndieBeer.uk website and social media channels. Any independent UK brewery, pub or beer venue can submit an event for Indie Beer Week free of charge.