SIBA launches UK Brewery Tracker to monitor hard-hit industry

United Kingdom | A new UK brewery tracker was launched on 13 January 2023 by SIBA, the Society of Independent Brewers, setting out the definitive number of actively trading breweries across ten regions.

On 1 January there were 1,828 operating breweries, after 2022 proved a tough year for the brewing industry. Brewery closures are estimated to have almost doubled those of new openings. There were some 80 brewery closures compared with 46 openings in 2022, it was reported.

The SIBA UK Brewery Tracker will be released on a quarterly basis throughout 2023 and beyond, providing an accurate and up-to-date brewery number – something which has often been difficult to track in the past in a consistent way.

What is a brewery?

One of the issues, which has made tracking brewery figures tricky, was clearly defining what constitutes a brewery.

The SIBA tracker defines a brewery simply as “an active business that makes beer and that has its own brewing equipment”, rather than just registered beer businesses.

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), the UK’s leading consumer organisation for beer drinkers, has welcomed the launch of SIBA’s tracker.

“CAMRA welcomes and supports any accurate information which gives a better picture of the state of Britain’s brewing industry. It’s essential we’re able to assess the true impact of the last few difficult years, and regularly updated information about the country’s independent brewing sector, and diversity of beer choice for consumers, will be immensely helpful,” Tom Stainer, CAMRA Chief Executive, said.