With inflation still high and the cost of everything from food to utility bills rising it is hardly surprising that a large number of UK consumers are shunning weekly trips to the pub in favour of buying a few bottles of their favourite tipple to enjoy at home.
Yet according to the Society of Independent Brewers (Siba) many consumers are choosing to return to their local pub in order to sample the draught ales produced by small brewers from within the vicinity of the pub itself.
Around 400 million pints of local ale is brewed annually by Siba members, and last year demand rose with sales climbing 6.8 per cent. Comparatively, more mainstream sales of brands offered in pubs and restaurants dropped by 4.7 per cent according to Siba’s Local Beer Report.
Chief executive of Siba, Julian Grocock, believes that the variety of flavours in local ales could prove to be the saviour of the pub industry where pubs are closing at an alarming rate.
He says; “The plethora of beers produced by smaller breweries has transformed the pub visit for millions of drinkers.
“In many cases it has also transformed the fortunes of the pub: as a drink that can only be enjoyed in the on-trade, draught beer is giving a growing band of appreciative consumers a reason to drink in the pub, rather than buy beer more cheaply from the supermarket for consumption at home.”
Siba currently has 651 members who employ a total of around 5,000 people altogether, yet with the recent success of this relatively small industry there are hopes that employment opportunities will increase should this performance continue. In fact, Siba members increased their accumulative workforces by 25 per cent last year.
As employment is still a very real concern in the UK, this can only be good news for those still unable to find a job. By creating regional positions and encouraging the learning of a trade, small breweries are doing their part for individuals and also the wider community.
Mr Grocock continues; “Local brewing is unusual, if not unique, as a British manufacturing industry that is increasing production and market share, welcoming new producers, generating significant employment, investing for a sustainable future and contributing economically and socially to the hundreds of localities where independent brewers are based.”
Siba is now calling for more Governmental assistance for small brewers and struggling pubs, and is piling pressure on the Chancellor to promote growth for the industry in his Budget later this month.
And while many within the industry believe that such help from the Government is unlikely, the fact that recent research by the Campaign for Real Ale found that 84 per cent of people believe that a local pub is as important for a community as a shop or post office speaks volumes.
Perhaps if the growth of small brewers continues it may stem the stream of pub closures which either results in a commercial property use class change or, all too frequently, the demolition of the building.
Have you tried a local ale and been converted to returning to the pub, or are cheap buys from supermarkets more likely to win you over in the tough economic times we live in?
