Brewery closures have slowed in the UK and with openings taken into consideration, the net brewery closure rate from January to June 2026 was -16, compared to a total loss of -137 breweries in 2025.


For the first six months of 2026, net closures have averaged less than one brewery a week compared to nearly three week in 2025, according to the SIBA UK Brewery Tracker

“The figures released today are a sign that brewery closure numbers may be beginning to stabilise following a number of particularly tough years – but for most breweries the struggles are not behind them,” said Andy Slee, chief executive at SIBA.

He added: “Brewing businesses which have managed to weather the storm are seeing strong demand for independent beer, but profitability is still a concern with lack of access to pubs, high taxation and high production costs hitting brewers”

Last year saw record closures across the UK as breweries struggled with rising costs and lingering Covid debt. In support of independent breweries SIBA have called for an increase in Draught Relief – a lower rate of duty for draught beer mainly sold in pubs – and for the Government to prioritise an announcement of its market access review, which is considering ways to improve access to pubs for small independent breweries in support of greater consumer choice.

“Consumer demand for indie beer remains really strong, but getting beers on the bar is tougher than ever with brewers on average not able to access 62% of the pubs in their local market. Independent beer offers quality, variety, and a range of styles and flavours simply – but bars are dominated by a handful of mega brands,” Slee added.

The SIBA UK Brewery Tracker figures paint a mixed picture across the UK, with four of the nine regions seeing an overall growth in brewery numbers.

The North West, South East and Wales had the strongest performance, each seeing the net number rise by +3, followed by the South West which had a more modest +1 growth. Fairing worse in the first six months of 2026 were Scotland (-9), the North East (-8), Midlands (-4), Northern Ireland (-4), and finally the East of England (-1).

Slee concluded: “It is encouraging to see four areas of UK growing their number of breweries in the first half of 2026 – let’s hope this is the sign of things to come”.

Image credit: SIBA