25 February 2015 - Best Beer HQ
News: 30 new London craft breweries open in 2014
The craft beer revolution is gathering pace in London right now, with a record number of new craft breweries opening last year.
In what was a bumper year for craft beer enthusiasts in London, 30 new breweries opened in the English capital – one more than in 2013 and nearly twice as many as in 2012, according to figures by HM Revenue & Customs.
Leading craft breweries to open in London in recent years include Redchurch Brewery in Bethnal Green, Hackney-based Pressure Drop, Bulllfinch Brewery in Bermondsey’s Maltby Street Market, and the Five Points Brewing Company in Hackney.
The influx of new craft breweries follows the introduction of the British government’s Small Breweries Relief Scheme, which was introduced in 2002 and provides tax relief for all breweries producing less than 10.6 million pints of beer per year.
Roy Maugham, tax partner at financial firm UHY Hacker Young said London had well and truly cemented its status as the hub of the UK’s craft beery industry.
“Especially in trendy areas such as Shoreditch and Hackney, the growing appetite for craft beer products is encouraging increasing numbers of start-ups. The recent success of small brewers in the capital is also offering encouragement too budding entrepreneurs and investors.”
He pointed out that the entire British alcohol sector was doing well, with the number of boutique spirit distillers in the UK also increasing during the past year.
The news comes after the British Beer & Pub Association this month reported a 1.3% increase in beer consumption last year in the UK – the first increase since 2004. You can read more about the BBPA’s recent figures here.