European law could save the Boddingtons brewery, according to the Transport & General Workers' Union(T&G).
The union believes the Strangeways brewery in Manchester, which has been threatened with closure by owners Interbrew, could be saved under the "Champagne and Cheshire cheese" solution.
The European Union has the power to give a brand geographical protection - under what is known as "Protected Geographical Indication". This means Champagne can only be produced in the Champagne region of France and Cheshire cheese can only come from that north-west county.
T&G representatives hope that as the beer brand is well-known as "The Cream of Manchester" the EU could rule that Boddingtons cannot be produced anywhere except Manchester.
To get this protected status an application would first have to be submitted to the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, who would then pass it on to the EU.
Interbrew announced in September that it would be closing the brewery in February and moving production to a brewery in Wales.
CAMRA, which has been working alongside the T&G during the fight to save the brewery, said it would be fully supportive of any application that the union made. However, a spokesman warned: "Trying to get this status is a very lengthy process. The situation will not be resolved by February."
