According to the Society of Independent Brewers and Associations (SIBA) UK Brewery Tracker, the UK total number of breweries now stands at 1,715 against 1,815 at the beginning of last year.
The decline in overall numbers over the period is higher than in recent years.
The start of 2023 saw 1,828 with a fall of eight to 1,815 at the start of 2024.
Independent beer demand
SIBA chief executive Andy Slee said: “The consumer appetite for independent beer is high and our indications suggest volumes for independent beer at the end of 2024 were up on 2023 - the issue for small independent breweries is lack of access to market and rising costs, making it incredibly difficult to remain profitable.
“Speaking to many indie brewers who have closed their doors over the past 12 months, it is a very similar story - they can’t sell into enough of their local pubs and make enough of a profit to remain viable.
“Given the demand for independent beer isn’t being met locally you have to wonder whether more local beer in community pubs would help pub closure rates as well.”
However, quarterly closure rates gave a small glimmer of hope, according to SIBA, with the fourth quarter of last year showing a slowing of the closure rate to 24 across the UK compared to 27 shuttered businesses in the third quarter to the end of September.
This was slower than the second quarter of 2024 (29 net closure rate) and the first (38), which saw the largest number of closed breweries.
Closure rate slowing
Furthermore, Wales was the only place where brewery numbers were in modest growth with figures showing an overall net brewery number of 97 at the start of 2025 and 96 for the same period in 2024.
Across the UK, the average closure rate was 5.5% showing while Northern Ireland had a relatively small shift in its net number, down six breweries, in percentage terms this was the highest according for a reduction of more than a fifth (20%) in overall brewery numbers.
Slee added: “Brewery closures were at their highest in the first quarter of 2024 and steadily and encouragingly declined throughout the year with the slowest rate of closures recorded in Q4 leading up until the end of December.
“As we begin 2025, our hope is the dial continues to turn in the right direction and we see stable or even growing brewery numbers in the UK; however, this will not happen without greater support from [the] Government for the hugely valued indie brewers all across the UK.”
