The Howl at the Moon pub, an Irish pub in Hoxton, East London, previously stocked what it described as the ‘holy trinity’ of stouts; Guinness, Murphy’s and Beamish.
It had offered Beamish for the past three months, originally selling it for £5.50 a pint before increasing the price to £5.80 to remain competitive.
However, this week, the venue posted an Instagram video claiming it had been forced to drop Beamish after Cave Direct told the pub it could only keep the stout if it also bought additional products.
In the video, which has gained a lot of momentum since it was published, the team hold a funeral for Beamish, explaining the move was forced upon them because of “business decisions” by Cave Direct.
The social media post stated: “Cave Direct told us we could only continue stocking it if we agreed to buy more of their products.
Distasteful and exploitation
“That’s not partnership - that’s coercion. An Irish product that built its success in Irish pubs is now being weaponised against one. They came to us to stock it. We backed it, poured it, promoted it, and helped make it a success.
“Now that it’s thriving, it’s being used as leverage - by a British company - to pressure an independent Irish pub into spending more. That’s distasteful. That’s exploitative. And that’s not what supporting pubs looks like.
“We won’t be strong-armed into deals that don’t align with our values - even when it costs us something we (and you) love.”
A spokesperson for Cave Direct told The Morning Advertiser (The MA) the business had to put temporary measures in place to halt supply to some pubs until more stock became available.
“Cave Direct has a 47-year history of supporting and championing independent venues”, they continued.
“These decisions weren’t taken lightly. No independent venue’s supply has been removed or reduced to cover that of any pub groups. We have had a constructive meeting with the management team at Howl At The Moon and understand their frustrations.
“We admire the job they have done to build such a great pub and customer base and have left the door open to continue supply in the future once more becomes available.”
Phased approach
Howl at the Moon manager Connor Clark told The MA the pub held no grudges against Cave Direct, but that they would never work with the company again and hoped to find another supplier to reintroduce Beamish.
An update on the Cave Direct website dated Tuesday 16 September 2025 detailed the company’s plans to expand distribution of Beamish across the UK.
The update listed 13 pubs in London, including Howl at the Moon, that would be stocking the stout as well as several others in Glasgow, Leeds, Greater Manchester, Edinburgh and Liverpool.
A launch party for Beamish was held at the Cow in Westbourne Park, London, on Thursday 2 October 2025.
“[Beamish] represents everything people look for in a pint. It has depth, balance and tradition. It really is the stout drinker’s stout”, Cave Direct national account manager Rob Young said last year.
“This partnership has been three years in the making, and now, bringing it to Great Britain is more than just adding another beer to our range, it’s about giving drinkers access to a classic that deserves to be poured with pride. We know the demand is there, so we’re taking a careful, phased approach to make sure Beamish gets the welcome it deserves.”
