The Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) has announced that the number of UK brewers dropped by 136 between March 2024 and 2025. 

According to the figures released yesterday, calculated by the SIBA UK Brewery Tracker, this left 1,641 active breweries in the UK as of March 2025. 

SIBA said that the brewery closure rates were not equal across the country, with some regions seeing far greater closure rates than others. 

The south east experienced the biggest loss, with a net closure rate of 38. Meanwhile, the Midlands has lost 33 breweries in the last 12 months, the east has lost 20 and the north east 19. 

Less impacted, the south west lost six and the north west lost five. 

Outside of England, Scotland has a net closure rate of 11, while Northern Ireland lost six breweries. Wales was the only bright spot, gaining two breweries over the last 12 months. 

On the downward trend, Andy Slee, SIBA chief executive said: “Times are incredibly tough for independent breweries, and whilst the price of a pint in pubs may be rising for drinkers the price brewers are paid for their beer actually dropped over the last twelve months. What is desperately needed is a lower tax burden for pubs, lower direct taxes for brewers, and greater access for independent breweries to sell to pubs in their area – many of whom are currently controlled by global beer supply. 

“The latest brewery tracker figures do take into account some brewing businesses which have been winding down during the last twelve months and we have also further improved our tracking processes – but even factoring that in, clearly things are not moving in the direction the industry would have hoped.”