Brewery and Pub closures.

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Chippy_Tea

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The end of an era - Jennings Brewery in Cockermouth closes today.

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Beer has been brewed in the town for 150 years.

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Owners Carlsberg Marston will move production to Staffordshire.


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The Covid-19 pandemic and economic crisis have been blamed for the closure.
Production of Cumberland cask ale and bottled beer will be moved 170 miles away to Martston's Brewery in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire.
Established as a family concern in 1828, the original Jennings brewery was located in the village of Lorton, approximately two miles from its current location.
In 1874, having outgrown the site, the brewery moved to the town of Cockermouth, situated on the edge of the Lake District National Park.

BBC News.
 
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This is surprising as I understand that Marston's spent a lot restoring the brewery after the devastation caused by the Cockermouth floods and made much of their continuing commitment to the brewery.
 
It is, I missed the original article on BBC news a couple of months ago saying it was going to close fortunately only 5 jobs lost so they should be able to find work.
 
https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/wine/article/anchor-steam-18192913.php

S.F.’s Anchor Brewing is shutting down after 127 years​

San Francisco institution Anchor Brewing Co. is shutting down after 127 years and has already ceased production.

San Francisco institution Anchor Brewing Co. is shutting down after 127 years and has already ceased production.
Bartender Maya Arteseros grabs a glass while working at Anchor Public Taps. The taproom is decorated with Christmas decor for its Christmas in July promotion, which was announced after the brewery discontinued its beloved Christmas Ale last month.


Assistant manager Sandy Welsch pours Liberty Ale at Anchor Public Taps. The brewery was reportedly losing millions of dollars a year.
San Francisco institution Anchor Brewing Co., the godfather of steam beer, is shutting down after 127 years.

The brewery was “losing millions of dollars a year,” said Anchor spokesperson Sam Singer. “Economic pressures have made the business no longer sustainable.”

Anchor has already brewed its final beer at the historic Potrero Hill brewery — “there’s no steam coming out of the brewery now,” said Singer — and notified the brewery’s 61 employees of the shutdown early Wednesday morning. The brewery’s taproom, Anchor Public Taps, will continue operating until at least Aug. 1, possibly longer.
“We recognize the importance and historic significance of Anchor to San Francisco and the craft brewing industry,” Singer said, “but the impacts of the pandemic, inflation — especially in San Francisco — and a highly competitive market left us with no choice but to make this sad decision.”
The brewery’s taproom, Anchor Public Taps, will remain open until at least Aug. 1.

The brewery’s taproom, Anchor Public Taps, will remain open until at least Aug. 1.

The news comes one month after Anchor announced it was halting national distribution and discontinuing its beloved Christmas Ale, which it has produced since 1975. When Japanese beer giant Sapporo purchased Anchor in 2017, the company was already “in the red,” according to Singer, who said that revenue is down by two-thirds since 2016. The pandemic was especially challenging for the brewery, added Singer, as it typically sells most of its beer through bars and restaurants. The brewery attempted to expand its retail distribution but was “unable to break through in a big enough way,” he said.

The beer industry as a whole has been navigating choppy waters. Beer sales were down about 3% by volume in 2022, according to the National Brewers Association, and stagnation in craft beer has led several Bay Area breweries to consolidate to stay alive.
Founded in 1896, Anchor was often touted as the nation’s first craft brewery, but Sapporo’s acquisition stripped away its official “craft” designation and brought about a series of other changes. The historically anachronistic brewery began producing dozens of trendy and experimental styles, like a Blackberry IPA and Meyer Lemon Lager. It opened its modern taproom and pilot brewery, plus started charging for tours. In 2019, dissatisfied workers successfully formed a union for the first time in Anchor’s history.
Anchor Public Taps opened shortly after Sapporo acquired the brewery in 2017.

Anchor Public Taps opened shortly after Sapporo acquired the brewery in 2017.

In 2022, Sapporo purchased another major U.S. brewery, San Diego’s Stone Brewing, and started producing Sapporo’s beers there. Singer said the Stone acquisition had no impact on the decision to close Anchor. While sales were down for Sapporo in 2020 during the height of the pandemic, the company experienced 9% sales growth in 2022 and its annual gross income rose by 4% to $139 billion, according to MarketWatch.

Anchor’s assets will soon be put up for sale through a process called Assignments for the Benefit of Creditors (ABC), an alternative to bankruptcy meant to pay back creditors as quickly as possible. During this process, someone could step in and purchase the brewery; longtime owner Fritz Maytag bought Anchor when it was on the verge of collapse in 1965. But Singer said “repeated efforts” to find a new buyer have been unsuccessful.

“Anchor’s always had a special place in the beer world and a special place in San Francisco,” said Singer. “They were out of cash and out of time.”

Sad news 🥲 Get it while you still can
 
Aw. Only recently watched the Michael Jackson Beer Hunter episode that went into the history and resurrection of the brewery. Fritz Maytag from the Maytag washing machine family seemed an interesting chap...
 
Very sad, but expected in a trend led industry, if you're not doing hazy or pastry beers.
Certainly a factor, if not just from market share alone. They changed the label a year or two ago and dumbed it down for the supermarket shelves, seemed a strange move at the time but was clearly a desperate measure. Also being sold to a big brewery it was always going to be playing second fiddle 😡
 
I bought some a few weeks ago. First time I had seen it for ages. The owner of the shop I was I in mentioned Sapporo's dispute with the brewery workers then.

The article only states the old brewery is being closed. I assume it is possible therefore that the Anchor brand might live on but brewed at Stone or elsewhere. We are not exactly unused to such situations in the UK.

Very sad. The end of an era. Hopefully someone might step in and buy the brewery (and maybe the brand) to keep the Steam tradition going.

Forum whip round?
 
Located near me:
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Very sad to hear this about Malt. My son lives nearby and has been a member for a lot of years. I live in the north east of England and whenever I visit him we always pay Malt at least a couple of visits
 
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