Independent breweries 'key to fabric of Sheffield communities', report finds

By The Newsroom
Published 13th Jun 2017, 15:04 BST
Updated 15th Jun 2017, 13:38 BST
Some of the many beers brewed in Sheffield, on sale at Beer Central in the Moor Market.Some of the many beers brewed in Sheffield, on sale at Beer Central in the Moor Market.
Some of the many beers brewed in Sheffield, on sale at Beer Central in the Moor Market.
Sheffield's many brewers are playing an important role in their communities, according to a national report released today.

The Society of Independent Brewers, or Siba, said breweries were creating jobs, supporting the pub trade through taprooms and raising hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity.

The 'Brewers in the Community' report was compiled based on feedback from about 500 UK brewers.

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Kane Yeardley of True North Brew CoKane Yeardley of True North Brew Co
Kane Yeardley of True North Brew Co

It found independent 'craft' breweries gave jobs to local people. Two thirds of staff lived within a 5 mile radius of the brewery and one in 10 were aged between 16 and 24, according to the survey.

Many brewers offered apprenticeship schemes.

The survey found taprooms - from something as simple as a few benches in the brewery to elaborate tasting rooms that rival any modern craft beer bar - were filling voids left by the closure of pubs.

Over 30 per cent of breweries that own a taproom, shop or visitor centre said they accounted for more than a quarter of their trade, according to the report.

The taproom at Sheffield Brewery CompanyThe taproom at Sheffield Brewery Company
The taproom at Sheffield Brewery Company

Siba said taprooms were more important than ever when set against the fact that 10,000 pubs, many in rural and suburban areas, had closed in the last 15 years nationwide.