Is the UK Craft Beer Boom Over? CAMRA and SIBA Reveal the Truth in 2026

The UK craft beer industry has lost a net 137 breweries in the last year, according to data from CAMRA and SIBA. That’s not slowdown. That’s contraction. So the big question is simple: is the UK craft beer boom over, or is the industry just growing up?

For over a decade, craft beer felt unstoppable. New breweries opened weekly. Taprooms popped up in industrial estates. Supermarkets rushed to fill shelves with hazy IPAs, pastry stouts and mango-infused everything.

Now the headlines look different.

Closures.

Administrations.

Breweries up for sale.

Big brands restructuring.

So what’s actually happening?

Let’s break it down properly.

The Headline Number: 137 Breweries Gone

According to CAMRA and Society of Independent Brewers and Associates, the UK saw a net loss of 137 breweries over the past year.

New breweries are still opening.

But closures are outpacing openings.

That’s the shift.

For years, the UK craft beer market grew almost continuously. Even during difficult economic periods, the number of breweries generally increased.

Now we’re seeing reversal.

Not collapse.

But correction.

Why Are UK Breweries Closing?

There isn’t one villain. It’s a perfect storm.

1. Energy Costs

Brewing is energy intensive. Heating, cooling, refrigeration, cleaning. When energy prices spike, margins evaporate.

Smaller breweries feel this immediately.

2. Ingredient Inflation

Hops, malt and aluminium for cans have all increased in price.

Imported hops from the US, New Zealand and Australia have been particularly volatile.

Breweries that built recipes around high hop loads now face serious cost pressure.

3. Supermarket Squeeze

Getting into supermarkets was once the golden ticket.

Now it’s brutal.

Margins are tight.

Volume expectations are high.

Promotions eat profit.

Some breweries expanded too quickly chasing retail contracts that became unsustainable.

4. Post-Pandemic Reality

During lockdowns, direct-to-consumer online sales exploded.

Many breweries invested heavily in that infrastructure.

When pubs reopened and consumer behaviour shifted again, some of that demand didn’t stick.

5. Over-Expansion During the Boom

Let’s be honest.

Some breweries grew too fast.

New tanks. New sites.Debt finance.Hype releases every week.

When the easy growth slowed, the financial model stopped working.

The Stories Behind the Statistics

Numbers are one thing.

The real impact shows up in individual cases.

We’ve recently seen:

• Overtone Brewing Co enter administration
  

• Turning Point Brew Co listed for sale
  

• BrewDog facing ongoing sale speculation
  

• Heineken announcing thousands of job cuts globally

These are different scales. Different models.

But the pressure theme is consistent.

Is Craft Beer Demand Falling?

Here’s where nuance matters.

Overall alcohol consumption in the UK has been shifting for years.

Younger drinkers are drinking less.Premiumisation is rising.Alcohol-free is expanding.Consumers are more selective.

Craft beer hasn’t disappeared.

But blind loyalty has.

Drinkers aren’t buying four-packs every weekend just because it’s hazy anymore.

Quality matters more.Price sensitivity is higher.Value is scrutinised.

The hype cycle has cooled.

Have We Reached Peak IPA?

The IPA boom drove enormous growth.

But supermarket shelves now look saturated.

Every retailer has:

• A hazy IPA
  

• A session IPA
  

• A double IPA
  

• A West Coast IPA

Differentiation is harder.

Breweries that relied on constant hype drops are finding it tougher to maintain momentum.

This doesn’t mean IPAs are dead.

It means the gold rush phase has ended.

Big Brewers Aren’t Immune Either

It isn’t just small independent breweries under pressure.

BrewDog has faced controversy, restructuring conversations and sale speculation.

Heineken has cut thousands of jobs globally.

Even large multinational operations are recalibrating.

This suggests a wider market adjustment, not just “craft struggling”.

UK Brewery Numbers by Year

The trend tells the real story.

For much of the 2010s, brewery numbers rose consistently.

In recent years:

Growth slowed.

Then plateaued.

Now we have confirmed net decline.

The 137 net loss figure from CAMRA and SIBA marks a symbolic turning point.

The boom phase is clearly over.

But that doesn’t mean the industry is dying.

So… Is the Craft Beer Boom Over?

Yes.

The explosive growth era is over.

But that isn’t necessarily bad.

What we’re seeing now looks more like maturation than collapse.

Consolidation happens in every industry.

The strongest breweries survive. The ones with loyal communities endure. The overleveraged and under-differentiated struggle.

Craft beer is no longer a novelty.

It’s part of the mainstream landscape.

And that changes the rules.

What Happens Next?

Here’s the likely direction over the next few years:

• Fewer, stronger independent breweries
  

• More focus on taprooms and local loyalty
  

• Less reckless expansion
  

• Better financial discipline
  

• Higher quality expectations

The industry is shrinking slightly.

But it may be stabilising into something more sustainable.

Final Verdict

The UK craft beer boom isn’t collapsing.

It’s growing up.

The era of “open a brewery and it will fly” has ended.

Now it requires discipline, differentiation and real demand.

The 137 net loss figure from CAMRA and SIBA is significant.

But it doesn’t signal extinction.

It signals evolution.

And the breweries that adapt will still be here in five years.

Over to you

Do you have something to say on this topic? Let me know in the comments below.

Hopper out!