The Pub Company Stranglehold

Even the pubs that are still open may not be available to you. The UK pub market is dominated by large pub companies — pubcos — that control thousands of venues through tied agreements. These contracts force tenants to buy all or most of their beer from a single approved supplier, usually one of the big brewers or a nominated wholesaler.

The history is instructive. In 1989, the Beer Orders forced the big brewers to sell off excess pub estates, but the result wasn't a free market — it was the creation of pubcos that tied the pubs right back up again through supply agreements. The Beer Orders were revoked in 2003, by which time the industry had transformed from one dominated by brewer-owned chains to one dominated by pub-owning groups that achieved essentially the same lock-out of independent suppliers.

Today, thousands of landlords across the UK are contractually prevented from stocking your beer, no matter how good it is or how much their customers want it. SIBA has campaigned for a "guest beer right" that would allow tied tenants to stock at least one beer from a local independent brewery. A SIBA/YouGov poll found that three quarters of drinkers think pubs should offer a range of craft beer from small breweries. But wanting it and getting it are two different things when the contracts say otherwise.

The big pubcos don't really sell much independent beer. Their supply chains are built around volume, consistency, and the commercial relationships they have with major brewers. Your ten-barrel micro operation doesn't fit that model. You're not worth the paperwork to them.