Kmflett's Blog

Of course brewery closures (and some openings btw) are far too common in what are hard times for hospitality.

Things could be done such as VAT reductions and sorting out access to market for independent brewers but in the meantime the crisis continues.

The news that Tottenham’s Redemption Brewery has entered administration feels personal. It was one of the first of the new wave of craft/indy brewers to open in London in 2010. I marked my 60th birthday at its taproom near Spurs.

The administrators are looking for a buyer (as is normal) and trading continues meanwhile (also normal) but it can be reflected that it wasn’t the excellence of the beers that was the issue here, but a system where Big Beer calls the shots and the genuinely independent community focused brewers lose out.

The move has provided quite a bit of media publicity, much of it AI generated. Redemption was the first brewery in Tottenham for 100 years. It is not 100 years old. It started in 2010 (as above). It has also provided much comment on Government loading costs on to hospitality without a great deal of mitigation. While there is some truth in this, and the Government could do more, there are also agendas running, and not ones that would do much if anything to help small brewers or those who enjoy drinking what they brew.

The Government could act to regulate the beer industry (something |Margaret Thatcher did with mixed results. Gordon Brown also did it, with measures to help small brewers, with better results, which the Tories later partially over turned. Heyho…)

Meanwhile Redemption Big Chief a 5.5% IPA is on the current Wetherspoons seasonal guest list. It appears to be widely available in Spoons pubs, though such is the excellence of the beer, rarely for very long.

Family-owned Tottenham brewer falls into administration as industry pressures mount