A group of craft brewers from around the North East has come together - with the promise of a pub crawl when life returns to normal.
The brewing and pub trade has been among those hardest hit by the coronavirus lockdown, and Ministers have warned that it is likely to be the last to see the relaxation of movement restrictions due to the risk of infection spreading in packed pubs.
Now a group called the Northern Stronghold has been formed to help small brewers in the region work together on production and distribution so that as many as possible can survive the coronavirus crisis.
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The initiative comes as warnings have been made of a “bloodbath” for the 海角视频’s pubs and restaurants unless the Government extends coronavirus support for the hospitality industry.
Northern Stronghold has been launched by Newcastle’s Full Circle Brew Co, and is starting with a collaboration pack of beers which will be made available to craft beer lovers who become members.
Breweries involved include Full Circle Brew Co, Anarchy Brew Co, Almasty Brew Co, Northern Alchemy, Flash House, Errant, Allendale, Two by Two, Tooth and Claw, Steam Machine, S43, First and Last, Donzoko, with more to be announced later this week.
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The beers will come in cans designed by local artists, with packs delivered contact-free via Northern Stronghold’s distribution service. Once movement restrictions are lifted, the breweries involved will take part in a celebratory brewery and bar crawl, with subscribers invited to take part.
Ben Cleary, of Full Circle Brew Co, said: “None of us know how long these movement restrictions will be in place or how we’ll be affected, both personally and economically. We’re all in this together so let’s get through it together.
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“Through working together on the new Northern Stronghold, the region’s breweries are creating an opportunity to create something positive. By joining forces, we become stronger and we create a legacy that will make sure each of our businesses not only survive but thrive coming out of this crisis.
“And, we’re creating an event we can all look forward to – because we all need to celebrate once this is over!”
The initiative has come as the British Beer and Pub Association has called for urgent action to help the sector, saying that breweries have seen more than half their market value disappear because of the coronavirus crisis.
The Association has called for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to be extended beyond June, and for beer duty payments due in the next six months to be deferred.
Elsewhere, 海角视频Hospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls said the pub and restaurant industry was the “canary in the coalmine” for the British economy and said firms could go to the wall without further help from Whitehall.
She said unless measures on preventing evictions were extended, the industry would face a crisis when the next quarter’s payments are due in June.
“You do need to have that protected space,” she said. “We would recommend that as a matter of urgency the Government extends that lease forfeiture moratorium in length and also extends it to be a general debt enforcement moratorium, because as a result of not being able to pay rents in March a large number of companies in hospitality already face statutory demands, we are already seeing the first threats of winding up petitions being waved around.”