Bristol brewery Dawkins Ales has announced it is ceasing production amid “sprillaing” costs.
In a statement posted on social media, the independent brewer’s owner Glen Dawkins said the company’s pubs would remain open, but it was unable to carry on making beer.
Mr Dawkins wrote: “It is with a heavy heart that I have to announce the closure of the Dawkins Ales brewery. Despite the amazing efforts of the brilliant team we could not continue against the overwhelming headwinds of spiralling costs alongside post Covid recovery.
“I have seen many fellow brewers succumb and I am devastated to be joining them. Thank you to all our customers for their support as the brewery grew, helping us through recession and Covid. Good beers and good times were had and we will miss you all.”
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Dawkins Taverns was founded in 2002, with the group now running five pubs in the city, including The Miner’s Arms in St Werburghs, as well as its own tap room at its brewery in Easton.
Mr Dawkins and business partners Tony Arnese and Jane Dutson acquired Matthews Brewing Co and its production site in the Somerset village of Timsbury, near Bath, in 2010. Four years later the group established its brewery business as a separate arm of the company, supplying its own pubs and other venues in the area, and in 2015 it relocated to Bristol.
According to the microbrewer’s website, it pivoted to home deliveries after the closure of pubs during the Covid-19 lockdowns, with the business launching a crowdfunding campaign to support its operations.
The brewery’s closure comes months after fellow Bristol independent Newtown Park also halted production, citing "huge price increases" within the industry.
Over the last year breweries, including larger operators such as the Liberation Group - the parent firm of West Country beer and pub brand Butcombe Brewing Co - have reported inflated input costs, including for energy bills, amid a wider squeeze on consumer spending.
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