Indie brewers kept out of UK bars and pubs by multinationals, study finds

Small brewers say large breweries and some pub chains are imposing conditions on pubs on what beers they can sell. Photograph: Ian Rolfe/Alamy

Global beer corporations are using their financial muscle to elbow smaller competitors off the bar, according to research that found independent breweries have been shut out of most of their local pubs.

The number of breweries in the UK that are not owned by a larger business or multinational is already in decline, falling by 100 last year to 1,715, according to figures released earlier this year by the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (Siba).