Disclaimer: this was written before the current Coronavirus outbreak (publishing was delayed due to some potential business sensitivities). Here’s a question: how many breweries, specialist craft beer and cask ale pubs/bars can a city realistically sustain? It’s something that has occupied my thoughts, intermittently, for a few years, but increasingly over the last few weeks. Having written extensively about beer in Liverpool over the last 6 years or so (okay, with much less in the last 18 months), I have covered both openings and closures during that time with much more focus on the positive former. It has been a pleasure to see things grow across Merseyside with new breweries, bars and micropubs joining the existing ranks. Sadly, this time this article’s stark focus is on the closures we are currently observing. Within the space of a few weeks, the scene in Liverpool has taken a rather large dent with the announcement that Pi on Rose Lane closed its doors for the last time at the end of January. This follows the closure of Cat Hop Beers in Rainford, Gibberish’s Brewpub, CASK in Stoneycroft (which has thankfully spun back up under new management) and now some news has filtered through that Craft Minded has wound things down, both Pi and Craft Minded have been ostensibly driven away by an increase in rent of their respective premises. It’s a brutal reality that many places face, but rather starkly shows how tough the climate is for independent businesses even with a healthy turnover. Pi has been in situ for just under a decade, though you could be forgiven for thinking it had been there much longer. Keeping beer enthusiasts and locals of Mossley Hill sated with Pieminister Pies, excellent Belgian, Dutch and German beers alongside solid (and perfectly conditioned) cask ales and newer craft keg brews has been their raison d’etre. It’s no small loss and a frustrating one for the wider scene given its longevity and a perceived ‘senior’ standing. Also, since I first drafted this article, we experienced the loss of the Crosby Beer Shop too, which is a massive blow to bottle shop goers across the city, given it's standing in the scene for so many years. There is some scope for positivity however, as early noises from the Pi team’s social media suggest they are open to reviving the pub or small bottle shop and taproom at another location in Mossley Hill or nearby if the circumstances and conditions are right. We should keep our fingers crossed for this eventuality. Craft Minded is a much younger venture, but still present for approximately just over 2 years and reputedly it suffered from a vast hike in fees from the Cain’s Brewery Village landlords. Frustratingly, Craft Minded’s location in the Cain’s Brewery site’s former boilerhouse was an interesting one. As a standalone building with a tall vestigial chimney stack, architecturally it had some character, however it’s location It left it competing for drinkers with four other bars opposite; the pleasant Dockleaf, Tankroom (specialist for Slovak and Czech tank beer), the haphazardly themed Black Perle (and its other dubious incarnations) and the Peaky Blinders bar. Whilst turnover in these other stag- and hen-do friendly premises might allow for absorbing massive rent increases, an independently owned craft beer orientated establishment was never going to be able to. There has been no official statement on social media or otherwise on what the state of play is for the Craft Minded crew, but it’s another bitter blow to the Liverpool scene. It is hard to say if these closures are all part of wider pattern which is forming across Merseyside, showing a contraction in the thirst for craft beer, real ale and other similar products in bars and pubs. Carnival Brewing’s doors opening just before Christmas and the forthcoming opening of Turncoat’s bar (due early 2020) on the Albert Dock are more pleasing punctuations on the matter, along with some rumblings of Seven Brothers and Northern Monk looking to open premises in Liverpool’s city centre. This suggests that there is a continued interest and marketplace with enough promise to entice new ventures. What is not difficult to see is the increased competition from supermarkets, taking on craft beers in an ever more expansive and aggressive manner to ensure their market share. This certainly hurts independent bottle shops the most with some fallout potentially hitting bars and pubs. Throw in the effects of ‘Dry January’ and the fetish of abstinence (along with myths of ‘detoxification’) at the start of each year and there is some serious exacerbation of the problem in play. Whilst people paying repeat visits to the city’s independent outlets can be the foundations of their income, sight cannot be lost that the key to getting a steady flow of business and a sustainable cycle of sales is to procure new customers (not just when it comes to beer). This is the tough part. Low and mostly zero budgets for marketing mean most places rely on self-run social media and word of mouth to bring in new customers. I have recently observed operators of local and independent businesses on social media chiding people for their infrequent visits, which is surely not the way to go. It’s easy to see why these business owners are frustrated – especially when you consider their livelihoods are at stake and many people hold the phrase ‘use it or lose it’ as a totem. Whilst there is some truth to this phrase, undertaking scolding, belittling or insulting behaviour towards people on the frequency of their spending habits isn’t going to achieve much beyond alienation and resentment. You catch more flies with honey… as the saying goes. Empathetically, people only have a certain budget for certain things like craft beer, coffees and other goods which have a ‘luxury’ element to them and putting yourself in their shoes, would you spend-spend-spend? Invariably, local independents stock and produce these luxury items which are in reality, non-essentials for daily life (or too expensive to be included in most people’s daily budget). Beers, Gin, pieces of art, sourdough bread, cakes and pastries and so on. They are not every day items for most people. The truth is people will often look to spend less where they can in tough times, which doesn’t help small independents, as bigger brands and chains can sell similar goods for cheaper in the main. This is somewhat at odds with the way people feel and what they say in Liverpool: People are proud of the city and will bristle at negativity from outsiders. They love to communicate the uniqueness of the city and its sensibilities. However, for the most part, this doesn’t seem to translate into tangible support and sales for small independent businesses, especially our local breweries which are instilled with local character and embedded in the Liverpudlian culture. With the best intentions, supporting local, small and independent businesses (of which many bars and brewers are part) it’s tricky to do so on a regular basis. Those most diligent would have to spread themselves so thinly across many businesses to contribute their money to the local economy, the perception would be of them as discussed above; that of an infrequent supporter. What is required for sustainability is a wider base of people whose additional ‘infrequency’ of custom will translate into a frequent cashflow for the businesses due to number of customers, rather than a reliance on fewer but higher spending ones. How to accomplish this? That’s the big question. Changing the habits of a person in a bar or pub, about to buy that £4.50 330ml bottle of Peroni from the fridge, into one who decides they’ll try the £4.00 330ml can of a locally brewed session ale or lager would be a big step. The first step in this however, is making sure that this locally brewed beer is present in the fridge in the first place by selling to the bar. There’s a battle at every stage to be won.
We’re really still no closer to finding out what the level of saturation is for the city though. This current state of flux has only shown how fickle and tough the market is, multiple closures in tandem with recent and forthcoming openings of businesses forms no discernible pattern or trend. Groups that exist to support bars, brewers and beer enthusiasts such as the Liverpool Beer Collective, Ladies that Beer, Mikkeller Running Club, CAMRA and Merseyside Craft Beer Social can all play a role here in helping develop the market, but collaboration and communication are key. Pedro.
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