A Star Wars actor has turned out to support his agent’s new venture, taking on Hook Norton’s George & Dragon pub in Shutford, Oxfordshire. George & Dragon licensee Stuart Stanley with actor Ian McDiarmid The whole village was invited to a private function put on by the pub’s new owners, Stuart Stanley and his partner Carol Green. And Star Wars fans were given a special treat as The Emperor himself, actor Ian McDiarmid, came along to support his friend and manager. Ian, who has played The Emperor since he was cast by George Lucas in 1983’s Return of the Jedi, enjoyed his fir ..read more

Homebrewers and spectators from across the UK gathered at the Castle Hotel, in Aberystwyth, for a tournament organised by homebrew company Mashed. Some of the judging panel, deliberating over the 27 entries. Photograph: Henry Perks Inspired by the FA Cup, the tournament put a spin on usual homebrew competitions, which traditionally judge entries individually, based on the style of beer. It was judged by ten beer fans and experts, including landlords and staff from The Castle Hotel, Bottle & Barrel, and Ship & Castle in Aberystwyth, and members of CAMRA Bae Ceredigion. There were 27 b ..read more

The government is to relax licensing laws if home teams make it to the semi-finals or final of the forthcoming Euros football tournament. The Licensing Act will be relaxed for matches involving England and Scotland to avoid repeating problems which surrounded the Women’s World Cup final last year. “This relaxation means that if the England and/or Scotland football team is successful in reaching the semi-final or final of Euro 2024, then on-licensed premises already licensed to sell alcohol until at least 11pm would benefit from an extension to those hours until 1am,” said Andy Grimsey, seni ..read more

James Watt, co-founder of BrewDog with Martin Dickie, is stepping down from the role of chief executive to become ‘captain and co-founder’. The chief executive role will be taken on by James Arrow, who joined BrewDog last summer as chief operating officer. “In my new role I will remain as a board member, a director and I will also be part time strategic advisor to the business and our to leadership team,” said Watt (pictured). “Furthermore, I will retain my BrewDog shareholding and my Hop Stock initiative, whereby I give 20% of my BrewDog shares to the team, will remain in place.” He added ..read more

Ossett Brewery, from West Yorkshire, has taken home the overall champion gold award at the SIBA North East Independent Beer Awards. The beer which won the award is White Rat, a hoppy pale ale featuring Cascade, Columbus, and Amaillo hops. Runner-up was Acorn Brewery’s Barnsley Bitter, with Rooster’s Tropical Assassin taking bronze. The Ossett team were “absolutely speechless! Did not expect to win overall champions. A really great honour, and glad our beers are getting appreciated. All the hard work from everyone has just really paid off.” “White Rat has always been a local favourite and ha ..read more

Average beer production volumes among independent breweries have risen 14% compared to 2023, returning to pre-pandemic levels for the first time in four years. Cask beer has also seen a big increase, with volumes up 10% year-on-year, according to the SIBA Independent Beer Report 2024.  New data from hundreds of independent craft breweries forms a key part of the findings in the report, which also features industry analysis and commentary, as well as specially commissioned consumer research via YouGov. It was this YouGov research which showed a growing consumer pull for independent craf ..read more

CityStack and singer-songwriter Brave New Broken Hearts Club have collaborated to launch a free Indie Pub tour at independent venues across London. Alison Boutoille, founder of CityStack Pub enthusiast Neil Phillimore, singer songwriter of Brave New Broken Hearts, and pub supporters CityStack have joined forces to generate footfall to independent pubs. They have created a tour of ‘Pay what you want’ gigs at a selection of the pubs that are part of the CityStack collection. CityStack was initiated in 2021 by pub aficionado Alison Boutoille and a group of ten great independ ..read more

Toast, the beer brand that brews using surplus bread, is offering drinkers a lager from a ‘living’ bar fount in selected Star Pubs. Toast, a certified B Corp business, has been working with Star owner Heineken since 2022 as a strategic investor, focusing on research and development, as part of Heineken’s net zero ambitions. “We are thrilled to partner with Toast, an innovative and exciting brand, to trial the ‘living fount’,” said Lawson Mountstevens, managing director of Star Pubs. “It is an eye-catching initiative that will get beer drinkers talking over their pint, and brings the topic o ..read more

Buxton Brewery has confirmed that it is looking at all options to take the business forward, but says the brand remains strong and relevant. “A combination of low consumer confidence, lack of business support from the government, and post-Covid difficulties have led us to this situation,” the brewer said on social media. “However, the brand remains strong and relevant, and the management team are determined to find a solution and are looking forward to announcing further developments as and when they are available.” The company has posted a notice of intention to appoint administrators. Thi ..read more

Heineken UK is investing £39 million in upgrading and re-opening pubs in its Star Pubs’ estate in 2024, creating an estimated 1,075 jobs. The Ashford Arms, in Ashford-in-the-Water, Derbyshire. The pub closed at the start of the Covid pandemic in 2020 but has been re-opened by by Star Pubs this year, in partnership with Rob Hattersley, of Derbyshire-based Longbow Venues A quarter of Heineken UK’s 2,400 pubs are in line for improvement, with 94 of these set for makeovers, costing £200,000 on average. The investment will also cover work to re-open 62 long-term closed locals this year. By the en ..read more