A BREWERY company who looks after three of Britain’s top beers is on the brink of collapse again after suffering from soaring costs and a devastating drop in demand.
In a last ditch attempt to save the battered beer company a second notice of intention (NOI) to appoint administrators has been filed just a month after the first call for help.
Keystone Brewery Group is the parent company of popular beer brands including Black Sheep, Hofmeister and Fourpure and employs roughly 190 staff across breweries nationwide.
The group is reportedly struggling as it faces ever-rising costs and a dramatic drop in demand for its pub staples.
A NOI to appoint administrators is a document filed to a court signalling intent to enter administration to rescue a struggling business.
It provides protection to avoid immediate liquidation.
The fact that Keystone bosses have filed another one this week, following the first in November last year, suggests that the company is in dire need of help and on the brink of collapse.
Also, given the impending increase of alcohol duty in line with inflation set to be put into action next month, and the annual drop in pub-goers at the start of the year it is a very difficult time for alcohol manufacturers.
The rise in alcohol duty will be another blow to the already struggling beverage industry by adding to crippling costs faced by manufacturers.
Black Sheep Brewery, owned by Keystone traces its roots back to 1992, when it was founded by a member of the historic Theakston brewing family.
This is not the first time Black Sheep has faced the axe.
The brewery previously fell into administration in 2023, only to be rescued by investment firm Breal Group, which has since recast itself as Keystone Brewing Group.
Hofmeister and others in the Keystone stable are marketed via exclusive distribution deals rather than being owned outright.
According to Sky News, pressure has come especially from trade creditors, prompting Keystone to bring in FRP Advisory to steer the company through what could become a forced restructuring.
At the time, the takeover was billed as a lifeline, with talk of heavy investment to scale up production at the Masham site.
But despite a spree of acquisitions, including smaller outfits such as North Brewing Co and the assets of Fourpure, the group looks unable to withstand the current economic squeeze.
As January is a particularly tough month for hospitality anyway, as consumers reel from Christmas spending and drinking, now may not be the time to save a crumbling beer making business.
Tragically eight pubs shut down every week in the first half of the year, Government figures show.
Some 209 pubs were shut in the first six months of 2025, bringing the total number of closures over the past five years to 2,283.
In July, pub chain Oakman Inns & Restaurants collapsed into administration, with six of its sites shutting down for good.
Another major pub chain, RedCat Hospitality, also revealed in November it had sold 21 of its sites just a year after it was saved from collapse.
The Sun has approached Keystone Brewery Group for comment.
