Beware of Danes bearing gold!

The decision by Danish brewing giant Carlsberg to close the historic Marston’s brewery in Burton-on-Trent next summer, though long anticipated, still feels driven by profit and corporate greed.

Carlsberg cited the familiar reason of a steep and sustained decline in cask ale consumption across the UK. Data shows that by the mid-2020s, cask ale volumes in Britain had more than halved in less than a decade, with consumption continuing to fall year on year. The multinational claimed this collapse made it increasingly difficult to justify running large traditional ale breweries like Marston’s, presenting this harsh reality as the main reason behind the closure.

For me, this is a deeply poignant and sad moment. Marston's brewery in Burton-on-Trent was the first brewery I ever visited back in the mid-1970s as a student. That tour sparked my lasting interest in beer and brewing, so to see this splendid old Victorian era brewery vanish into rubble is particularly galling, even if it reflects the times we live in.

Carlsberg’s involvement with Marston’s came after a series of takeovers, and Marston's should have known better than to align with such a ruthless and predatory company. Before targeting Marston’s, Carlsberg had already closed the 150-year-old Banks brewery in Wolverhampton, citing similar market pressures and transferring production to Burton. Observers should have seen this earlier closure as a sign of further consolidation and Carlsberg’s ruthless readiness to dispose of historic ale sites.

The so-called strategic portfolio shift is somewhat of a joke, as Carlsberg aims to focus on growth categories and streamline operations, prioritising brands like Hobgoblin, McEwan’s, and Brooklyn as worthy of continued support. (McEwans anyone? And Brooklyn – that’s American, keg pish, surely?) Other cask and regional ales are to be sold to specialists or local owners—though there aren’t many left—making this corporate rhetoric from Copenhagen seem rather hollow. It signals a move away from maintaining large-scale traditional ale production facilities, and more Danegeld in the parent company’s coffers!