A Five Points Brewing Co beer has been pouring in Parliament this week to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Small Breweries’ Relief (SBR).
Dame Meg Hillier pours a pint of SBR IPA
SBR IPA arrived at the Strangers’ Bar, in the House of Commons, at the request of Dame Meg Hillier, Labour (Co-Op) MP for Hackney South and Shoreditch.
The beer was brewed collaboratively by brewers and supporters who helped to introduce SBR, the tax scheme which has defined the modern craft beer industry. SBR allows smaller breweries to pay a proportionate amount of beer duty to the Treasury, using the savings to invest in their businesses and grow.
Featuring all-British-grown malts and hops, the 5.1% ABV beer provides aromas of stone fruit and orange. The names of the hops form the letters SBR: Sovereign, Bullion, and Relentless (a new experimental British hop).
Five Points director Greg Hobbs joined Meg Hillier to pour the first pints, along with Barry Watts, head of public affairs at the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA).
Dame Meg said: “It’s a great pleasure to see Five Points’ SBR IPA being served in Parliament, and for MPs to celebrate the impact that Small Breweries’ Relief has had over the past two decades. Five Points’ success is just one example of how the Small Breweries’ Relief tax scheme has helped more small breweries to set up and grow.”
Greg Hobbs added: “We’re delighted to see Five Points being poured in Parliament and grateful to Meg Hillier for putting us forward. Five Points’ growth has been possible because of SBR and it’s great to see it being recognised in Parliament.”
SBR IPA was showcased in The Strangers’ Bar through a scheme run by the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group and SIBA, to which Five Points belongs.
Barry Watts said: “Seeing the SBR beer enjoyed in Parliament is a reminder of the work that went into making the scheme possible 20 years ago and has resulted in more than 1,900 small independent breweries in the UK producing some of the best beer in the world.”
