A UK brewery owner has blasted Chancellor Rachel Reeves as he prepares to call last orders at his local business. First opened in 2012 and standing as Woking’s only brewery, John Mintram has kept locals and beyond in beer at his award-winning business, Thurstons, in Horsell, Surrey.
However, just shy of its 14th birthday, the taps are to run dry, with its current stock the last to be created at the brewery before it closes. The business moved next to The Crown in 2014, operating a 4.5 barrel plant and brewing a range of local beers including Horsell Gold, Milk Stout and Un-American Pale Ale. “We survived austerity, Covid and the cost of living crisis but not Rachel Thieves and the Labour government,” Mr Mintram said.
“It’s just one thing after another – National Insurance rises, beer duty rises, the cost of resources. It’s just got harder and harder and it’s got to the point where it’s just not economical anymore.”
Mr Mintram told local news site Woking News & Mail that he reckoned there were “four more brews” to go on April 30, with the last potentially taking place during the coming week.
“Everyone has been very kind. People have said ‘surely we can get together and raise money’ but it’s not as easy as that. I’d be looking at charging £150 a firkin, and that would mean £8 a pint, possibly.”
Speaking in Parliament earlier this week, Woking’s MP, Will Forster, demanded the Government apologise for what it has done to the hospitality sector and asked for a debate to be held on how it can properly support the brewing and pub sector in the future.
While the brewery has been selling its beers to local pubs in Surrey, Mr Mintram said it had struggled to compete with larger chain pubs, where supply deals were limited. He added that The Crown would remain open after the brewery closed and the last of the brewery’s ales, bitters and stout would be served exclusively at the pub.
Figures from the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) paint a grim picture for the nation’s high streets, showing that a staggering 161 pubs went bust in the first three months of 2026 alone – equivalent to two every day. The UK’s hospitality sector has been pushed to the brink in recent years, battered by a perfect storm of skyrocketing business rates, surging labour costs and shifting consumer habits.
A HM Treasury spokesperson said: “Our breweries are vital to Britain’s economy, so we’re making it easier for them to thrive: no export duty, lower licensing fees, reduced tariffs, and a cap on corporation tax.
“We also back small brewers through Small Producer Relief, and we’ve completed a review of whether big firms are blocking smaller breweries from getting into pubs – ministers are now considering the findings.”