Cumberland Ale moving to region after 194-year-old brewery closes
Cumberland ale will now be brewed in Staffordshire with the closure of a brewery in the Lake District.
Wolverhampton-based Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company is to close the 194-year-old Jennings Brewery in Cockermouth in early October.
Its cask and bottled beers, including Cumberland Golden Beer, will then be produced at Marston’s Brewery in Burton upon Trent.
CMBC's logistics based at the Cumbrian site will continue to operate as normal while options are explored, including a potential sale.
The breweries group is exploring opportunities for redeployment within the group for the five brewery staff.
Jennings Brewery was acquired by Marston's in 2005 before its brewery operation merged with Carlsberg.
Paul Davies, Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company chief executive, said: "We’re incredibly proud of the team at Jennings Brewery, and our priority over the coming weeks will be to ensure they have the support they need as we enter a period of consultation.
"We understand the great affection the local community has for the brewery, and its place as part of the UK’s brewing heritage.
"We are pleased to continue brewing Cumberland Cask by moving production to the historic Marston’s Brewery in Burton, which has a fantastic track record producing traditional cask beers.
"Jennings has operated below capacity for a number of years and has seen a significant decline in volumes, the impact of which has been made more significant by the pandemic.
"Over the course of the past year, we have carefully considered all options for the brewery and have reached the extremely difficult decision to close the brewery.
"We understand this news will be very difficult for our team at Jennings and disappointing to many other colleagues, consumers and customers.
"But with the economic headwinds impacting our industry we must continue to make the difficult choices we believe are needed to ensure CMBC is well placed to navigate the unprecedented external challenges we are facing, and ensure we are able to grow and sustain our position as a leading business in the brewing industry."
