Manchester brewer and taproom falls into administration

Administrators have been appointed to Manchester craft ale brewer and taproom, Alphabet Brewing Company.

Paul Stanley and Jason Greenhalgh of Begbies Traynor were appointed as the joint administrators of Alphabet Brewing Limited, on April 14, 2023.

The pair also acted in the 2022 administration of Manchester-based brewer Beatnikz Republic as well as the administration of Liverpool Organic Brewery.

The business, which has been trading for more than a decade, has experienced financial difficulties in recent months and has entered into administration. According to its latest set of company accounts, Alphabet turned over £500,000 and employed 12 people, who have all been made redundant.

Alphabet Brewing Company was launched in 2014 and produced a range of craft beers and ales. The brewery has won numerous awards for its products, which are sold in bars, restaurants, and retailers throughout the region.

Some of the popular names of the beers that Alphabet Brewery stocks include ‘Charlie Don’t Surf’, ‘Flat White’, ‘A to the K’, ‘Juice Springsteen’, ‘Notorious BIG’, and ‘Hoi Polloi’.

Paul Stanley, regional managing partner at Begbies Traynor, said: “After exploring all the options available the directors took the decision to place the company into administration.

“We’re currently working on maximising the return for creditors. Alphabet Brewing Company is a well respected brand that has played an important role in the craft beer scene in Manchester.”

He added: “The regional craft ale industry faces huge challenges. Not only because of the inflation in the cost of raw materials and energy, but the competition from multinational beer companies who have the ability to buy emerging brands and flood the market with them by producing them on a national scale.

“I’m certain more breweries face the same challenges as Alphabet.”