Finalists revealed in ‘Oscar’s of the Beer Industry’ – SIBA Business Awards 2025

March 7, 2025| Neil Walker | Brewery News, Industry News

Finalists in the SIBA Business Awards 2025 have today been revealed, highlighting the breweries, taprooms, retailers, pubs and beer industry businesses in the running to be named the best in the UK.

The SIBA Business Awards presentation takes place in Liverpool in just under two week’s time and seeks to congratulate excellence in the brewing industry across a variety of categories, from pump clip, can and bottle design, to efforts taken by brewers to make their business more sustainable, diverse, innovative or successful, as well as naming the UK’s best pubs, bars and retailers of beer from independent breweries.

“With hundreds of superb entries across 16 categories the SIBA Business Awards 2025 really are the Oscars of the beer industry and seek to congratulate the breweries and beer businesses who are the very best-of-the-best in the UK. The judging process this year was the hardest the panel has ever been faced with, such was the quality of entries across the Board. Being named a finalist is a huge achievement in its self and I look forward to joining you all to reveal the winners at the Awards ceremony in Liverpool in just under two week’s time.” Andy Slee, SIBA Chief Executive and Chair of the SIBA Business Awards 2025 Judging Panel.

The SIBA Business Awards 2025 also include a brand new ‘Diversity Champion of the Year’ Award in partnership with industry group Women on Tap CIC. The new award celebrates independent breweries who have made equity, diversity and inclusivity a central part of their business – be that with a focus on gender, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, socioeconomic background, disability, neurodiversity, or age.

Women On Tap’s founder Rachel Auty helped to create the criteria for this important new award and joined the judging panel for 2025;

“Recent industry research from SIBA and other sources has evidenced the lack of progress in making the UK beer industry more diverse. We have to keep this subject front and centre, and we are incredibly grateful to SIBA for introducing this award and inviting us to be a partner. We urge the industry to make a renewed commitment to creating workplaces and experiences where everyone can thrive. At Women On Tap we focus on gender equality, and we want to see more women working in beer at all levels, especially in brewing and leadership, as well as more women choosing and enjoying beer socially.”

Joining Rachel Auty on the expert judging panel for 2025 were SIBA Head of Comms & Marketing Neil Walker, SIBA Events & Marketing Officer Megan Brecken, SIBA Non-Exec Director Laura Mackie UKHospitality Strategic Affairs Director Tony Sophoclides, Indie Brewer Magazine Editor Caroline Nodder, CAMRA Chief Commercial Officer Tony Lewis, and SIBA’s Chief Executive Andy Slee, who chaired the panel.

The SIBA Business Awards 2025 will be presented on Wednesday 19^th March at BeerX UK in Liverpool by acclaimed beer author, journalist, broadcaster and Sunday Times beer columnist Pete Brown. Event tickets are available via www.beerx.org

Finalists revealed in ‘Oscar’s of the Beer Industry’ – SIBA Business Awards 2025

Author: Neil Walker

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