Home brew sales rise nearly 500pc in lockdown as Britons miss the pub

Home brew sales have risen by nearly 500 per cent in lockdown as Britons miss the pub.

Basic home brew kits can be bought for as little as £10, meaning a 40-pint batch can cost just 25p per pint.

Wilko, the high street homeware store, said its online home brew sales quadrupled in the first week of May compared to the same period last year.

Kate Verity, from the firm, said: “Wilko.com has seen a 452 per cent increase in online home brew sales, suggesting that hard-working families are making the most of the extra time together at home by trying new hobbies.”

Pubs have been closed since March, leading to a surge in interest in recreating the experience at home.

Some brewers launched “home pub” kits including beer, coasters and glasses to help people recreate the experience, while others have taken to brewing themselves.

Specialist retailer Malt Miller, based in Swindon, said it had seen a 78 per cent rise in the number of new customers since lockdown began.

Manager Martin Rake said: “Homebrewing was on an upward trend before lockdown and will hopefully continue. We’ve seen a big demand for starter sets and kits, but also an increase in demand for more technical equipment from people wanting to up their game.”

Driver Graham Newton, 53, from Winsford, Cheshire, took up brewing at the beginning of May and is already on his third kit, with the first bottles of his homemade “Geordie Lager” due to be opened this weekend.

He said: “I’ve been waiting patiently for ten days while my beer clears and I’ve had to rearrange the garage three times already to accommodate my new hobby.

“I’ve ended up buying two fridges - one to use as a fermentation chamber and one to keep my beer cool.”