EU sting threatens Cornish nettle brewery
By: JimOldfield
February 14th, 2012
Britain’s only nettle beer brewery is facing closure – because the EU says the centuries-old Cornish Stingers Bitter is NOT ale.
The ruling has left its Cornish family brewers facing up to £10,000 in backdated duty, because the drink now falls into a higher tax band. Customs officers have also moved to seize their entire stock of 2,280 bottles. Cornish Stingers comes on tap or in 500ml beer bottles and boasts a 4.5 per cent ABV.
But the Brussels bureaucrats insist it is not a beer, for tax purposes because it does not contain malt.
They have declared it to be a “made-wine”. That category puts it alongside alcopops such as WKD and Smirnoff Ice, and threatens to put an extra 10p in tax on each £2.50 bottle.
Brewers Miles Lavers and his partner Alice Rollinson say their business may be force to close because of the tax bill.
The couple’s MP, George Eustice, blasted the ruling as “mad”. He has written to Chancellor George Osborne asking him to overturn the decision.
