A BUYER is being sought for a Monmouthshire brewery that closed down last month, with administartors citing 'changes in the craft brewing marketplace' for its failure.

Mad Dog Brewing Co, based in Penperlleni, ceased trading on February 20.

Siann Huntley and Andrew Beckingham of Leonard Curtis Business Rescue and Recovery have been appointed as joint administrators of the craft brewing business - and in a statement they say:

"Changes in the craft brewing marketplace have been blamed for the failure of the business, which has been trading since 2014, including a large number of new breweries opening up in competition, the closure of many pubs in a struggling sector (target customers of craft brewers) and a rise in beer duty.

"The director was struggling with a reduction in sales in December, slow trading conditions in January, and a number of outstanding payments from customers.

"Regrettably, the company’s three employees have been made redundant.

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"The joint administrators confirmed today that they were inviting offers for the business and its assets, which includes the microbrewery operation and equipment; recipes for a range of craft brewed ales - all unique, using natural ingredients, with vegan and gluten free variants; a well-established brand with plenty of goodwill, awareness and a loyal customer base."

The brewery's four original beers were Afternoon Sunshine, Bark Like A Bird, Dirty Dog and Now In A Minute.

All of the brews produced by Mad Dog were vegan and featured recognisable artwork - in more recent times the core range was also made gluten free.

In September 2015, the company was also named in the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) Good Beer Guide 2-16 alongside fellow Gwent brewers Tiny Rebel.

The administrators have requested that all commercial inquiries be forwarded in the first instance to siann.huntley@leonardcurtis.co.uk