Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company’s (CMBC) plans to sell its Ringwood brewery in Hampshire have foundered and the operation is now set to close.

The company has been up for sale for six months, but no viable offer was made.

Ringwood will close in January next year and, after brewing trials, the cask variants of Old Thumper, Razorback, Fortyniner and Boondoggle will move to Banks’s brewery in Wolverhampton.

The logistics side of the operation has already been moved to CMBC’s Tiverton and Farnborough sites. CMBC is consulting on the proposals with the remaining 10 workers on the site.

Ringwood has been a stalwart of the British brewing scene for decades and is best known for its cask ales and boar mascot.

When plans for the site were announced, CAMRA said it never wants to see the closure of any brewery, claiming it would have a detrimental impact on local communities, including employment as well as the social benefits a brewery tap can bring.

In October, CAMRA attacked CMBC plans to close the historic Jennings brewery, Cockermouth and make the staff redundant.

CMBC CEO Paul Davies said: “Having, over the last six months, been unable to secure a sale of our Ringwood brewery operation in Hampshire, we have made the difficult decision to announce our intention to close the site.

“Given its limited space and residential location, the expansion and improvements required for the site to be competitive would be challenging and extremely costly. While we believe this is the right course of action for our business it is by no means a decision we have taken lightly.”

Ringwood was purchased by Marston’s for £19.2m in 2007. Marston’s disposed of its brewing operations in 2020, selling assets to a joint venture with the Carlsberg Group to create the Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company.