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A family-run pub firm has plunged into liquidation after seven years in business. The Sorcerer's Watering Hole, which formerly traded as The Brewery Tap, appointed liquidators on May 15, according to filings on the public record The Gazette - the official public record.

The McCormack family had run the Brewery Tap - the building dating back to 1928 - on Catherine Wheel Road, Brentford, since 2019. They had renovated the "lively local watering hole to its traditional former glory" when they took over, and described it as a "unique and vibrant atmosphere" with a varied live music schedule, with muscians playing jazz, rock, folk, soul and Irish music every week.

However, as of Friday, liquidation firm Robert Day and Company acts on behalf of the firm. Businesses appoint liquidators for many reasons, including falling sales, rising costs, or overtrading. Liquidation is the process of bringing a business to an end by selling off its assets to convert them into cash. This cash is then used to pay off creditors and satisfy debts.

The owners have not made a public statement on why liquidators were appointed, and its website is still up and running. It states: "Under new management of The McCormack Family since December 2019, The Brewery Tap has undergone a sympathetic (but much needed!) renovation to restore this lively local watering hole back to it's traditional former glory."

The last post on its Facebook post is dated March 10. What this means for the future of the pub itself is not known.

However, the pub industry has been hit hard with closures in the last few years as it struggles with rising costs.

Approximately two British pubs closed a day in the first quarter of 2026, according to the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA).

It said 161 pubs closed in the first three months of this year across England, Scotland and Wales, equating to the loss of around 2,400 jobs. Last year, 336 British pubs reported closures.

The BBPA called for a tax overhaul to support growth in the sector, as it faces rising minimum wages, national insurance contributions and higher VAT than supermarkets for selling food.

"The scale of these closures is avoidable because pubs are doing a brisk trade, but their profits are wiped out by a disproportionate tax burden and huge costs," said Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the BBPA.

Earlier this year, the government announced 15% business rates relief for pubs and music venues after the sector warned further closures were guaranteed if no changes were made.

The Express has contacted the Brewery Tap for comment.