Australia: Coronavirus pandemic forces brewers to ditch 4.5 mln litres of beer

Close to a 25 million schooners of beer will go down the drain within weeks in Australia due to COVID-19, 7NEWS.com.au reported on May 6.

Thousands and thousands of kegs of unwanted beer have been left ‘unwanted’ as the coronavirus crisis halts demand.

South Australian brewers took the beverages back from local pubs after they were forced to close their doors six weeks ago.

“It’s a scary amount when you see it stacked up on the pallet - it’s a lot of beer,” local publican Sam Ferguson said.

“We’re fortunate enough to be a small venue but there’s of lot of big venues out there that are tossing a lot of beer down the drain.”

Lion Australia is emptying 90,000 kegs – about 4.5 million litres – across the country at onside wastewater treatment plants.

They are using the discarded brew to create biogas, which can be used to make more beer.

Across the country, brewers have tried unsuccessfully to find a use for it - even offering it to farmers to mix with cattle feed.

Carlton & United Breweries, which owns VB, Carlton Draught and Corona, has donated thousands of two-litre glass containers to pubs to help them to sell takeaway beer.

It’s a much-needed revenue stream, but not enough to drain the country’s enormous stockpile.

The other reason for repossession?

Brewers want to make sure the first, well-earned beer consumers taste when restrictions are lifted is perfect.

“I think all Australians love going to the pub and sharing a beer with their mates and this will just really promote clean, fresh beer,” Lion Australia’s Rob Higgins said.

06 May, 2020