| FEATURE NEWS |
| Total Alcohol Ban South African Breweries, one of the world's largest brewers, says it plans to destroy 400 million bottles of beer as a result of the country's ban on alcohol sales that is part of its lockdown measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus. The beer, which amounts to about 130 million liters (34 million gallons), dumped at a loss of about $8 million. That loss would put 2,000 jobs at risk,It would also be frustrating news for millions of thirsty South African beer drinkers who are going without beer.. South Africa is one of just a handful of countries that have prohibited alcohol sales as part of its fight against the coronavirus. India and Thailand also had bans on alcohol sales, but recently lifted their restrictions. Panama and Sri Lanka still have bans in place. The brewery gave no reason why they just didn't give it away as is being done in other countries. Is The Fix In? Mexico’s is essentially out of beer after the government deemed the industry non-essential and ordered it shut. But Constellation Brands who brews Modelo and Corona in Mexico and sells them in the U.S. market, is continuing its operations in the country is being allowed to brew for export sales while all other breweries remain closed.. . |
| Free Beer Fridays With pubs shuttered across the United Kingdom, a brewery in the northeast of England is giving away free beer on Fridays. In return, it's asking recipients to donate to the country's health care workers. Northumberland's Alnwick Brewery Company with 80 casks of ale, stout and IPA when they were forced to close. Rather than dump the beer, which has a short shelf lives the brewery alerted local residents and has instituted socially distanced giveaways on Fridays. People have driven, walked or biked to the giveaways, carrying whatever they can find to bring the beer home. "People had 20-liter containers," Robinson said, "a lot were just bringing milk bottles and empty Coke bottles." One asked if he could bring a spare bathtub. More Free Beer Unable to deliver to hotels and restaurants closed due to coronavirus restrictions, a German brewery gave away some 2,600 litres (690 gallons) of beer. Rather than throwing it away, the owners of the Willinger brewery dished it out the light and dark beer free of charge. Owner Franz Mast said he needed to empty the tanks as soon as possible to fill them up again with fresh beer and be ready for when bars are allowed to reopen. |
June 2020
| Pandemic Woes = Increased Drinking Not surprisingly, the worst pandemic in 100 years has driven many to drink. Weekly retail sales of alcoholic beverages have recently jumped 25 to 55%. Social media is drowning in vitamin-rimmed “quarantinis”, virtual drinking games and Zoom happy hours. According to the breathalyzer app BACTrack, which logs average blood alcohol among its users, consumption spiked in several US cities after the passage of stay-at-home orders. Even Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa food mogul and a portrait of homey wholesomeness, is quaffing cosmos out of a super-sized martini glass: “It’s always cocktail hour in a crisis!” she quipped on Instagram. Because the old schedules and norms are no longer as rigid, drinking earlier in the day, or on weekday nights, no longer feels inappropriate. One US university professor, who asked not to be named because of his work, said he has watched some of his colleagues start drinking as early as 11. At BeerNexus we ask, wwhy that late? New Stacking Beer Cans In an effort to move away from plastic six-pack rings, Corona is testing out a new type of beer can. The new cans have threading at the top and bottom that allow them to be connected and stacked on top of each other, creating a long staff of Corona beers.Corona Fit Packs have been specifically designed for this interlocking feature. Not only will this allow Corona to sell beer cans without the plastic rings, but it will also allow for a wider variety of quantities to be sold. Apparently, the new system is strong enough to hold ten cans in a single stack. Of course, ten cans would stand about four-feet-tall, which may or may not be more convenient to carry around than a traditional six-pack. Maybe this will cause people to forget that the Coronavirus was named after them. Oh, just kidding. Send A Beer To Someone Worthy Coors has expanded its “Made to Chill” campaign, which launched last year, to roll out $1 million worth of beer (or about 500,000 cans of Coors Light) to Americans as an invite to share a beer while many across the country are forced to stay at home, The campaign has added the “Could Use a Beer” initiative, which allows people to send a beer to someone worthy of a brew by tweeting at the friend and adding the hashtag #coulduseabeer. Coors Light will then send a reimbursement code to the friend tagged in the tweet for the price of one six-pack. |