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Millions of pints of beer in kegs will have to be converted to animal feed or fertilizers as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, although the cost will fall on the breweries, not the publicans.
The sudden closure of pubs on March 15 has left thousands of barrels unused in pubs across the country. At that time, the major breweries promised to recover unused stocks and issue publicans with credit notes.
However, the more general restrictions on unnecessary movements that entered on March 27 meant that it was not possible given the scale of operations involved.
Heineken, which also distributes well-known brands like Murphy’s stout, Foster, Tiger, and Orchard Thieves cider, said it spent the first few days after March 15 helping customers clean up their beer lines and cider.
“We also started preparing to lift any open barrels at the points of sale. The tightening of government travel restrictions on March 27 meant that this work had to be stopped to protect our employees and customers.
Better barrels before
“When these restrictions are lifted and it is safe to do so, we will restart this work quickly,” a company spokesperson told The Irish Times.
The barrels are typically up to date for up to four months, but the shutdown has likely lasted at least seven weeks by the time restrictions are lifted. Even then there is no guarantee that pubs can open.
Kegs that have already been opened will be removed as they are supposed to drink beer in two weeks. The restrictions came just as the publicans had ordered actions for the St. Patrick’s weekend.
“We were locked up and loaded for Paddy’s Day,” with the extra stock brought in for the national holiday, when public houses were ordered to close on March 15, Cork pub owner Benny McCabe said.
“It’s a tragedy, but we all have to put up with it,” said McCabe, owner of the Crane Lane Theater venue and more than a dozen pubs in Cork, as well as Arthur Maye’s in Donnybrook, Dublin.
As the shutdown nears its still-unknown end, breweries will bring the beer to their plants and wait for Revenue officials to come and measure how much they have.
Tommy and Thomas Gaffney: They would have loved to give customers beer “on the house”. Photography: Alan Betson
The brewers will demand special taxes on the beer that they have already sold to the pubs, but that they will now recover and replace with fresh products.
Then the thick products, lager and ale will be removed.
The brewers have decided to take a hit on the great throw-away beer.
Animal feed and fertilizers
Pub owners have been told they won’t be charged for the beer they retrieve when the blinds on the nation’s public houses are finally reopened.
Ireland has around 7,000 pubs. A modest pub will have up to 10 different beers on tap, and many beverage emporiums will have more than double that number.
Once a keg is connected to a beer tap, brewers recommend that it be used within a week or two, and once opened it cannot be resealed and saved for later use. Most barrels can hold up to 90 pints.
A source from a major brewery said the beer will not be phased out. Instead, it will evaporate and the rest will become animal feed or fertilizer.
In a statement, Gugeness owner Diageo said he will have a “comprehensive plan to facilitate the return of old barrels when government restrictions are eased.”
Bar owners are delighted that their businesses, already badly shaken by the blockade, are not facing another loss when they finally reopen.
“The brewers have supported their customers,” said a spokesperson for the Irish Winemakers Federation, which represents pubs outside Dublin.
“They have sent letters to the bar owners to tell them that they will take the barrels back. They are doing a great job working with us. “
Tommy Gaffney, owner of The Summit Inn in Howth, Co Dublin, also takes a stoic approach to great spilled beer.
“It is quite historical, but you have to do what you have to do. People’s health is the most important thing,” he said.
He said he would love to be able to give away at least beer to customers “in the house,” but even that won’t be possible.
“We couldn’t because that would create a meeting.”
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