More than 1 million KEGS of beer are sitting in empty stadiums, bars and restaurants across the US

More than one million kegs of beer are sitting in empty stadiums, bars and restaurants across the US as breweries plan to deal with potential $1billion fallout

  • Draft beer stays fresh from between two to six months 
  • The beer industry ran into trouble when in March roughly 10 million gallons of suds were abandoned in venues
  • That is the equivalent to one million kegs
  • Even more beer is currently trapped in distributors’ warehouses, in transit from other countries and in breweries
  • Environmental regulations advise against pouring large volumes of beer down drains or into rivers 
  • The NBWA suspects that it could lose up to $1billion 
  • Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19

The beer industry has been left daunted as it tries to determine what to do with the millions of gallons of beer that is destined to go stale at the country’s stadiums, concert halls, restaurants and bars. 

With major events like St. Patrick’s Day and March Madness cancelled because of the coronavirus, beer has been wasting away behind locked doors. 

Draft beer stays fresh from between two to six months, executives told the Wall Street Journal.

With major events like St. Patrick’s Day and March Madness cancelled because of the coronavirus, beer has been wasting away behind locked doors

'This was the absolute worst time for this to happen for draft beer,' Craig Purser, chief executive of the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA), said. 'We have never ever seen an interruption like this where everything freezes in place'

‘This was the absolute worst time for this to happen for draft beer,’ Craig Purser, chief executive of the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA), said. ‘We have never ever seen an interruption like this where everything freezes in place’

‘This was the absolute worst time for this to happen for draft beer,’ Craig Purser, chief executive of the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA), said. ‘We have never ever seen an interruption like this where everything freezes in place.’ 

According to the NBWA, the beer industry ran into trouble when in March roughly 10 million gallons of suds were abandoned in venues. That is the equivalent to one million kegs. 

Even more beer is currently trapped in distributors’ warehouses, in transit from other countries and in breweries.

The NBWA suspects that it could lose up to $1billion. 

According to the NBWA, the beer industry ran into trouble when in March roughly 10 million gallons of suds were abandoned in venues. That is the equivalent to one million kegs

According to the NBWA, the beer industry ran into trouble when in March roughly 10 million gallons of suds were abandoned in venues. That is the equivalent to one million kegs

Environmental regulations advise against pouring large volumes of beer down drains or into rivers because they can disturb the pH balance, reduce oxygen in the water and produce undesirable bacteria  

‘This is a hot potato because none of our businesses are set up to return massive amounts of beer,’ shared Dan Vorlage, marketing head for Denver-based MicroStar Logistics LLC. ‘It takes three times as many trucks to transport full kegs than empty ones.’

MicroStar plans to treat its beer with defoamer and balance the pH before sending it to city water authorities for more testing before it can be released. They work with 1,000 brewers.

MicroStar plans to treat its beer with defoamer and balance the pH before sending it to city water authorities for more testing before it can be released. They work with 1,000 brewers

MicroStar plans to treat its beer with defoamer and balance the pH before sending it to city water authorities for more testing before it can be released. They work with 1,000 brewers

Brewers and keg owners are hoping to regain their containers – which can run $100 to $120 apiece – in case they get wrapped up in bankruptcy proceedings. 

In case the beer does expire, Samuel Adams owner Boston Beer Co plans to do their continued plan of recapturing its ethanol for gasoline.   

New York brewers Montauk Brewing Co. and AB InBev-owned Blue Point Brewing Co. are switching their packaging, putting more beer in cans to sell in liquor or grocery 

The distiller, The Better Man Distilling Co., is using the beer to make sanitizer.    

 



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