Australia, recently revealed as the world’s drunkest country, is heading into this year’s festive season with a shortage of beer amid supply disruptions.
The country’s two largest brewers, Lion and Carlton & United breweries, recently reported delays and lower production of some of their most popular brews amid supply chain problems.
A nationwide shortage of wooden pallets needed for transportation forced Lion to scale down production and shift their focus to the most popular brands. According to the company’s statement to Bloomberg, it is currently seeking alternatives for the missing pallets, while promising to do its best to keep its beer on store shelves.
Carlton & United, in turn, reported issues with shipments of Mexican-made Corona beer.
“In the lead-up to Christmas we are distributing it fairly to retailers across Australia to help limit shortages,” a spokesperson for the firm said this week.
The situation has led to fears that retail chains might go as far as introducing limits on beer purchases in the coming months. However, as most of Australia’s beer is manufactured domestically and suffers less from supply bottlenecks, there may be some hope for drowning post-pandemic sorrows in a pint of beer this festive season after all.
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