For Australians heading into the festive season, the real nightmare before Christmas is unfolding: There is a shortage of beer.
The nation’s two biggest brewers — Lion and Carlton & United Breweries — have flagged protracted delays and lower production of some of the beer-loving country’s most popular brews due to supply chain problems.
That has sparked fears that major retail chains might start imposing limits on booze purchases at the worst possible time, with millions of Australians only recently emerging from a series of bleak COVID-19 lockdowns and hoping for a summer holiday season resembling some kind of normality.
Photo: Bloomberg
One of the key culprits is a dearth of wooden pallets, a key supply chain input used to transport stock.
Sourcing them has become increasingly difficult amid a nationwide shortage, a position which has forced Lion, the maker of brands like Tooheys, James Boag and Furphy, to cut back on production and prioritize more popular products.
The company is trying to source alternatives, it said in an e-mailed statement.
It later moved to reassure drinkers that there would be no issues getting beer before Christmas, although some products in certain packaging might be out of stock.
Meanwhile, Carlton & United is struggling to get sufficient shipments of Corona, which it imports from Mexico.
“In the lead-up to Christmas we are distributing it fairly to retailers across Australia to help limit shortages,” a Carlton & United spokesperson said.
The dire developments are the latest in a litany of similar tales involving delays, shortages and soaring prices around the world, driven by massive demand and supply imbalances as economies reopen.
Major shipping lines have been weighed down by extraordinary bottlenecks for months on end, with lengthy disruptions upending business schedules and wreaking havoc in markets.
However, not all is lost.
With the majority of Australia’s beer supplies manufactured on-shore — and therefore less affected by chokeholds in international supply chains — drowning one’s sorrows after a challenging year still looks entirely possible.
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