LOCKED down pubs have been forced to pour 70 million pints of beer down the drain.
According to figures released by the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) 47,000 publicans have faced the “heartbreaking” task of destroying 70m pints of beer nationwide, enough to fill nearly 16 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Simon Vanderbelt, a publican, had never tipped a full barrel of perfectly drinkable beer down the drain before Covid-19 struck.
Vanderbilt’s micropub and distillery, the Little Taproom on Aigburth Road in south Liverpool, had only been open a week when pubs were ordered to shut down with hundreds of pints still untouched.
“It was tragic, quite a surreal moment,” said Vanderbelt. “It was literally a case of pouring it down the drain. Usually when you get rid of the sludge at the bottom of the barrel it takes about 30 seconds but a barrel of real ale has 72 pints in each one. You’re probably standing there for about 10 minutes or so.”
The industry has been knocked sideways by lockdown restrictions that have put pubs out of action for more than three months – and potentially far longer – with nearly half now fearing they could be closed for good.
However, some pubs and brewers have found other uses for their ales, supplying it as feed for livestock or for anaerobic digestion machines that make fertiliser.
But the BBPA said unusable beer and the loss of sales due to the lockdown had had a “devastating” impact.