Indie brews fast-tracked to BWS, Dan Murphy’s

Products from struggling local breweries dealing with the closure of bars and restaurants are among 2000 to be fast-tracked to bottle shops across Queensland.

INDIE breweries hit hard by restaurant and bar closures have been handed a lifeline, with six local brands fast-tracked to shelves across the state.

Endeavour Drinks, owner of BWS and Dan Murphy’s, will be adding almost 2,000 new products to its brick-and-mortar shops and online store.

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The news follows research from the Independent Brewers Association that small-time booze producers had suffered a 69 per cent drop in sales since coronavirus lockdown measures were implemented.

Among brands to be added are Queensland brands such as Cairns-based gin distillery Wolf Lane, Gold Coast non-alcoholic brand Sobah Beer, and Sunny Coast rum makers Cavu Distilling.

Sobah founder Clinton Schultz said the availability of his non-alcoholic beers online would hopefully be a boost for business.

Northern NSW brand Lord Byron will have more products added to stores, while Dan Murphy’s has picked up thousands of extra leftover bottles of another Northern NSW brewery, Husk Distillery’s Ink Gin, ensuring not a drop goes to waste.

The announcement will offer help to brewers like Sobah co-founder Clinton Schultz, who said the closure of bars and restaurants took away 45 per cent of his non-alcoholic brewery’s sales “overnight.”

“There’s been a slight improvement in our online business since (the pandemic) began, but nothing to replace the 45 per cent that we lost through restaurants, bars and cafes,” Mr Schultz said.

“We already direct deliver online nationwide, but what being on the Endeavour platform will allow us is a wider audience,” Sobah co-founder Clinton Schultz.

Mr Schultz, who co-founded the business with his wife Lozen in October 2017, said Sobah had also gotten exposure from being part of the Good Beer campaign, which allowed the public to shout free beers for healthcare workers.

Pu Koh and Ciara Maguire taste test Sobah alcohol-free beers. Picture: Rohan Kelly

The Independent Brewing Association praised the move, saying over 200 producers stood to benefit from the new products being added.

“The more opportunities we have to get indie beer to Aussie beer drinkers, the better chance we have to recover from this crisis,” IBA chairman Pete Philip said.