Carlton Draught: Free beer promotion for 400 Melbourne pubs excludes regional Victoria
Taps will be flowing across Melbourne pubs on Saturday in a Carlton and United Breweries free beer promotion. But regional Victorian publicans are furious they’ve been excluded.
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Regional pubs will miss out on complementary pints on Saturday as Carlton & United Brewery rolls out a free beer promotion exclusive to Melbourne pubs.
Carlton and United Breweries is giving drinkers two beers for every one they buy this Saturday, November 14 at around 400 selected pubs across Melbourne.
A whopping 1000 kegs will be donated for the promotion, which is running as part of the Let’s Melbourne Again campaign to reignite the city as it reopens from COVID-19 restrictions.
Carlton & United Breweries’ chief executive Peter Filipovic said Melbourne’s pubs had done it tough the last few months “with many on their last legs”.
“Now it’s our turn to support the city we love,” he said.
But Shepparton’s The Aussie Hotel owner Paul Tsorbaris said he was a faithful CUB customer for 42 years and was wondering where the support for his pub was.
“This is the thankyou we get from them,” he said.
“We’re not getting this, and 400 pubs in Melbourne are getting the royal treatment.”
Mr Tsorbaris said a free beer promotion would be of great support for his pub which has struggled through COVID-19 restrictions.
“We were shut down like they were and have suffered like they have,” he said.
“Free beer would be great – it would bring more people in.”
Owner of Birralle Tavern in Wodonga Ben Stewart said he would have loved some free beer, but he already received a lot of support from Carlton & United Breweries throughout the pandemic.
“We are a CUB pub, we own a big bottle shop and two venues,” Mr Stewart said.
“They’ve helped us out through pricing and bulk buying and the love of your local campaign.
“I want free kegs, we’ll take them anytime, but I couldn’t complain about the support we’ve been given since the pandemic.
“So I’ll let them off the hook this time.”
Mr Stewart said times had been tough during the pandemic, and being a pub on the border with NSW had brought extra challenges.
“Being on the border where we are is very difficult because we’ve proven we can run in a covid-safe manner but we can’t yet, where as just 5km over the border they can,” he said.
“But if you’re in Ballarat or Bendigo there’s no other alternative, I don’t blame people for going over the border to Albury.
“It’s been tough but we’ll get through.”
A CUB spokesperson said the company knows regional pubs have been hurting too and had initiatives in the works for country Victoria from early next year.
“Tomorrow’s promotion is part of Let’s Melbourne Again, which is a campaign organised and supported by many businesses to help get Greater Melbourne get back on its feet after the extended lockdown,” the spokesperson said.
“However, we know country Victoria has been hurting too.
“That’s why we also have exiting initiatives coming up for country Victoria early next year.
“We’re working hard on these and will announce them soon.
The spokesperson said earlier in the year, CUB launched “For the Love of Your Local” campaign which raised $2 million for struggling pubs during lockdown, including “hundreds of thousands of dollars” for regional Victorian pubs.
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