Influx of tourists puts strain on beer supplies, extra pallets on the way

Extra supplies of beer are on their way to Darwin after recent events and long weekends have put a strain on stocks.

EXTRA supplies of beer are on their way up the Stuart Highway to Darwin after a huge influx of visitors have put a strain on stocks.

Suppliers and venues were given a run for their money when it came to stockpiles of keg beer as revellers tried their best to drink the bars dry. Drinkers, however, should not fret as stocks have been replenished across the board.

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Hospitality NT chief executive Alex Bruce told the NT News the dry season was roaring after a handful of jam--packed weekends — the most recent being BASSINTHEGRASS.

He said the first influx of people to Darwin during the long weekend when Carl Cox played almost caught venues off guard. “The brewers are on it and there’s extra trucks on the road,” he said.

“Because we’re the end of the line for some of the supply chains you can’t just go to the brewery and get more pallets.”

Mindil Beach Casino Barkeep Minerva Luciano aghast at a shortage of Tap Beer in the Top End. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Lion Corporate, a beverage company that supplies brews such as XXXX, Furphy, Iron Jack and Little Creatures, has shipped up more kegs to keep up with the high volume of drinking. Lion NT sales manager Andrew Haniford said this demand for booze in Darwin had not been seen since 2012.

“We have had a couple of major music festivals which has certainly added to it,” he said. “We can absolutely assure you we won’t run out.”

He said they were prepped and ready to go for future dry season events, such as the races and the Darwin Triple Crown. “I think it’s great for the NT; we got hit pretty badly with COVID and it’s great to see the town has bounced back,” he said.

Mindil Beach Casino Resort general manager Avril Baynes said they had supplies run low over the weekend but never ran out. “We’re back to what we were ordering in 2019, what we’re seeing a lot of this year is people are making up for lost time,” Ms Baynes said. She said a CO2 issue on Monday created problems with serving beer at The Sportsbar. She said the casino was fully stocked and ready to go for locals and holiday makers alike.

“It’s fantastic to see Darwin feeling like that vibrant buzzing place that we’re used to; the place just feels alive again,” she said.

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