GERMAN and Belgian beer importers are seeing shortages of specialist brews as a result of Brexit red tape and Covid-19.
One UK importer, ‘Beers of Europe’, claims to operate the biggest beer shop in Britain as well as offering online sales. It has issued a warning about the problem to customers, saying: ‘As many of you know, we are currently experiencing shortages of our German and Belgian beers. We have stock on order but unfortunately, it has been delayed due to transport issues in and out of Europe. Many hauliers are experiencing a lack of driver and lorry availability.’
British craft brewers have seized on the news with a call to drinkers to ‘Buy British’ in an effort to reclaim at least some of the sales lost during the pandemic lockdown of pubs, which has almost completely destroyed the industry.
Baffling Brexit Rules Continue to Threaten UK Exports
Amid mounting anger among UK firms at cross-border friction they were told would not exist, British manufacturing and trade organisations met Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove in an emergency session on Thursday, Jan. 7, to discuss problems resulting from the 11th-hour deal struck by Boris Johnson with the EU before Christmas.
The prime minister had hailed what he claimed was a “zero-tariff” and “zero-quotas” deal that would allow free and simple access to the single market. Less than a month on, however, Britain’s EU departure appears to be anything but pain-free.
Four British producers were placed in a top ten of the world’s best new producers by RateBeer.com, including Newbarns Brewery, from Edinburgh, which came in second.
