There is a lot of beer waiting
MOST of the nine students at the Otago Brew School at Otago Polytechnic in Cromwell went home for the lockdown, but have kept uptodate with lessons online.
Their tutors, however, put a brew through last week so they will have something ready to work on when they return.
Most of the nine students are young, but there is one mature, keen home brewer who has moved from Invercargill for the year to hone his skills.
Backlog
Lion Breweries, which has more than 40% of the beer market, says its beer production is down by about 20% — mainly in kegs — because hospitality outlets, where most tap beer is sold, are closed.
It is thought that there are about 200,000 50litre kegs (each the equivalent of about 13 dozen stubbies) in the national supply chain. Nearly 60,000 of those are Lion’s.
Beer in kegs will keep for months if pasteurised and refrigerated — especially those higher in alcohol and hops. (Lager, which is German for ‘‘store’’, is traditionally aged chilled and for longer than most styles.)
Worried . . . or not
A recent survey in the United Kingdom found that nearly twothirds of pubgoers are uncomfortable about returning to bars when they reopen because of being in close proximity to others. The survey also showed that more than half of restaurantgoers are uncertain about dining out for the same reason.
In England, though, some could not wait: police raided a hotel during lockdown and found several of the regulars hiding in cupboards.
Adapting
Irish bars missed out on St Patrick's Day on March 17. One in Dublin has since introduced a ‘‘dial a pint’’ delivery service which comes with a roast beef meal on Sundays.
Across the border in Northern Ireland things are a bit different. There a pub pulling pints from vans at doorsteps was told that it was breaching licensing regulations.
Here, only pubs that brew their own beer can deliver. One in Auckland has been delivering takeaway food at the same time.
Closer to home, Alexandra brewery Ferris Road is making sameday free local deliveries of its brews and
Emerson’s is available in riggers via phone and online orders.
Protection
Vitamin B helps to prevent infections. Beer contains more vitamin B than wine. Trouble is the alcohol nullifies the effect of vitamins. Makes sense, then, to take the pills in the morning when there is the least alcohol in our system.
Or drink zeroalcohol beer.
Body armour
Alcohol kills most germs. A study suggests we touch our face about 23 times every hour and wiping our hands with alcoholbased sanitiser can help prevent putting viruses anywhere near our nose or mouth
In desperation, we could try rinsing our hands with or gargle with spirits — particularly vodka, which is said to be tasteless and odourless.
Most spirits are about 40% and, like hand sanitisers, would need to be about 60% in strength to be most effective. There is, however, a Polish vodka that is 96% alcohol!
Perhaps the Government should not have closed liquor outlets that sell spirits?