By Alan Healy
Heineken said it has begun the process of collecting and refunding 100,000 kegs of beer, stout and cider sitting in cellars and dispensing taps of shuttered bars across the country, the equivalent of 10 million pints.
The brewery based in Cork is preparing for the reopening of pubs serving food, restaurants and hotels on June 29. Heineken is now collecting stale kegs and said it will shoulder the cost of their replacement.
This week, the Lady’s Well Brewery in Cork city brewed its first batch of draught Heineken for newly re-opening pubs, restaurants and hotels. This Heineken along with other products including Murphys and Beamish stouts, Coors Light, Orchard Thieves and Birra Moretti will be distributed to publicans.
Heineken said the stale product they are collecting will be used to produce green electricity through anaerobic digestion or potentially used for agricultural fertiliser.
Sharon Walsh, Commercial Director at Heineken Ireland said they are deploying a vast in-house quality operation and are committed to replacing and bearing the cost of unused product to the tune of 10 million fresh pints.
"This is a large investment for our business at a challenging time for us all but it will be worth it to ensure that everyone’s first pint back at their local is at the peak quality and freshness consumers expect from Heineken," she said.
"As we all look forward to welcoming customers back and take the learnings from other international Heineken markets, we are confident that the re-opening of the vital pub sector can, and will, be a safe one and that, once again, the Irish pub will serve as a comfortable and enjoyable space for responsible socialising."
"The re-opening of the sector is just the start of the long road ahead to recovery. Brewers, bars, restaurants and hotels will face challenges for some time and we must all pull together to protect this vital sector as we all reawaken to a very different economic and consumer environment."