The mechanical issue at the Banks DIH Brewery, which has halted production of the company’s lagers and stout, is expected to be fixed “shortly”, the company’s Marketing Manager, Carlton Jung said.
The company’s Brewery went down sometime last week, resulting in production of its premium beer – Banks Beer, and its economical version – GT Beer, stopping. Production of its stout – Guinness, has also been halted, which has resulted in a countrywide shortage among most bars, retailers and wholesalers.
Stabroek News contacted Jung yesterday and while he was not open to providing specific details on what had transpired and a definitive timeframe on when the factory would resume operation, he noted that they are “almost there” and that a “solution is very close and normalcy will be back very soon.”
Stabroek News was also told that it was one of the factory’s main bearings that had experienced an issue and as a result, the spare part had to be sourced from Germany. When questioned about whether the part had reached the country’s shores, Jung declined to answer.
As the factory’s production is on hold, a shortage of the company’s products continues to persist around the country, as more outlets reported to Stabroek News yesterday afternoon that they were out.
Popular wholesalers Shop Girl and Pet Boy in Alexander Village and Charlestown, respectively, related that they were completely out of stock of all three products. The proprietor of Shop Girl related that they have been out for almost two weeks, while a staff from the latter business echoed similar sentiments but also added that they have been contacting the marketing department of the company every day since they have run out of stock but have not been given any definitive answers.
Stabroek News also checked the BL GT Beer Garden in La Penitence, and was told that they were completely out of stock of Banks Beer, barely have a small stock of Guinness left but have enough GT to last “a few more days”.
The Guinness Bar and others along the Plaisance railway embankment road, also said that they have a low stock of all three products, with no definitive word on when they will be restocked.
On Wednesday, Stabroek News had checked other bars and local retailers across the City and nearly all of them had reported to be either out of stock or to have very little left in their reserve.
However, certain spots that had the products left jacked up their prices, including Ram’s Bar in Kitty, where Banks Beer was being sold for $400 per bottle, as compared to its normal retail price of $260 per bottle.
Stabroek News had also checked Seepaul’s, Son’s Bar and Seeta’s Bar in Kitty, and all three proprietors related that they have also been out of stock since last week but were told that they should expect to be restocked by this weekend.
