Keg thefts crisis could cause beer price hikes
by John Harrington
Beer prices could be forced up if the current spate of keg thefts continues.
Last week it was claimed that up to 250,000 kegs worth £10m could have gone missing in the past seven months.
Beer keg retailer Morrow Brothers attributed this to the rising price of metal, which has led to a surge in thefts of kegs, many of which end up in China where there is a shortage of metal.
Morrow Brothers said a survey of brewers carried out by the company showed that keg thefts had cost individual brewers between £1,000 and a staggering £6.6m. One 50-litre stainless-steel keg, with a scrap value around £8, can cost a brewer up to £50 to purchase new. Morrow Brothers managing director Kieron Morrow said the cost would eventually be passed on to pubs and pub consumers.
Society of Independent Brew-ers commercial director Nick Stafford said kegs are worth 'a fortune to small brewers, and 'if there's continual theft prices will go up. He added: 'We call for publicans to be vigilant. This is a serious problem.
More than 60% of kegs in Britain are owned by one company, TrenStar, which is used by a number of brewers including Scottish Courage, Coors and Carlsberg UK. TrenStar has pioneered a tagging system that allows kegs to be tracked through computer chips.
But Morrow alleged that TrenStar was having 'a lot of trouble with the system.
TrenStar chief executive Greg Cronin said: 'TrenStar is working with brewers in the UK to find a solution to address stolen and lost beer kegs.
l Licensees with information about stolen kegs can call a 24-hour hotline on 0808 1001945. The service is operated by Kegwatch, which represents 300 brewers and suppliers.
