During the FIFA World Cup, which started last week, it’s expected that one billion additional pints of beer will be consumed around the globe. Based on what we are all seeing on the news and social media, much of that will be served to the Tartan Army, Scotland’s band of travelling fans.
Boston Bars Running Dry
Bars in Boston have reportedly been running out of beer, getting emergency keg deliveries and selling triple the amount of booze that some of them serve on St. Patrick’s Day. At the taproom for the Boston Beer Co., maker of Sam Adams, manager of communications Devon Savage told Fox News they had kegs running dry for their signature beer.
“For perspective, from Thursday-Sunday, the Tartan Army drank four times as much Boston Lager as we run through on a typical four-day holiday stretch, like the Fourth of July,” Savage said.
Toronto Bar Owners See Modest Gains
Here in Toronto, some bar owners might be jealous of what Boston is experiencing. Busy bars, lots of alcohol consumed, very few problems reported. Sales are up according to bar and restaurant owners who are showing the games and taking part in promotional ventures, but just not as much as they had hoped.
“We saw probably 5-6% increase,” one major player said of the first weekend. That’s still not a bad increase considering it was for the tournament’s opening weekend. That’s likely to increase as the competition progresses and gets to the knockout stage where each game means a little more.
Labatt Prepares for Surge
“Beer brings people together just like football or soccer,” said Brian Perkins, President of Labatt Breweries of Canada. Perkins says his company has been preparing for this for the last two years. Labatt, owned by Ab InBev, is part of the global sponsorship of the World Cup. In fact, it’s their beer, Michelob Ultra Zero, a dealcoholized beer made in Canada, that is the main beer sponsor for the tournament.
“We take it very seriously,” Perkins says of the company sponsoring the World Cup. “We have all teams prepared. From brewing to warehousing to logistics to replenishing pubs, bars and restaurants with kegs to accommodate the extra demand.”
Fan Experience Key
As much as Perkins says Labatt is ready to assist the bars and restaurants, he says they’ve also put a lot of thought into the fan experience for those who buy tickets to the games. Even the most ardent fan gets upset at long lines, high prices and warm beer. Perkins is aiming to deal with two of those.
“Making sure the beer is ice cold in the stadiums, making sure that the lines aren’t long for beer in the stadiums. This is a science and an art form that we have been practicing for a while,” he said.
As for the prices, well those are set by FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, and the prices at the stadium won’t win any fans over. At Toronto Stadium, as BMO Field must be called during the tournament, a tallboy will cost $16.75 while a 740 ml King Can will set you back $24.25. Of course, premium beer will cost you even more.
Some fans will complain about those prices, and understandably so. The thing is, whether watching in the stands, at a local bar or at home, there will be beer. Beer and soccer simply go together, and this World Cup is again proving that.
