A beer shortage could be coming! But Supply Chain Expert Rob Kelly of Headstorm says some beers will be hit harder than others! A perfect storm of supply chain issues could raise the price of your six-pack. Carbon Dioxide is critical to beer production and Kelly says a contamination problem with a huge Co2 supplier could bring some shortages as well.
The shut down of a very large manufacturer of Carbon dioxide could spell shortages of some beers. Kelly has some insight. "CO-2 is what gives beer that fresh taste and the bubbles. Without it your beer would taste stale. As a result, smaller craft breweries will have to shut down some if not all of their craft beers." Kelly says supply chain issues like labor strikes with port and rail workers plus rising wheat prices due to the invasion of Ukraine topped with an aluminum shortage will definitely spur a rise in beer prices in general.
"There will be empty shelves in the craft section of your grocery store's beer department. Smaller companies with smaller inventories and small inventories saved up of CO-2 - you could see some shortages." The demand for aluminum has grown faster than the supply, the world price for wheat is rising due to the war in Ukraine, and transportation labor disputes and truck driver shortages are hitting the beer industry hard. Kelly says it should last at least another 6 months.
photo:GettyImages
Craft Beer industry hurt by CO2 shortage.Document: Getty Images