Thai floods reduce beer supplies to a drip

By Paul Armstrong

BANGKOK: -- – After a month of devastating floods, Thailand faces the prospect of a dry spell it could do without.

From Bangkok to Phuket, bars and supermarkets are starting to report shortages of beer - such as local favourite Singha - as distributors struggle to get their product out.

Singha, which has many of its production facilities based in flood-hit central provinces such as Phathum Thani, was recently forced to close one brewery that was effectively surrounded by water. A company spokesperson told CNN production has been severely disrupted.

The country's economy is already at crisis point, with several of its main industrial parks to the north of the capital inundated by floodwater seeping down from the north. Major manufacturers such as Honda have scrapped yearly profit forecasts after production was halted in several plants.

Thousands refuse to flee Bangkok flood

With Thailand now entering its peak tourist season, a blow to the country's beer belly could hit consumers in the pocket, as prices are forced up.

Phuket, one of the country's most popular holiday destinations, has a "beer crisis," according to the English language Phuket Gazette.

“At the beginning of the flood crisis, we didn’t expect it to affect us much,” said Weerawit Kurasombat, President of the Patong Entertainment Business Association, whose members generate more than 100 million baht ($3.25 million) annually for the local economy.

But now he says bars are short of stock - particularly beer, the biggest money-spinner - and are being forced to pay inflated prices to re-supply.

“This is the beginning of the high season. If the supply situation does not improve within about 30 days, I believe the entertainment business will start showing real signs of a crisis,” he said.

Even in Bangkok, the ubiquitous 7-Eleven stores appeared to be running short of many brands.

The capital is now the focus of the flood crisis, as it battles to protect the central business district from the filthy floodwater edging deeper into this low-lying city of 12 million people.

However, preparation appears minimal. Cars are illegally parked on along the side of raised sections of the main highway to avoid flooding, and there is occasional deployment of sandbags around the entrances of shops and office buildings.

It's a different story to the north and east, where a number of main roads are under water and the military has become the only means of transporting people and vital supplies of food and water around flood-hit districts.

A beer shortage is the least of people's worries in these parts.

-- CNN 2011-09-09

OK. Now we really have something to worry about.

On first thought, I was also going to joke about it... invoking emergency laws to prevent beer shortage to happen... but then I remembered the hundreds of thousands of people really affected by the flood and so I refrain from joking around...

State of Emergency must be declared!

On first thought, I was also going to joke about it... invoking emergency laws to prevent beer shortage to happen... but then I remembered the hundreds of thousands of people really affected by the flood and so I refrain from joking around...

yet, you basically still told the joke...

i'm not having a go at you, just found it amusing

On first thought, I was also going to joke about it... invoking emergency laws to prevent beer shortage to happen... but then I remembered the hundreds of thousands of people really affected by the flood and so I refrain from joking around...

yet, you basically still told the joke...

i'm not having a go at you, just found it amusing

I DON'T find it amusing that you DO find someone's (curtailed) amusement, amusing .

On first thought, I was also going to joke about it... invoking emergency laws to prevent beer shortage to happen... but then I remembered the hundreds of thousands of people really affected by the flood and so I refrain from joking around...

yet, you basically still told the joke...

i'm not having a go at you, just found it amusing

I DON'T find it amusing that you DO find someone's (curtailed) amusement, amusing .

Even without a beer I find that pretty funny......

On first thought, I was also going to joke about it... invoking emergency laws to prevent beer shortage to happen... but then I remembered the hundreds of thousands of people really affected by the flood and so I refrain from joking around...

yet, you basically still told the joke...

i'm not having a go at you, just found it amusing

I DON'T find it amusing that you DO find someone's (curtailed) amusement, amusing .

I......Don't......Care.......

Plenty of Leo up here in Chiang Mai. It's the only thing that the local Big C has to stock their shelves with.

Plenty of beers and liquors at BigC -Bang Yai- yesterday afternoon...

... but still no drinking water excepted Evian, Perrier and Vittel.

Plenty of Leo up here in Chiang Mai. It's the only thing that the local Big C has to stock their shelves with.

The article is about BEER supplies.

On first thought, I was also going to joke about it... invoking emergency laws to prevent beer shortage to happen... but then I remembered the hundreds of thousands of people really affected by the flood and so I refrain from joking around...

yet, you basically still told the joke...

i'm not having a go at you, just found it amusing

I DON'T find it amusing that you DO find someone's (curtailed) amusement, amusing .

I......Don't......Care.......

maybe i misread that in a way that it wasn't intended... the emoticon scared me, you see!!!

can't be too sure here sometimes

Plenty of Leo up here in Chiang Mai. It's the only thing that the local Big C has to stock their shelves with.

The article is about BEER supplies.

Ok...BEER Leo.

Plenty of Leo up here in Chiang Mai. It's the only thing that the local Big C has to stock their shelves with.

The article is about BEER supplies.

Ok...BEER Leo.

I was talking about the contents, not the name.

yeah, no more singha on our island already

will have to switch to other brands when my stock is over

it's a real pity that some people have to deal with too much liquid and other are running dry

Maybe Laos will send us a convoy of emergency supplies of Beer Lao

Does this mean that there will be a run on cough syrup in Pattaya?

If i wanted to break and destroy Thailands tourist industry i would make these facts known to the national newspapers. I am sure bookings would dry up in moments. Most can't go without beer. Its just not the same a thai girl but no beer.

In all seriousness, this might really hurt tourism if it became widely known. See here a job for the Thailand bashes.

Its not really a big issue in the scheme of things right now.

Its not really a big issue in the scheme of things right now.

It could be, if beer is the major source of liquids to your body.

So the brewery submerge as many empty bottles as they can lay their hands on, fill them with flood water and, HEY PRESTO, plenty of Singha beer again.....

Reduced stocks in supermarkets in this part of Issaan (Kantharalak SiSaket), but the beer box shops and local stores still run at their normal grossly overstocked levels!

Sounds like a good excuse to evacuate Bangkok to me

So the brewery submerge as many empty bottles as they can lay their hands on, fill them with flood water and, HEY PRESTO, plenty of Singha beer again.....

No one would notice a difference

There is only one solution: Declare Martial Law, confiscate airplanes and fly in: Beer Lao, Bin Tang, Carlsberg. Push the aircrafts over board and let the aircraft carrier make beer runs to Malaysia.

Change the immigration laws: Entry only with a 6-packs.

Road deaths and spousal abuse should see a welcome if only temporary dip in numbers for a while then.

Road deaths and spousal abuse should see a welcome if only temporary dip in numbers for a while then.

There are no reports of shortages of Thai "whiskey".

Theres always that horrible Londoner Brew pub homebrew pilsner stuff

Road deaths and spousal abuse should see a welcome if only temporary dip in numbers for a while then.

There are no reports of shortages of Thai "whiskey".

Business as usual then...

Panic buying is now most definitely justified.

Oh darn. The PM and her brother have really done it now. If the Thais don't wake up to it and take matters into their own hands, then surely a bunch of sober farangs will!!