Rising costs create uncertainty for Australia’s breweries [Video]

Brewery owners are calling for more government support as rising costs force craft brewers to shut up shop around Australia.

The situation has affected many smaller operators, including Black Hops Brewing on the Gold Coast, which was previously close to liquidation.

Now industry veteran Nick Boots is trying to build it back up despite tough times.

“Everything involved in the business is going up exponentially from 10, 20, 30 per cent in some cases,” Boots said.

One of the country’s largest craft brewers, Capital Brewing Co, has also felt the pressure in recent months.

“Our costs have risen almost out of control,” co-founder and managing director Laurence Kain said.

“Our electricity bill has gone from $4500 a month to almost $12,000 a month over the last two years.”

Since before the pandemic, …