Silly containers and cheap pints — Hamilton bars drain their kegs as indoor dining comes to a halt
As Hamilton bars close for indoor dining, some are finding creative ways to drain their kegs and sell off inventory.
Bars and restaurants across Ontario were ordered to stop serving indoors Wednesday as COVID case numbers continued to swell here and beyond as a result of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
However, takeout - at least in a frothy format - is still thriving.
At Farside on James Street North, patrons are invited to bring their own containers to get their fill of discounted, takeout draught beer.
But it doesn't just have to be a standard growler, said co-owner Mike Reynolds.
The sillier the container you bring, the better the deal we give you," said Reynolds. We chose to do something a little fun."
So far, between their Hamilton and Toronto locations, Reynolds said they've had people come with porcelain dogs, watering cans, retro thermoses and even a portable washing machine.
It's been pretty great," said Reynolds.
As for stock levels, Reynolds estimates the bar has approximately a dozen 30 litre kegs to get through - with each cask carrying about 70 pints. The kegs have a limited shelf life, so need to be sold off.
Their stock levels aren't too bad," all thanks to the bar's stringent ordering" system, he noted. Regardless, they'll be offering the deal until the tanks are dry, while also selling off select cans of beer for $5 a pop.
At Mosaic, the keg clear out was short-lived, said co-owner Tyler Roach. The Barton Street East bar was offering 64oz growler fills for $12 and pints were going for $6.50 a glass.
Hamilton was amazing and cleared us out of all of our draught in two days," said Roach.
And at Fairweather Brewing Company on Ofield Road, all crowlers - essentially a growler in a can - are $7, according to their website.
We're locked down tight over here - help us burn through our keg supply while the bars are closed," read the website.
Reynolds said despite supporting the temporary measures, the latest shutdown is still trying" for the small business.
We're hitting a bit of a wit's end," said Reynolds. I'd like to see ... some kind of light at the end of the tunnel."
Fallon Hewitt is a reporter at The Spectator. fhewitt@thespec.com