We decided to look into ways to increase demand for beer. In most places grocery goods have not been affected because governments have allowed people to continue shopping for food. On the other hand, restaurants and other gathering places haven't been as fortunate because some governments have decided these businesses are not essential, they are completely shut down or only allowing only take-out foods, some are allowing take-out with sealed beer or wine. Most beer is consumed in the restaurant so many breweries have taken a financial hit. This hit has trickled down all the way to the farm as the demand for brews at restaurants has changed. 

The solutions we considered deal with modifying how a restaurant can do business. There are laws in place which dictate how alcohol can be sold. By temporally lifting or modifying these laws, this will allow restaurants to adapt their businesses to sell their current supply of alcohol while trickling all the way back to the farm to continue production of beer. Beer is different than distilled spirits or wine in that it has a shelf life. It is imperative that these restaurants can transfer/re-bottle their already purchased kegs' beer contents to patrons/customers for consumption to avoid sunk costs. Disposal of expired beer from improper storage or lack of sales is another difficult hurdle due to the process it takes, due to environmental issues.

Selling kegs directly to consumers is not a viable option. Yes, it would alleviate the restaurants burden, but would require more work at the consumer level to enjoy the contents. It also poses a challenge for the return of the empty kegs. COVID-19 has also impacted families who rely on redeeming their recyclable cans for some cash returns. We suggest suspending (applicable) laws that allow a person to transfer an open container or re-bottled beer in states where that law has not yet been adopted.This would allow restaurants to sell their keg contents to the consumer with their current offering of foods to pair with the beer. The eased regulations that allowed breweries (and distilleries) to produce hand sanitizers benefited both the brewer and the consumer tremendously during COVID-19.

Another solution we considered is donations. Beer has more uses than consumption. By donating beer to a group in need it would alleviate costs and losses of keeping the beer fresh until the pandemic slows or ceases. Beer is used for cooking in various dishes and could benefit a group or shelter that can use it to create meals for those in need. An added bonus could be a tax write off for the donation. Perhaps to our military, medical providers, first responders, essential workers.

To address using beer for cooking, restaurants could also modify their menus to incorporate the contents of their kegs for various dishes. Beer can be used in breads, cakes, added to cheese, and many more things. These dishes could be sold and offered at a discount as incentive to purchase them. 

While these solutions help create a higher demand for kegs and beer they do not fully make the supply chain more efficient. We looked into ways to increase efficiency. A brewery at Koningshoeven Trappist Abbey has found a way to reduce waste and recycle water making their brewing process more efficient.   Increased efficiency in the production from farm to market would reduce negative impacts if COVID-19 lock downs continue or if another economy crippling event occurred.