General

Belgiums are withholding their beer

Anheuser-Busch InBev protests, including hostage-taking, has led to a shortage of good brews

Let’s be honest: Belgium doesn’t have a lot going for it. After Tintin, Jacques Brel and Audrey Hepburn, the list of its famous sons and daughters is a little thin. But now comes word that the country’s one unimpeachable gift to the world—good beer—is under siege. Shops and bars are on the verge of running out of Stella Artois, Leffe and Jupiler due to a labour-led blockade of three breweries owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev. Workers are upset at the brewing giants plans to lay off about 10 per cent of its staff, after years of falling beer consumption. Initially, they took executives hostage. Now they’re just holding the rest of the country for ransom.

The Telegraph

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