Struggling Thai craft-beer makers find virus rules hard to swallow

Sales constraints leave upstarts with few options in face of Chang-Singha duopoly

20210303N Beer cans Thailand

Cans of beer in Thailand are marked as imports with a label across the top. (Photo by Yohei Muramatsu)

YOHEI MURAMATSU, Nikkei staff writer

BANGKOK -- Small craft-beer companies in Thailand already grappling with onerous regulations have faced another blow in recent months from measures to curb the spread of the virus that have robbed them of vital sales channels.

Protesters in early February emptied out kegs of draft beer on the street outside the Public Health Ministry. A ban on alcohol sales in bars and restaurants imposed the previous month in response to a surge in coronavirus cases was forcing brewers to dispose of unpasteurized brews with a limited shelf life and no buyers.

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