The drive-through bottle-o makes a comeback at Melbourne breweries

The last time drive-through bottle shops were a novelty in Australia, Johnny O'Keefe was top of the pops and cracking a Foster's required a can opener. As a result of social distancing rules, however, drive-through beer is finding new fans.

"It's a way for customers to access our beer while social distancing is being enforced," says Jayne Lewis, co-owner of Spotswood's Two Birds Brewing which launched a contactless drive-through at its brewery door last week. "People just drive their car up, we load the boot and send 'em on their way."

Moon Dog breweries in Abbotsford and Preston have also begun offering drive-through craft beer as independent brewers change their service models in order to remain in business during the coronavirus pandemic.

"The past few weeks have been a rollercoaster," says Lewis. "When the pubs, bars and restaurants shut, we lost 50 per cent of our revenue overnight. There's been a spike in retail, but not nearly enough to make up for the loss of draught sales."

There are more than 600 independently-owned breweries in Australia. While panic buying led sales of multinational beer brands to skyrocket at major retailers in the past fortnight, a survey conducted by the Independent Brewers Association (IBA) this week revealed revenue has dropped by 70 per cent on average across independent breweries. 93 per cent of independent breweries also reported they are now in a loss-making position.

As a way to help consumers support pandemic-affected breweries, venues and retailers, independent beer directory and news website The Crafty Pint has launched the #KeepingLocalAlive campaign. Businesses are encouraged to use the campaign hashtag on social media to indicate they're still selling local beer during the COVID-19 crisis.

"With the bushfires and climate strikes, sadly this is the third campaign Crafty Pint has been a part of in the past nine months," says the site's founder James Smith. "However, people in the beer world are a creative bunch and that should put them in good stead to innovate."

For consumers, many limited-release beers usually only available from a brewery's tasting room can now be enjoyed at home.

"It's a fantastic time to be an indie beer fan," says Peter Philip, IBA chair and founder of Wayward Brewing in Sydney.

"All the brewers I've talked too are trying to get their kegged beer into people's hands, whether that's through doing [1.89 litre] growler refills, special canning runs or free home delivery. Brewers are in this together and trying to help each other survive."

Many short-run specialty beers are hitting the market, too, such as Moon Dog's "Jean-Strawb Van Damme" sour ale which was launched on Friday at the brewery's drive-through bottle shops.

"We're doubling down on the special brews and seasonal beers," says Moon Dog co-founder Josh Uljans. "There's a dozen we hope to release over the next three months."

Moon Dog employs 70 permanent staff, and creating more specialty brews is one solution to help keep those workers in a job, says Ulijans. "Hopefully we can get past this and come out stronger at the other end."