By ALAN PERROTT AND AGENCIES
Forget sad tales of the pub with no beer ... it has almost been a case of cities with no beer as Australian suppliers struggle to keep pace with the thirst of visiting rugby fans.
Adelaide was hardest hit this weekend as hordes of touring Irish
bravely set out to drink every pub dry as their team took on Argentina.
Rosemont Hotel publican Michael O'Shaunessy was one of those enjoying heavy crowds and said his staff had been flat out calling in round-the-clock beer deliveries.
His usual patrons can polish off about 20 kegs each week, but the mainly Irish crowd downed 35 kegs in two days and he had lodged an urgent order for 15 more.
Given the Gaelic nature of the tourists it would come as little surprise that the most heavily hit brands were Guinness and Kilkenny, with cup sponsor Heineken popular too.
"What do you expect when a bunch of Paddies come to town?" said Ireland supporter Eddie Shanley. "We have a reputation to maintain. We tried to drink this place out yesterday but narrowly failed. But you can't just blame the Irish - I've noticed the Aussies and Argentinians like to drink too."
As beer stocks dropped throughout central Adelaide, many pubs resorted to brewery reps, sister hotels and the more far-flung bars to keep their taps flowing.
The pattern is being repeated in Queensland, where officials are lamenting evidence showing that much of the $1.15 million spent in the state during the tournament has been literally flushed down the toilet.
The Castlemaine brewery's warehouse is now working seven days a week to cope with demand and has introduced emergency Sunday beer deliveries. A spokesman for the brewer said most venues were selling the equivalent of a normal week's supply on each match day.
The Brisbane City Council knows a lot of money is being spent in its city, but with no increase in patronage at museums and art galleries and spare seats on the inner-city bus service they suspect tourists are finding a good seat at a bar and staying put.
