Craft breweries around the province are responding to the recent COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak with bans on growler fills and improved hygiene procedures.
Four Winds Brewing in Delta has stopped filling both new and used growlers effective immediately and has reviewed safety procedures for its staff in order to minimize risk.
“We’re trying to be super diligent about cleaning highly touched surfaces as much as we can,” says Four Winds spokesperson Justin Longoz. “We won’t fill any growlers, new or old, until further notice. It’s too hard to tell if a growler is new or used half the time. This is all just so new that we’re all trying to do what’s best for our employees and customers, better safe than sorry.”
On Monday on its Instagram page, Four Winds said that they will not be serving glasses or flights of beer in its tasting room and that the only beer that will be available is their pre-packages ready-to-go products.
Their food program will also be restricted to take-out only and can be ordered in person or via phone. If you do come in to order in person, you will be asked to either wait outside or in your car until your order is ready and staff will take it out to you.
Four Winds will not accept cash, only credit or debit as well.
Their new hours will be 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Four Winds said they will also continue to routinely disinfect all high touch points in the tasting room and will do everything they can to keep the tasting room space as clean as possible.
Longoz said COVID-19 will likely have a big impact on craft breweries across the province, as well as hospitality industry as a whole.
“Most of us will see dips in tasting room sales and keg orders from restaurants and bars as the public goes out less. You’ll almost definitely see a big dip in festival and event attendance this summer. We have several events planned in the coming months that are sort of up in the air right now.”
-with files from Rob Manglesdorf/The Growler
