Ishmael Mensah Blog of Wednesday, 1 January 2025
Source: Ishmael Mensah
This year's Christmas celebrations in the Ashanti Region took an unexpected turn when a severe mini club beer shortage led guests rushing to drink throughout the festivities.
Operators report that they have not received micro clubs in the Ashanti Region for the last two months.
Pubs and bars all around the area reported an unheard-of spike in demand for the well-liked beverage, leaving empty shelves and irate customers as the norm.
Local sellers said that the shortage was especially bad in places like Krofrom, Ashanti Bantama, Adum, Maxima and Asafo, Kwadaso, and others that are known for their exciting nightlife.
Despite the fact that alcohol consumption tends to rise during festive seasons, this year's demand for club beer seemed abnormally high.
Some analysts attributed the increase to the mood of the populace, especially those who favor the main opposition NDC and the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), which together account for a sizable portion of the region's population.
In the presidential and legislative elections held on December 7, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) made considerable advances in areas that have historically been strongholds of the ruling party, while the NPP suffered severe reverses.
The festivities may have served as a means for many NPP supporters to numb their post-election grief.
One person said, "We've Never Seen This Before."
The situation was characterized as unprecedented by bar vendors. According to Yaw Boateng, a bartender in Krofrom, "we restocked multiple times in anticipation of the usual Christmas rush, but we were caught off guard this year."
"There was nothing left to sell by Christmas Eve because people were ordering crates at a time."
People in the Ashanti Region were trying to "drink away" the election results, according to some jokes.
Yaw Boateng, who owns a tavern at Ahinsan Estates, joked, "It seems like some people are celebrating the holidays, while others are trying to forget the pain."
The Accra Brewery Limited is the maker of Club beer, one of Ghana's most recognizable alcoholic beverages.
Local distributors stated that supply chain issues and the sudden increase in demand were factors in the shortfall, however attempts to contact the corporation for comment on the matter were fruitless.
One distributor in Kumasi clarified, "This December, we only received half of our usual allocation." "The trucks were unable to fulfill the orders from retailers and wholesalers."
While customers are being urged to consume carefully, vendors have promised to better predict demand.
But for the time being, the shortage has offered Kumasi locals a memorable holiday tale to share: one in which politics, festivities, and a popular beverage clashed.
Source: Onuaonline.com