Following a shortage of hand sanitiser and disinfectant, Bavaria, the Dutch brewer based in Noord-Brabant, has started producing its own.

Beer companies to produce disinfectant

Early last week, brewers were approached by a hospital coordinator looking for pure alcohol for disinfection. “If hospitals need it, then others need it too,” said Wietse van den Bogaard, the head brewer at Bavaria. “But they can’t really handle pure alcohol. They are looking for hand sanitiser.”

According to Van den Bogaard, the brewer was in a good position to produce the sanitiser itself. “There are strict regulations but that also applies to beer,” he said. Once the manufacturing process was clear, glycerine for lubrication and hydrogen peroxide were brought in so production could begin.

Everything is free of charge for now. Bavaria delivers the sanitiser to hospitals, GPs and care homes, wherever necessary, itself. Other “large parties” have made themselves available to transport the sanitiser, should Bavaria be unable to continue to do so.

The idea has been picked up by other brewers around the world. AB InBev, the largest brewer in the world, has followed Bavaria’s example, as has Dommelsch. Jupiler, Hoegaarden and Leffe. Hand sanitiser has been in short supply since the coronavirus has lead to a huge increase in demand.

Brewers in an ideal position to produce sanitiser

As it turns out, Bavaria is in an ideal position to produce sanitiser. Relatively few, if any, changes needed to be made to the production line. 

To make the sanitiser, Bavaria uses alcohol from its own supplies, which has been removed from beer that was intended for the catering industry. It can also be obtained from the leftover beer that is picked up from bars and pubs.