WA breweries track down stash of stolen kegs

Local breweries have made a breakthrough in the spate of keg thefts in WA, finding a cache of stolen equipment in Bayswater.

WA beer makers have been stung by disappearing kegs recently, particularly Blasta Brewing in Burswood which has reported 80 stolen kegs over the past couple of months.

Blasta had closed-circuit TV footage of two incidents in which utes have driven up in the middle of the night and been loaded with kegs positioned outside the brewpub.

However, after a tip-off today several WA breweries and beer-loving sleuths have found a stash of kegs and couplers in mini skip bins in the Bayswater light industrial area.

WA Police have been alerted and are making enquiries.

The kegs are clearly labelled with brewery logos and include those from Blasta, Little Creatures, Gage Roads, Feral and Nail.

Many had been already cut suggesting they were destined to be sold as makeshift barbecues or for scrap metal.

It is believed the kegs were located near a scrap metal dealer.

Stolen kegs have become a major issue amongst WA’s growing band of breweries.

Several businesses have reported the practice and the situation got so dire for Mash Brewing in 2017 that for a month it offered a pint of its product to anyone who returned one of its marked kegs to its Swan Valley venue.

Many breweries have spotted their kegs being sold through Gumtree.

The keg theft is having a major impact on the bottom line of the 70-plus breweries across the State.

One local operation conducted an audit of its kegs this month and determined more than $25,000 worth of the vessels had gone missing.

It is hoped the find in Bayswater today will help break the back of a syndicate that is stealing kegs and selling them online or through the black market.

The WA Brewers Association is hoping to forge stronger links with WA Police and devise a strategy that can reduce the number of stolen kegs.

The matter was discussed at length at a meeting of WABA members on Wednesday night.