Brisbane’s XXXX brewery has ceased beer production temporarily due to the Milton-based landmark being submerged in flood waters.

Back during the devastating floods of 2011, $12 million worth of damage was caused to the historic site and it has copped a battering again.

Lion said: “Our thoughts are with everyone right across Queensland and NSW feeling the impacts of this natural disaster as it continues to unfold.

“XXXX has seen its fair share of flood events since 1878, and many Queenslanders would still remember the 2011 floods like it was yesterday. It was just January last year that we reflected on this disaster a decade on.

“Our number one priority is, as ever, the safety of our team at XXXX, and our broader Lion sales team across the impacted regions. We have now contacted all team members and have confirmed they are safe and well.

“We have undertaken some initial assessments of the damage at the brewery this morning and have made the decision to cease production for the coming days while we get things back up and running safely.

“We do not anticipate any immediate supply challenges, but owing to the severity of the floods, this could change over the coming days, and we will do our best to keep everyone updated on where we might see some temporary shortages.

“It is absolutely heartbreaking to see our home state underwater once again, especially after such a challenging couple of years. In the meantime, we will be working with our valued customers in flood affected areas to understand the impacts. XXXX will be there for Queensland again in this time of need, just as it has been for nearly 145 years. We will get through this together, Queensland.”

Patrick Donohue, State Sales Director at Lion Co, added on LinkedIn: “We’ve seen our fair share of floods since 1878 but it doesn’t make it any easier seeing our home underwater again. We’re in it with everyone right across Queensland and New South Wales impacted by the floods, and even though we’ll stop brewing XXXX for a few days, that’s nothing compared to what’s facing those who’ve been impacted personally.

“While we can’t get any XXXX out of our brewery at the moment we shouldn’t need to dust off the rafts used in ’74 to get the beer out, just yet. Look out for your mates, stay safe and when the time comes we’ll come together over a cold one.”

Another brewery that has experienced significant damage is Newstead Brewing Co. CEO John Phinney told Brews News that its production brewery in Milton had flooded and will look to prepare recovery efforts once it is safe to do so.  

“Right now our thoughts are with our friends and neighbours here in Brisbane,” he said. “We have water all through our production brewery in Milton, but as it recedes we will get in, clean up, and make more beer. That’s a much easier job than what faces those who have lost everything.”

Range Brewing told The Crafty Pint: “It’s been pretty tough so far. We’ve currently got about a foot of water throughout the taproom, our warehouse and the brewery. We’re lucky that the brewery itself is on a raised platform. We’ve had a huge effort from our amazing team to raise all our stock and raw ingredients off the floor enough that they should be safe. It’s definitely hard to just sit back and wait but we’re trying to stay positive.”

Dan Murphy’s launches National Flood Appeal

Some Dan Murphy’s stores in Northern NSW have also been impacted by flooding.

Dan’s National Flood Appeal will take place on Saturday, March 5, in support of its charity partner GIVIT.org.au, which is working with both the Queensland and NSW Governments in response to the widespread flooding. Dan Murphy’s is now accepting donations at all its stores nationally. 

Dan Murphy’s noted on LinkedIn: “Our thoughts are with all of Queensland and NSW communities doing it tough at the moment. The floods have left many of our team without homes and we are doing all we can to support them.”

NSW Government reactivates emergency centre

The State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) has been reactivated at Homebush in response to the flooding emergency throughout New South Wales.

The SEOC is a central hub that brings officers from all the NSW Government response agencies under one roof to ensure a coordinated, emergency response to the extreme wet weather impacting many parts of the state.

The RFS Headquarters at Homebush has previously been used to coordinate the government response to the bushfires and COVID-19.

Experts from critical agencies including the State Emergency Service, Police, Fire and Rescue, Resilience NSW, Health, Planning, Rural Fire Service, Service NSW and more will work alongside each other in the purpose-built operations. 

State-of-the-art technology enables them to monitor the situation in real time and coordinate a whole of government response with on-the-ground responders to organise effective flood relief efforts.

The SEOC will be in operation to support the State Emergency Services (SES) as they lead the emergency response to this significant weather event. It will also work with Resilience NSW to lead emergency clean up and assist with commencement of recovery activities, which are already underway alongside the emergency response.

Premier Dominic Perrottet said emergency response and recovery efforts were being coordinated at the one time, to ensure assistance reaches as many people as possible.

Planning is underway to open local recovery centres in impacted areas and the NSW Government is working with local councils on waste management and clean-up processes.

Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience Steph Cooke encouraged people in flood-affected communities to work with their local emergency services and listen to the advice they were given.

“Our communities are still in the thick of this emergency with the danger far from over, so I want to respectfully remind everyone to heed the SES advice,” Ms Cooke said.

“Many thousands of people are facing the threat of flooding and saving lives is our key priority of the next few days.

“But recovery is not a process that starts when the emergency is over – recovery planning is already underway to ensure we can get people and towns back to normal as quickly as possible when the water starts to recede.”

As soon as waters recede and SES provides an all-clear, the flood damage assessment will begin. Once the damage is assessed, appropriate Disaster Declarations can be made which include assistance measures for individuals and families, businesses, primary producers, non-profit organisations and local and state governments.  

Service NSW has also activated its emergency information and services resources in response to the flooding, acting as a one-stop-shop to provide access to supports across NSW Government partner agencies, local government, and the Australian Government.

To connect with a Customer Care specialist, call Service NSW on 13 77 88.

Pictured main: The XXXX Brewery in Brisbane has submerged in floodwater (Nine Network).