December 28, 2002 6:57 AM

Now THIS is real suffering

Beer-thirsty Venezuelans suffer through strike

Political unrest. Dwindling gasolines supplies. Riots in the streets. Yeah, whatever; when are we going to get some beer in here?

Since the strike began December 2, cutting into the beer supplies as the nation's top producer stopped brewing, beer-thirsty Venezuelans have had to turn to whiskey and other alternatives.

"Right now, we drunks are drinking the good stuff," Jose Gonzalez, a retired government worker, joked after buying a $28 bottle of whiskey. "But if the strike continues, we are going to end up broke."

It's a bit of a sacrifice for beer-loving Venezuelans, who like to socialize over a glass in neighborhood Spanish-style taverns or have a cold one to combat the tropical heat.

According to Cerveceria Regional, a Venezuelan subsidiary of Brazil's Brahma brewery, Venezuela is the No. 3 beer producer in Latin America.

Per capita, Venezuelans are the biggest beer consumers in Latin America, drinking an average of 20 gallons annually. Mexico comes next at 13 gallons; Brazil, 12 gallons.

But into the strike's fourth week, beer is becoming hard if not impossible to find in Caracas liquor stores and supermarkets. It is still available in many bars and restaurants, but selections have shrunk.

You know life really sucks when you can't even find the means with which to drown your sorrows. Yo, Jose; got any grain alcohol??

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on December 28, 2002 6:57 AM.

Yeah, but he gets three squares a day was the previous entry in this blog.

Macroeconomics made (too) simple is the next entry in this blog.

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