Anheuser-Busch Stops Canning Beer, Sending Canned Water To Harvey Victims

CBS Local — Beer giant Anheuser-Busch is hitting the brakes on canning their signature product so the company can help the millions who were affected by Hurricane Harvey. Instead of ice cold beer, Anheuser-Busch’s Georgia factory is producing thousands of cans of water to ship into the flood-ravaged areas.

The company’s Cartersville brewery is reportedly sending 500,000 cans of emergency drinking water to the Red Cross relief station in Baton Rouge. The Georgia brewery has become a regular lifeline for disaster relief supplies. The Cartersville plant is reportedly large enough to quickly switch gears and quickly produce water during severe storms as they did after Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

Anheuser-Busch stopped beer production to provide water for Hurricane Harvey victims https://t.co/z2eEzNqWCz pic.twitter.com/3ol8Z6bWDZ — Eater (@Eater) August 28, 2017

“Throughout the year, we periodically pause beer production at our Cartersville, Georgia brewery to produce emergency canned drinking water so we are ready to help out communities across the country in times of crisis,” Anheuser-Busch’s Sarah Schilling said. “Putting our production and logistics strengths to work by providing safe, clean drinking water is the best way we can help in these situations,” the Cartersville Brewmaster added.

Harvey has reportedly affected a quarter of the Texas population, about 6.8 million people. Houston has been devastated by flooding and is reportedly expecting to see rain totals around 40 inches. The storm is blamed for at least two deaths.