#ThrowbackThursday: Remember the beer strike of 1985?

Beer drinkers were in a tough spot thirty years ago this month as a strike involving all of the local breweries dragged on. 

With workers at the Carling-O'Keefe, Labatt and Molson breweries all on picket lines, there was not much to drink at bars and clubs, although the strike gave rise to U.S. imports like Old Milwaukee and Lone Star. 

For Throwback Thursday this week, we have two reports from May 1985. The first, by John Penney from Corner Brook, looks at the harsh effect the strike had on the hospitality industry. The second, by Ken Lawton from St. John's, reports on how hundreds of consumers swooped to a liquor store when a shipment of beer arrived. 

The strike, which had started the preceding month, would drag on for quite a bit longer. It was not resolved until November, meaning consumers had no access to their favourite local brands for more than seven months.