B.C.’s craft brewers are working double time, and craft distillers have been selling years’ worth of inventory over the last month, as the hospitality sector scrambles to keep some beverages on menus during the civil service strike.

Bars and restaurants have been shut out from B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch warehouses and liquor stores — the only stores they are allowed to buy from — as they have been behind picket lines for almost eight weeks.

However, hospitality establishments are allowed to buy directly from B.C. wineries, craft breweries and distilleries, which have all experienced a sales boost to fill at least some of the gap.

“That’s allowing us to crawl through this,” said Ian Tostenson, CEO of the B.C. Restaurant and Foodservices Association.

The availability of some alterna

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