Struggling Thai craft-beer makers find virus rules hard to swallow

BANGKOK — Small craft-beer companies in Thailand already grappling with onerous regulations have faced another blow in recent months from measures to curb the spread of the virus that have robbed them of vital sales channels.

Protesters in early February emptied out kegs of draft beer on the street outside the Public Health Ministry. A ban on alcohol sales in bars and restaurants imposed the previous month in response to a surge in coronavirus cases was forcing brewers to dispose of unpasteurized brews with a limited shelf life and no buyers.

That came on top of strict regulations that make the industry inhospitable for upstarts seeking to challenge the duopoly of Thai Beverage and Boon Rawd Brewery, the companies behind the Chang and Singha brands, respectively.

During the first wave of the outbreak in April of last year, the government barred the sale of alcohol not only in…