Australian pub manager loses licence after patron drank 21 drinks

A pub manager in Australia has had his licence to sell alcohol revoked after a patron consumed 21 drinks in five hours and later collapsed in the street.

New South Wales alcohol licensing authorities said this week that the man entered the Gladstone Hotel in Stockton just after midday on March 23, 2024. Authorities said he drank 19 beers, a shot of tequila and a shot of Cointreau during the afternoon, while becoming progressively more intoxicated.

The man was seen stumbling into furniture and being overly friendly with other patrons before leaving the pub unable to stand or walk steadily, according to the authorities. CCTV footage shared by the state's hospitality and tourism department showed him collapsing in the street and being helped by a passerby. He was then reportedly helped into a car.

Authorities found that the pub manager had failed to meet his responsibility to prevent intoxication on the premises. They also said he encouraged the patron by bringing him another beer before he had finished the previous one.

Liquor and Gaming NSW Executive Director Regulatory Operations Dimitri Argeres said the patron showed multiple signs of intoxication that staff should have identified and acted on before he reached such a dangerous state.

Bar manager Mark Keegan said the patron had seemed fine except for a slight stumble.

The report said it was the second time the pub had been sanctioned for excessive drinking on its premises. In 2024, the manager's wife was banned after the same patron drank 22 beers and a shot in one sitting.

Official figures cited in the report show drinkers in Australia consumed an estimated 82 litres, or 173 pints, of beer per person in the 2019-20 financial year. The report said beer consumption in Australia has declined over the past five decades, though beer remains culturally important for many people.