A South African couple has tragically died after drinking a batch of homemade beer they made as a result of the coronavirus lockdown, the Daily Mail has reported.
Tony Hilliar, 54, and partner Alida Fouche, 42, decided to brew their own beer after running out of their own supplies of alcohol in their home in Port Nolloth, South Africa.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, South Africa has imposed restrictions on the sale of alcohol, news.com.au reports.
After both of them drank a bottle of the homebrew beer, Alida collapsed to the ground. Tony, who worked as a property realtor, managed to call for help, but when the emergency services arrived at their home, they found him writhing on the floor in agony. Alida had already passed away.
Medics immediately rushed Tony to the hospital, but sadly died while in intensive care.
Police investigators sent two empty bottles of the homemade beer for forensic testing, fearing that the couple could have succumbed to alcohol poisoning.
The remaining bottles in the batch were seized and taken away for further testing.
Per the Daily Mail, South Africa entered a COVID-19 lockdown six weeks ago on March 26, and in the process, placed a ban on the sale, purchase, or transportation of alcohol.
President Cyril Ramaphosa informed the 58 million-strong population that the ban would only be in place for three weeks, but it has since been rolled over twice.
As reported by the Business Insider, many South Africans are now brewing their own beer from pineapples and yeast.
According to Samantha Nolan, the president of the Cape Town-based homebrewing organization SouthYeasters, they have seen a surge in inquiries across all their social media platforms regarding pineapple beer.
Nolan says: "The amount of alcohol will vary depending on how long you allow the pineapple beer to ferment. Typically speaking, the earlier you drink it the less alcohol there will be".
However, she also warned that anybody thinking of brewing their own beer must follow good hygiene practices to prevent falling ill or worse.
Nolan stressed how foreign bacteria can easily enter a mix and make you ill, meaning that your choice of container throughout the fermentation process is very important. She says:
"It is very important to ferment in plastic bottles as glass bottles can explode and cause injuries. Plastic bottles do need to be opened regularly to release the carbon dioxide build-up.
"Lastly if it doesn't smell or taste good then it probably isn't. Rather discard it and try again."
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