After Tartan Army hordes drink Boston dry, thousands of pints of beer trucked in for arrival of equally thirsty England fans

By CAROLINE GRAHAM, US EDITOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY and SAM GREENHILL, THE CHIEF REPORTER Published: 00:17, 21 June 2026 | Updated: 00:17, 21 June 2026 Pubs in Boston and Miami have launched 'Operation Lager' to stop beer running out for thirsty England and Scotland fans. Last week bars in Boston ran dry after 50,000 members of the Tartan Army, in the city for Scotland's first two games against Haiti and Morocco, drank more than four times as much lager as Americans drink over the July 4 public holiday. And now Boston is facing an influx of England fans for the game against Ghana on Tuesday, while Miami is bracing for an invasion of Scottish supporters ahead of their team's crunch match against Brazil a day later. A spokesperson for Boston Beer, the biggest beer distributor in the city, told The Mail on Sunday they had to arrange four huge 'emergency deliveries' to their flagship Samuel Adams Taproom because of the demand. She said: 'The Tartan Army drank us dry. We sold over 4,000 pints of Boston Lager in the Taproom alone, that's 90 kegs. That is four times as much as we run through on the Fourth of July weekend or St. Patrick's Day. 'We had lines out the door on Friday (June 19) but we were able to handle the extra deliveries through our internal channels and have plenty of beer now. And we'll have plenty in Miami for when the Tartan Army heads south!' Bars across Boston are fighting to keep up with demand as England fans descend on the city. Major breweries like Anheuser-Busch and Molson Coors have been bringing in supplies from American cities which are not hosting World Cup games. Bars in Boston ran dry last week as 50,000 members of the Tartan Army descended on the city Some pubs arranged emergency deliveries of beer to keep pace with the Scottish fans' thirst A source said: 'Everyone thought we were prepared but nothing can prepare you for the British invasion. We have enough beer now but we've been bringing in truckloads from warehouses in places which don't have World Cup games.' Tennent's Lager, which was only served in one Boston pub before the World Cup kicked off, made deals to serve 80 bars in the area. Samantha Crawford, Tennent's international marketing manager, said the company began bulking up supplies to Boston and Miami as soon as Scotland qualified for the tournament. She said: 'It's been a long time in the making. The next day we got to work.' England fans pictured in Dallas as the Three Lions beat Croatia on Wednesday, before their next fixture against Ghana in Boston on Tuesday A pallet of beer is wheeled to a Boston bar before Scotland's game against Morocco on Friday A barman at The Phoenix Landing in Boston said: 'The English fans have arrived and we have a lot of Americans here too because everyone wants to enjoy the atmosphere the British have brought to Boston. It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing. 'We struggled to meet demand the first few days the Tartan Army was here. People are joking about Operation Lager but it's real. 'Every bar I know was running out or running short. Luckily our distributors stepped up and we've been getting extra deliveries so we won't run out again.' In Miami, a source at the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association said the city had trucked in extra beer ahead of the influx of Scottish fans. 'We saw what happened in Boston and we can guarantee that Miami will not run out of beer,' he said. England had a lucky break after a pool table ordered for their hotel had failed to materialise. An eagle-eyed FA official spotted one for sale on Facebook and quickly snapped it up for Harry Kane and the rest of the squad. The Three Lions were disappointed when the pool table failed to show up despite it being ordered before their arrival at the team HQ in Kansas City, Missouri. But within hours of arriving at their £260-a-night hotel, The Inn at Meadowbank, they had chalked up a victory ahead of their 4-2 win over Croatia by bagging the table. Lynne Brown, who lives near the England HQ, had advertised her pool table for sale as part of a house clearance and was stunned to receive a message from an FA official. Ms Brown said 'they were scrambling around trying to find a pool table'. She added: 'Here's a sentence I never thought I'd say: "We sold our pool table to England's World Cup team." 'We really feel we have an extra special connection to the English team. If they win the World Cup, then we know it will be down to the pool table. 'They got a great table, it's in beautiful shape.' The table was delivered after The Mail on Sunday revealed how equipment belonging to the Three Lions had allegedly been stolen by delivery drivers while in transit from Florida to Kansas City. Erfan Kamal, 35, and Mustafa Salik, 40, have been charged with receiving stolen property and if convicted at their trial, face up to seven years in jail. Both men are in custody and expected to attend a bail hearing this week where the District Attorney will ask they do not go within 350 yards of the England hotel or training facility. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. 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