Retirees of the Labatt Brewery will no longer receive free beer come 2019, reports CBC News.

The move, a reaction to “the rising overall cost of maintaining a full benefits package” for retirees, puts an end to an initiative that has been active for more than 50 years.

The equivalent of 52 cases of 12 beers annually, will be halved in 2018 by the AB InBev-owned company, then phased out fully in 2019, the CBC says.

“The reason for the change relates to the rising overall cost of maintaining a full benefits package, including health care coverage for retirees,” Labatt vice-president Lindsay King said in a letter to the company’s employees.

King added: ”A recent comprehensive review of all the cost management options has led us to conclude that discontinuing free beer is the best course.”