| Small Breweries Need Our Help by Dave B. Simone Hello Bob - If ever there was a time for a cold craft beer, it’s now. And if ever there was a time to support the local brew masters who make that beer its definitely now as they are faced with economic uncertainty. As you know in response to the closures amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many craft breweries have been relegated to offering beer pickup orders, and brewpubs have been limited to takeout food orders or bottle shop transactions. Even with that many are seemingly in danger of closing as revenues have plummeted. If many of these places fail it will not only mean the loss of great beer but many jobs. I live in upstate New York. The craft brewing industry here is valued at over 5 billion-dollars and is responsible for 20,000 jobs across the state according to the NY Brewers' Assoc.. Those are significant numbers for sure. New York breweries are currently allowed to sell packaged beer in a closed, sealed container for curbside pickup and home delivery. All home delivery orders must be delivered by the licensee and/or their employees or by a licensed third-party delivery service and accom- panied with the purchase of a food item. Because of that single small bags of potato chips have become a popular commodity. There are also a number of options that would help breweries as I see it. The government could allow tax and loan payment deferments, no-interest loans and the elimination of late payment fees on bills to name a few. Although this will not fill the financial loss in both jobs and revenue in the short term, it will help breweries survive in these unprecedented times. The spirit of craft beer is fostered by the community. Craft breweries provide their communities with a place to gather, entertainment, food, and of course, fresh craft beer. The situation has flipped and now the craft beer community needs to support the breweries more than ever before. To do that I am urging consumers to continue to purchase beer from local breweries via carryout, curbside pickup, and home delivery, as well as merchandise and gift certificates from breweries' online stores. One thing that really helps us here in NY is that the our Brewers Association has created and "Official New York State Craft Beer App"available for all mobile devices. The app features a map of every brewery in the state along with special hours, beer lists and more. I've used it many times as I'm sure many other people who care about craft have done so too I hope every state develops something like this. I've seen more than a few articles that predict up to 75% of craft breweries will never reopen if they are forced to remain closed until the fall. I don't think that will happen but just in case,we all should do our part now. After all we'd be buying the beer anyway. Thanks to you Bob and your many readers for listening. Cheers. . ------ Thanks for a fine article, Dave I think you have an important message that we all should take to heart if we want to see our local breweries survive. I'd like to invite everyone to send me their own columns about anything related to beer in any way just as Dave did. I select the best and publish them here. So join in and get writing! Cheers! Bob |
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