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I have never seen The League and was only mildly amused by That 70’s Show so my hopes are a bit low for this new Netflix comedy, Brews Brothers that starts today. Also lowering my expectation is that the title is Brews Brothers. Not much of reach on the ol’ title tree for that one. Who knows though, maybe the creators had a better title and Netflix marketing chose to go the easy route. Anyway, I will give it a go and if it is worth the time, I will write more about it.
Other Half Brewing Co is taking a page from the Resilience handbook with their new All Together, worldwide beer collaboration. It was “created to raise funds & awareness for the industry we love so much. Regardless of location or circumstances, when one member of the hospitality industry struggles, the rest of the group (including brewers, servers, bartenders, bussers, dishwashers, GMs, buyers, chefs & owners) steps in to help and lend a hand”
More info, “How does the project work? #AllTogetherBeer invites any brewer, from any corner of the planet, to participate by providing the tools needed to make the beer at the lowest possible cost, including an open-source recipe, artwork, and name. In exchange, the collective asks that a portion of the proceeds go to supporting hospitality professionals in each brewery’s own community. The rest should be donated to keeping the brewery in business to weather this storm.”
Go to the website to find out if there will be togetherness near you. I know that Long Beach Beer Lab and Bodega did a version.
The Beer Connoisseur magazine with great 20/20 2020 vision launched a new Beer Buyers Club, a partnership with beer delivery service, Tavour. Breweries are shutting taprooms and sales are limited so a good way to support craft beer might just be to have it delivered to you. I have a friend who has used the service and it worked well.
Head HERE to start checking out the details. Use promo code “BC2020” at the Tavour check-out.
Non-Alcoholic East Coast brewer Athletic has pounced on the former Ballast Point “Trade Street” brewing facility and will be shipping their beer out the door in mid-May. This new production hub will increase their capacity and help them meet a demand across its 10 state distribution footprint. And maybe they will even add a taproom to this spot as well.
So, despite some light Republican siding with corporate interest resistance, the first of what may be many CoronaVirus bills has been signed into reality.
Phase 1 is about free testing, sick leave and expanding unemployment benefits.
Phase 2 would have small business loan assistance
Also, the Brewers Association is going to push their weight behind the following initiatives…
That list is taken from information from the BA and of those items, the last one is the most important. Breweries need a replacement cash flow and hopefully they can get it.
Who doesn’t like a good raffle? And you can win some serious beer too. Follow this LINK Whale Hunters and buy a few tickets to help the Make-A-Wish foundation. Personally, I went for the Cantillon package.
Update as of 3/16/20 – New game plan now that many places have been told to shut. Buy gift cards. Online, if possible, or purchase a 4-pack and add a card for those breweries that can sell to-go. Buy beer online. Tavour being an example. Join a brewery club. Or if your brewery does food and delivers, order that. Move your normal beer out spending to new places.
Fear and panic and toilet paper memes are at high levels. Sporting events, movie premieres and theme parks have suspended activity.
That inactivity means that money is not coming in and that can be very painful for small business, and let’s face it, most breweries are of this Mom and Pop variety.
So, what can the beer fan do? AND stay safe and diminish the spread of the virus?
If you are sick, stay home. Testing is probably not an option now so err on the side of caution. If you are not sick, keep washing your hands and make an effort to not touch as much door handles, drawers or anything that others will probably be touching. Obvious stuff really.
Then, go out and buy stuff from breweries. Gift cards are a great idea. As are 4-packs or other packaged items. If you have been meaning to buy a hat or t-shirt, do it now. It will be appreciated. And if you bought a ticket to an event or festival, don’t be an ass about it, demanding money back or explanations. Time spent massaging your entitled ego is time not spent sanitizing and keeping clean.
If you are reluctant to go to a tap room, find out when they open and arrive then to avoid any larger groups. If you plan on staying for a beer or two, give people space.
Lastly, enjoy the beer and talk about it on social media. We could all use less doom and more delight.
File this under, should be done more. Rogue is making a limited run of blank canvas cans for artists and beer lovers to adorn with their own design for the fall – Halloween staple from the Oregon brewery. If I had any (I mean any) skills, I would give it a shot.
The North American Guild of Beer Writers, with partner support from the CraftBeer.com website published by the Brewers Association, has chosen four winning writers to receive the 2020 Diversity in Beer Writing Grant.
Per, the press release, the writers and their projects are:
“Alessandra Bergamin will chronicle a cross-border collaboration between California’s Dos California’s Brewsters, SouthNorte Beer Co., and Tijuana, Mexico’s Lúdica Artesenal Cerveceria. The story will follow female brewers making a beer that will help fund scholarships for female peers in Mexico.”
“Stephanie Grant plans to report about the safety of women who work in the beer industry from a variety of roles and perspectives. Industry professionals will share stories and insight on the challenges they face at events, traveling, and more, as a way to give context to their experiences.”
“Louis Livingston-Garcia will tell the story of the leaders behind Minnesota’s Brewing Change Collaborative, a group made up of people of color and the LGBTQ+ community working to share beer with minority communities and support those who are trying to break into beer.”
“Jen Blair will connect plant-based food and beer to write about how these dietary options can work together to create a more inclusive environment at events and among those who love beer, especially among African-Americans, who have the highest percentage of vegans among all demographics in the U.S.”
Of those, the first sounds like the most interesting for me to dive into when it is published.
I thought this was an Onion headline at first…
…nope. It apparently happened. A line of Other Half fans apparently got heckled and White Claw’d by a gun-toting person from a nearby AirBnB.
Here is my breakdown. If you are standing in line for special anniversary beers then you will be heckled and you have enough money to laugh it off. If you are staying across the street from a brewery, just laugh and enjoy whatever candy flavor of the Claw you have. No need to go back inside and get yo’ gun because there is only one way that ends. You in a jail cell.
Faith in humanity just lost a few points.