Beer in the Time of COVID-19 – part II

So we are a little over 3 months into this thing now. The last time we spoke, we had the following statistics:

• 220,000 confirmed cases and nearly 9000 deaths spread over 169 countries around the world.
• In the United States, there are over 10,000 cases with around 150 deaths spreading over all 50 states plus DC and 3 territories.
• In Florida, there are 520 cases with 10 deaths.

And now, 102 days later, we are at:

• 10,117,687 confirmed cases, 502,278 deaths spread over 216 countries around the world.
• In the Unites States, there are 2,545,250 cases with around 126,369 deaths spreading over all 50 states plus DC and 3 territories.
• In Florida, there are 152,434 cases with 3604 deaths.

The curve has not flattened.

102 days ago, we saw restrictions go in to place designed to slow the spread. And then we saw re-openings.

I’ll leave the politics aside for now (that’s a TL;DR post for many). The reality is we are back to where we were on March 20th: Florida has closed all bars and nightclubs. This time, there are no exceptions being made for breweries unless they are doing 50% or more of their business in food (which is not many of them). Just as we were starting to see a slow comeback, this could very well be the death knell for many small, independent, locally owned businesses in your community.

Set aside for the minute that breweries are being treated as though they are the same as bars and nightclubs (news flash: they’re not). That’s another discussion and a separate fight.

Now, more than ever, our breweries need your help. The only revenue for most of them right now is going to be their to-go sales. And so i ask you, on behalf of all of the small, independent craft brewers of the state of Florida, to swing by your local taproom and pick up your beer to go. Retailers are still open during this time, but every penny you spend directly at the brewery is an investment in their survival. It is supporting their staff and their families. It is keeping the dream alive for these outrageous entrepreneurs facing even more uncertainty than they did 102 days ago.

https://hopcloth.myshopify.com/collections/florida-brewers-united-fundraiser

Buy their beer from their taproom or their website. Buy merch. Buy a gift card to be used at a later date when you can hang out in the taproom with friends. Get yourself one of these awesome shirts that the Florida Brewers Guild, Tampa Bay Beer Week, Best Florida Beer, and Hopcloth made to support brewery workers.

And when the times comes, let your legislators know that we need some very real change in the way our industry is regulated.

~ by Sean Nordquist on June 30, 2020.