Utah Beer News 🍻 April 2020
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Uncertain Times.
I wrote last month's e-newsletter on March 11 and sent it the following day. In the past, the emails had hit inboxes toward the end of each month, but I wanted to get the March dispatch out in time for the many St. Patrick's Day celebrations on tap for that weekend.
Well, we all know how that turned out.
Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 on March 11 and the NBA swiftly suspended its season in an attempt to slow the spread of the disease.
By the weekend, countless other dominoes had fallen. Schools shut down and ski resorts closed. Sports came to a standstill. Organizers either canceled or rescheduled dozens of events. Social distancing became the norm.
And on March 16, with 21 confirmed cases of COVID-19 statewide, Salt Lake County breweries, bars, and restaurants were ordered to close to dine-in customers. It wouldn't be long before the rest of the state followed suit.
It forced Utah's 3o+ breweries to pivot — hard.
Overnight, breweries were left scrambling to develop to-go-only procedures that ensured the health and safety of their staff and customers. Growlers and crowlers were in high demand. Brewery employees doubled as delivery drivers. Distilleries swapped spirits for hand sanitizer. Virtual happy hours became commonplace.
Each brewery tackled the crisis in its own way, with many getting creative in how they transferred beer to consumers or maintained a connection with beer drinkers.
- Bewilder Brewing revamped its website to focus primarily on food takeout, becoming "Salt Lake's newest brewpub (turned food to-go)."
- RoHa Brewing Project sold its new Transom Dark Pale Ale beer from an inflatable paddle raft in its parking lot (a transom, as I learned, is the flat surface forming the stern of a boat). By the way, here's what's in RoHa's beer fridge right now.
- Roosters Brewing conducted a "virtual tasting" of six of its beers, coupled with a beer education class, live on Facebook.
- Shades Brewing set up "dockside" service and built a ready-to-go 24-can sampler pack it dubbed a "Quarantine Case."
- SaltFire Brewing compiled "Self Isolation Survival Packs," which, at times, included beer, Girl Scout Cookies, and condoms.
- Salt Flats Brewing included a bottle of hand sanitizer (produced by its distilling enterprise) with each $30 beer purchase.
All the while, breweries continued to brew beer, sell beer, and cross their collective fingers that the pandemic would soon end and the restrictions would be lifted.
So Now What?
Nearly a month later, here we are. As of Thursday morning, Utah had 1,846 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 13 deaths from the disease. Expert models show our peak for new cases could arrive in the coming days. Though, according to an article in The Salt Lake Tribune, experts also warn that the number of new cases tends to take longer to decline than it does to rise.
Utah's breweries, as well as the state-run liquor stores, are among the "essential" businesses that remain open with restrictions in place. However, our neighbor to the west, Nevada, recently declared breweries to be "non-essential."
As we continue to navigate uncharted territory and with special legislative sessions likely upcoming in Utah, it makes you wonder if the state's breweries might be forced to pivot yet again.
Even without government involvement, it's fair to say at least some consumers (and employers) are struggling to reconcile two competing thoughts: Overall health and wellbeing vs. financial survival.
As Jeff Alworth wrote on his Beervana blog on April 6: "We’re trying to decide if it’s better to patronize a business because someone needs a job even though we know many will get sick, or staying home and letting the businesses shutter and forcing the workers to fend for their financial lives. It’s a terrible choice, and yet this is the uncertainty of the times."
And when the pandemic does end, what will the landscape look like for breweries, bars, and restaurants locally and nationally? A Brewers Association survey this week revealed that more than half of breweries say they likely won't survive should the restrictions continue into the summer.
That's a sobering thought. So far, I haven't heard of any Utah breweries that are planning to permanently close.
On the other side of the bar, will customers return in droves, eager to drink fresh draft pints? Or will they maintain social distancing habits, opting against pulling up a barstool between two other patrons? Will the measures enacted to slow the spread of the disease stick? Or will we revert to our old ways of doing things?
These are questions no one has legitimate answers to right now.
How to Help
As I wrote on UtahBeerNews.com on March 25, it’s incredible to see the craft beer community — on both sides of the bar — stepping up.
Breweries responded quickly, navigating Utah's quirky alcohol regulations, to ensure their beer was available. (side note: how nice would beer delivery be right now?) And the beer-drinking public appears to be doing its part to support the breweries during a monumentally difficult time for small businesses.
Nevertheless, it’s a tough time for part-and full-time employees at Utah breweries. Brewery owners are being forced to make difficult decisions in order to keep the brewery viable until the mandatory shutdown order is lifted.
Therefore, anything you can do at this time to help hospitality industry professionals, many of which have been laid off indefinitely, is appreciated.
Here are a few ideas, some that require physically patronizing a business, others that don't:
- Continue to support local businesses by purchasing to-go orders and gift cards (and even hand sanitizer, where available).
- Tip generously.
- Like, comment, and share social media posts from your favorite breweries.
- Drink beer — and share what you’re drinking on social media. Tag the brewery. If you’d like to tag Utah Beer News, we’ll re-share it.
- Support a larger-scale relief program. The “Tip Your Server” campaign in Salt Lake is one of a few out there.
- Donate directly to your favorite bar, brewery, or restaurant.
- Purchase a “Salt Lake Strong” t-shirt. When you order, you can select to support one of several participating businesses.
Cheers,
Tim
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COVID-19: Utah Breweries React & Respond
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In addition to the notes above, I've done my best to provide comprehensive weekly updates as to how individual breweries are handling the COVID-19 restrictions set forth by state and local governments.
Here are links to Utah Beer News coverage of this ever-developing story:
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Beer Bracket Challenge: Which Beer Earned the Title?
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Before everything went decidedly south in mid-March, Utah Beer News matched up eight beers from eight different Utah breweries in a lighthearted March Madness-style bracket challenge.
Which brew displayed guts and determination, overcame adversity, and outlasted the competitors to taste that oh-so-sweet victory? Visit UtahBeerNews.com to find out.
🎙 BONUS: Listen to the play-by-play as Dave Baker and Tim Haran, using their tastebuds as their playbook, whittle the field from eight to one in the latest episode of the Utah Beer News Podcast.
Please note, the tasting event took place 10 days ahead of the March 16 mandated restaurant/bar/brewery dine-in shutdown.
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🎙 Utah Beer News Podcast
The Utah Beer News podcast provides another avenue for us to tell stories about the Utah beer community. We'd love for you to subscribe, take a listen, and let us know what you think!
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 Each month, I gather beer-related news to share with Utah Beer News email subscribers. Much of what's mentioned in this space is obtained from social sites, taproom visits, email newsletters, etc. (and a few are sent directly to me — hint, hint).
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Reminder: It's always best to confirm event dates, times and locations with the individual organizers.
- Did you celebrate National Beer Day on April 7? I commemorated the occasion by drinking a Jazz Loon (Level Crossing Brewing) and brewing a pale ale.
- Also for National Beer Day, Roosters Brewing‘s Jacquie King conducted a virtual tasting and beer education on Facebook Live. Also on Facebook, Bewilder Brewing live-streamed a brew day.
- A few local brewers are going live on Instagram this weekend with "Brewers Talks." Marcio Buffolo, of Shades Brewing, and Jacquie King, of Roosters Brewing, are slated to chat on April 11 at 4 p.m. Then, on April 12, also at 4 p.m., Buffolo and Jack Kern, of Proper Brewing will be going live.
- On April 8, RoHa Brewing Project live-streamed a make-your-own-firkin class
- This week, City Weekly and KRCL 90.9 FM radio began daily segments on the station’s RadioACTive program (listen live). The 6 p.m. segments are dubbed #quarantinecocktails. Each day during the #staysafestayhome order, the segment will feature "local brewers, distillers, bars, and restaurants to let you know what the makers are making."
- Shades Brewing is getting its money's worth from kveik. The South Salt Lake brewery, whose sour ales featuring the ancient Norwegian yeast have won a pair of Great American Beer Festival gold medals, launched its "Kveik Earthquake Series" on April 2 with the release of Shockwave, a black currant sour. That one's sold out, but the next in line — Epicenter, a mango-chili sour ale — hits the market today (April 9).
- Breweries are beginning to release their Pink Boots collaboration beers. Among the ones we've seen so far: Epic Brewing, Kiitos Brewing, SaltFire Brewing, and Uinta Brewing.
- And Red Rock Brewery, to commemorate its 25th anniversary, released a Belgian Style Quadruple Ale.
- UtahBeerStores.com is a new website developed by Uinta Brewing. It allows breweries to update their own information during these crazy times (hours, to-go rules, menus, etc.)
- Currently Reading: SLUG Magazine's 13th Annual Beer Issue.
- Speaking of local journalism, City Weekly, an important part of the Utah Beer Community, could use your support. Check out Press Backers to learn more.
- The in-person Lagerpalooza isn't happening this May, but event organizers are still accepting entries for the homebrew competition connected to the event. You have until April 17 to register and April 19 to drop off your bottles at Salt City Brew Supply.
- Congratulations to Level Crossing Brewing in South Salt Lake and UTOG Brewing in Ogden. Each celebrated one-year anniversaries in late March.
- Incidentally, UTOG released its first mix pack, which includes four varieties of UTOG's 5% ABV beer.
- Congrats to Salt Flats Distilling, an offshoot of Salt Flats Brewery, which won four awards in the 2020 American Craft Spirits Association Awards.
- According to the Utah Brewers Guild, two-thirds of the state’s breweries have opened in the last five years. The Guild officially lists the total tally at 33, producing 193,000 barrels of beer each year and contributing $441 million to the state economy, according to an article in The Salt Lake Tribune. Pre-pandemic, Ogden River Brewing, Grid City Beer Works, and Fife Brewing were looking to add to the total before the end of the year.
- The Brewers Association released its list of the Top 50 Craft Brewers for 2019. The top nine breweries remain unchanged from 2018, including CANarchy (which includes Squatters Craft Beers and Wasatch Brewery) at No. 8. Uinta Brewing, ranked No. 42 in 2018, dropped off this year's list. The breweries are ranked by sales volume.
And finally...
- If you're not familiar with Brews and Tunes, a beer and music pairing blog by Utah's own Victor Maritsas (aka "The Meista"), you definitely need to check it out. The site is featured in this month's SLUG Magazine.
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Hello Again & Welcome
If this is your first time receiving this monthly dispatch, welcome! If you're a longtime subscriber, thank you for sticking with it. As always, feel free to drop a line to let me know what you think.
Currently Drinking: As I write, I'm sipping a Jazz Loon from Level Crossing Brewing Company. How about you?
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