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Beer, Wine & Spirits: Local craft breweries can be a great asset, if you can figure out how to find them

Beer, Wine & Spirits: Local craft breweries can be a great asset, if you can figure out how to find them

Ithink ‘local’ is the new ‘organic.’”

That sentiment, voiced by William Reed, co-owner of two Philadelphia taverns, The Standard Tap and Johnny Brenda’s, may be a trifle self-serving—The Standard Tap has a policy of stocking only beers produced from within a 90 mile radius of the bar—but it is also valid. In fact, for many beer drinkers today, the ethic of “think globally, drink locally” is more than a mere marketing slogan; it is a guiding principle of their beer selection.

It also makes sense. Unlike wine, which easily withstands or even improves during periods of aging, the vast majority of beer styles are best consumed when they are as fresh as possible. The longer the road between brewery and tap, the greater the chances the liquid will suffer from the negative effects of time.

For this reason, the current consumer trend toward the consumption of locally produced foodstuffs carries even greater currency when applied to beer. Of course, deciding to stock mostly local brews is one thing; sourcing their brewers is quite another.

It can often be perplexingly difficult to discover local breweries. Lack of manpower—the smallest of craft breweries can often be one- or two-person operations—insufficient exposure and esoteric appeal are but three of the reasons such operations may operate under the proverbial radar.

Luckily, unearthing their whereabouts can be simplified greatly by using a few simple tools.

A good place to start is with local beer-focused publications, a genre that is surprisingly populous. Two large, tabloid-style publications cover the west and east of the United States: The Celebrator, published out of the San Francisco Bay Area, and the New Jersey-based Ale Street News. Several supporting papers also exist, from the mini chain of regionally-oriented “Brewing News” papers to even more tightly focused publications like New York City’s Gotham Imbiber. Typically, these papers will feature reports on recent brewery openings, announcements of special beer releases and other assorted bits of beer news.

Another valuable resource are home-brewing clubs. Although it might seem counterintuitive, hobbyists who craft their own beer often are the strongest supporters of the local brewing scene and as such will know the identities and locations of local brewers. Ask around among your staff and regular customers to see if you can find someone who brews—you likely won’t have to search far—and ask them to introduce you to the local amateur brewing community.

Lastly, your competition can be a particularly valuable aid in tracking down area brewers, since people who are enthusiastic about beer are usually also remarkably forthright when it comes to introducing others to their favorite brewers, even if that means sacrificing some competitive edge. So finding a new or undiscovered brewer can sometimes be as simple as visiting the local beer specialty bar and having an open and honest chat with the bartender, manager or owner.

One final note: When embarking upon a program of featuring local beers, don’t expect the process to be as simple as making a single phone call and sitting back to await delivery of your new kegs. While small-scale craft breweries are obviously in business to make money for their owners and investors, the aforementioned short-staffing sometimes means that the schedules of those who do work for the company are stretched to the limit, and thus can mean that two or three calls, or even a personal visit, may be required before a supplier-customer relationship can be firmly established.

TAGS: Food Trends
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