Supporting Local on National American Beer Day
Small businesses are more than an important driver of our economy, they are part of the fabric of a neighborhood, of community. It's been a tough year for small businesses, and the neighborhood brewery is no exception. But we have seen stories of perseverance and resilience, of community and support, that have helped keep many of these small businesses going during difficult times.
In honor of National American Beer Day, we share some of those stories.
There are over 8,000 Craft Brewers in the US, with over 1.4 million Untappd users who checked in at least one beer on the app in the US so far this year. In some cases, tap rooms and bars have been able to serve a limited number of customers on premise, in others, they have shifted to e-commerce and to-go service.
For these community brewers, finding a way to continue to serve their employees and the community required some creative approaches.
From a tiny bar nestled inside a boutique inn perched in Brattleboro, Vermont, Whetstone Brewery was born in 2006. "There weren't a lot of craft beer options then, we went out of our way to find really interesting beers," said founder Tim Brady.
When COVID19 shut things down, Tim wondered what they would do. "We were always draft," he said. But Whetstone is "so invested in craft beer, so passionate about our community, and maintaining the jobs for our 85 employees, we thought, what can do? We have a level of responsibility. We have to do something. So we tripled down, and bought a canning line. We weren't set up for it, we had to take out walls in the brewery to make this work, then learn how to can beer - fast."
Tim found Untappd to be a "valuable resource" while navigating COVID19. "We're big fans," said Tim.
What does Tim see for the future of Whetstone? "In a way we have found some ways to be excited, this has reinvigorated our 10-year-old business, pushing us to start fresh – it's brought more energy and variety. We're trying everything we can to be in a great place next year."
When COVID19 shut down Hemisphere Brewing in Rockwall, Texas, founder Ruben Garcia said, "I have to find a way, this has to keep on going."
The community agreed. Said Ruben, "it's a culture that we created, the neighborhood sees us, that's who rallied around us during this pandemic, you should have seen it, we had lines coming off the highway, because our neighbors, they didn't know if we were going to make it."
Established in 2014, Hemisphere had a particular approach. "There's no fancy façade, just come as you are, just be yourself", said Ruben, "a beer is a beer, but we give it our own twist, people like the environment, and they come back."
"Everybody was just coming here, because of Untappd, they were driving business to us. Untappd has been amazing, they've played a big role in our growth," said Ruben.
The future looks bright to Ruben. "The craft beer industry, it's a brotherhood, we all take care of each other. What we hope for is that people see where we're going. We used to be the little brewer in East TX, we want people to see us as real contenders, not just to love our beer, to be blown away by our beers. This way, the community can embrace us even more."
Mason's Brewing opened in Bangor, Maine, in 2015. "It exceeded my expectations," said founder Chris Morley. "The craft beer market in Maine was pretty saturated, so in order to make a name for ourselves, we developed a kind of 4 pronged attack; really good liquids, really good food, a destination (on the waterfront) and great customer service. That's what people remember."
Mason's became a draw for the neighborhood. "Once we developed, we attracted more people to downtown and the waterfront, with that we've been supported very well by the community," said Chris. "We do our part to give back, we support organizations that work with animal shelters and veterans' projects."
"During COVID19 we've been doing as well as can be expected. We are very thankful and thrilled with the support from the community."
For the next year? "I can feel so much momentum behind our brand, and our staff has been tremendous, 80% of our staff have been with me since the day we opened," said Chris. "We're looking forward to more growth in the U.S. and in Europe."
Pelican Brewing Company
Pacific City, OR United States
Regional Brewery
Pelican Brewing Company was born at the beach in Pacific City in 1996. Over the years, Pelican expanded to other coastal towns in Oregon, becoming part of the local community while also serving the thousands of tourists who flock to the coast.
"Some interesting things transpired during pandemic," said Jim Prinzing, CEO. "As parts of the country started closing down, it really gave us pause. We made the decision to close our brewpubs and hotels early because we knew the health and safety of our team, community and guests is the most important thing in the world. We always made health and safety a priority, but now we had to really think about it. So we leaned into our core values to guide us as decisions were coming fast and furious."
Those core values meant thinking about how to help Pelican's employees. "We knew unemployment would kick in but our mission was to figure out how to keep our team whole, not only to have a job to come back to but food on the table for their families and a roof over their heads."
So Pelican put the words of their values into action, providing family meals seven days a week, and putting together a small team to help Pelican employees understand how to file for unemployment, how to navigate rent and mortgage relief. "We put out a daily update email and text to all of the team members sharing everything we were working on to make sure they had jobs to come back to," said Jim. "That process was like a crucible to test our core values in a way they hadn't been tested before, everyone banded together."
As Pelican began to reopen, the team sought to deliver an extraordinary coastal experience, providing hospitality despite plexiglass and masks. "The teams have done amazing jobs innovating, and coming up with new ideas, it's been inspiring."
Jim looks forward to the future and continuing as a big fan of Untappd as it celebrates its 25th anniversary next year. "We love partnering with Untappd as part of our growth," said Jim.
Which local breweries are you supporting? Use the Untappd App to find Nearby Verified Venues to your location, and support local!
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