Free the Snacks!

NYS legislature ends food mandate, Curfews end in May, Big aLICe heads north

Hello from San Antonio, Texas. I’m here to fulfill my plan to explore this city’s beer scene after last year’s Craft Brewers Conference, which was scheduled to take place here, was canceled. Last weekend, I was in Florida for a beer festival. If you’re wondering what kind of idiot would go to both Florida and Texas in the same week — states with no health restrictions in the midst of a pandemic — the answer is: a fully-vaccinated idiot.

So, what is a pandemic beer festival like? Well, it’s a lot like a non-pandemic beer festival, but with a lot more masks and a temperature check. Tripping Animals in Doral, Florida hosted the fest I attended, Irie Jungle, and kept the crowds small enough that things never felt overwhelming for someone who hadn’t been in a space with more than a couple dozen people in fifteen months. And there was plenty of great beer to keep me occupied. Highlights included a lovely Pilsner from Charlotte-based Resident Culture called Riding For the Feeling, the Pillow Stacks IPA from Colorado’s Outer Range, and the host brewery’s collab with Mumford and Interboro, a light lager called El Nuevo Trip. But while all this felt vaguely unfamiliar, there were some tastes of home at the festival, with Finback, Other Half, Evil Twin, Equilibrium, and District 96 all pouring their beer.

Legislature ends “Cuomo Snacks,” other Covid restrictions loosen next week

Things will slowly return to normal in the next few weeks in New York state, at least when it comes to bars, restaurants, and breweries. On Tuesday, the New York Senate announced they would take legislative action to remove the food mandate for venues serving alcohol. New York was the last state to not have a plan to lift the mandate, as Connecticut announced the food requirement would be lifted outdoors beginning May 1st and Massachusetts would end theirs entirely on May 29th.

The food requirement, as I’ve documented here, was never justified with any scientific data, and its intention was to prevent parties from “mingling” in restaurants and bars, something that could’ve easily been accomplished with enforcement of social distancing rules without bringing additional contact between servers and customers in the form of food service. As for why it persisted for so long, I’m convinced that the Cuomo administration had convinced themselves that this policy was somehow of benefit to New York’s bars and restaurants, as it would add food to each bill. But owners of small venues who weren’t equipped to make food were spending each morning prepping piles of cold-cut sandwiches on white bread each day for no other reason than to comply with the rule, and brewery owners were making runs to Restaurant Depot to buy wholesale bags of chips when that time could be better spent making beer.

Wednesday, the State Senate and Assembly made good on their promise to take action, both unanimously passing concurrent resolutions to terminate the Governor’s Executive Order 202.52 that required food be purchased with alcohol back on July 16th of last year. Because it was the rescinding of an Executive Order, the rule change took place immediately — although based on an informal poll of the Brew York Twitterverse last weekend, many bars were already ignoring the order. Rest in peace, #CuomoSnacks. You won’t be missed.

Of course, because the legislature was finally raining on Governor Cuomo’s power-trip parade, the governor himself launched a pre-emptive strike on Wednesday morning before the vote with a slew of new changes that would set a path to a full reopening:

• Bar seating, which had been banned since the first phase of reopening last Spring, can return on May 3rd

• Catered events at residences can resume on May 3rd

• The current curfew of midnight will be lifted for outdoor spaces on May 17th, although pre-pandemic, most New York City outdoor dining areas had to close earlier than the city’s 4am last call

• The current curfew of midnight will be lifted for indoor spaces on May 31st

In fact, Senator Michael Gianaris (D-Queens) suggested on the Senate floor during the debate on Wednesday’s resolution that Cuomo’s announcement was a direct result of the legislature taking action to terminate his Executive Order on the food mandate. Even when people’s livelihoods are at stake, it’s always about petty politics.

Big Alice opens Finger Lakes location this weekend

Big aLICe’s new space in Geneva, New York is ready to go (courtesy Big aLICe on Instagram)

The Upstate migration for New York City breweries continues. Queens-based Big aLICe Brewing opens their new brewery in Geneva this weekend, with a grand opening on Saturday. The location is about twenty miles east of where Brooklyn’s Other Half opened their Finger Lakes location back in 2019.

Big aLICe took over the space just south of downtown Geneva where Gael Brewing Company closed late last summer. A taproom overhaul later, and they’re ready for the summer brewery-and-winery-hopping season in a region rich in beverage makers. The brewhouse they took over is three times the size of their Queens brewery, which means they’ll be more of their beer to go around than ever before. The spot will be called Big aLICe Brewing Finger Lakes, as it’s just a stone’s throw from the northern shores of Seneca Lake, the largest of the Finger Lakes.

Big aLICe is just months removed from being named Small Brewing Company of the Year at the Great American Beer Festival — the first New York brewery to win that national accolade.

Strong Rope pop-up reopens for the season in Red Hook

Strong Rope Brewery’s pop-up bar at their forthcoming location in Red Hook has reopened for your waterside drinking pleasure. The all-outdoor space, which first opened last fall before closing for winter, is directly on New York Harbor, with gorgeous views of passing ferries and the Statue of Liberty. It’s located behind 185 Van Dyke Street, at the end of Barnell Street towards the water, adjacent to the Red Hook Winery.

Eventually, the building at 185 Van Dyke will house Strong Rope’s new brewery and taproom, where construction is well underway. The taproom will feature windows and a deck looking out onto the same view when it opens later this year.

The pop-up hours are usually noon to sunset on weekends, weather permitting, though check Strong Rope’s Instagram page for the latest info.

Brewery Tracker

Total brewery count: 2,160
New breweries in 2021: 87
Breweries visited in Florida: 76

Brewery Visit of the Week

Brewery #2146, Unseen Creatures Brewing & Blending, Miami, Florida (Visited 23-Apr-2021)

On a trip where things started to feel slightly more normal again post-pandemic, I did a very normal thing: I hopped in an Uber to a brewery within minutes of stepping off the plane in Miami last Friday night. My first stop was Unseen Creatures, and it was a very worthy first stop. I had a feel I was in a beer geek’s kind of brewery when the bartender immediately recognized my Monkish Brewing hat and asked me about Other Half when he found out I was from New York. Not surprisingly, there were quite a few hazy beers on the menu, including their flagship Pursuance, a bright, citrusy number with Citra, Simcoe, and Cascade hops. Their Helles, The Light, was a nice refresher, which I followed up with a small pour of their Sunrise, Sunset, a Porter with vanilla, almond, and bergamot — a liquid dessert.

The taproom was boisterous on account of a bottle share happening across two large tables in the center of the room, and I met a whole bunch of locals once I spotted a Suarez Family Brewery Palatine Pils on the table and said “whoever brought this beer is the hero of the night.” Many more bottle pours ensued, and I was just disappointed in myself that I didn’t check a bag to share some of my own favorites from New York.

Beer of the Week

Peeps Be With You
Arkane Aleworks (Largo, Florida)
Berliner Weisse
3.4% ABV

I, begrudgingly, had this beer at Irie Jungle last Saturday. I hate Peeps. I hate gimmicky beers. But for some reason, I like this beer! What the hell? We live in the upside down. This beer is actually pretty traditional as far as the Berliner Weisse character goes, but it’s got a marshmallowy sweetness that’s pretty damn distinct. Arkane makes this beer for Easter every year, and I’ve never loved Easter so much before.

Long Read of the Week

Dave Infante (who has a Substack of his own you should sign up for) has a piece up on Vinepair about the paradox of four-pack and six-pack holders made of recycled plastic, but are not often recycled themselves. The company that manufactures them, PakTech, has a recycling program with drop-off points, though none of them are in New York City (the nearest one is 902 Brewing in Jersey City). Even still, that doesn’t guarantee they’ll be recycled, because of their size and shape. This is something you might not have considered as you toss these in the recycling bin, so this is worth a read.

One Last Thing

I don’t often ask for anyone else’s brewery recommendations, but my next trip (in mid-May) is to Ventura, California, and I would love to hear what beers you’ve enjoyed in both Ventura and down in the Los Angeles area. Please share them in the comments, if you can! Cheers!