It's About Respect
There's a lot to unpack this week
Content warning: this newsletter contains references to sexual harassment and assault
I’ve sat here at an empty screen for the past two days wondering how I could address the reckoning that the craft beer industry is having this week when it comes to sexual harassment and assault. Since last Thursday, I’ve spent hours scrolling through gut-wrenching stories from women about their mistreatment at the hands of customers, co-workers, brewery management, and industry colleagues. The stories shared by Brienne Allan, who brews at Notch Brewing in Massachusetts, were a harsh reminder of just how toxic an environment beer can be for women.
Rather than attempt to rehash the situation, I’ll direct you to some more in-depth writing on the topic:
Beth Demmon on Vinepair has the most comprehensive recap of what’s happened in the past week.
Kate Bernot at Good Beer Hunting assesses the legal risk that Brienne Allan took by bringing these stories to light.
Jessica Infante at Brewbound shared some additional follow-ups in the wake of this week’s news.
9 News in Denver featured the stories of two women in Colorado’s beer scene in their own words.
Julia Herz, an industry consultant and former program director at the Brewers Association, has posted a very candid YouTube video with her thoughts on what she’s calling Beer’s #MeToo Moment.
As a cis white male who’s been associated with the beer industry for more than a decade, these stories have shown me there’s so much I’ve taken for granted. Another Beth Demmon piece dives into the safety precautions and risks that women in the industry take and the massive disparity in perceived safety between men and women at industry events. It really questions whether there have been incidents of harassment I’ve personally turned a blind eye towards in the past, and if I’ve been doing all I can to be an ally to women in the beer industry. It also makes me question how seriously this male-dominated industry has taken this topic even as women I know have raised their voices about these problems for years.
If you’re sitting here as a consumer of beer wondering what you can do about this, here’s a few suggestions: first and foremost, listen to these women and believe their stories. Put pressure on breweries to be accountable for times they’ve been called out for fostering an environment of harassment (some breweries already have). Ask breweries to institute or share their anti-harassment policies. Ask beer festival organizers to establish a code of conduct and have a plan to monitor and enforce rules on inappropriate behavior (credit to the NYC Brewers Guild: they implemented such a policy at their events starting in 2019).
And for my fellow guys reading this, here’s something even more actionable: take responsibility to educate yourself and be far more alert and aware. One thing that struck me about these stories is how much of the harassment is directed at staff in bars and taprooms from customers and at brewery reps from festival-goers. These are inherently social situations. If you’re with a group of friends and one of them is acting like trash, even if it’s something they brush off as a joke, call them out on it. And if you see a situation where a woman is put in an uncomfortable position, report it to staff to take action. We cannot stand idly by, and we never should have in the first place.
And if none of this has convinced you, by all means unsubscribe. This isn’t about “wokeness.” It’s about basic human decency and respect. But before you go and embarrass yourself while remaining blind to the gravity of this situation: if you really supported craft beer and wanted this industry to succeed in the first place, then you wouldn’t also justify predatory behavior that turns women away as both employees and drinkers. Eight thousand small breweries cannot continue to sustain growth without adding more customers. Defending the beer industry as a boys’ club is setting it up to fail.
As restrictions lift, will lax Covid-era alcohol rules remain?
As if people working in hospitality didn’t have to deal with enough bullshit already, yesterday marked the first day of the lifting of New York’s mask mandate for fully vaccinated people. With less than 40% of the total population fully vaccinated, the city still averaging over 500 new cases a day (more than when lockdown began last March), and a convoluted policy on enforcement of mask rules on the non-vaccinated, many bars and breweries are choosing to keep their existing mask rules in place. Anecdotally, businesses have seen more resistance to mask-wearing since the announcement of new CDC guidelines and Governor Cuomo’s announcement on the mask mandate on Monday.
Enforcing these rules, of course, will be people who don’t get paid nearly enough to be mask cops. But worse, the state and city have still not offered any direction on how mask compliance for the unvaccinated will be enforced, or if businesses will be issued fines for when customers do not comply. So with the risk of steep fines to these businesses that have struggled for the past fourteen months still possible, please stay masked up when someone asks you to.
Meanwhile, the State Liquor Authority has extended the off-premise privileges for on-premise bars and restaurants through June 5th, but questions remain about how much longer those temporary rules will last. This includes to-go alcohol and direct-to-consumer deliveries. Because these new policies were only enacted through the governor’s executive orders, any chance of making them permanent will have to come through efforts by the state legislature.
In addition to to-go booze, other issues that would need to be addressed by legislation are allowing outdoor drinking to accompany outdoor dining in New York City’s Open Streets program (which was made permanent earlier this month by the City Council) and granting temporary liquor licenses in the five boroughs while bars and restaurants wait for their full licenses (currently, the SLA only allows this practice outside of New York City). Gothamist has a good explainer on where these efforts stand.
Comings and Goings
A couple re-openings worth mentioning:
Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden in Astoria is back in action again after being shut down by the SLA last summer.
Good Beer in the East Village welcomed back indoor drinking yesterday for the first time since last March.
Brewery Tracker
Total brewery count: 2,200
New breweries in 2021: 120
Breweries visited in California: 227
Breweries visited in New York: 231
Brewery Visit of the Week
Brewery #2192, Lawless Brewing Co., North Hollywood, California (Visited 15-May-2021)
Every now and then, I visit a weeks-old brewery on a trip and immediately know I’ll be hearing more about them soon. Lawless Brewing, a brewery in North Hollywood that opened its doors on April 27th, is one of those places. The operation of the taproom was flawless, the staff was incredibly friendly and helpful, and the beer was outstanding.
First up was the Dankershim, a beautiful, crisp, piney West Coast IPA. I dabbled next in a lager: the NoHo Boho Czech Pils, which was dialed in with a bready sweetness and a dry, snappy finish. Finally, I ventured into hazy territory with Soft Focus, a smooth, sneaky 8.5% New England DIPA with boatloads of tropical fruit. The beer was mature well beyond where you’d expect a three-week old brewery to be. Nothing felt rushed. It’s a very good sign of what’s to come for this place, and I’m glad I got in on the ground floor.
Beer of the Week
Short Shift
Transmission Brewery (Ventura, California)
German Pilsner
5.1% ABV
Look at that. Look at how beautifully crisp that is. How can you say no to a beer as clear as that? Transmission Brewery, in an old car repair shop in Ventura, proved to be my first and most clear beer of my trip last week to Southern California. This dry-hopped Euro-style pilsner was unexpected where hoppy IPAs were the norm. The taproom itself was also incredibly welcoming and the staff and I talked pilsners all afternoon. In the land where I expected an onslaught of IPAs, this Pilsner crushed it.
Long Read of the Week
A beer newsletter linking to Wine Enthusiast? Anything is possible. Martin Johnson has the story this week of Zahra Tabatabai, Brooklyn-based beer enthusiast with Iranian roots who has founded Back Home Beer, a beer brand she’s working to get off the ground in New York. It’s worth a read not just for the story of her own background, but the history of beer in that region of the world.
One More Thing
I know I asked you all about summertime beers last week, but I’d still love to hear more about what beers you automatically associate with summer in the comments. Also, your brewery recommendations for Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin are also greatly appreciated, as that’s where I’m headed for beer during the first unofficial weekend of summer next week.
KCBC beach zombie means it’s summer in bushwick.
It is all about Respect. A industry wide campaign to raise awareness is in order.