This summer I went to a brewery. It’s not something that happened much this year because—well honestly, because I livd in NYC and saw first hand that this virus isn’t to be taken lightly. So I canceled my travel plans for the year and kept my social circle tiny....

....But I went to this brewery in Vermont with two friends I had spent most of quarantine with. We had our own car, and were staying at my friend’s house, and we felt a little more safe over the summer when NYC was at less than 3% so we went.

I had a beer and the beer was good, like really good! But what was even *better* was that allll the beer was good and alllll the people were nice and our server explained the bird in the logo to us—I learned something. Fun!

But a few weeks later, I was *still* thinking about how pleasant the brewery was, and how maybe I should get a book on bird watching. So, I checked out their website. I saw they had a biomass brewhouse. Odd.

I sent an email to their “info” inbox mentioning how much I enjoyed the visit and asking for a few more details. Because, hey, it could make a fun Instagram post, and why do their sours taste so unique anyway??

Brewery GM, Joan, answered all of my questions and more. It turned out there was way too much to fit into a single post! In fact, there was a story here.

That turned into this story for @goodbeerhunting BUT that is not the point of this ~thread.~ https://www.goodbeerhunting.com/blog/2020/12/7/for-the-forests-from-the-forests-hermit-thrush-brewery-brattleboro-vermont-by-mandy-naglich

The point is, if I had gotten the beer in a bottle shop, even the BEST bottle shop with THE MOST knowledgeable staff, I just wouldn’t have had the same experience or connection with it.

(I also may not have learned that a Hermit Thrush sings with two voice boxes...cool! )

It’s a major thing we lost in 2020. We couldn’t have many of these experiences (without being a disrespectful butthead) where we found a connection w/ a new brewery’s people & story + passionate ppl working at these breweries couldn’t share what they love with us!

Without government assistance and support, breweries with big beautiful ideas and rich culture and a sense of mission...will close. And we’ll never get to connect with them! Even with their loyal local customers doing all they can to support them

It’s unfortunate that the breweries with the best chance to survive are less likely to answer those emails. Or they have someone less connected to the brewery’s day to day answer them. And then stories go untold, and future brewers go uninspired, and future innovation is stunted.

And maybe we’ll all drown in seltzer, who knows. The end.

PS-there’s not really a moral here, it’s just something I’ve been thinking/lamenting about. I guess the moral is call your Senators and support your local restaurants coalition if you can. Also thank your Joans!!