Doing Your Part, Now More Than Ever: Drink Local, Support Our Local Breweries

Jessica Masterson, March 29, 2020

It’s 12:30 on a Sunday afternoon. Normally, I‘d be starting my weekly text message frenzy to find out where everyone’s hanging out today. Akasha? Falls City? Brunch at Against the Grain maybe? But not today. Today, I am going to stay “Healthy at Home.” While for some that’s been a welcome respite from the grind of modern life, for too many others in our local beer community it’s translated to lost wages, closed taprooms, laid off workers, and worries about how they’re going to stay afloat.

A few weeks before this pandemic hit, I was talking shop with one of our local brewery owners and congratulating him on how well his taproom had been performing in recent months. He told me taproom sales accounted for about 30% of his overall business. Now, due to social distancing and shutdowns, that 30% is gone.

One way we all can help is by continuing to support our local businesses that have had to shut their doors to the public. Whether it’s by ordering carry-out from your favorite restaurant, picking up a pint of ice cream from the shop around (looking at you, Louisville Cream), or grabbing a six pack to support a local brewer. At Liquor Barn and Party Mart, we‘ve prided ourselves on supporting Kentucky growers, producers, bakers, brewers, distillers, artisans and customers for over 30 years. I promise you we will not stop now. We will amplify our efforts and we ask you to do the same.

Governor Beshear has rallied Kentuckians across the Commonwealth with his daily addresses, giving us much needed reassurance in a time of unprecedented uncertainty. My favorite hashtag at the moment is #beerswithbeshear. Everyday at 5:00pm, folks are posting pictures of their favorite local beer in front of Governor Beshear’s daily update. They are doing their part. They are staying home. They are listening to the guidance given to us to keep us safe, and they are supporting our local economy. We all need to follow their lead.

#healthyathome #togetherKY #strongertogether #beerswithbeshear

Photo Credits: Scott Shreffler,  Jessica Masterson, Drew Johnson and David Satterly