Richard holds a virtual happy hour with his good friends Jacob Berg, Michael Stein, and Brandy Holder. The wide-ranging conversation can be summed up in one key sentiment: thank goodness breweries and distilleries are considered essential businesses! Richard and his friends call on DC Beer listeners to buy local beers and spirits to help keep breweries and distilleries afloat during these tough times.

What Are You Drinking for Happy Hour?

Richard is drinking a Macadocious Bock from Denizens Brewing Company. He also has been busy picking up beer from other local breweries, including Silver Branch Brewing Company, Craft Beer Cellar, Red Bear Brewing Company, and 3 Stars Brewing Company.

Brandy is drinking Doomsday Whistle Saison from Hellbender Brewing Company, which also just introduced Serves You Rice, a new collaboration brew between with Black Narrows Brewing Company and Think Rice.

Jacob and Michael brought their second cups of coffee to the happy hour (to be fair, they recorded this episode at 11 am).

New Business Models

The group recaps some of the recent DC-area brewery innovations in response to COVID-19:

• The Neighborhood Restaurant Group (NRG) is providing high-quality food and beverages to DC, Alexandria, and Arlington through an online hub called “Neighborhood Provisions.”
• True Respite Brewing Company created an online marketplace for brewery pickup and delivery sales called biermi.com.
• Almost every other DC-area brewery is now offering online orders, beer deliveries, and curbside pickups. 

In addition, local distilleries are transitioning business models to help keep the community safe. Nearly all distilleries in the area--including Cotton & Reed, Don Ciccio & Figli, One Eight Distilling, New Columbia Distillers, and Republic Restoratives--are making hand sanitizer for first responders and/or the general public. 

Richard believes many of these new innovative ways to sell alcohol are going to continue beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. The sales and distribution of alcohol in DC (and around the country) will look very different a year from now.

Please continue to support your local breweries, distilleries, and all small businesses (including RavenHook Bakehouse) so they can survive this unprecedented era!

You can catch up on all the DC Beer Show episodes here.