Brewer Magazine possesses the only “Test Kitchen” in the craft beer publishing community. This 1.5 barrel brewhouse utilizes current and former clients for the purpose of testing equipment, ingredients and services. Look for our Test Kitchen articles in future print issues and online.
Today we officially received word that we have permission to reopen our Test Kitchen taproom. Our indoor capacity will be at 33% and while our outdoor capacity is unlimited it will be on our staff to ensure patrons wear masks and keep social distancing protocol.
Luckily we’ve been thinking about this strategy for a couple of months. I know there will be some challenges as well as citizens that will disagree, but our county has been dying for some activity — we feel it’s our position to provide them a space for the community in a safe fashion.
Of course, all of our staff will be wearing the necessary PPE handed down by the governor of Kentucky. That includes face masks and a continuous changing of gloves. Additionally, we are removing all of our board games and will only serve in our glass pint glasses; no snifters, or tasting glasses.
Why are we sticking with glass over plastic? Personally, I see this as a toss-up. I believe our glass washing and sanitizing methods are safe and we will be able to handle an additional sanitization before spraying with water and pouring a beer. Additionally, I still believe we have a certain responsibility to our environment, and moving entirely to plastic doesn’t seem like a strong solution — we’re looking to save lives and not destroy the planet, not just one or the other.
This is going to be a difficult road. Some people will be willing to jump on board and some will not. I’ve watched closely the other breweries around the country that have already reopened and I couldn’t be more proud of our industry. Now I believe it’s our turn. Stay tuned for some insights into our reopening and the journey ahead.
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