Test Kitchen: What’s Happening During the Pandemic

Test Kitchen is an ongoing print column and online blog by the Publisher of Brewer Magazine and Test Kitchen Brewer Tyler Montgomery. With a 1.5 barrel brewhouse launched in 2019, this is his experience and notes from the journey along with reviews of products and services.

 

Sticking with the theme of this blog I’ll just tell you what we’re doing here in Kentucky. Additionally I’ll give you some insights into what some of our brewing friends are doing around the state and some good ideas we’ve seen since our taprooms have been closed due to COVID-19. 

These are certainly trying times, but in my opinion it’s important to keep moving. We were set up for a pretty busy brewing week following our St. Patrick’s Day celebrations over the weekend. I feel blessed that we were able to at least have that party and it will certainly assist us over the next couple of weeks. 

This week we started working on our Ales for ALS beers which I’m extremely excited to be brewing this year. One of the initial articles for Brewer Magazine online was promoting Ales for ALS. 

To keep our taproom alive we’ve been practicing beer to go. It’s been important to us that we stick to the guidelines of our state and ensure lines aren’t formed and we try to take orders before people arrive. Additionally we’ve offered a gift card program where customers receive $25 for a $20 gift card. This has actually been extremely beneficial for us and gave us a small revenue boost on Tuesday. 

A lot of the production breweries around us have completely shut down taprooms in general and are simply continuing to brew and get beer out to stores. This is most likely the best and safest method at this point. Additionally it’ll probably have the strongest legs. 

Our friends at Mirror Twin in Lexington, Kentucky have teamed with their in-house pizza restaurant — Rolling Oven Pizza Kitchen — for delivery and pairing discounts. They’re also having curbside pick up and are looking to expand the delivery options as soon as possible. The food options aren’t available to us, but we have explored delivery and may do so as we progress into the weekend — assuming we’ll be able to at that point in time. 

Founders Brewing has really stuck out in a post I recently saw. The Michigan brewery is keeping production open but is donating perishable food from taprooms to employees that are in need and donating the remainder to local food banks. 

These are going to be trying times for our industry, but it’s vital that we keep our heads up and focus on what we can do to assist our communities as opposed to the negativity swarming around us. Good luck out there everyone! We’ll see you on the other side of this during our amazing bounce back! Cheers! 

 

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