New Jersey Brewers Craft Beer Calling For Reform

COVID-19’s impact has been brutal for brewers. But now the Brewers Guild of New Jersey has launched a new campaign (and beer) to lobby for law change that will help them survive.

New Jersey has long suffered under the most convoluted beer and brewery restrictions overseen by the state’s Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

And even though some adjustments have been made to help brewers weather the pandemic, brewers need so much more.

The state still imposes burdensome restrictions on brewers, things like mandatory tour requirements for brewery visitors, distribution and event limitations.

In an effort to lobby for legislative changes that have never been more necessary, the guild has launched its Guilded for the Cause campaign, complete with a special collaboration beer.

The Beer

Brewed Kane Brewing in Ocean Township, NJ, and shipping throughout the state beginning on November 1, Gilded for the Cause is a 6.5% ABV Key Lime India Pale Ale, which in addition to fresh limes, features locally-grown grains from Rabbit Hill Farm in Shiloh, NJ., and Bullock Farms, home of Screamin’ Hill Brewery.

And proceeds from the sale of this beer collaboration will help support the Brewers Guild of New Jersey and its advocacy efforts on behalf of its licensed brewery and brewpub membership.

The Campaign

In addition to the beer itself the state’s brewers guild seeking the following reforms and -initiatives to help sustain New Jersey’s craft brewing industry throughout the pandemic and into the future…

Revisions to the decade-old craft brewery law to improve the customer experience and the business climate for locally made craft beer in the state. Rules like the mandatory tour requirement, entertainment and event restrictions, distribution limits and the inability to organize festivals in your community are some for foremost policy priorities the Guild wishes to accomplish with your help immediately;

Maintaining home delivery privileges on a permanent basis so that craft beer fans can continue to enjoy their favorite local ales and lagers without the need to leave their homes, in a convenient and safe way. Put this priority in the “turning lemons into lemonade” category, but as the pandemic has shown, new temporary privileges like this for breweries are hugely welcomed by craft beer drinkers and should be kept on the books permanently;

Gaining support for government-sponsored financial programs to make it easier to open a brewery and expand operations in our state. Buildings, equipment and materials are really expensive, and a reliable level of state support will go a long way in continuing to make the industry successful long-term;

Reforming laws which ensure fair negotiations between craft brewers and other parts of the state’s alcoholic beverage distribution and retail industry. For generations, the cards have been stacked against small breweries trying to compete against the behemoth interests in the industry. Now is the time for laws to change to give New Jersey’s craft breweries a fighting chance to level the playing field and make it easier for you, the consumer, to choose what beers are available.

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