I know, I know, you’re sick of thinking/hearing about how the whole virus thing is completely smurfing up our way of life currently. Me too, friend. But I thought it would be worthwhile taking a moment to talk about the best ways to procure beer while we are engaging in “social distancing.”
I suppose it should be stated that if you’re really social distancing, then you just aren’t going to be able to get beer. If you’re lucky enough to have a) stockpiled some already, or b) are a homebrewer and have enough malt/hops/and some yeast, then you are probably going to have to go without. A quick note for your homebrewers, which you probably already know, but you CAN use baker’s yeast to ferment your beer. Try .5 oz of dry yeast to your 5 gallon batches. You can always re-pitch if you don’t see a krausen in 24-36 hours. You might want to do a yeast starter with some extract, though.
Otherwise, if you’re social distancing is just a smidge less draconian, you might want to try a local brewery. Right now in Craftboro (www.craftborobrewing.com) you can call between 2 and 6 for drive-up growler fills and bottle shop selections. Craftboro has a small but eclectic collection of bottles and cans, not to mention their own fine brew. You can also try Beer Study (www.beerstudy.com). I hear that (at least at the moment of writing) JD and friends are personally delivering beer to your door. They have an amazing and abundant selection of beers from all over, so this is a great resource to exploit in your time of need.
If your version of social distancing just means you’re going to the grocery store less than every other day, then of course you can just go buy what you buy. I would encourage you, though, in this very nutty time, to really think about the products you purchase. This craziness is unprecedented, and we just don’t know what the long term ramifications are going to be, but I can tell you that beer-focused small businesses like bottle shops, taprooms, and breweries are going to take a nasty hit due to the lack of traffic in their stores. This means that buying from local, small-scale producers is even more important than it ever was when it was just a matter of Craft v. AB Inbev. So please, buy local.
I hope you can find some beer and some peace in these wacky times.
Might want to check out the drive-thru pallet sale at Durty Bull in Durham with a number of local breweries repped on Saturday.