Small brewers of Pennsylvania:
are you scared of grocery store beer sales? I like the attitude of your comrade,
Scott Smith at East End Brewing, who won't let the prospect get him down: he's taking it to the grocers and
selling coffee and cake mix! The latest from his always-amusing e-letter:
GROCERIES AT THE BREWERY? OH, THE HUMANITY!
Last month, beer was sold at a grocery store in Western PA, and something remarkable happened... small brewers still survived, local beer distributors that offer better beers haven't closed, and in general civilization hasn't crumbled. Just amazing. But while the long term effects of better access to better beer still remain to be seen, we're going to see if we can shake things up even more and give the folks at Giant Eagle and Wegman's a run for their money... and take the game to their field.
We've already sold through our batch of Rachel Carson Blend Coffee from LaPrima at the brewery, as well as (the beer that we can't call) Eye Opener Coffee Porter. And now our further encroachment into the "Fine Groceries" category continues with our Holiday Season release of our much anticipated Black Strap Stout Cake Mixes. Finally, the return of the best solution for that leftover cup of Black Strap Stout at the bottom of your Growler - make a cake with it! Or maybe that's not a problem for you, and you just need to pick up a second jug?
So, there. Take THAT grocery stores! Now we'll really see if civilization can crumble. I know the cake is nice and moist.
I do like a brewer with a sense of humor, and Scott's all that and a bag of crisps. Pretty damned good beer, too.
Small brewers of Pennsylvania: are you scared of grocery store beer sales? I like the attitude of your comrade, Scott Smith at East End Brewing, who won't let the prospect get him down: he's taking it to the grocers and selling coffee and cake mix! The latest from his always-amusing e-letter:
5 comments:
Troegs sells brownies made with their rugged trail and one with the hopback at the brewery, both excellent. I hear mike hiller is also constantly selling out of dog treats that are made from the spent grain at Bavarian Barbarian. It just makes me keep asking the question, "What can't beer do?" haha
Why can't they call it Eye Opener Coffee Porter?
Apparently the TTTB's knickers got in a knottt because of the implied "health claims" of "Eye Opener". Madness.
Hey TC:
Almost a whole year late, but the reason behind the label refusal can be found in a previous newsletter edition:
http://tinyurl.com/245zlwj
Cheers - Scott
Stumbling across this so many years later, basking in the irony that we were subsequently told by the PLCB that cake mix and coffee sales were illegal for a brewery. When I asked why we could not sell grocery type items, they replied “Because bulk.”
Super helpful, as always.
Post a Comment