I live in a border town and follow upstate New York news daily. These days, it's all about cuts to programs for the vulnerable, cuts to colleges and new fees for things like a new license plate whether you need one or not. But there was money for one grant:
The state government last week awarded $800,000 to the Brooklyn Brewery to jump-start their $6.5 million expansion in Williamsburg. The company, along with its signature Brooklyn brands of ale, lager and beer, is converting 13,500 square feet of vacant distribution space into a beer fermentation facility, and increasing brewing capacity from 8,000 to 50,000 barrels per year. The plant is located at 79 North 11th Street. The grant came from a competitive process, yielding a total first-round $7.8 million that will eventually total $35 million to revitalize the downstate area, and grow the job and tax base.
Now, I like the Brooklyn Brewery as much as the next guy. I have a couple of Local 1's calling to me from the stash right now. Can't you hear them? And it is good that this project will assist in creating 15 full-time jobs with benefits. But I would hope that as part of building a beer culture and doing so with public money in a hard time that craft beer responds in kind. I would hope that there might be a lot less of the warnings of how we consumers all have to make sure we pony up when materials costs go up only to receive vague hand waving when they go down. A bit less of the "craft beer is under priced, a bit less of the exclusivity and a bit more thanks and right back at'cha to the public that make the careers of craft brewers possible by buying their good beer...not to mention providing some of the funding their capital expansions.
Comments
Knut Albert Solem - October 29, 2009 6:32 AM
I don't believe in building craft beer culture with public money. Tax cuts for small scale breweries, perhaps, but not grants like this. The last time I looked, there were a number of breweries in New York state, and to give a grant to one of them is not particularly clever.
But they probably wrote a nice application, using all the green trigger words.
dave - October 29, 2009 12:15 PM
I was wondering what type of "thanks and right back at'cha" are you expecting?
Alan - October 29, 2009 1:04 PM
Without a North American version of CAMRA there is a lack of a voice for the issues that affect consumer interest in the marketplace. So...hmmm... given that there is no consumer's organization maybe ensuring that the question of price point is determined based on only on how far you can push your base? Maybe also ensuring like places like Saranac in Utica do that there is plenty of opportunity for participation at the brewery in an experience that builds real human relations? Maybe a little less of the "I'm a rock star and you are my fan" mentality while they are at it.
Steve Mash - October 30, 2009 5:43 PM
I would say that giving a grant to a local business in order to keep them local and allow them to continue to grow their successful business is far more practical than many of the other grants that are dispersed. It's nice that you single out the grant to Brooklyn and highlight the cuts, but there were certainly other businesses that received grants. Was Brooklyn less deserving than them? Also, keep in mind that Brooklyn is shelling out $6.5 million of their own money to fund this expansion. So yeah, it is good for the state to pony up a little.
With respect to the fact that you imply certain brewers are "Rock Stars" (which in my mind is f@#king ridiculous, both fans and brewers need to get over themselves), of the 1500+ breweries out there, how many have brewers that act like "Rock Stars"? A handful?
Where you given bad treatment by someone from Brooklyn?
Alan - October 30, 2009 6:16 PM
Right - it's a personal vendetta. That makes sense, Steve.
So, were you made fun of by a taxpayer? Is that why you can't question corporate welfare?
Alan - October 30, 2009 6:19 PM
And I don't "imply" the rock star thing - it is trotted out by "the micro marketeers" themselves. I agree it is ridiculous.
dave - November 2, 2009 9:08 PM
Interesting point about the "participation at the brewery in an experience that builds real human relations". I checked out both brewery web sites, and noticed they both do brewery tours, but then again most breweries do that. What makes Saranac's tour stick out compared to Brooklyn's tour and/or other tours? Or are you talking about something else beyond the tour. Thanks for the answers and sorry for more questions.
Alan - November 2, 2009 10:05 PM
Never a problem. More question good questions.
Saranac does a Thursday event at the brewery all summer with a band and food.
It would be interesting to catalog all the "give back" compared to "give us" programs craft brewers run.