Prohibition Pains

I initially slated a piece about twelve-packs in for today’s post, but given the effects of the coronavirus, I changed direction.

Prohibition. The period in American history between 1920 and 1933 when America went dry… ish. Spurred on by the temperance movement to improve the nation’s overall health and reduce the amount of domestic violence, the Volstead Act, and eventually, the 18th Amendment shut down the brewing and distilling industries. Looking at this from a 21st-century perspective, we know that this was repealed, which would indicate a complete failure. Although eventually repealed, the Amendment did see positive outcomes. Alcohol consumption across the country dropped significantly. Cases of health conditions linked to alcohol plummeted. The majority of these wins were only immediate effects and not long term. Not to mention the several not so pleasant outcomes.

At the time called the noble experiment, the 18th Amendment was too large to effectively enforce. Speakeasies, bootlegging and moonshine rose to prominence in cities and more populated areas. Organized crime did also. Someone needed to control the black market profits after all. This effectively squashed any hope of violence being curtailed by the removal of alcohol from society.

But, looking on the bright side, you might say, one of the unintended effects of Prohibition is a well for Hollywood to draw upon. If Prohibition never happened, DeNiro, Pacino, and Pesci wouldn’t be the stars they are today. I know it’s a stretch for a bright side, but these are strange times.

Prohibition was repealed thirteen years after its ratification. You’d think business would have boomed back harder than ever. That didn’t happen. The repeal of Prohibition occurred smack dab amid the Great Depression. Small craft breweries didn’t have the capital to reverse the damage that had been done. An industry that was soaring high in the 1870s and chockful of variety couldn’t catch a break to be able to pull out of its nosedive.

The larger entities, I think you can guess some of the names, did survive and absorbed many of the smaller breweries over time. The addition of a distributor into the sales process made it difficult for smaller businesses to take root and survive. For a long time, it was looking like the beer industry would become a homogeneous entity.

That didn’t happen. Whew!

It took a while. The seventies and eighties were rough for this industry. No offense Falstaff, Pabst, and Schiltz. Like I mentioned in my review of Berkshire, your swag was on point, but the consumer wants more than just cool clocks and lampshades.

Anyway, I digress.

Brewing in the US has finally started a real bounce back. In 2019, the Brewer’s Association reported as of June 30th of that year, 7,480 active small and independent breweries operating in the US with an estimated 2,500 to 3,000 in the planning stage. That is a lot of beer. And a lot of future beer.

Anyone who follows even a single brewery on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter knows that the last few weeks have been rough and fraught with changes. Fear not. I’m not fear-mongering, and saying what we are dealing with is the next Great Depression. I would hope we’ve learned a thing or two since then. But that doesn’t mean everything is hunky-dory either. What is going to be left standing on the other side of this? The brewing industry might be big, but the individual breweries aren’t. They work with a product tied to deadlines and shelf-lives. And are heavily dependant on patronage.

Luckily for us, we won’t have to resort to bootlegging or sneaking into speakeasies to get our hooch. The Internet age is a terrible and great thing. Many breweries are quickly shifting gears and offering online pickup orders of cans and growler fills to accommodate continued sales with minimal social contact.

This might be the introvert in me, but can this stay once the threat of mass contagion subsides?

As anyone who has poked around in the East Coast Thirsty section of this blog can tell you, I am a big fan of popping into breweries and sampling their delights. But sometimes, after a long day at work, the idea of sitting in a crowded, loud space doesn’t sound appealing. Really, on those kinds of days, the only thing that is appealing is your favorite pair of sweatpants and sitting on the couch.

Digressing again.

This set up allows breweries to continue to sell their product, the consumer to enjoy the product, and both parties are at minimal risk. Obviously, this is for those who are healthy and are in the low-risk category.

If you aren’t sure if your local brewery currently has this option, check their websites and social media accounts. At this point, I believe just about all of mine have posted their details for weathering the pandemic. We are all in this together, and all forms of support are needed.

Cheers, Nerd Girls!