Craft Brew News
05/08/20

(Courtesy of brewbound.com)

Maine Brewpub Owner Defies Executive Order, Loses Licenses

Even as a mini-revolution, the Sunday River Brewing uprising didn’t last long.

As states grapple with reopening for business in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, one Maine brewpub owner opted to defy the reopening plan Gov. Janet Mills laid out last week that orders restaurants to remain shut for on-premise dining until June.

Rick Savage, owner of Sunday River Brewing in Bethel, Maine, opened his brewpub at around noon on Friday, May 1, drawing a large crowd and defying Mills’ March 18 executive order banning gatherings of more than 10 people. About four hours later, he told reporters that state government representatives had come to the brewpub to revoke his health and liquor licenses.

Savage said to a group of reporters outside the brewpub on Friday. “I think it’s ridiculous,” “I think
it’s totally ridiculous. If they want to deal with people, deal with us in a manner that’s civil.”
“If you don’t like it, take me to court,” Savage said.

But, before 8 p.m. on May 1, Sunday River Brewing had posted to Facebook that the brewpub “will be closed until further notice.” The next day, Savage appeared at a rally protesting Mills’ reopening plan. Sunday River Brewing linked to a GoFundMe fundraiser on Facebook called the “Maine Back to Work Fund,” which has raised nearly $95,000 as of presstime.

Federal Judge Sides with Anheuser-Busch InBev in Corn Syrup Ad Lawsuit

More than a year after it began, a federal circuit judge ruled that Anheuser-Busch InBev is free to continue its advertising campaign calling out the use of corn syrup in Molson Coors Beverage Company’s flagship light lagers.

Molson Coors, then named MillerCoors, filed a deceptive advertising lawsuit against the world’s largest beer manufacturer after it ran a commercial during the 2019 Super Bowl pointing out the use of corn syrup during the brewing process of Miller Lite and Coors Light, which Bud Light does not use.

At the heart of its decision is that Miller Lite and Coors Light both list “corn syrup (dextrose)” among their ingredients.

Earlier in 2019, a different judge granted Molson Coors an injunction that blocked A-B from displaying some billboards and television ads.

A-B said it is “pleased” with the decision.

Pyramid Brewing Closes Seattle Taproom After Over 30 Years

After more than 30 years in business, Pyramid Brewing Co. parent company FIFCO USA announced last week that it will permanently close Pyramid Alehouse in Seattle, Washington. The company notified staff Thursday, April 30, offering severance pay to help with their transition.

The state’s bar and restaurant closures due to COVID-19 have led to business decline, “creating insurmountable business challenges for the Alehouse to continue to operate,” according to a press release. Located in Seattle’s SoDo neighborhood, Pyramid Alehouse relied on sporting and entertainment events to bring customers to the neighborhood and support its business during “non-peak” times, according to Rich Andrews, CEO of FIFCO USA. The taproom is located across the street from the Seattle Mariners’ Safeco Field and a block from the Seattle Seahawks’ CenturyLink Field.

Pyramid beer will still be available for purchase at its retail accounts throughout the Pacific Northwest, and its beers will be brewed in Oregon’s Portland Brewery.


On-Premise Shutdowns Could Cost Beer Industry $8 Billion

The near-nationwide shutdown of the on-premise channel will result in a loss of $8 billion for the beer industry if it continues into June, National Beer Wholesalers Association chief economist Lester Jones said during a State of the Industry webinar hosted by the NBWA and the Beer Institute (BI) last week.

Jones said “We really need to step up our conversations and talk about how the loss here to the industry is significant,”. “It’s not going to be made up through grocery stores and 30-packs and cases people are stashing in their garages. It will not be compensated by those additional off-premise purchases. And, of course, the longer the shutdown, the greater the loss.”

On-premise sales account for 9% of the industry’s $328 billion annual economic impact, which translates to $3.1 billion per month. If a quarter of the on-premise channel reopens in May and half reopens in June, the beer industry stands to lose $8 billion.

As states begin laying out plans for the reopening of their economies, the beer industry will need to consider the health of geographic markets when deciding how to return to the shuttered on-premise channel, Jones said.

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