First commercial brewery prepares to open in Columbus (appointed, sales)

[SeetheUSA]

https://www.wrbl.com/news/local-news...DHdyzn00h9EMHw

I think this is an awesome addition to uptown, but very disappointed to see that there is no food other than "food trucks". I think we all can see how successful Old Chicago is here, and not having a restaurant is narrow minded IMO.

[Columbus1984]

Originally Posted by SeetheUSA

https://www.wrbl.com/news/local-news...DHdyzn00h9EMHw

I think this is an awesome addition to uptown, but very disappointed to see that there is no food other than "food trucks". I think we all can see how successful Old Chicago is here, and not having a restaurant is narrow minded IMO.

Food can be added later. Most breweries don’t have food. You come for the beer. I think that side of downtown is going to boom. Be on the lookout for more breweries, lots of interest now.

[JayHey]

Yeah, breweries don't need food, I'd even go so far as to say shouldn't. You're thinking of brew pubs - those have food, for example Cannon Brew.

Getting an outpost of Chattabrew is cool, would love to see Omaha do the same thing here.

[Columbus1984]

Originally Posted by JayHey

Yeah, breweries don't need food, I'd even go so far as to say shouldn't. You're thinking of brew pubs - those have food, for example Cannon Brew.

Getting an outpost of Chattabrew is cool, would love to see Omaha do the same thing here.

Omaha should definitely open one here. Their business would quadruple. Being located where they are 1 hour south is just too far.

[columbusboy8]

Originally Posted by Columbus1984

Omaha should definitely open one here. Their business would quadruple. Being located where they are 1 hour south is just too far.

I bet that Omaha is already considering Columbus! The more breweries here, the better! Car dealers locate near each other for a reason. The same applies to breweries!

[GoPioneers]

Originally Posted by Columbus1984

Food can be added later. Most breweries don’t have food. You come for the beer. I think that side of downtown is going to boom. Be on the lookout for more breweries, lots of interest now.

That's because Georgia led the nation in the most backwards laws regarding breweries and brewpubs up until last year. They couldn't even sell the beer directly to me much less open up for food sales. Many of the big name craft breweries have some sort of food sales - including world class food kitchens. Most of them started as brewpubs before graduating to larger scale breweries. These laws are why Georgia was so far behind the nation in quality craft brewers for a state its size.

[Columbus1984]

Originally Posted by GoPioneers

That's because Georgia led the nation in the most backwards laws regarding breweries and brewpubs up until last year. They couldn't even sell the beer directly to me much less open up for food sales. Many of the big name craft breweries have some sort of food sales - including world class food kitchens. Most of them started as brewpubs before graduating to larger scale breweries. These laws are why Georgia was so far behind the nation in quality craft brewers for a state its size.

Georgia has a ton of breweries now. It’s one of the fastest growing markets in the Southeast.

[GoPioneers]

Originally Posted by Columbus1984

Georgia has a ton of breweries now. It’s one of the fastest growing markets in the Southeast.

I'm from Colorado - it's not really a ton - Georgia ranks last in craft brewers per capita .9 per 100,000 residents - it's sad really they were so far behind - I think that number has risen in the last year but has a long way to go.

Now that they have removed the draconian laws I would imagine that we will see a large growth just to catch up. But do know that these laws kept Georgia from becoming an economic center for brewing in the southeast and allowed North Carolina to take that mantle. Most of the major craft breweries that are scaling up production were built in and around Asheville. I wasn't here for the debate - but I'd imagine a combination of the religious right and the wholesalers commanded the Georgia legislature for too long on the issue and they lost out. I would talk to many of the Georgia brewers at the GABF - and asked them to bring the GA Legislature to Denver to see the impact, the Legislature was so shortsighted and did the state a major disservice. The fact that you couldn't sell food was one of the most ridiculous laws that I had ever heard regarding the industry.

[JayHey]

Religious right may have slowed public pressure for relaxing the brewery laws, but it was definitely more of the political clout of about half a dozen very influential alcohol distributors that prevented it for so many years.

[GoPioneers]

Originally Posted by JayHey

Religious right may have slowed public pressure for relaxing the brewery laws, but it was definitely more of the political clout of about half a dozen very influential alcohol distributors that prevented it for so many years.

I'm sure that's true - but that is how political business is done the distributors manipulated the religious right and the legislators beholden or leaning that way into a "unholy" coalition to keep the laws backwards. Without the 2 working together these laws would have been gone long ago.