Rising Tides Raise All Ships
New Jersey is missing out on a economic boon with new restrictions on craft breweries...
July 1- It is the Friday before the long holiday weekend so I’m spending the afternoon trying to beat the Texas heat with some icy beers on the outskirts of Dallas.
I'm in the DFW often enough to have discovered a great little brewery in the rapidly developing neighborhood of Trinity Groves that I try to hit up every time I'm here. A sleek little taproom is called The Manhattan Project Beer Company. I love everything about this place. Not only are all the beers on the menu tasty, but the tap room and outdoor patio are immaculately designed. Like the beers, their space is crisp, clean, and modern. It’s a chill place to come in, grab a seat and throw back a few on a scorching summer afternoon.
Unlike the breweries back from where I come from in Jersey, The Manhattan Project offers more than just a rotating selection of beers. They also brew exceptional coffee on the bar -- a deluxe espresso machine next to the taps.
They also have a kitchen on site that serves food that is nothing short of amazing. Things like arepas made with their in-house pilsner, Thai-style fried chicken, and French fries cooked in beef tallow… every item on the menu is elevated pub grub.
I always enjoy an afternoon at this place, But, As I sit here, my mind is elsewhere instead of the delicious Japanese-style rice lager in my hand. All I kept thinking about was back home and how lawmakers in New Jersey would never allow a place like The Manhattan Project exist.
Today is the beginning of a crisis for the 100+ breweries that call the Garden State home. They are facing a slew of restrictions —just in time for a holiday weekend where bringing local beers to a backyard BBQ is as American as baseball and apple pie.
The New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control created the special ruling that places steep limits on not only how many events breweries can host at their taprooms, but also on their attendance at other events, like street fairs. To say that these new restrictions are excessive would be an understatement.
Under the new edict, breweries in Jersey are now forced to cap their events and activities to just 25 per year, a small fraction of the 365 they operate. Private parties on site are now capped at 52 per year.
There are also restrictions on how many off-site events like beer festivals they can attend. Events like these are a marketing boon for these start-up-style businesses, but now brewers will have to choose which ones they should attend, as they are only allowed to do so 12 times per year. They aren’t even allowed to roast and brew their own coffee.
According to a recent article in The Record of North Jersey, former NJABC Director David Rible said back in 2018, when the ruling was first presented, that the allowances given to breweries in the state were done so with the intent, ‘to create a demand for craft beer that would translate into greater retail sales at liquor stores, bars, and restaurants—NOT to establish a new ‘consumption venue.’”
I do not think I am going out on a limb here when I say these laws are nothing short of draconian. As craft beer has evolved, so have the breweries. Sure, they do get just as crowded as bars, but they are a thing entirely on their own. Bars across the state are still packed to the gills on a Friday or Saturday night. Breweries are not killing the bar business. Plain and simple.
But the food and bev industry in New Jersey would have you believe otherwise. The industry's lobbying arm has convinced Trenton that breweries are threatening their very existence. So now, these small business owners, who barely survived the COVID lockdowns, will likely find it hard to grow and sustain their success.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Jersey starts to see a mass exodus of breweries looking for greener pastures in neighboring states like Pennsylvania, New York, or Connecticut. In fact, one well-known brewery, The Referend Bier Blendery moved last year from Pennington, NJ to Kutztown, PA. The owners said at the time that they could not find a suitable new space for their operation. Whether or not they were referring to restrictions remains to be seen but, they were welcomed from across the Delaware River with open arms.
New Jersey is in long need of an economic boon of its own. It could have achieved one if it did a better job of encouraging brewers to set up shop within the state. Returns could have been bountiful…increasing tax revenue, creating tourism, etc. Restaurants and bars in Dallas are not hurting just because The Manhattan Project also sells coffee and fried chicken.
But the people who run the Garden State tend to be short-sided and ignore the big picture…that rising tides can raise all ships.
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PostScript: For further reading, check out this fantastic essay by the owner and head brewer of Muckraker Beermaker in Franklin, NJ and hear directly from a Garden State brewer who will be impacted by the new ruling…