“THE IDEA OF STAYING LOCAL… IS APPEALING, MAKING IT A DESTINATION BRAND…” – EVAN KLEIN // BARRIER BREWING COMPANY
Barrier Brewing Company in Long Island, New York was founded in 2010 as a nanobrewery. Despite the destruction of Superstorm Sandy in October 2012, Barrier came back bigger and better than ever.
Still small, with a varied portfolio of styles – from their Beech Street Wheat, to the Rotationer Pilsner, to their uber-popular Money IPA – Barrier is certainly making an impact on the local beer scene in New York City.
In addition to distributing their beers to dozens of great craft beer bars across the five boroughs, Barrier also brews exclusive beers for local restaurants, like Uncle Boon’s Brew with Thai chilies and fresh lime juice for a hip downtown Manhattan Thai restaurant and the Maison Premiere Oyster Stout for a Brooklyn-based oyster house.
Barrier’s Money IPA, Daddy Warbuck$ Double IPA, and Morticia Russian Imperial Stout are being sought out by beer geeks from around the country. But as Barrier only distributes locally at this time, getting your hands on these beers means that a trip to New York is in order.
With locally-focused distribution, many breweries across the country have made themselves destination brands – from Hill Farmstead, Lawson’s Finest Liquids and The Alchemist in Vermont, to New Glarus in Wisconsin, and Arizona Wilderness in (you guessed it!) Arizona.
It’s a tough tug-of-war between the trend towards buying locally and the American grocery store mentality, which has taught us that we can expect to find the same goods from the same producers in every big city across the country.
What do you prefer? The excuse for a beercation – to try local beers at their source – or would you rather have access to your favorite brews no matter where you are?
Sure, there are plenty of American craft beers I’m missing out on here in London, but I’ve been able to discover some incredible British craft breweries and I know I’ll enjoy my favorite U.S. brews even more when I’m back in the States for Christmas.
As for me, I’m all for destination brands… beercations are the best!
Quote source: Steve Hindy // The Craft Beer Revolution
Watson's Corner 