Even the strip clubs sell craft beer
Don Russell’s Joe Six Pack column this week begins with a visit to a strip club - where he find craft beer on tap.
When even a topless bar - a joint where patrons typically don’t pay much attention to what’s in their glass - can sell pints of expensive suds, something’s going on. I think we’re witnessing the critical mass of craft beer in this town.
First, somebody in Portland, Oregon, must be smiling when they read this. Portland has more neightborhood taverns with dozens of taps dedicated to tap beer than any place else. It also has has also more strip clubs than most cities - and often the two meet. For years, a few well known brewers have led a led groups to the Arcopolis following Oregon Brewers Festival sessions.
But we already knew the rest of the country has some catching up to do with Portland.
Russell discovers that’s happening in Philadelphia.
Five years ago, there might’ve been 25 places inside the city that served more than two craft beers. Today, I have a spreadsheet on my laptop that lists no fewer than 230 Philly taverns with microbrews, and there’s another 200 within 25 miles of City Hall.
He finds, for instance, that Yards Brewing now has 72 accounts in town, and that citywide keg sales of Victory HopDevil were up 35% for the year.
Newsday published a story earlier this week pointing out that Long Island-based Blue Point Brewing doubled production in 2006 and now has 400 tap handles on Long Island and 250 in New York City.
