Up to $1 million on tap to promote Pa. breweries
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The state’s beer marketing board is taking applications for up to $1 million in grants to help grow the industry in Pennsylvania.
The newly appointed board, the full name of which is the Pennsylvania Malt and Brewed Beverage Industry Promotion Board, was created by the Legislature as part of Act 39 in June 2016. Its charge is to make recommendations to the state Liquor Control Board for “increasing the production of Pennsylvania-made malt and brewed beverages and enhancing the Pennsylvania malt and brewed beverages industry.”
The PLCB will approve and fund the projects.
“It’s, ‘How do we take it to the next level? ... As Napa Valley is to wine, how does Pennsylvania create that with beer?”’ board chair Bill Brock, president and CEO of Straub Brewery in St. Marys, said last week.
Also on the board is Sean Casey, founder of the Church Brew Works in Lawrenceville; Frank Pistella of Pistella Beer Distributors in East Liberty; Michele Burchfieldof Blume Honey Water in Fox Chapel; Chris Lampe, production manager of Weyerbacher Brewing Co. in Easton; and Jeff Reeder, co-owner ofAce Distributing in York.
“I think we have the right mix of people at the table,” Mr. Brock said.
The group will consider promotion, marketing and research-based programs and projects for the grants “to increase the quality, profitability, production and sale” of Pennsylvania brews. Priority areas are agriculture; tourism; retailer outreach to help businesses adapt to recent changes in the liquor code; beer industry research; technical assistance, support and research and development;and innovation.
One possible project could be the creation of a beer trail or beer trails to visit local breweries, something that brewersin Western Pennsylvania have been meeting on.
Project proposals and grant applications are due Nov. 30. Details in the solicitation of grant proposals can be found at www.pabulletin.com/index.asp.
Grant applicants will participate in the beer board’s next meeting, Dec. 1, by conference call to give short presentations about their proposals and answer questions. Mr.Casey said the beer board could have recommendations to make as soon as the PLCB’smeeting Dec. 6.
“We’re not in a rush to spend the money,” said Mr. Brock, but, “we want to get some grants out there to get thisthing moving.”
Last month, Gov. Tom Wolf announced the PA Preferred Brews initiative, a branding program dedicated specifically for beers brewed in Pennsylvania using agricultural commodities grown in the state, noting, “Brewing beer is a $5.8 billion industry in Pennsylvania, and it’s an industry that is growing rapidly.”