The Brewers Association has been closely monitoring the devastating hurricane that brought destruction to Texas over the past week, and our hearts go out to all those that have been affected, including many Texas breweries.
One brewery, 160ft Beerworks in Houston, reported that security cameras showed up to two feet of water in its building at the height of the storm and they would be closed indefinitely, while they assess the damage. Fetching Lab Brewery in Alvin, Tex., said its brewery has not sustained damage however it is inaccessible due to flooding around them.
Many breweries in the area that have not been affected are actively involved in relief efforts. Eureka Heights and Saint Arnold Brewing have become donation centers, and Saint Arnold has even turned its Facebook page into an information center, by reposting information from FEMA and other relief organizations. Houston’s Great Heights Brewing and Pedernales Brewing Company in Fredericksburg are giving back financially, by donating portions of their profits to the relief efforts. Some have even put themselves in the line of danger, such as 8th Wonder Brewery, who used its oversized brewery truck to rescue flood victims and deliver them to safe ground.
And, of course, geography has never stopped our brewing community from lending a hand to our brothers and sisters in need. As the storm began to rage, brewers both large and small quickly rose to action, trying to find ways to ease the pain felt by those in Harvey’s path–everything from fundraising to canning and shipping water into the affected area. Last week, Oskar Blues stopped canning beer altogether at its Longmont, Colo. brewery, in order to partner with the CAN’d Aid Foundation to fill 88,800 cans of water to be sent to Texas later this week.
Additionally, in preparing for the storm, last week the BA safety subcommittee sent out information about the safety program we have in effect, which provides members with guidance on how they can prepare and respond to natural disasters. The emergency preparedness program includes lockout/tagout procedures to secure electrical equipment in accordance with OSHA regulations.
We have also been in communication with the Texas Craft Brewers Guild on the Great American Beer Festival competition entry deadline and will be granting an extension to the original September 1, 2017 entry arrival deadline to accommodate brewers in Texas and Louisiana who are unable to get their shipments to us by that date due to the shipping disruption caused by the storm.
If your brewery is holding an event to help with the Texas flood relief effort, get the word out by adding your news release to CraftBeer.com, the BA’s website for beer lovers. You can find details on how to add news in this BA Forum post.
We will continue to monitor this evolving event.