Learn the priority craft beer issues challenging New Jersey via the Guilded for the Cause campaign

State brewers guilds are important. They bring the beer industry down to an even more localized business level. These organizations are dedicated to fostering growth and fulfillment for local brewers, beer pros and beer suppliers, and they are great resources for brewers, journalists and the general public. Here’s the perfect example. The Brewers Guild of New Jersey recently launched its Guilded for the Cause campaign with an inaugural campaign collab beer called Key Lime India Pale Ale, which I very much want to drink.

The beer is aimed at raising awareness of the priority craft brewing issues throughout the state, helping brewers and connecting both journalists and beer drinkers with the big issues.

The beer

The campaign beer mentioned is being brewed by Kane Brewing Co., which is located in Ocean Township, N.J. It’s being distributed statewide the week (November 1) and sold in four-packs and draft at Kane Brewing Co. for home delivery and to-go sales and at various eateries, bars, liquor stores and beer haunts across New Jersey.

Key Lime India Pale Ale is brewed with key limes and lactose, featuring locally-grown grains sourced from Rabbit Hill Farm in Shiloh, N.J., and Bullock Farms, home of Screamin’ Hill Brewery, in Cream Ridge, N.J. Coming in at 6.5 percent ABV, the beer features a grain bill of Violetta pilsner malt and raw wheat, with additions of Sabro, Cashmere and Motueka hops. Proceeds from the sale of this beer will go towards the Brewers Guild of New Jersey and its advocacy efforts on behalf of its licensed brewery and brewpub membership.

The big beer issues in New Jersey

According to the Brewers Guild of New Jersey, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the industry to double-down on its efforts by asking for the public’s assistance in seeking new reforms and rights which will help sustain the state’s craft brewing industry during the chaos, and once you read what the local industry is asking for it seems like now is the time for big change.

• Revisions to the decade-old craft brewery law to improve the customer experience and the business climate for locally made craft beer in the state. Rules like the mandatory tour requirement, entertainment and event restrictions, distribution limits and the inability to organize festivals in your community are some for foremost policy priorities the Guild wishes to accomplish with your help immediately;
• Maintaining home delivery privileges on a permanent basis so that craft beer fans can continue to enjoy their favorite local ales and lagers without the need to leave their homes, in a convenient and safe way. Put this priority in the “turning lemons into lemonade” category, but as the pandemic has shown, new temporary privileges like this for breweries are hugely welcomed by craft beer drinkers and should be kept on the books permanently;
• Gaining support for government-sponsored financial programs to make it easier to open a brewery and expand operations in our state. Buildings, equipment and materials are really expensive, and a reliable level of state support will go a long way in continuing to make the industry successful long-term;
• Reforming laws which ensure fair negotiations between craft brewers and other parts of the state’s alcoholic beverage distribution and retail industry. For generations, the cards have been stacked against small breweries trying to compete against the behemoth interests in the industry. Now is the time for laws to change to give New Jersey’s craft breweries a fighting chance to level the playing field and make it easier for you, the consumer, to choose what beers are available.