Clarksboro, NJ (KYW Newsradio) — Brewery owners in New Jersey are banding together to fight state regulations they say are unfair and killing their businesses.
Brew Jersey is a special hazy IPA, and breweries in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and Vermont are making the same recipe, with 25% of the sales going to the Brewers Guild of New Jersey to fight new regulations that went into effect this past summer.
Chuck Garrity, owner of Death of the Fox brewing company in Clarksboro, says the new rules limit “special events” to 25 per year, which is killing their company, especially on weekends.
The state defines special events for breweries as just about anything that entertains people, including live music, trivia or game nights and sporting events on TV.
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Garrity said he already had to use multiple of the allotted 25 events when the Phillies were in the playoffs and World Series,” Garrity said.
He said it is also difficult to attract customers because they are not allowed to advertise it on social media.
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Eric Orlando, executive director of the state’s Brewers Guild, said, as every week goes by, less money comes into these breweries and they have to make tough choices.
“What we’re trying to do with this collab campaign and beer distribution throughout the state is to really raise awareness of the issues and to really engage the public in contacting local legislators,” Orlando said.
Garrity says, if you can, grab a six pack of Brew Jersey or write to your local state senator to support the brewers.
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Each can of Brew Jersey has a QR code that will direct people to a website with more information about the campaign.
Farmers & Bankers Brewing in Woodstown and Farm Truck Brewing in Medford also signed on to the collaboration. More are expected to join in the coming weeks.