(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – Illinois craft brewers are sharing how they're combating the business slump related to “Dry January.”
Ray Stout with the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild says it may be a great and healthy way to start off the year, but the monthlong bid for abstinence has also been hitting local breweries hard.
"Over the past two years, we've seen somewhere around 40 breweries in the state of Illinois close, which is a pretty substantial number. These are small businesses in the community that rely heavily on foot traffic,” he said.
That's why the guild is hosting its second annual "My Illinois Beer Fridge" competition. The idea is for consumers to stock their fridge with craft beer, take a picture for social media and tag it with #myILbeerfridge.
Owners of the two most dynamic Illinois beer fridges will win a $50 gift card to a local brewery.
Stout hopes people “check out some of these small businesses in their community, and come away with some really awesome beers to drink either when they get home or on Feb. 1.”
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