With a sometimes deadly virus spreading across the globe, closing countries as well as schools and work places and causing widespread economic damage, people holed up at home with the kids have joked, or maybe not joked, about needing a stiff drink.
But starting this past weekend, that got more difficult, as bars and restaurants in Allegheny and other counties were ordered to close to customers coming in. Then, as of 9 p.m. Tuesday, the state of Pennsylvania closed all of its Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores, as well as its online sales site, “until further notice.”
The state Liquor Control Board said it was taking that action to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 disease, in line with Gov. Tom Wolf’s and the state Department of Health’s statewide shutdown of “non-essential” businesses and services. While how essential alcoholic beverages are wasn’t defined, there still are ways for Pennsylvanians to legally purchase them.
Licensees received emails from the PLCB on Monday that gave bars and restaurants “temporary” permission to continue to sell alcoholic beverages for off-premise consumption, at least for the next two weeks, and producers were told they could keep selling for off-premise consumption, too, as long as they use hygienic and social distancing best practices. But as with everything right now, the situation is very fluid and subject to change.
The PLCB sent licensees another email, later on Monday, that reiterated that bars, restaurants and other “non-essential” retailers should voluntarily close before the state is compelled to close them under the law to protect public health. This left some licensees unsure as to what to do, and how long even off-premise sales might last.
In the meantime, Pennsylvania supermarkets, for example, remain open and many now sell beer and wine. Other wine sellers, such as Spill the Wine Bar in Bloomfield, are selling bottles to go only. Rankin’s Mary’s Vine is opening Saturday to sell up to four bottles at a time to go.
Beer distributors have been allowed to remain open, as well, and they have been busy. Banksville Beer on Tuesday announced “abbreviated hours” to allow for cleaning and restocking and noted, “We will continue to re-evaulate the best course of action for the safety of our employees and customers as the situation progresses.”
Some local breweries and brewpubs this week shifted to selling cans and bottles as well as sealed crowlers and new growlers — glass jugs -— of beer to go only. Several breweries, such as Yellow Bridge Brewing Co. in Delmont, Brew Gentlemen in Braddock and Cinderlands Beer in the Strip District, are offering to bring beer out to customers’ vehicles. Cinderlands will deliver beer, too, as well as food.
Grist House Craft Beer parked a beer trailer outside its Millvale brewery and taproom to sell cans and growlers of beer to take away. Starting Wednesday, Grist House also is selling cans from noon to 8 p.m. daily at its forthcoming production brewery at the former Nike missile base in Collier.
Western Pennsylvania spirits producers also planned to sell bottles from their distilleries. They are able to ship spirits to adult Pennsylvania residents’ homes, as are Pennsylvania wineries. And Pennsylvania consumers may order wines from permitted wineries in other states (see www.lcb.pa.gov/Consumers/Pages/Direct-Wine-Shipping.aspx).
Lawrenceville Distilling, which is offering free shipping for purchases of two bottles, posted on Facebook that “we are small and make everything by hand so these sales are very much appreciated during these unsure times.”
Tim Russell says that, in part to keep his employees working at Maggie’s Farm Rum in the Strip District, he’s starting to have them deliver bottles to local homes in a properly marked company truck. Customers place orders online and Allegheny County residents use a coupon code to cut the $15 shipping charge to $5. Meanwhile, the distillery is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily for take-out bottle sales — “until we hear otherwise,” he adds.
Despite the seriousness of the COVID-19 outbreak, some spirits producers are getting creative with how they’re keeping going. Quantum Spirits, too, is offering “doorstep delivery” of spirits as well as mixers — “Keep that bar stocked!” — within a 20-mile radius of its Carnegie location.
In addition to shipping bottles, Kim McLaughlin at McLaughlin Distilling in Sewickley Hills is offering curbside pickup.
In Washington, Pa., Liberty Pole Spirits planned to launch a "House-Bound Happy Hour,” which it explained like this: “To help bring our cocktail meetinghouse experience into your kitchen while we're all taking a social-breather, we're launching a new homemade cocktail video-series. We'll be highlighting some easy-to-make cocktails in your house, with typical on-hand ingredients, in an entertaining fashion.”
Wigle Whiskey on Tuesday announced sales on product packages from Wigle — including a “Core Survival Set” of a bottle of bourbon, a bottle of rye and a bottle of gin for $105 — that can be picked up at the newly expanded distillery, tasting room, bottle shop and restaurant in the Strip District. From 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, they’re doing a “Burger & A Bottle Drive Thru offering of a bottled Old Fashioned Cocktail and a burger for $45 plus 15% tip (for up to 45 pre-registered customers) at the distillery. At sister business Threadbare Cider in Spring Garden, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, they’re doing a similar Pizza & A Bottle Drive Thru offering pre-registered customers a bottle of cider and a pizza for $30 plus tip.
Pittsburgh’s non-state run spirits boutique, Pennsylvania Libations in the Strip District, announced on Monday its intention to stay open and continue selling takeaway bottles of spirits made in the region and in the state. Owner Christian Simmods said in a statement Tuesday afternoon that they were doing no tastings and just bottle sales, paid for with microchipped credit cards only. “We will only let the allowed amount of shoppers in the store at a time,” he noted.” We are taking every precaution to stay safe and clean so that we can remain open.”
Pennsylvania hasn’t gone the route of New York and allowed food-selling licensees to sell cocktails to go. But Squirrel Hill’s Hidden Harbor is selling Tiki To-Go — premixed cocktails to which customers just add rum at home — as well as beer and food to go from its sister business, Independent Brewing Co. It helps not just employees and owners, the owners said, but also the community to continue to offer what it can, including drinks. “As for the beer and cocktails, well, they may not be as essential as food, but these things have played a vital role in our culture for millennia, and we believe there is value in continuing to make them available.”
Bob Batz Jr.: bbatz@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1930 and on Twitter @bobbatzjr.
First Published: March 18, 2020, 11:00 a.m.