It has been another week of ups and downs in the world of beer. Bars, restaurants, and tap rooms remain near entirely disrupted. They’re mostly closed to the public or trying to cobble together to go or delivery options. And while Washington debates how to handle the current crisis and what relief to offer small business owners, laid off employees continue to struggle. 

While thousands of small breweries are struggling to stay afloat, a small number of larger breweries are actually poised to maintain their operations or even make gains. The craft beer industry’s tent has always been a bit ludicrous in its size, containing tiny 3 barrel nano breweries all the way up to relative behemoths like Boston Beer, Sierra Nevada, Yuengling, and New Belgium. But it is these latter breweries, ones with deep and wide distributor roots and strong infrastructures, that may be built to weather this storm.

In this episode, John Holl recently spoke with one such brewer, Larry Bell, founder and owner of Bell’s Brewery in Michigan. 

In the Beer Edge newsletter this week, Andy Crouch wrote about the new world of craft beer and what it means for its spirit of community. 

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