BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Few craft breweries inspire awe from beer aficionados like Other Half Brewing. Widely recognized as one of the most exciting breweries in New York, Other Half attracted beer tourists from all over the country and beyond, waiting in long lines and even camping out on the sidewalk for new releases. Then, COVID-19 forced the brewery to close their taprooms in Brooklyn and the Finger Lakes.
Fortunately for craft fans, some of the brewery’s offerings are now available in 26 states through online retailer Tavour.
The move represents a significant pivot for the brewery, which previously relied largely on brick and mortar locations.
“When everything first started happening, our number one priority was keeping our employees and customers healthy and safe,” Joy Reichenbach, Other Half’s Manager of Operations and Communications says. “Now, we want people to get our beer in whatever way is most convenient for them.”
The brewery immediately began curbside pick-up for to-go beer, as well as home delivery in NYC. Fans can still pick up beer at the original Brooklyn location, as well as the Finger Lakes taproom in Broomfield, NY, and a recently opened taproom in Washington DC. In addition, Other Half will open a second Brooklyn production facility and taproom in the Domino Park neighborhood in the coming months.
To reach out-of-state customers who can no longer travel to the brewery, Other Half also began shipping beer via UPS to customers in New York, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. But, logistical difficulties have kept out-of-state shipping fairly limited. So, working with an established direct-to-customer service like Tavour made sense.
“A good amount of our customers have traveled from other states and countries to get our beer. But with COVID, that all stopped,” Reichenbach explains.
Now, instead of traveling to the Empire State, many craft beer drinkers can scoop up Other Half’s celebrated beers via the Tavour app. For the first time, some of these highly-rated beers are available to customers in California, Illinois, Texas, and Florida, among many other states.
So far, the brewery has offered an assortment of hazy, hoppy beers through Tavour, including their Double Dry Hopped True Green IPA and Green City IPA. All have sold out within hours.