When brewers and brewery owners need a hand, they know that they can call on friends and colleagues within the industry with just about any request. Whether it’s advice on building out a new brewhouse, help with a vexing packaging problem, or just to borrow a few pounds of hops, there’s a prevailing “we’re all in it together” attitude of that’s long been a hallmark of craft.
But there are more operating breweries now than ever, and not everyone shares the same ideals and motivations. And in many growing markets, brewers don’t always know each other anymore, even by two or three degrees of separation.
This isn’t to claim that the “brotherhood of brewers,” as this informal network is often referred to, is defunct—far from it—but many brewers are becoming much more selective about to whom, and for what reasons, they choose to give of their time and resources. Friends are one thing, but it doesn’t make sense to always offer assistance to just anyone.