Congrats
When people ask me why I think Philly is America’s Best Beer-Drinking City, I usually cite our local beer tradition, brewers and taverns. But one of the things that gives us a leg up is the excellent beer wholesalers who bring us all those great suds.
You know some of the names: Shangy’s in Emmaus, the world’s largest beer store. Stockertown Beverage and Bella Vista are bringing in lots of new American micros. Origlio Beverage has been doing a helluva job sorting out and marketing its massive craft portfolio. Penn Beer in Roxborough, who continues to widen its craft selection, is a great friend despite my constant jabs at its No. 1 product, Bud Light.
And then there is Gretz Beer in Norristown and Muller Inc. in the Far Northeast. Earlier this month, the National Beer Wholesalers Association named them as two of its 15 finalists in its second annual Craft Beer Distritributor of the Year awards, recognizing the distributor who does the most to market, promote and sell craft beer. (Click Wholesale Distributing of Seattle, Wash., won the award.)
Yeah, I realize this is inside baseball. And I know Pennsylvania’s byzantine beer laws are a hassle that often leave us frustrated at distributors. But every local beer drinker should know that we wouldn’t be enjoying all these great beers without these folks.
Congrats especially to Tom Buonanno of Muller and Jane Dempsey of Gretz, who deserve kudos for their behind-the-scenes work in promoting the beer culture in the city and suburbs.
By the way, unless I’m reading this list wrong, Philly is the only metropolitan area that can boast TWO finalists in the competition.
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