Breweries open in phase two. So what will a visit to the taproom look like this summer?

It’s not just restaurants that will reopen when phase two of Washington’s recovery program kicks in. The state’s more than 400 breweries will be right there with them.

What will that mean for summer hangouts at taprooms?

First, you won’t be able to have a birthday party with a couple dozen people. The guidelines call for groups of no more than five people per party or table. The plan also asks people to minimize contact with those outside their household to five others each week.

Neither will you be able to sit at the bar, at least not until phase three begins and limited bar seating will be approved.

Annie McGrath at the Washington Brewers Guild said breweries will not be spared from the customer log request laid out in Gov. Jay Inslee’s industry guidelines, though customers can now choose whether to share their information. Breweries, like restaurants, would be required to maintain a log of those who opt in.

Bar seating can only fill up once phase four hits, but social distancing will continue to be recommended.

SUMMER IS BEER SEASON

Despite the precautions, breweries are looking forward to returning to what they have always intended to be — and they are crossing their fingers for the timing of reopening to coincide with what would typically be their high season.

“Breweries are gathering spaces for the community,” said McGrath, and summer is beer season.

Many breweries have large outdoor areas, which can also function at half capacity starting in phase two. As many farmers market organizers have said, guests might prefer to be outside in the open air.

She also believes that the industry is well-equipped to handle the necessary changes to keep customers and staff safe.

“It’ll be interesting because it is a culture shift,” she said, but their quick pivot to delivery and to-go-only beer shows “they’re adapting really quickly to the new standards, and people are going to do whatever they can to reshape their tasting rooms.”

McGrath said businesses should focus on providing plenty of visuals explaining social distancing measures and sanitary practices, so that customers feel comfortable in that space and that a health inspector can see that the business has taken those steps.

At Dystopian State in downtown Tacoma, co-owner Shane McElwrath and his team will set up lines on the floor to allow for six feet between patrons waiting in line to order a beer. Employees will be wearing Dystopian-branded masks (“It will be even more dystopian than it already was,” he joked), and tables will be spaced far apart with a maximum of five chairs.

In fact, at 8,000 square feet, excluding the production area, that taproom is surprisingly ideal for social distancing.

“If you’re gonna come to a brewery, that’s probably a good one to come to,” he said. “Lots of room to move around. I’m hopeful that people will come back and not be too scared to venture back out.”

Since the dine-in shutter, Dystopian has been selling beer to-go through a lemonade stand of sorts at the entrance on Baker Street. McElwarth is in a unique position because he and his business partners also work in health care.

“I think I’ll carry some of that back to the brewery with me for sure,” he said.

Per the governor’s guidelines, masks are strongly encouraged but not required for customers when they are moving about a restaurant or taproom. McElwrath will focus more on ensuring that people maintain their distance from other parties and that everyone is washing hands.

He trusts that people who choose to go to a brewery will be cognizant of the rules and patient with staff, and he wants to avoid having to ask his employees into social distancing babysitters.

“I think people are smart,” he said. “We’ve all been steeped in this for the past eight weeks.”

“We want to have a very collegial, open space, but if it starts to affect our patrons and people are saying, ‘This is not OK,’ we’re going to change it. We want to keep people safe and enjoy it. People need it; people are stressed out.”

He compared a potential confrontation with a guest ignoring social distancing rules to an intoxicated patron disturbing the experience for others. But he acknowledged that nobody really knows how that will go.

“It’s going to be a touchy thing,” he said. “I guess we’re going to kind of learn as we go and hopefully not offend anyone as we do it.”

As Eric Radovich, executive director of the Washington Beer Commission, told The News Tribune, “Let’s not take one step forward and two steps back,” both for the sake of public safety and for the future of the state’s thriving brewing industry.

Not only are there more than 400 breweries across Washington, the state also accounts for most of U.S. hop production and grows wheat and barley.

Returning to the idea of community hubs, Radovich hopes breweries can offer an easygoing place for people to feel some sense of normalcy again, without the commitment of sitting down and having a whole meal.

“It’s an affordable chance to relax over a pint of beer. You could stay for 30 minutes or have a couple of beers and you’re there for an hour. Be outside in the sunshine,” he said.

It seems everyone wants the weather to cooperate.

Donovan Stewart said his team at E9 Brewing hopes to take advantage of its large outdoor space “to give people the space they need to feel comfortable.”

That, and they really want to fire up the pizza oven.

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This story was originally published May 16, 2020 at 12:00 AM.