We have all heard of “food deserts”, spots where healthy, nutritious food choices are unavailable. But hardly any attention is given to the equally serious matter of beer deserts—whole streets or neighborhoods where no craft breweries, no bars, no liquor stores, exist at all. Sadly, the nearby community of Loveland, Colorado is no stranger to this heartbreaking phenomenon.
Focopolitan Tribune reporter, Jollie Thresher, spoke to a trapped resident in a particularly blighted suburb in western Loveland. “I am forced to drive my Volt for miles to find a decent brew,” avowed Tyler Kaluptchik, standing in the yard of his 5-bedroom, 4-bathroom Cape Cod style home. “The concentration of beer gardens and breweries in certain privileged areas of Northern Colorado is just unfair. This is just another manifestation of systemic discrimination against the geographically dispossessed. Why didn’t the city planners think of this when they approved this development?”
In fact, Mr. Kaluptchik’s situation is grave indeed. The only beer within a 7-mile radius of his home is the 3.2% variety found at convenience stores near the interstate-a choice of two mass-produced, un-hoppy, generic types of tipple. “I don’t care if both my options [of bad beer] are brewed in Colorado. It’s all horse piss! Shit, you gotta drink at least a six-pack to even get a buzz!” said Kaluptchik. “We live in a void of beer-diversity. To give you an idea, there are 61 microbreweries in Denver, about a dozen in Boulder, 21 in Fort Collins. We only have eight here in Loveland! Even cowtown USA, Greeley has more than we do. We have so few, we’re the beer orphans of Colorado. In my side of Loveland, we’re completely surrounded by no beer!” He exclaimed, his voice quivering, fighting to keep from shedding tears.
The Sudsgoode Foundation, a 501(3)c non-profit, is stepping in to alleviate this calamity. They are increasing the focus on such beer-impoverished areas and lobbying the Loveland City Council to include one craft-brewer permit per new residential development, beginning next year. “Beer in Colorado is a fundamental right for all citizens,” stated Amy Roote-Bachuss, a spokesperson. “We can no longer tolerate the beer anxiety that plagues the forgotten communities of Northern Colorado. And just imagine the fuel we could save, if all our citizens lived within walking distance of a brewery! Land Rovers, Hummers and Lexuses use a lot of gas!”
Another effort sponsored by the Sudsgoode Foundation is the Beer Bank, a volunteer-led effort featuring a visit by truck of one of the Fort Collins breweries. This allows residents of beer deserts to come out and purchase enough beer to get them through the few days it takes for the truck to do its next run—though the Foundation sees this as a mere stopgap. “Carrying out these ideas costs money,” Roote-Bachuss added. “We are always fundraising, and welcome your donations. We will send all donors free return-address labels with pictures of pints on them.”
Aspiring city councilman, Bob Silverton, is sympathetic to the plight of the beer-less of Loveland. Hoping to run on a platform of “Land, Peace, Beer,” Mr. Silverton proposed, “I am willing to sacrifice for the city of Loveland to address this problem. I would propose a small ‘Beer Improvement Fee’ in the city tax code to help boost interest amongst entrepreneurs, who would get city block-grants for the purpose of opening brew pubs… come to think of it, maybe I should apply.”
