Harrisburg – Governor Tom Wolf today announced the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) approved grants totaling $1,925,319 for 15 projects to increase the production of Pennsylvania-made malt and brewed beverages and enhance the Pennsylvania beer industry through promotion, marketing, and research-based programs and projects, and to enhance the Pennsylvania wine industry and increase production of Pennsylvania-made wines.
“Pennsylvania industries have to adopt new ways of doing business in the COVID-19 world, and these grants will provide substantial funding to help two vital parts of our agricultural community not only explore ways of improving production methods, but also boost marketing efforts that reach beyond our borders,” said Gov. Wolf.
Act 39 of 2016 created the Pennsylvania Malt and Brewed Beverages Industry Promotion Board within the department of Agriculture and authorized the PLCB to approve up to $1 million annually for development and marketing of the Pennsylvania beer industry. The Pennsylvania Fiscal Code also allows for unallocated beer grant funds to be made available in subsequent years. Since the first beer grants were approved in 2017, the PLCB has awarded $3.9 million in grants to support the Pennsylvania beer industry (not including this round).
The following seven beer projects totaling $925,319 were recommended for approval to the PLCB by the Pennsylvania Malt and Brewed Beverages Industry Promotion Board:
| GRANT PROJECT | GRANTEE | GRANT AMOUNT |
| Advertising for Each PA's Breweries in the PA: Building upon the success of Poured in PA, grant funds will be used to create another 12 episodes of the award-winning web series that shares Pennsylvania's craft beer story, as well as to produce 1- to 2-minute promotional videos for up to 400 Pennsylvania breweries. These videos will be marketing tools that can be used by breweries, tourism organizations, and beer trails. | GK Visual, LLC | $498,000 |
| Greater Philadelphia Tourism and Marketing Corporation dba Visit Philadelphia: Grant funds will continue to support promotion of the greater Philadelphia region's craft breweries by branding the region as a premier destination for craft beer and brewery experiences, thereby supporting the economic recovery of Pennsylvania craft brewers by driving more people to visit regional breweries, increasing the number of breweries consumers visit, and boosting sales at those businesses. | Visit Philadelphia | $150,000 |
| Characterizing the Potential for High Sulfite Producing Yeast Strains to Improve Beer and Hop Thiol Aroma Stability: In an effort to explore effective ways to preserve beer quality after packaging and during storage, this project will use a new instrument to quantify thiols, experiment with various yeast strains and resultant sulfur dioxide amounts produced, investigate using yeast strains in conjunction with traditional brewing strains and further evaluate how high sulfur dioxide-producing yeast strains may maintain thiol character, prevent beers from spoilage, and minimize aroma and flavor declines over time. | Penn State University | $94,341 |
| Hops Pelletization for Small Hop Growers in Pennsylvania: While Pennsylvania is one of the top craft beer producers in the country, its hops industry is just emerging. This project will study hop pelletization in a Pennsylvania hop yard to assess pelletization's impact on hop quality, as well as evaluate costs associated with pelletization processes, in order to provide technical and economic information about on-farm hop pelletization to Pennsylvania growers. | Penn State University | $78,603 |
| Opportunity Scan and Acceleration Strategy Plan for Post-Pandemic Recovery, Resilience, and Growth for the PA Wine and Beer Industries: Fox Management Consulting, at the Fox School of Business at Temple University, will work with the PLCB to identify and implement strategies to allow the state's beer and malt beverage industry to successfully emerge from the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic and accelerate opportunities for three key segments: producers and sellers, distributors, and tourism. The grant-funded project will deliver strategic initiatives for long-term growth for each segment, a financial model that fully supports the initiatives, and a detailed timeline for implementation of the recommendations. | Temple University | $45,000 |
| Visit Luzerne County: Luzerne County, home to about 10 local breweries, will promote the county's breweries by producing an enhanced beer trail guide and distributing 20,000 copies to area businesses, tourism partners, and adjoining states, as well as engaging two local television stations to promote the breweries. | Visit Luzerne County | $40,500 |
| PA Cider Tourism Campaign: In the first project recommended by both the Wine Board and the Beer Board for joint funding, the PA Cider Guild will increase awareness of local cider and craft beverage industries through development of an interactive website, a first-ever PA Cider Trail guide, and other educational and marketing materials. The project also aims to grow membership in the PA Cider Guild for greater collective impact in promoting and educating the public about cider. | PA Cider Guild | $18,875 |
Act 39 of 2016 also expanded the Pennsylvania Wine Marketing and Research Board and authorized the PLCB to approve up to $1 million annually for wine research and promotion. Since the first wine grants were approved in 2017, the PLCB has awarded $4.9 million in grants to support the Pennsylvania wine industry (not including this round).
The eight wine projects totaling $1 million, summarized below, were recommended for approval by the Pennsylvania Wine Marketing and Research Board:
| GRANT PROJECT | GRANTEE | GRANT AMOUNT |
| Pennsylvania Wines Statewide Winery Visitation and Wine Sales Marketing: The Pennsylvania Winery Association plans to continue its efforts to engage the public and provide valuable support to the wine industry with a focus toward recovery and long-term sustainability. Partnering with PA Media Group and Momentum Digital, the PWA will use this grant to engage both consumers and industry members in efforts to attract new visitors to wineries and tasting rooms, raise the visibility and reach of Pennsylvania's diverse and high-quality wines, and provide useful marketing and engagement tools for the Pennsylvania wine industry and its partners. | Pennsylvania Winery Association (PWA) | $531,220 |
| Assessment of Economic Decision Levels for Spotted Lanternfly in Vitis Vinifera: This project aims to study spotted lanternfly economic thresholds and impacts on cabernet franc, measuring how insect density and number of yearly infestations impact yield losses, plant decline, and vine death. This research will inform management of spotted lanternflies and usage of insect-suppressing techniques. | Penn State University | $108,161 |
| Exogenous Acetaldehyde as a Tool for Improving Pennsylvania Red Wine Color and Quality: This project aims to take a novel oxygenation technique demonstrated as effective in a previously completed PLCB-funded project, and move this concept to application and industry use, allowing wineries an additional tool to improve wine color and quality as an alternative to barrel aging without the sanitation risks and costs associated with barrels. | Penn State University | $88,747 |
| Assessing and Addressing Vineyard Herbicide Drift Challenges in PA: By studying herbicide use, drift, and damage on grapevines, this study aims to inform wine and grape industry stakeholders about the scale of herbicide drift issues in Pennsylvania so that neighboring vineyards, farms, and herbicide application industries like landscaping and rights-of-way may increase communication and support of Pennsylvania wineries. | Penn State University | $79,310 |
| Understanding Vine Declamation to Mitigate Spring Front Damage Across Pennsylvania: Frost damage in late winter and early spring can hamper grape production in Pennsylvania, but the effects of winter and spring temperature on budbreak timing are not well understood. This project will study and document how temperatures impact phonological development in order to help growers predict loss of cold hardiness and effectively implement frost protection strategies. | Penn State University | $74,003 |
| Economic Impact and Model Evaluation for Optimum Management of Grapevine Leafroll Associated Viruses in Pennsylvania: Previous funding from the Pennsylvania Wine Marketing and Research Board and the PLCB enabled Penn State researchers to reveal a significant presence of damaging grapevine leafroll associated viruses in the state. This grant project will complete data collection at four commercial vineyards to determine the economic and longevity impact of grapevine leafroll disease, determine the role weather may play in the expression of grapevine leafroll disease, and inform recommendations for cost-effective management strategies to strengthen Pennsylvania grape industry production. | Penn State University | $57,192 |
| Evaluation of a Novel Grid Shoot Positioning System's Impacts on Canopy Management Efficiency, Crop Yield, and Fruit Composition: This project will explore a novel vertical and lateral shoot positioning apparatus for canopy management and shoot positioning to determine if it reduces labor costs and fruit-zone shading to improve fruit composition and decrease bunch rot. Improved canopy health and fruit quality, combined with reduced labor costs could improve economic sustainability for small vineyards and wineries. | Penn State University | $42,492 |
| PA Cider Tourism Campaign: In the first project recommended by both the Wine Board and the Beer Board for joint funding, the PA Cider Guild will increase awareness of local cider and craft beverage industries through development of an interactive website, a first-ever PA Cider Trail guide, and other educational and marketing materials. The project also aims to grow membership in the PA Cider Guild for greater collective impact in promoting and educating the public about cider. | PA Cider Guild | $18,875
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The PLCB regulates the distribution of beverage alcohol in Pennsylvania, operates 600 wine and spirits stores statewide, and licenses 20,000 alcohol producers, retailers, and handlers. The PLCB also works to reduce and prevent dangerous and underage drinking through partnerships with schools, community groups, and licensees. Taxes and store profits – totaling nearly $18.7 billion since the agency’s inception – are returned to Pennsylvania’s General Fund, which finances Pennsylvania’s schools, health and human services programs, law enforcement, and public safety initiatives, among other important public services. The PLCB also provides financial support for the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, other state agencies, and local municipalities across the state. For more information about the PLCB, visit
lcb.pa.gov.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Shawn M. Kelly, PLCB, 717-303-8522
Shannon Powers, Department of Agriculture, 717-603-2056
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