Two weeks ago, I was at the bar of the Hoof Hearted Brewing Company in Columbus talking with the lady sitting next to me about craft beer as we both enjoyed samplers. One thing she said to me has resonated because it’s true. Since most breweries are doing the same thing, “they need to be mind blowing!” I think she’s right, and in order to be successful when there’s so many breweries doing something similar to your plan, you definitely have to step up and be different in order to be noticed in this highly competitive environment.
This conversation goes with one I had a few weeks before while I was sitting at A Taproom in Indianapolis. I asked Eric Foust what the next brewery, Widowmaker, would be bringing. He said “the same as everyone else. Big IPA’s, Crazy Stouts, and heavily fruited sours.” His bar features tap takeover’s, and I have noticed over the last year that 85% of the beers he’s had on tap fall into those three categories. It’s what people like to drink right now, and what sells. The breweries he brings into Indiana are obviously successful, or on the verge of becoming notorious, but what about everybody else who is trying to do the same thing?
So this is where I talk about marketing. You are going to have a lot of competition when you are making similar beers to everyone else, and this is where your packaging imaging needs to make as strong an impression as the quality of your beer. I will write an article about how labeling has become an important part of brewing, but I will say right now that it’s one way your beer is set apart from others on the shelf. I always look for the style of beer that a cool label is promoting, but my eyes were first drawn to the artwork or images on the label. So, you can make really awesome beer, but if you can’t find a way to set yourself apart from everybody else, you are going to get lost in the crowd!
Other breweries have decided that since everyone else is doing the same thing, they are going to create other beers to fill the gap. I wrote last week about the diversity of beer, and a lot of breweries don’t want to get caught up in trying to make the next big IPA or sour because everyone else is doing that. If I was running a brewery right now, I would probably be making all sorts of big ales that I want the public to know about because I think they’re fun, and I would do the best I could to market them! Palates change, and when people want something different than IPA’s there are breweries already honing their craft to offer beers to fit that bill!
So this subject is particularly pertinent for breweries that operate in an urban setting when they have lots of competition. Some breweries close for reasons beyond the excellence of their beer, and that’s unfortunate. But if you work hard to create good beer and market it, people should drink it. It’s what you do to be different that will keep your name in peoples minds. And if you can your best beer, and send it to other locations, people will visit your taproom when they come to town. Whatever you do to get people into your brewery, make sure it involves the drinking your beer.
As I write this article, I’m excited about a trip later today to Primeval Brewing in Noblesville. Their English Dark Mild, Mildly Offensive was delicious, and I plan on drinking that while I’m there, and bringing some home in a growler. I support the breweries I can, but there is after all so much beer, and so little time. There are 10,000 craft breweries in America all fighting for your dollar, and what they do to impress you and I, and everybody else is what’s going to keep us coming back to drink their beer. I’m going to be vigilant looking for quality beer, and when I find it, I’ll write about it. Please do your part and drink good beer, and let people know about it. Together we can keep our craft beer environment healthy, and as long as the breweries are working to make their mark, we will have a vibrant scene.
So Much Beer So Little Time 