craft beer

150+ Fan Engagement Ideas For Craft Breweries: Solutions To Entertain And Educate, Drive Revenue And Connect Beer Fans And Local Communities During COVID19

106 days into 2020 and what an unimaginable and absolutely crazy year it has been within the Australian craft beer industry this year.

First the devastation of the summer bush fires and now the way the world has been flipped on its head by COVID19. It’s been an incredibly tough time for many Australian’s and small businesses out there but as I work within this industry I’ve also seen first hand how stressful, challenging and frustrating it has been for independent craft breweries (and all the associated people along the supply chain) throughout Australia.

However if it’s one thing that this industry and community of good beer fans do well, it’s pulling together and working together to support each other. From the relentless back-breaking work that organizations like the IBA, Oz Brews News, Froth Mag and Crafty Pint do for this industry to all the craft beer fans out there who have all gone to great lengths over the past few months to buy local and get behind their community craft breweries, well it’s just so bloody lovely to see. What an outstanding community of people! It just makes you feel so damn proud of how Australian’s come together to support each other in times of crisis.

Anyway, seeing as I have lost work like many others within the industry and because I now have some extra time on my hands and just can’t sit still, I have put together another handy infographic of fan engagement ideas that will come in useful to a host of businesses, breweries, and venues within our industry.

Featured below is a new fan engagement infographic that has been created from collating ideas and initiatives from what over 300 Australian craft breweries have been doing to engage their fans and local communities. I have also included all of the ideas within a bullet point list with images added below as well as including some of my own ideas. If an idea does not make sense then please feel free to reach out and I will assist.

Earlier this week I also released an infographic for the sports business titled ‘200+ Fan Engagement Ideas to Entertain, Educate and Connect Sports Fans during COVID19‘ which aims to help local grassroots and community clubs throughout the globe with ideas to engage their communities at this time. Previously I have created these resources below as well. These have been useful for the sports business but many of the ideas are interchangeable, cost-effective and simple and have also helped small businesses with the ideas presented here being quite adaptable to many businesses.

I have also previously created this resource ‘100+ Fan Engagement Ideas For Craft Breweries’ which has been a simple and effective guide for craft breweries across Australia and may come in handy down the track for other breweries to acquire new fans and drive further revenue opportunities.

If IBA members also have access to the new IBA forum and website sections then my fan engagement presentation and panel from last year’s BREWCON conference might also be a beneficial watch.

All in all this has just been something to do to stay active during this time so I hope that it comes in handy for anyone within the independent craft beer industry.

My final piece of advice is to get out there and support your local indie brewery and buy local from local indie bottle shops and venues doing take aways where you can as this will help these businesses at a time when they all need it the most.

Thanks for reading.

150+ FAN ENGAGEMENT IDEAS FOR CRAFT BREWERIES: SOLUTIONS TO ENTERTAIN AND EDUCATE, DRIVE REVENUE AND CONNECT BEER FANS AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES DURING COVID19

150+ Fan Engagement Ideas For Craft Breweries: Solutions To Entertain And Educate, Drive Revenue And Connect Beer Fans And Local Communities During COVID19

Bottle shop/venue and staff shout outs to promote local indie stockists
Trivia
Merch incentives/giveaways (even just free stickers) with minimum spend beer orders
Online happy hour
Art series featuring and promoting breweries local community/artists
Supporters send in your pictures with the brewery beers
Competitions- win a years supply etc
Promote beer finder maps/stockists
BrewChats online shows
Healthcare worker discounts
Posting takeaway food menus
Isolation beer festival/tastings
Creative sample boxes (core range cartons to mixed cubes)
Hand sanitser for sale
Live stream bands at home
Mega variety packs
ISO Games
Pop quizzes for discounts/deals
Virtual masterclasses
Beer cocktail recipes
Craft beer baking efforts
Midweek madness sales
Pics/shout outs/promote/thank the brew crew
Letter/email of the day
Drive Thru Specials
Access to exclusive content
Buy a case, get a free….crowler/incentive etc
At Home menu’s- bring the taproom to your house
Local area bar/venue Monopoly board game shout out
Beer/food delivery order apps
Promote take away meal/beer packs
Brewery supporter quotes
Donate a carton/4pack/beer to a health care worker
Promote your merch especially female range of gear
Win the first case off the canning line
Food and beer variety packs
Local craft beer collaboration packs featuring various breweries beers
Creative specials and daily deals on takeaway food and beers
Creative colourful drive thru set ups and instructions
Check in on elderly brewery supporters
Word searches
Caption This
Bingo cards
Spot the tinnie/beer
Colourjng in sheets/Tattoo design sheets
Drawing challenges
Throw back pictures/moments/memories
Nominate a brewery supporter
Challenges
Zoom wallpapers of the brewery/SKUs
Podcasts
Hand washing techniques/instructions
Deliver care packages to supporters
YouTube/Video shows/recaps and rewinds
Hero of the brewery (emergency services fan shout outs)
Feel good moments/pics/videos
Art competitions
Countdowns and votes and polls
Connect 4 brewery challenges
Photo of the day
Supporter Nominations
Q&A’s with the brewer
On This Day
Fitness/work out/training tips
Craft beer YOGA
GIF challenges
Share your brewery supporter story- fan sourced
Utilising fan generated content
Instagram/FB Live with brewer/team member
Beat the clock online jigsaw puzzle challenges
Emergency/Health services branded merch
#FromTheArchives
Choose your ultimate brewery team lineups
Mental Health Messages and Tips
What Self-Iso Personality Are You?
Quizzes
Polls
Brewery Spotify music playlists
What are the breweries up to updates
CEO messages/emails to supporters
Brewery video messages to supporters
Twitter/FB/Insty take overs
Send letters to the brewery
Dogs of the brewery and fans pets etc
RSA/ABAC appropriate kids activity worksheets on agriculture/sustainability/hops etc
Memes
Pixelated pick the beer
My ‘brewery Story
Random Acts of Kindness
Virtual brewery tour
60 seconds Qs with the brewery team
Brewery/supporter/bottle shop people profiles
TikToks
Tattoo profiles of the brewery staff
Live Q&A
Fun and quirky facts
Merch offers and incentives
Merchandise daily deals
Virtual Meet Ups
Online Quizzes Ex. Kahootz
Free access to exclusive content
Cooking and recipe shows and plans
Educational virtual video sessions
Virtual tastings
Mini documentaries
Exclusive special one off merch lines
Good News Stories
Stay Home Messages
Send us your crazy graphic design requests
Guess the brewery from the emoji’s
Bracket challenges
Merch giveaways
Your brewery memory
Personalised brewery wallpapers
CRIBS- brewery home lockdown version
#OpenDoorChallenge
Fan Art Fridays
#GetYourKitOn- shout outs with supporters in their craft beer tees
Donate a beer or gift card
Gift cards!
Stat attacks
Stories behind the moments
Surprise fans with calls/videos
Name The beer
Show and Tell (Show Us Your beer cave/memorabilia)
Arts & Crafts
Community hero of the week
Fan discounts for brewery sponsors- support local businesses
Thank You Messages to supporters
Your Birth Month and First Letter of your name = Your Career/Name etc.
Word Challenges: Brewery scattergories
Spot The Difference
Share favourite beer merch items
Mental Health/Fitness webinars
Fan video messages of support for the brewery
Brewery profiles
Fan of the week
Animated GIFs
Cartoons
This Week: Run a schedule of what’s on for supporters
Inspirational quotes
Virtual Happy Hour’s knock off beers/drinks with team/fans
Build the ultimate beer meal
Thank you shout outs to health care workers
Maze challenges
Fans/Brewery nominate a local business that deserves recognition
What’s in the brewers/fans fridge?
Beer baking challenges
Sudoku worksheets
One on one video chat with the brewer
‘I Stay Home For….’ Cards
Community Support Roster- show who the brewery supports
Brewery printable cut outs
Virtual Vacations frames for fans
Where’s the brewery/beer (where’s wally etc.)
Fan/Supporter hall of fame
Find the BEER
Fan call from the CEO
Printable posters/assets
Supporter/beer caricatures
Brewery DJ doing a set live on social
Fans merch lucky dip live
Memory games
Fan wall at the brewery
Promote fans loyalty i.e. 1, 5, 10 years memberships
Harness, use and showcase fan generated content
Fan appreciation day/week

100+ Fan Engagement Ideas For Craft Breweries

My Year In Beer: Beers, Ideas, Lessons and Visit Tips From 51 Brewery Experiences in 2019

My year in beer for 2019 has come and gone and while I’ve had a very enjoyable year working in beer (have a read of this article here on my experience working in the craft beer industry) I’ve also had a very satisfying time getting out and about to check out as many craft breweries as I can on my travels.

It’s been rewarding to meet the hard-working people behind the breweries and to try and learn as much as I can about the industry as well as just sample their tasty brews as well as try and get more people and my mates into drinking better quality beer and supporting these local Aussie indie brewers and businesses.

The industry has so much positivity and enthusiasm from the talented insiders and passionate fans alike who like me love elements such as the tinnie art, talking to the people at the breweries, traveling for beer tourism and beer road trips, collecting too much beer gear merch, learning about the sustainability and environmental approaches as well as experimenting with all the different and diverse flavours and aromas of the brews while at the same time supporting local Aussie businesses. Honestly, how good does it make you feel!

I quickly thought I’d put a bit of a blog post together that both wraps up my year in beer travels as well as provides some insights, ideas, lessons and also some tips for anyone planning on visiting some of these specific breweries listed below. Please feel free to touch base if you’re after any travel tips for these breweries as I’d be happy to help. Thanks for reading. Enjoy this with a cold brew and bring on 2020.

Key Facts:

51 breweries
49 independent craft breweries
4 states and 1 territory
Queensland 10
Victoria 20
Tasmania 7
Western Australia 7
New South Wales 6
1 Beervana Festival
1 New Zealand brewery
Beers consumed: Lost count.
Best beers: 3 Ravens Pine Lime Creamsicle and T-Bone Brewing Peanut Butter Stout. Too many to list.
Best experiences: Felons for the view, Moon Dog World for the crazy set up, Stomping Ground for the beer notes and unique kids play area and Two Bays for giving me a job! Again, too many to list.

Lessons, Ideas and Insights:

Merch. Some really unique, on-trend and new stuff this year from socks to cord caps, canimals to well-designed growlers and enamel pins to beer vouchers. I wrote this blog a few months back about beer merch too that’s worth a look.
Merch stands. Having a colorful, vibrant, creative merch stand with well-designed merch entices more people to take a souvenir away from the brewery.
Contact details. Ensuring correct times/addresses/key details are always up to date on social pages/websites and use of bots to streamline punter Q’s on social.
Fridges. Vibrant take away fridges with special deals, mixed packs or added incentives for punters.
Glassware. I think Range wins this one for the nicest glassware. Love the glasses there. Goes a long way to have a nice clean glass to enjoy with your brews.
Tasting paddles. Townsville Brewery represented the best value for volume. Also like Fixation, having a funky paddle design to put them in goes a long way too for the social posts.
Venue architecture. Kids spaces, outdoor seating, plants and garden beds, creative taps (Burleigh’s skate deck ones win this) and you can also never go wrong with astroturf- that’s actually one of the tenents I live by in life too. Love the stuff! Stomping Ground’s kids area is a marvelous example of providing a positive experience for families and kids.
Food. The abundance of vegan and GF menu’s in taprooms showcases the inclusive industry this is and draws in more people at the same time. Having the availability of GF beers, spiced ciders, mulled wines, spritz’s, organic or local soft drinks, kombuchas, etc all are smart options to cater to everyone not just beer drinkers.
Tasting notes. Stomping Ground seems the most detailed and I do love seeing extensive notes about the beers I’m drinking.
Signage. Neon signs look amazing at night or on wet days, signs out the front or simple wayfinding and well-lit spaces to attract.
Fan engagement. Live local music, trivia nights, beer memberships/clubs (Inner North’s 100-pint beer club/Range’s run club/ Otherside’s ‘buy a bit of the brewery’), ‘Dogs of Grifter’ also a cute idea to engage the local community. There are so many things these breweries and more are doing and I’ve put this list together and these articles a while back that details more on craft beer fan engagement ideas.
Stickers/Email EDM’s. Burnley’s free stickers for an email sign up. Beer geeks love slapping a sticker on their car or fridge. Just ask me, I’ve got about 50 on the back of my LandCruiser.
Brewery tours. Some good ones around from free quick tours of the tanks to $25 tours which included a paddle. These really are one and the same and honestly what more can these be at any brewery anywhere in the world, but the best ones were where I got to talk to the actual people behind the brewery about pain points, local issues and their successes and lessons learned. Obviously that’s me and other folks just want to hear how beer is made. Just talk to the staff about day to day life in beer and find out what that brewery is doing in the local community.
Freebies/Deals. 3 Ravens have a box of past beer decals and stickers that you can pick up a memento for a buck. Even just having beer coasters goes a long way as I know many mates who take one as a memento.
Sustainability. Loads of sustainability initiatives around the breweries like solar power to bio cups but I like how some offer a free pot or just a beer for bringing back your biopak holders.
Little touches. The hydration water station at Black Hops looks impressive and more than just jugs of water.
Beer tourism. Smart ideas like the Brisbane and Marickville ‘Beermuda Triangles’.
Space. Ample spaces for functions and events with different seating options. Industrial fans when it’s stinking hot or burners when it’s chilly.
Beer lists. Clear and concise signage and layouts for cost, beer style, ABV, small note on taste/flavour makes these pop when the person is standing in line to order and easier for the punter to choose which speeds up the service.
Accessibility/Transport. Moon Dog World’s massive bike rack area that encourages people to ride in was impressive to see.

QUEENSLAND (10)

Range Brewing Co, Newstead, Queensland

Fascinating brewery
Incredible beers
Simple open and airy aesthetic
Knowledgeable and friendly staff
A must visit

Townsville Brewery, Townsville, Queensland

Great value for money for tasting paddle
Lovely old Queensland building to marvel at
Huge range of beers
Lots of art to admire
Great staff who were keen for a chat.

Burleigh Brewing Co, Burleigh, Queensland

The taps are some of the best in Oz. What a creative idea.
Lots of space for all
Live music and movie nights
Surfboard set up is sweet

Black Hops II, Biggera Waters, Queensland

Very nifty ideas here
Hydration station
Biopack return point
Effective signage
Funky tap set up
Great merch area

Semi Pro Brewing Co, Wolloongabba, Queensland

Delicious beers
Cool spot at the Gabba- go here before a Lions or cricket game.
Lots of seating
Kids/family inclusive with good spaces for all
TV’s for the cricket etc
Lovely staff members

Fortitude Brewing Co, Tamborine Mountain, Queensland

Secluded and tranquil brewery
Lots of parking and other attractions nearby like cheese and local produce.
Live music stage set up is cool
Very friendly and passionate staff

Balter Brewing Co, Currumbin, Queensland

Nice wall art
I loved my BEER cap until I lost it!
Coasters and beers all enjoyable.
Friendly staff.

Lost Palms Brewing Co, Miami, Queensland

Love the design and aesthetic of this brewery
Bonus points for giving us some stickers for the car and fridge to promote them
I love their art too.

Felons Brewing Co, Brisbane, Queensland

Location, location, location is the best bit here.
Get a spot overlooking the Brisbane River and grab one of their tasty brews.

Black Hops, Burleigh Heads, Queensland

The OG!
Love their merch range especially the beer socks.

NEW SOUTH WALES (6)

Stone and Wood Brewing Co, Byron Bay, New South Wales

Creative merch area- stands out.
Heaps of space for punters inside and out.

Devil’s Elbow Brewing Co, Dubbo, New South Wales

Brand new brewery
What a win for locals out here
Extensive beer list and tasting notes
Lots of parking and places to sit

Grifter Brewing Co, Marrickville, Sydney, New South Wales

Dogs of Grifter was a highlight as were the beers

Stockade Brewery, Marrickville, Sydney, New South Wales

Sours were mint

Batch Brewing Co, Marrickville, Sydney, New South Wales

Nice glassware
Bonus points for lush hanging trees and nice setting

Sauce Brewing Co, Marrickville, Sydney, New South Wales

Cool setting out the back
Delicious beers here. I was very surprised.

TASMANIA (6)

Hobart Brewing Co, Hobart, Tasmania

Epic dark beers
Cool merch long sleeve shirts
Nice fire areas
Bonus points for spiced hot apple cider

Cascade Brewery, Hobart, Tasmania

Spun the chocolate wheel and won a carton of retro Cascade tinnies. Was a good day.

Moo Brew at MONA, Tasmania

The beer vending machine is hilarious and such a cool concept
Nice setting up the top of MONA to try their beers- was quite cheap too given the location

Shambles Brewing Co, Hobart, Tasmania

Quality staff up for a chat
Great beer list signage
Stout was impressive
Lots of space out the front to chill under a burner

The Winston, Hobart, Tasmania

HUGE beer list
Great beer notes
Pumping atmosphere
Add it to your Tassie list
Friendly staffers

Bruny Island Brewing Co, Bruny Island, Tasmania

Such a nice setting here
Pick up local produce too
Stout was insanely good
Pack the jumpers and head here if visiting Tassie
Loved the tallies.

T-Bone Brewing Co, Hobart, Tasmania

Peanut Butter Stout was simply delicious.
Cool wall art
Funky location in North Hobart
Nice staffers
Cool merch

VICTORIA (19)

Stomping Ground Beer Hall, Melbourne, Victoria

Kids Zone is a clever idea
Extensive beer notes
Very family-friendly and inclusive

Inner North Brewing Co, Brunswick, Victoria

Greenery around the venue is a plus
Nice staff up for a chat
Cool location down a back street in Brunny
Doing impressive beers
Nice beer list signage
Cool 100-pint membership club….I’m still on 3.

Queenscliff Brewhouse, Prickly Moses Brewing, Queenscliff, Victoria

Cheery staff
Pumping atmosphere inside and out the back
Cool barrel display
Nice beer art
Good beer lists

Jetty Road Brewing Co, Dromana, Victoria

Impressive beers AND food! Food is a winner here
Extensive beer art
Happy staffers

Urban Alley Brewing, Docklands, Melbourne, Victoria

A huge line up of brews
Well worth coming here if here for shopping in Docklands or going to an AFL etc game
Staff are always polite and friendly

Salt Brewing Co, Airey’s Inlet, Victoria

Quiet outdoor setting to enjoy
Lots of beer merch and good designs too
Beers were delicious
Extensive beer notes
Staff more than up for a chin wag

Two Bays Brewing Co, Dromana, Victoria

(Disclaimer- I work here but visited as a punter in February before starting out in March)

All gluten-free beers and taproom food
Vegan menu. We came out here because wife is vegan and she was very impressed
Dromana in the Mornington Peninsula is a magnificent 1-hour drive from Melbourne and you can take in a heap of other breweries like Jetty Road, Dainton, Mr Banks, Mornington Peninsula Brewery and loads more.

Valhalla Brewing Co, Geelong, Victoria

Owner is a champion fella and had a good chat with him here
Nice spot in centre of town and an hour from Melbourne or less
Huge beer list

Blackmans Brewery, Torquay, Victoria

Lots of merch
Lots of seating areas
Friendly staff
Yum beers

Southern Bay Brewing Co, Geelong, Victoria

Great chat with the owner
Not open for visits though so not worth rocking up as I did
Not much in this part of town
Black IPA was delicious

Burnley Brewing Co, Melbourne, Victoria

Love the beer socks
Lots of clever merch ideas
Free stickers
Huge beer list
Happy hour $4 beers are incredible
Lots of events here
Quality, happy staffers
Mint glassware

Moon Dog World, Preston, Victoria

Interesting!
Lot of spaces to chill out in
Vegan/GF menu
Some cool activities to be had here
Lots of merch items
Bike racks out the front are smart to encourage cycling in

Moon Dog Brewery, Abbotsford, Victoria

Another OG
Well worth a visit
Funky set up
Great beer list and happy staff

Black Dog Brewing Co, Taminick, Victoria

Stopped here when traveling back to Brisbane up the Newell Highway
Make a stop in it’s worth it
Lots of beer styles
Picked up a cap- love a black dog!

Fixation Brewing Co, Collingwood, Victoria

All about the IPA’s
Nice glassware
Creative beer paddles
Such kind, friendly staff
Nice beer list wall

Thunder Road Brewing Co, Brunswick, Victoria

Chilled place in Brunswick
Lots of beer varieties to suit all tastes
Plenty of events
Good pricing for craft beers

Detour Brewing Co, Coldstream, Victoria

Did a day road trip out here- not far from Melbourne – the scenery is sublime.
Unsure whats happening as says ‘permanently closed’ on google
Cool merch
Nice staff- brewer had the time for a chat
Let me take a pic behind the bar.

Temple Brewing Co, Brunswick, Victoria

Nice spot any day of the week
Some of the nicest people work here
Huge beer list

3 Ravens Brewing Co, Thornbury, Victoria

Scene of one of my favourite beers for 2019
Love the beer club here
Great use of ex-stickers/beer decals selling for a $1 or $2
Such a chilled space
Quality staff make this an inclusive space

Future Mountain Brewing and Blending, Reservoir, Victoria

Seriously good brews
Extensive beer notes
Amazing glassware
Staff that give a damn

WESTERN AUSTRALIA (7)

Gage Roads Brewing Co, Palmyra, Western Australia

Such a good visit but no brewery tours here
Good to try the other Gage varieties like Hello Sunshine and Atomic before launch
Good to get the Gage beers at Optus Stadium too

Otherside Brewing Co, Myaree, Western Australia

Wow! What a venue.
Love the ‘buy a bit of the brewery’ idea
Colourful takeaway fridge
A must visit in Perth.

Blasta Brewing Co, Burswood, Western Australia

Live local music
Good beer lists
Nice crew
Close to transport. Came here before State of Origin.

Little Creatures Brewing Co, Fremantle, Western Australia

Very cool merch- love the hop hats
Cool branded cars for photo ops
Quality beers
A very nice experience that’s well worth checking out in Freo

NowhereMan Brewing Co, West Leederville, Western Australia

Great quality glasses and brews
Friendly staff

Nail Brewing Co, Bassendean, Western Australia

Unparalleled hospitality
No brewery tour but unbelievable experience meeting this legend
Get behind Nail-they do amazing things!

Beerland Brewing Co, Perth, Western Australia

Love the beer club idea
Pumping atmosphere

Garage Project Fermentation Workshop, Wellington, New Zealand

Very lucky to be able to take this in
Some of the best beers in the world
Amazing hospitality

Beervana, Wellington, New Zealand

No words, just go do this!

Froth Beer Mag: Crafty Careers: So You Want To Work In Craft Beer?

Crafty Careers: So You Want To Work In Craft Beer?

There’s never been a better time to get involved and start a career working in the Australian craft beer industry as the market continues to grow daily on the back of exciting trends including changing consumer tastes and an increasing loyalty from a passionate fan movement for locally produced, high-quality independent craft beer.

So if you’re looking to get a start in the industry could a career in craft beer be just for you?

This article explores why Australia’s craft beer industry is a thriving space to work in, the diverse roles on offer at breweries, my personal experience from having recently started at a Victorian craft brewery as well as providing some advice from experienced and knowledgeable industry leaders regarding the skills that are essential and how you too can get a job working in beer.

The Beer Boom

It’s an exciting time across the country as the craft beer sector continues to boom with new craft breweries opening in both regional and inner cities on a near-weekly basis while more and more artisan bottle shops, brewery tours and beer festivals are also being established to cater for the new wave of consumers who are passionate about experimentation, quality, freshness and knowing the source of their beer. The impact of this boom has led to positive outcomes including more jobs, the rise in craft beer tourism especially in rural parts of Australia, increased government support, record hop crop yields, new educational courses as well as creative innovations and sustainability initiatives that are collectively delighting craft beer drinkers and bringing local communities closer and closer together across the country. Furthermore, while the industry faces many challenges such as increasing market access, competition from multinational breweries and a global downturn in beer consumption, the positive contribution that these craft breweries add to local Australian communities and our economy is both significant and to be applauded.

From Beer Nerd To Brand Ambassador

My career path has involved working across the education, sports, music and tech sectors but as a craft beer nerd I’ve also been trying to champion the scene wherever I can such as through my writing, however at the start of the year I finally decided to follow my passion for Aussie craft beer and look for a start in the industry. Fast forward to the present day and working at Two Bays Brewing Co as a brand ambassador has been both a phenomenal learning experience and the best career decision that I’ve ever made. In the past six months I’ve regularly been out of my comfort zone learning new skills and insights about beer and while I’ve managed our events and got our beer into venues it’s been the small things like cleaning the beer lines, helping out on the canning line and learning about the brewing process hands-on with our brewers that have been the most rewarding to me.

Working at a craft brewery is challenging and rewarding but it’s also plenty of fun and while my perspective is based purely on working across sales and events, career pathways in the industry are diverse and can include many roles like brewing and marketing to venue management and accounting. Careers in beer can be for anyone that’s just starting out or wanting to pivot their skills but it’s essential to have a positive attitude along with a willingness to jump in and help out in other aspects of the business. This is exciting as you’re bound to learn plenty of new hands-on skills about beer along the way with Bad Shepherd venue manager Jenny Watts noting “having a passion and desire to learn is essential and I encourage anyone looking to get into the industry to have an open mind, be prepared to do the hard yards, start at the basics with a mind to work your way up and enjoy the journey because the Australian craft beer industry is an amazing network of fantastic, supportive like-minded people”.

Getting Started

There are plenty of simple things that you can do to give yourself a greater chance of securing a role such as volunteering at beer festivals, creating content such as blogs, attending events and workshops, researching and reading up on the industry in trade publications to building your knowledge and connections by networking with the industry either at the taproom, bottle-o tastings or festivals which are all effective ways to gain deeper insights into working in the craft beer industry. As head brewer at Stone and Wood Caolan Vaughan highlights on roles in brewing for instance “you should ask and volunteer at your local brewery. You never know what they will say. Go and study something related to brewing like chemistry or even better go and do a specific brewing qualification. There is plenty on offer around the world via correspondence and some are available right here in Australia.” From my own perspective I wrote stories, created infographics and educational content, built up my networks while on my craft beer road trip adventures, went to trade shows and workshops and even started a fun little Instagram blog showcasing Aussie craft breweries. All of these things went a long way in making connections, learning more about the industry and eventually getting a gig in the craft beer world and they’re also quite simple things that anyone else can do too to get a head start on their journey in beer.

Industry Advice

Having an understanding of some of the general skills and attributes required and how to get involved in the industry is vital when looking at a career in beer and so for this story I asked a handful of experienced and knowledgeable colleagues from across diverse roles in Australia’s craft brewing industry to provide some advice on what people can do to get started.

Up in the northern beaches of Sydney and Modus Operandi sales rep and certified cicerone Becky Centeno states that the best advice she could give anyone “is that it’s all about attitude in the sense of staying positive and fiercely determined. Getting involved in the industry takes a lot of dedication, time, and putting yourself out there, but also being humble and cooperative along the way is massive” while down in Melbourne at Hawkers, Cellar Technician Melinda Foulkes notes that “the ability to` problem solve and think on your feet are probably the most valuable skills when working in the beer industry”. Green Beacon’s Ella Gasparini provides further useful advice and reaffirms that anyone can forge a career in this industry by highlighting that “Obviously the starting point for a lot of us is a passion and love for beer but it doesn’t necessarily have to be the only thing. There are so many skill sets that add to this industry. Finding your place and a role that suits you is key. This is becoming a more and more diverse industry and a lot of roles are opening up that were previously non-existent”.

What Are You Waiting For?

The rapid growth of the industry illustrates that if you’re passionate about good beer and thinking about a career in this space then there’s never been a better time to get started. With new and diverse roles becoming available on a daily basis, breweries are on the hunt for creative, enthusiastic, dynamic and passionate people to help capitalize and continue this exciting momentum. The Aussie craft beer industry is a fun and challenging space to work in that has been built on the back of the positive and passionate people that comprise it and hopefully the insights provided here helps anyone out there whose currently looking to get a start in the industry. So, could a career in beer be for you?

Bio
Blair Hughes works in events and sales for gluten free brewery Two Bays Brewing Co in Dromana, Victoria. You can follow him on Twitter at @MrBlairHughes or at www.MrBlairHughes.com.

BREWCON 2019: And The Crowd Goes Wild Q&A Recap

Quick post BREWCON note to say thanks to both the Independent Brewers Association and staff for the opportunity to run a session at the conference and to my fabulous panel Nick Truelson from the Western Bulldogs, Danielle Allen from Two Birds Brewing Co, Jenna Godley from Colonial Brewing and Amy Bradshaw from Essendon Football Club who gave up their time to contribute their knowledge, experience and ideas around fan engagement, sports business and craft beer to help continue the growth of the Aussie craft brewing industry.

Plenty of good feedback after the event from those in the beer and sports world too so very happy with that. Well done, thank you all.

More on the Q&A panel here: http://brewcon.org.au/2019-program/ and http://brewcon.org.au/sessions/and-the-crowd-goes-wild/

Keep challenging yourself, keep setting goals and keep ticking them off. Damn it’s a good feeling.

The Top Aussie Craft Brewery Beer Gear List and Top Tips For Craft Beer Merchandising

If it’s one thing I enjoy most about the global craft beer community, it’s getting out on the open road and checking out our breweries across the country and overseas. I’ve had the opportunity to take in craft breweries in places like India, USA, England, Japan and all over Australia and the one thing that never lets them down is their emphasis on supporting their local communities and the fact that they all seem to love what they do too as they seem to come across as positive people always up for a chat.

Tasting the diverse selection of beers, meeting the staff, learning about their local community and then grabbing some merchandise to take home and promote these breweries is what I and I bet you love to do too. There’s something special and valuable about supporting local businesses and being loyal to your local community and by buying some beers or in this case beer gear it goes a long way to promoting and spreading the good gospel of that brewery, having some nice gear to wear or use as well as supporting that particular local community.

This article was one I’ve been thinking about doing for a while. Whenever I travel to breweries I always love checking out the merch or gift shop to see the tee designs, the interesting accessories and the take home beer selections. I mean who doesn’t like a good gift shop anywhere right!

However I’m often let down by poor designs, run of the mill logos on black tee’s, same old same old accessories and of course…..stock standard logos on stubby coolers. Unfortunately it’s quite often boring, poorly designed without a graphic designer, doesn’t fit with their audience, unoriginal, doesn’t work with the logo or colours and just looks like it could be a heck of a lot better. It’s important to note that merch is always a secondary thing as these are local businesses with staff doing a thousand jobs all subject to budgets and resources and of course demand from consumers. However for breweries it is also important to keep in mind that there’s craft beer geeks out there who want to buy your beer merch, want to buy quality designs and want to buy creative and unique items to be able to promote you. Harness the power of these craft beer fans and put the effort and quality into your craft beer merchandise. Beer geeks and brewery visitors will love it and it will result in sales.

Here are some simple tips for craft beer merchandising:

Use a qualified graphic designer.
Understand your audience and craft brewery demographics and target those audiences.
Use a graphic designer working or who has experience working with craft beer/breweries/beer world
Think about artist collaborations especially with local artists in your community.
Seasonal merch ranges are important. Think winter/summer.
Get creative with merch. Think funky, unique, creative design and merch ideas.
Always have a gift voucher option available. Did you know Blockbuster RIP invented the gift card too? Read more about the benefits and history of gift vouchers here and here.
Think about your female fans and ensure you get items like tee’s in female sizes.
Don’t discount kids/baby merch. Parents will grab these as will others to use as gifts.
Think local. Who can you get involved in your local community to work with.
Think about what beer fans/consumers actually need or want as merchandise.
Have an online ecommerce merch shop. You’re missing out on 24/7 sales otherwise. Top shelf website design and UX is an absolute must as well.
Have the merch visible and well presented in a stand in your brewery.
Have stickers available to either give out or to sell to people.

Take the topic of stickers for instance. Every brewery I go to I always ask to grab a sticker to slap on my LandCruiser and promote the breweries wherever I go. Now when breweries don’t have one available for free or to even sell me as part of their merch range, I think to myself you’ve just missed a huge opportunity for someone to promote you for free.

Case in point, a few months back I was in the Gold Coast region and went into one new brewery to try their brews. At the end of the pour in a taproom with no one else in it I politely asked if I could have a sticker and was rudely and aggressively denied one because they weren’t for sale (also the oddest customer service brewery experience in 2019 so far!). That’s totally fine but that brewery is missing out on an opportunity to allow people to easily promote them….FOR FREE! A roll of quality stickers are inexpensive and can be used as merch, as giveaways at festivals and for all manner of other purposes to promote your brewery.

In a country of 550 competing breweries where having a point of difference and standing out has become even more vital (especially in crowded markets) there has never been a more important time to understand your audiences, highlight and up-sell your USP’s to customers and simply give your beer fans what they’re after. Having a sticker is something so simple to create that will go a long way in terms of promotion and marketing, positive engagement with beer geeks as well as being an easy revenue opportunity. Don’t overthink it, just do it.

So while recently scanning about 200 odd of the 500+ craft breweries in Australia I decided to do an analysis of their merch stores and was surprised by a heap of genius merch ideas and quality designs.

Here’s my selection (in no particular order) for what are some of the smartest, most creative, useful and interesting merchandise ideas from Australia’s craft breweries (well about half of them anyway!).

Balter Lorikeet cap, beer opener and beer duffle.

2. Capital Brewing Cap

3. Newstead Brewing Co Beer Money gift voucher

4. BeerFarm Mug

5. Hop Nation beer glasses

6. Stomping Ground Beer Dealer Cooler/Koozie

7. Philter Brewing ‘Seductively Beer’ cap

8. Fixation Hop Tee

9. Kaiju Beer Women’s Meta Hop tee, beach towel and ‘Hip Hops’ trading cards!

10. Young Henry’s enamel pins

11. Black Hops crew socks

12. Gage Roads x Jamie Browne collab hat/tee

13. Land & Sea Brewery ‘The Canimal’….ok so it’s a tinnie but their designs are damn fine and I had to include a beer on this list as we all take one of them home from our brewery visits!

14. Moon Dog Summer Survival Pack that includes Old Mate Pale Ale, Love Tap Lager, Beer Can, sunnies, stubby holder and some sweet sweatbands!

15. Stone and Wood Ingredients Tee. The old faithful. I’ve had about 3 of these over the last 10 years or so.

16. 3 Ravens ‘Juicy Tee’. Just hot!

17. Boat Rocker RamJet gift set. Smart idea at a good price!

So there you have a very one sided, beer geek biased, personally chosen list of what I think are some clever merch ideas from our great Aussie craft breweries. It might not be to everyone’s liking but there’s lots of ideas to like here and plenty to get colleagues thinking about what might work for their audiences and beer fans at their brewery. However, as always with my work if you have seen something that should be added to the list or something that’s worth talking about then please touch base and I’ll take a squizz and give it a shout out.

Thanks for reading.

Blair Hughes

Blair Hughes is an award winning, globally respected fan engagement specialist who helps clients in the
sports, music and craft beer industries grow their fan bases, improve fan experiences and create new
business and revenue opportunities. You can follow him on Twitter at @MrBlairHughes or here at
www.MrBlairHughes.com (I’m also brand ambassador at Two Bays Brewing Co running events and sales- come say hi at an event or the taproom sometime!)

Froth Beer Magazine: Fanning The Flames

Previously in Froth Magazine I have highlighted the emergence of commercial partnerships between Australian craft breweries and the sports business to illustrate how this particular fan engagement initiative is driving deeper emotional loyalty between sports fans, craft breweries and our local communities along with enhancing the game day fan experience across the country. Collaborations for instance between Newstead Brewing and the NBL’s Brisbane Bullets with their ‘Ale-y Oop’ beer along with the increasing availability of craft beer in our sporting venues such as Gage Roads brews now at Optus Stadium in Perth emphasize the positive outcomes and benefits that can be achieved for all stakeholders when a focus on fan engagement is applied.

With the ever expanding and competitive market place of the Australian craft beer industry it is now more than ever vitally important that craft breweries understand and engage their fans and local communities with creative, memorable and authentic marketing strategies in order to secure their long term success. This article will therefore look at a cross section of Australian craft breweries to showcase the successful fan engagement strategies that some are using to turn craft beer fans into hardcore brand ambassadors and what other craft breweries around Australia can learn from these initiatives to acquire new fans.

The term ‘fan engagement’ is a buzz marketing phrase that’s become synonymous within the sports business as a result of a number of current global challenges it faces such as from the increasing competition from other leisure activities and the rising costs of attending matches. Consequently, teams and venues have put an emphasis on putting ‘fans first’ by implementing fan engagement strategies that involve everything from offering cheaper pricing on food and beverages, creating innovative tech driven fan zone activations to more simply improving customer service to ensure that fans are given more bang for their buck on game days.

Best practice fan engagement involves being consistent, effectively listening to your fans needs as well as providing them with a sense of ownership so that they can express their love for a brand and it’s these principles of fan engagement which are readily transferable to a number of industries especially the craft beer world. It’s clear from the brief snapshot of the craft breweries showcased below that while the Australian craft beer industry faces it’s own issues, breweries are successfully implementing impressive fan engagement initiatives around their local communities that are helping to win over new fans.

From diverse sponsorship and community initiatives to loyalty programs and creative content marketing, craft breweries across Australia are engaging fans in clever and outstanding ways that deserve to be showcased so here’s a round up of what’s happening at a brewery near you across the country.

Starting with Queensland craft breweries and Black Hops are going the extra mile for their fans by producing a podcast and book as well as having established a successful crowd funding campaign that led to their ambassador group growing to over 1,000 members. Putting their fans well and truly first Black Hops are even making a beer this month that is a collaboration brewed with some of their most hardcore customers. Meanwhile Burleigh Brewing have set up a huge outdoor cinema to screen classic films over summer while Range Brewing ran a non-perishable food drive over Christmas to help out their community.

There’s plenty happening in New South Wales with Stone and Wood finding great success with their inGrained Foundation that supports grassroots environmental and social charities in the local areas where their fans live and work while they took a fan first approach with their brewery as it was inspired by the idea of creating a village brewery that would be a meeting place to bring people together. Stone and Wood’s marketing manager Jasmin Daly further highlights that ‘meeting the people behind the brewery can give people a new level of depth and appreciation. For us it also allows us to receive feedback and personally connect. Having these real and authentic experiences humanises the brand or business.’

In Sydney Batch Brewing have brewed beers inspired by the local community such as the ‘Marrickville Pork Roll’ beer which was brewed with ingredients from a famous pork roll shop in the area while Canberra’s Bentspoke Brewing are conscious that it’s not just about the paying customer with their marketing coordinator Tash Shan stating that ‘their brewpub is an important place for beer drinkers to road test new brews and grow the connection and engagement between our fans, brand and reach new craft beer lovers’. Bentspoke like many other Australian craft breweries have also both partnered with major sporting teams and donate their spent grain back to farmers in an effort to further engage with their community.

Another craft brewer that’s huge on fan and community engagement is Wayward Brewing with initiatives such as ‘Craft for a Cause ’ raising funds for a local charity through the brewing of a special beer while their love for their fans furry friends extends to allowing pups on the premises with their #DogsOfWayward also haven taken on a life of it’s own amongst Wayward fans as it showcases fans and their dogs from the local community. Wayward’s creative director Faye White explains further “We love thinking up fresh and exciting ways to engage our fans at Wayward. It is also so important to us that we give back to the community that gives us so much loyalty and support”.

Down in Victoria and Venom Brewing add an element of fun to their marketing by running games like tinnie toss and having a prize wheel to entertain fans at their promotional events while Burnley Brewing host events such as trivia nights, offer weekly merchandise giveaways on social and also run free brewery tours and tastings every Monday which is a brilliant way to showcase their beers to local residents. Another brewing company who greatly understand the importance of listening to and engaging with their fans is Two Birds Brewing who as co-founder Danielle Allen states “We’ve had many fans from all over Australia who have supported us from the get go and are a part of our story. We’ll never forget that, and in turn we do our best to keep them engaged by offering giveaways, a loyalty program at our tasting room The Two Birds Nest (we call them Frequent Flyers!), and we listen to suggestions on new beers and what they want from us. It’s actually how Taco became part of our permanent lineup – our fans asked and we listened!”.

Stomping Ground are another Victorian brewery who have done plenty of good things in the community with their Pridelweiss and Movember brew initiatives having collectively raised close to $200,000 and they’ve also put a big focus on catering for families at their beer hall by creating a cubby house and colouring in menu to keep kids and families entertained. Lastly, Hop Nation continues to grow their fan base through local community initiatives by sponsoring local sports teams, schools and kindergartens and recently made a collaboration beer ‘The Patron’ with the Footscray Historical Society.

The focus on engaging with the local community continues further south with Tasmania’s Moo Brew sponsoring a range of events including charity balls, local art exhibitions and live music because as marketing manager Tim Dudgeon notes ‘supporting our local community is key in developing our grass roots following. Doing so helps to build equity in the brand and familiarity with our product range. It also is a form of inspiration for us, enabling us to stay in touch with our core customers and learn from their experiences with our products.’ Skipping north west across to South Australia and Prancing Pony are also big supporters of emerging local artists and showcase live music and exhibitions at their brewery with CEO and co-founder Corinna Steeb stating that by ‘working closely with the local community we can make sure that we’re building a healthy and prosperous community for everyone around us’.

Finally over to Western Australia and Black Brewing have recently launched their new venue ‘Caves Road Collective’ where they’ve brought together their partners Dune Distilling and Ground to Cloud Wines all under one roof to showcase the three disciplines of brewing, distilling and winemaking combined with the amazing food from the gorgeous Margaret River region. Fellow West Australian brewer, Gage Roads is also supportive of their community’s grass roots events and has sponsored local art shows, concerts, musicians and films and recently sponsored a group of local surfers to create a surf documentary about their pilgrimage to a secret spot in Western Australia’s north-west.

It’s evident from the examples listed above that these craft breweries along with the vast majority of Australia’s craft brewers are successfully finding positive outcomes that are driving deeper connections between their fans and local areas by implementing fan engagement strategies and ‘fan first’ approaches to their marketing. Now all that’s left to do as craft beer fans ourselves is to continue getting out and about to support our local craft breweries to continue this positive success for the craft beer industry.

Blair Hughes is an award winning, globally respected fan engagement specialist who helps clients in the sports, music and craft beer industries grow their fan bases, improve fan experiences and create new business and revenue opportunities. You can follow him on Twitter at @MrBlairHughes or at www.MrBlairHughes.com