It defies normal beer-selling logic—why spend effort marketing your beer to audiences outside of your geographical area who have no regular means of purchasing your beer? For decades, though, brewers have done just that—sending beer to Denver for the Great American Beer Festival and ancillary events around the city that coincide with the event. The resultant excitement from local and visiting beer fanatics provided a reliable spike in brand hype, and awards won at the festival were reliable marketing tools for garnering organic coverage from local and regional press.
But the increasing decentralization and localization of craft beer has led to an array of new options for growing a brewery’s credibility and demand beyond the tried-and-true GABF. Today, smaller niche festivals, limited or expiring distribution contracts, and out-of-market collaborations provide great ways to build brand advocates in remote markets—customers whose interest can drive a more direct impact on your bottom line than you might think.
Niche Festivals
With some notable exceptions, the one-size-fits-all beerfest is largely a vestige of the past. In its place, smaller brewer-led festivals have arisen, allowing influential brewers to connect with likeminded breweries both in and out of their market. These “vanity” beer festivals are generally smaller affairs in terms of revenue and attendance, but their impact can be widely felt.