Back in August, a new format called Take, Countertake debuted where my dear friend and beer marketing expert Chris McClellan (@brewenthusiast) chose a hill a die on. This is a regular schtick of his on Twitter, but he brought his talents to Beer Crunchers for a deeper debate, beginning with his stance that
I"m going with Chris on this one. In nearly twenty years of having a brewery booth at festivals, I don't see the cost in time, staff, and money nearly worth the minor impact on the consumers. Staff likes to do ones where they sent away so its like a paid vacation with PTO during the following week. When I work them, I have fun for a bit and then the mass market of people there are just coming up asking for "What's new?" or "what's got the most alcohol?" As a brewery that makes classic sessionable beers, we become a pitstop on the way to the next imperial stout. Wish it was otherwise but we'll be ending our involvement in most festivals in 2024. Cheers!
I’ve worked many Beer Festivals. Can’t remember where I heard it, but I was told a beer festival is like fishing with a Rod & Reel. The goal is to catch & convert a few quality ‘fish’.
I think Chris has been fishing with a net for too long, as a Marketing guy. He’s forgetting that beer is still about making a personal connection. How do you measure that?
So my problem with Chris' take is that he thinks he can speak FOR the consumer. It's one thing to give suggestions or an outside look into how a festival may be of benefit, or can be enjoyable...but to spout off things like "You can't possibly appreciate sampling that many beers in one session" or telling them to just grab a couple of 4pks. The main reason festivals exist is to try a wide array of beer...and whether a person's palate can "handle it" or not, you don't usually go to a fest to drink 2 varieties of beer. Sorry to be brash, but the opposer just comes off as a huge curmudgeon...dare I say, a Kaiser Curmudgeon.
Professional wrestling wouldn't be such a successful art form if everyone was a baby face, high-fiving the crowd, and waiving the American flag. You need the villain to get the reaction from the crowd and ultimately put the face over. Chris took a few bumps for me on this one 😆 not doubt.
This is a lively debate for festivals where the entry fee is $50, but it's kind of a blowout when basic tickets are $125 and the VIP tickets cost more.
This is not specific to beer, but festivals of all types have gotten very expensive lately without delivering a corresponding value. They're like weddings; it's lovely to have a nice one, but why are the per-user costs 4x what it would cost to have it as dinner-with-friends? I think of music festivals having insane costs when you're there to see one band (play a short set) and are maybe interested in two others at most. With beer, I'm not getting good returns on my value if I'm paying over $100 to have "40 beers available" that I have to consume within a 5 hour period.
This is even more true when I have to insist to servers to keep pours down to 1/2-1oz and every tap tender thinks they're cool overflowing my 4oz taster cup when I just asked them not to do that. I will sip my 1/2 ounce and dump the rest out in front of you if you do that. (and never mind the frothy pours where the server says "oh, it'll settle down in a few minutes!") I think that kind of service is a bad look for people who are serious about beer & is more indicative of a culture where industry events - and beer wouldn't be the only industry with this problem! - are just an excuse to get drunk and act loose. As the industry becomes more inclusive & gains voices of people who prefer their beer with a sober palate, I'm sure that more attention will be paid to these criticisms and perhaps festivals will become an improved, albeit pricey, experience.
People go for different reasons. I'm personally, what those in the industry would call, a "ticker." I like trying pretty much any beer. Then I put it on Untapped so I can log it. Because I can't possibly remember them all. I used to go to many different taprooms all the time. But now I have a toddler, so I am limited to maybe an evening every week or three. So, I mainly stick to a few close breweries and do a couple further trips a year to a brewery in the city or another part of Chicagoland. This year I started going to beer festivals. Been to three this year. And while I'm not a fan of crowds, I have enjoyed the experience. I am able to efficiently try many beers from many different breweries in a relatively short time and not get drunk. I leave a festival far more sober than I've left a taproom or bar. Maybe I'm being more mindful and purposeful there. And I agree with the personal touch. At the last festival, a former Rev worker I knew told me to go to the Rev tent and ask for a can of Super Zero. Went to the tent and they handed one over. Helped me put a little space and time between the drinking. Already was a Rev fan but I appreciated the attention. Just my two or three cents. Appreciate the article.
I think this depends entirely on the festival in question. (Much like with hazy IPAs,) something that was originally done thoughtfully by and for people who really cared about the experience and was often truly delightful got overshadowed by grifters churning out mediocre examples to the point where only a very small percentage are actually worth the money, and it’s hard to know ahead of time which ones fall into that category. A really great beer fest is a total blast, but it has to be very thoughtfully organized and curated. Managing the crowd density and having the beer poured by actual brewery employees are huge.
I"m going with Chris on this one. In nearly twenty years of having a brewery booth at festivals, I don't see the cost in time, staff, and money nearly worth the minor impact on the consumers. Staff likes to do ones where they sent away so its like a paid vacation with PTO during the following week. When I work them, I have fun for a bit and then the mass market of people there are just coming up asking for "What's new?" or "what's got the most alcohol?" As a brewery that makes classic sessionable beers, we become a pitstop on the way to the next imperial stout. Wish it was otherwise but we'll be ending our involvement in most festivals in 2024. Cheers!
Do you have a preferred alternative to festivals that goes after what they're (in theory) attempting to accomplish?
I’ve worked many Beer Festivals. Can’t remember where I heard it, but I was told a beer festival is like fishing with a Rod & Reel. The goal is to catch & convert a few quality ‘fish’.
I think Chris has been fishing with a net for too long, as a Marketing guy. He’s forgetting that beer is still about making a personal connection. How do you measure that?
So my problem with Chris' take is that he thinks he can speak FOR the consumer. It's one thing to give suggestions or an outside look into how a festival may be of benefit, or can be enjoyable...but to spout off things like "You can't possibly appreciate sampling that many beers in one session" or telling them to just grab a couple of 4pks. The main reason festivals exist is to try a wide array of beer...and whether a person's palate can "handle it" or not, you don't usually go to a fest to drink 2 varieties of beer. Sorry to be brash, but the opposer just comes off as a huge curmudgeon...dare I say, a Kaiser Curmudgeon.
Professional wrestling wouldn't be such a successful art form if everyone was a baby face, high-fiving the crowd, and waiving the American flag. You need the villain to get the reaction from the crowd and ultimately put the face over. Chris took a few bumps for me on this one 😆 not doubt.
For sure. Hot Takes are important...and clearly get people to read. 😜
This is a lively debate for festivals where the entry fee is $50, but it's kind of a blowout when basic tickets are $125 and the VIP tickets cost more.
This is not specific to beer, but festivals of all types have gotten very expensive lately without delivering a corresponding value. They're like weddings; it's lovely to have a nice one, but why are the per-user costs 4x what it would cost to have it as dinner-with-friends? I think of music festivals having insane costs when you're there to see one band (play a short set) and are maybe interested in two others at most. With beer, I'm not getting good returns on my value if I'm paying over $100 to have "40 beers available" that I have to consume within a 5 hour period.
This is even more true when I have to insist to servers to keep pours down to 1/2-1oz and every tap tender thinks they're cool overflowing my 4oz taster cup when I just asked them not to do that. I will sip my 1/2 ounce and dump the rest out in front of you if you do that. (and never mind the frothy pours where the server says "oh, it'll settle down in a few minutes!") I think that kind of service is a bad look for people who are serious about beer & is more indicative of a culture where industry events - and beer wouldn't be the only industry with this problem! - are just an excuse to get drunk and act loose. As the industry becomes more inclusive & gains voices of people who prefer their beer with a sober palate, I'm sure that more attention will be paid to these criticisms and perhaps festivals will become an improved, albeit pricey, experience.
People go for different reasons. I'm personally, what those in the industry would call, a "ticker." I like trying pretty much any beer. Then I put it on Untapped so I can log it. Because I can't possibly remember them all. I used to go to many different taprooms all the time. But now I have a toddler, so I am limited to maybe an evening every week or three. So, I mainly stick to a few close breweries and do a couple further trips a year to a brewery in the city or another part of Chicagoland. This year I started going to beer festivals. Been to three this year. And while I'm not a fan of crowds, I have enjoyed the experience. I am able to efficiently try many beers from many different breweries in a relatively short time and not get drunk. I leave a festival far more sober than I've left a taproom or bar. Maybe I'm being more mindful and purposeful there. And I agree with the personal touch. At the last festival, a former Rev worker I knew told me to go to the Rev tent and ask for a can of Super Zero. Went to the tent and they handed one over. Helped me put a little space and time between the drinking. Already was a Rev fan but I appreciated the attention. Just my two or three cents. Appreciate the article.
I think this depends entirely on the festival in question. (Much like with hazy IPAs,) something that was originally done thoughtfully by and for people who really cared about the experience and was often truly delightful got overshadowed by grifters churning out mediocre examples to the point where only a very small percentage are actually worth the money, and it’s hard to know ahead of time which ones fall into that category. A really great beer fest is a total blast, but it has to be very thoughtfully organized and curated. Managing the crowd density and having the beer poured by actual brewery employees are huge.