Before I get started I should state that the first ever beer week in Canada, Vancouver Craft Beer Week, saw many forms of promotion, not just social media. That said, the amazing success of VCBW would have not been possible without a strong following generated via Twitter, Facebook, and a ton of honest hard work. None of the media partners, newspapers articles, blog posts, radio coverage, and sponsors would have shown interest in VCBW without showing strong social media numbers in the early going. After establishing VCBW through these channels we were able to leverage all forms of marketing as a final push; however, at that time over half of the ticketed events were already sold out and the week could have been considered a success even without these tools. In the end VCBW was a staggering success, accomplishing in its first year what many events of it size take upwards of five years to achieve.
As many of you know I have been missing in action for a while. The main reason for this is because I was named the Marketing Director for Vancouver Craft Beer Week. It’s a rather important position that I can not take lightly. As part of the VCBW marketing efforts we put together a promotional video, I am a Canadian Craft Brewer:
This video would have not been possible without Soren Johnstone, an independent filmmaker who recently completed his second feature length film, Play With Fire. Make sure to check out his website and keep your eyes peeled for his more of his projects.
The Vancouver Craft Beer Week organizing committee is proud to announce the first ever BC Beer Awards by Brewery Creek. On Monday, March 22nd, an expert judging panel will review over 150 beers from all across British Columbia at an undisclosed location.
In one of the most embarrassing craft beer related lawsuits since the Vermonsterdebacle, our friends down at Bear Republic Brewery have filed a trademark infringement order against Central City Brewing, who are located here in British Columbia. Before getting into my dissection of this lawsuit I do wish to fully disclose that I know the people behind Central City Brewing, and am a fan of their beers. For a detailed breakdown of the lawsuit you can download the filed document here.
Above is a picture of both trademarkst. It’s true that arguments about both fonts and naming can be made. However, when using standard fonts found on almost any computer you can easily make the counter argument of coincidence. As for the names, it’s a stretch to assume Red Racer and Racer 5 have any significant relationship when compared to most craft beers. The sheer number of breweries using colors as denominators for their products is daunting, and the term Racer is vague; so much so one could argue AlesSmith’s Speedway Stout could also fall into this lawsuit if that were the case. Aside from this there is the blatant copyright infringement Bear Republic has done on their own part, creating a brand based off of the Speed Racer cartoon and its ever so famous car the Mach 5.
CAMRA President Rick Green (left) & Dockside Brewing Brewmaster Daniel Knibbs (right)
On January 17th, the CAMRA Vancouver Annual General Meeting took place at the Alibi Room. If you have ever been to an annual general meeting for any sort of organization, then you know that it’s not always the most exciting thing in the world. In order to get the conversation flowing, R&B Brewing graciously donated a keg of their award winning Auld Nick winter warmer. Along with the free beer also came free food from our good hosts at the Alibi Room, making everyone feel appreciated as an organization and ready to dive into the business at hand.
Many people outside of the eastern United States have yet to hear about the Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project. If it were not for RainCity Brands, British Columbia’s newest craft beer distributor, I too would have no idea Pretty Things existed. Luckily for me, on a trip to the Alibi Room for a pre-holiday pint, I ran into the man behind RainCity Brands. It was there I was treated to a sample of Babayaga, a Pretty Things’ winter seasonal, and the story behind the Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project.
Throughout December I posted The Beer Drinker’s Holiday Gift Guide Parts 1 & 2,focusing on books, novelty items, and big ticket presents. With Christmas mere days away Part 3 is going to focus on those last minute gifts that you grab on the way to a Christmas Party, your family’s house, or as you step out to ‘run an errand’ Christmas Eve. So ladies and gents, when you’re pressed for time and all out of ideas the best present for a beer drinker what do you buy? Beer of course! But, the question remains, what beer?
A couple of weeks ago I posted The Beer Drinker’s Holiday Gift Guide Part 1, breaking down the best books to buy the hop-head in your life. With Christmas fast approaching, I figured it best to post part two in order to avoid this becoming a Valentines Day gift guide. In this part, I break down a couple of big ticket items as well as a couple of cheaper, yet still well thought-out gifts.
Organization Membership: Often beer lovers wish to explore their passion, yet they lack a group of like minded-people to share experiences with. With that in mind, I feel one of the best gifts you can give to a beer lover is a membership to a local beer club, group, or organization. Locally, we have CAMRA Vancouver; abroad there are many other organizations such as the Craft Brewers Association, and CAMRA UK.
This past Saturday at 11:30am people began lining up to sample the best the BC craft beer scene has to offer. With breweries from all across the province descending onto DIX BBQ & Brewery, the air was full of anticipation as we hardcore craft heads mingled and tried to stay warm on the crisp, sunny December morning. After a short wait, we were called into the brewery in order to start the festivities by CAMRA president Rick Green.
Upon entering the venue, many of us quickly surveyed the landscape, identifying what casks to hit first and what ones we would need to build up to. Trust me when I say that if you were one of the few who approached Gary Lohin’s Double Roach Imperial IPA first, you were not enjoying the flavors of the other beers for the next couple of hours as it was a pure pallet wrecker.
Earlier this week I posted information about two events, the first of which is the Alibi Room’s 100th tap rotation happening tonight at 5:00pm. If you are on the fence about this event, just take a look at the beer list that was leaked by an unnamed CAMRA member:
Before I get started I should state that the first ever beer week in Canada, Vancouver Craft Beer Week, saw many forms of promotion, not just social media. That said, the amazing success of VCBW would have not been possible without a strong following generated via Twitter, Facebook, and a ton of honest hard work. None of the media partners, newspapers articles, blog posts, radio coverage, and sponsors would have shown interest in VCBW without showing strong social media numbers in the early going. After establishing VCBW through these channels we were able to leverage all forms of marketing as a final push; however, at that time over half of the ticketed events were already sold out and the week could have been considered a success even without these tools. In the end VCBW was a staggering success, accomplishing in its first year what many events of it size take upwards of five years to achieve.
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