Be it winter doldrums or just a slow night in general, every brewery finds valleys among the peaks of a hopping weekend crowd. Being able to find ideas and events that work and do more than bring people in, but also have them buying beer and staying for a while can be a conundrum.
You also have a few types of people blending if an event is going on. Those that are there for a beer, others that came specifically for what was scheduled. Finding a happy balance — or even space — can help boost the level of experience for all.
“The events that are truly unique capture the most attention,” pointed out LUKI Brewery co-founder Jeff Smith. “Yes, we’ll do the standard trivia and game nights, plus occasional live music. There’s still a great crowd out there that seeks these things out. But where we’re most successful is something guests don’t normally see.”
The Arvada, Colorado facility has worked toward finding niches to bring in a different audience with an annual peach peeling party for its peach Saison, as an example.
“The community helps to peel local peaches for the beer, and those that help get a free crowler for their effort when it goes on tap,” Smith explained.
They also invite circus and acrobatic troupes to give performances and run juggling workshops along with partnering with several local small businesses for different craft events.
“It keeps things rotating and interesting, and we see a lot of success with these events,” Smith said.
The key for Atlas Brew Works coming out of COVID has been a combination of both flexibility and openness to new ideas.
Trivia was a huge success for a long stretch of time when the Washington DC-area brewery was first reopening, and bringing back live music has also been a huge boost, said taproom GM Alec Rivera.
“At the same time, being a brewery without a kitchen, we’ve had to be creative about bringing in food options for special events and the like in order to keep our guests in the taproom longer,” they said.
Dorchester Brewing hosts weekly trivia nights every Wednesday night. Events Manager Derek Rayner said it took a while to ramp up interest but it has become one of the most consistent and busy days of the week. But not every patron wants to be involved with the trivia event.
The Boston-area brewery dedicates the entire first floor to guests who are interested in playing while leaving the second floor available to those who would rather just enjoy the beer, food, and space without the noise created by the trivia host.
”We accept trivia-specific reservations as well, which has helped us create a solid following of return guests who can count on having a table each week,” Rayner pointed out.
But no matter how successful a weekly event can be, times change and breweries need the foresight to know that and be willing to adjust.
”Every ongoing event we have done, no matter how successful, has a shelf life,” said Living the Dream‘s Jason Bell. “You always have to keep looking for new ideas. Over time, you can go back to events you have done in the past, but people are always looking for something new and different.
”If I had to pick one, I would say food-driven events have been our best overall draws.”
Photo courtesy LUKI Brewery
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