From social media posts to event ideas, even creating a beer recipe and beer names, there are many ways to get to an end result that can resonate with consumers. Getting there can be a challenge sometimes. Finding inspiration from all around can prompt success.
”I find that getting your head space as far away from the topic at hand has the best overall impact on the creative process,” said LUKI Brewery co-founder Jeff Smith. For the Colorado owner, different beer recipes, events, and social media ideas have been inspired by something as simple as watching random TV.
“Cooking shows are my jam,” he said. “Our best beer names come from comedies. Just watching a show and hearing a phrase, often I laugh and say ‘hey, that would make a great beer name!'”
Twin Oast‘s Cory Smith believes inspiration can be found anywhere if you’re really looking for it.
READ MORE: Who to Have in the Room to Help in Creative Plans
“We’ve found inspiration from our patrons, our local community, and the craft beer industry as a whole,” he said. “Receiving feedback from “outside” sources can be a huge learning tool for us. Whether people are providing us with thoughts on how we can improve their experience or throwing us fun ideas for events — we love when outside sources share their thoughts.”
MadTree has found inspiration in song lyrics to delicious food or even something they found funny, said Marketing Manager Trevor Self.
”You have to find time across the business to create space for this to stay fresh and successful,” he said. “Even running ideas or asking questions with each other at the end of a long day over a drink helps spark curiosity or new ideas.”
For WeldWerks head brewer, Skip Schwartz, creative drought is only found when the Colorado veterans are being forced to create a new beer.
“We are lucky enough to have enough different brands over the years that we can sift through those and count on favorites to take the pressure off of us,” he said. “I have found that constantly reading books about classic styles, cocktail books, even cookbooks or books about food, keeps your ideas flowing.
“Make sure to be constantly reading something.”
Also, a huge thing that helps WeldWerks is traveling and trying different things while you are on the road.
“I can’t count the number of new products we have created because we tried something new while traveling,” Schwartz said. “The most recent example was while traveling Derek (our director of brewing ops) and I had bursting Boba tea for the first time — we have had regular Boba before, but not bursting.
“The experience was really awesome for us both and a light bulb went off in my head to try to create that experience in beer, with not a super thick puree-forward smoothie style sour, but a highly fruit-forward experience similar to that of a bursting Boba. That was how our Boba series started and it has been doing really well for us.”
If you cannot travel, he added to watching food and travel shows on TV.
“They have given us countless ideas without ever having to leave home,” Schwartz said.
Cory Smith pointed out that speaking with other breweries or even seeing how other breweries operate (in-person or online) can also provide inspiration.
“We’ve even had various brewers — local, out-of-state, and even out of the country — pop in and say our campus has given them ideas that they want to apply to their brewery,” Smith said. “That’s a huge honor to us. At the end of the day, we’re all part of the same industry; if something we do or create can inspire someone else, then that’s a reward in itself.”
Jeff Smith says to write everything down and cull it out later.
“Never underestimate the power of bar talk,” he added. “Seriously, write everything down. Better to get it in your phone or on paper and reject ideas later.”
Photo courtesy Twin Oast Brewing
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