How Beer is Going Virtual
Beer festivals are a major part of beer culture around the world. Beer is known as a social drink that can be used to celebrate and bring people closer together. Festivals are also a great way for enthusiasts to try dozens of new brews that they would normally never be exposed to as well as the food that they pair well with. But the risk of COVID-19 has shut down many in-person festivals. One of the biggest festivals in the world, the Great American Beer Festival, has canceled their 2020 gathering, a first in their nearly 40-year history.
“While we are disappointed to not be gathering in Denver this fall for the craft beer community’s annual big tent event, the health and safety of our attendees, brewers, volunteers, judges, and employees is and always has been our top priority,” Brewer’s Association president and CEO Bob Pease said in a press release. “As the world is still greatly affected by the spread of COVID-19 and will continue to be affected for the foreseeable future, we must stay true to our priorities and pursue other ways to host GABF.”
Other major beer festivals that were forced to cancel include the Craft Brewers Conference in San Antonio, Texas, SAVOR beer and food pairing event in Washington, D.C., the HomebrewCon in Nashville, Tennessee, Germany’s legendary Oktoberfest, the Oregon Brewers Festival, Bend Brewfest, and Great Taste of the Midwest.
But there is still a way for drinkers to enjoy the variety that has become synonymous with beer festivals; going virtual.
Virtual Beer Festivals
Many of the smaller local craft beer festivals have switched to virtual beer festivals and some bigger festivals are following suit.
“Just one day, kind of organically, it was like, ‘Hey, what if we move this online? What if we made this virtual?’” Craft Brewers Association of Oklahoma treasurer and COOP Ale Works director of sales and marketing Sean Mossman told Brewbound. “Well, that would be cool, but then it’s just a conversation — how do we do beer? How do we make this a beer festival?”
Most virtual beer festivals follow a similar format. An attendee reserves a ticket and they can either pick up a carefully curated selection of beers or have it shipped to their home depending on local laws. Drinkers then have access to the event’s live-stream that will be simultaneously broadcast around the world on platforms like YouTube or their own website.
Live-streams can feature musical performances similar to an in-person festival but the magic is guided tastings of the curated beer. Some virtual beer festivals have even included interviews with the brewers of each beer and a much more in-depth explanation of beers and what they might pair with. Some drinkers actually prefer virtual festivals just because they feel like they can take their time and appreciate the beers more.
Large scale festivals like the Great American Beer Festival cannot scale their gatherings to a virtual festival due to the logistics of getting beer out to the tens of thousands of attendees. But many aspects can be virtual. Although canceled, the Great American Beer Festival will hold its annual brewery competition online.
In a blog post, the Great American Beer Festival teased more virtual experiences, “Festival details are still being finalized, but we plan to offer a compelling, schedule of virtual experiences and live activations across the country. Complete festival and ticket details will be announced August 1.”
Virtual Beer Tastings/Happy Hour/Homebrew
If virtual beer festivals aren’t appealing to some people, there is a much more intimate and personal option; virtual beer tastings. Already a popular trend with wine and whiskey, the main difference between virtual beer festivals and virtual beer tastings is that a festival is a set program that drinkers are just tuning into and following along. Virtual beer tastings are a much more interactive experience that has far fewer people.
A virtual tasting may only have one or two attendees that sit down and video call with a certified cicerone, a sommelier but for beer or beer expert. Together, the attendees will taste an assortment of curated beers that is either shipped or picked up beforehand in a one-on-one guided session with a beer expert.
Other variations include virtual happy hours that include prepared cheese or food pairings or even a virtual homebrew experience where expert brewers will help drinkers make their own beers.
Companies like BottleNation and City Brew Tours often market these experiences as a group activity or a party facilitating as many as 30+ locations, in case you don’t live with your drinking buddies. These options can definitely be a way to make a standard virtual happy hour at work a special occasion, which we all deserve.
While COVID-19 has made drinking less of a social activity, the industry is hard at work crafting new ways for drinkers to connect with their favorite hobby, pastime, and passion.
