Beer Temple founder Chris Quinn didn’t set out to create one of Chicago’s most important craft beer destinations, but he has a way of stumbling into success.
My 2 Beers and a Podcast co-host, Mike Rataj, and I sat down with Chris Quinn in his bar in Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood to talk about the shop’s origins and Quinn’s vision.
It turns out his family is in the wine industry, and he wanted to take some of that sensibility and apply it to the craft beer context. Craft beer holds a somewhat paradoxical meaning for him. On the one hand, he calls it a manufactured product, meaning it’s somewhat reproducible across regional contexts. On the other hand, he calls it a romantic product. This I take to mean it carries within it a certain narrative of craftsmanship and a trace of its origins.
I think we all kind of get that when we say on the one hand that something about craft being traditional and independent still matters but on the other hand we shrug when we hear of acquisitions and go, “It’s a business, after all.”
Chris Quinn’s Approach to Business
Chris Quinn knows it’s a business, too, but that doesn’t mean he’s out for profit: “I’m not doing anybody any favors by going out of business,” he says of his approach to his draft selection. In other words, he can’t do what he does for the people that love what he does if he only follows his own whims or inclinations.
When Authenticity Works
That said, Chris Quinn may be the most successful person ever to mostly follow his inclinations. I call it stumbling in my headline, but it may simply be a form of authenticity.
Quinn was an early adopter of YouTube video from before the Beer Temple first opened as just a bottle shop. He kept it simple, with no real editing, just him and the camera. It proved a valuable way to connect with his early audience.
He continues it to this day, often bringing in brewers and other guests to join him.
Another form of authenticity comes in the form of the Beer Temple menu webcam. Quinn readily admits that the impetus behind it had nothing to do with novelty and everything to do with laziness. He simply didn’t want to update a web page every time his menu changed.
Now he has a radio show and podcast where he invites industry insiders to have a conversation about beer stuff. It’s a lot of insider baseball, but it’s also compelling to listen to knowledgeable people talk about something they love.
Chris Quinn’s success shows that if you really believe in your brand, you will find your audience.
You can watch the episode below or go to 2BeersandaPodcast.com to listen to the audio.
If you’d like to create compelling web pages, social media, and video content to reach your audience, contact me to talk about my beer marketing services.
