What’s the number one answer a brewer will give when you ask what their brand is all about? That they “make great beer.”

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that’s the wrong answer. Sorry to be that guy.

If Everyone Makes Great Beer…

Let’s see, now: there are some 5,000 breweries in this country, and I just claimed that most of them say making great beer is central to their brand. If there’s truth in advertising, that must mean that any given brewery is likely to be pretty awesome.

From the customer’s point of view, this means that if your brewery is harder to get to or harder to find than the next guy’s, it shouldn’t bother me; the brewery right here is making great beer and will be more than adequate.

The big problem, here, is not that these breweries are lying. I mean, sure, some of them are stretching things and will probably be found out soon enough—but there really are a lot of great breweries out there. Maybe you own one, yourself.

But you cannot build your brand on making great beer. This is for the simple reason that so many other people are using the same tactic, which means there is no way for you to stand out.

Your Brand Doesn’t Brew, It Tells a Story

Technically, anyhow, your brand doesn’t make great beer, your brewery does—and they are not the same thing. Your brewery entails the equipment and personnel that actually produce the liquid we love to drink. Your brand entails the set of images, emotions, and stories associated with who you are and with the liquid we love to drink.

Randy Mosher says in Tasting Beer that every beer tells a story. For a master palate like his, that may be true. For most of us, it sounds pretty mystical. For most of us, the story comes from the brewery’s name, the beer’s name, the label, the website, maybe something the consumer heard at a beer fest, your blog or newsletter, and so on.

When you think about your brand, then, and start throwing around terms like story and voice, you want to think in much different terms than, “We want to make great beer.” You want to plant your flag in the ground and say, “This is who we are, and you are our people.”

Think of Who Does This Well

Some breweries are already doing a great job at standing out. Sometimes they begin with recipes, but they always make the brand about something more.

Founders Brewing Co.

On their site, Founders claims both to be simultaneously one of the most nationally recognized craft labels and a niche brewery. By building their brand around big beers like Arrogant Bastard, Kentucky Bourbon Stout, and Breakfast Stout, they signal their interest in big-flavored beers that really will not be for everyone. Meanwhile, their slogan, “Brewed for Us,” succinctly implies both a kind of exclusivity (“This isn’t aimed at you”) and a collusion (“Hey, you’re one of us, aren’t you?”).

New Belgium Brewing Co.

These guys are interesting because they are cultivating several brand identities, none of them focused simply on being “great beer.” Their main production beers like Fat Tire and Citradelic pitch themselves as accessible beers with pleasing flavors. The Voodoo Ranger line appeals to the more adventurous types, and their sour series demonstrates their commitment to looking forward while respecting their Belgian-inspired past at the same time, often through collaboration with Belgian brewers.

I’ll admit that the “Lips of Faith” moniker doesn’t do much for me. I’m not really sure what it’s supposed to mean other than creating associations with drinking, kissing, and believing in the possibilities of collaboration and innovation. But that’s not a bad list of associations for a great series of beers.

Creative Writing 101: Be Specific

How do you stand out, then? Your best customers will become attached to what makes you unique, and what makes you unique is that you started brewing for specific reasons and with a specific passion and vision. You came from some specific place and brought on particular people.

Yes, you’ll have a lot in common with other breweries in terms of cash flow problems, branding issues, and other business start-up obstacles, but no other brewery has done it quite like you have or in the place that you have.

In other words, you need to learn from the advice you get in an intro creative writing course: Be specific.

The paradox and wonder of specificity is that it actually helps people relate better than being general because people experience their own lives as specific, not general.

 

So, please, please don’t stop at telling me that you make great beer. Find your story, stay connected to your roots, and align your brand and your business with that so that I can really feel like I know you.

If that’s something you’d like help with, I know a guy. Let’s set up a time to talk.

 

 Image source: Viktor Hanacek/picjumbo.com