Projects

Some 360 tests out in space

PanTiltRollSpace HubbleDeepSpace injected

much more coming soon.

May 4th -7th trip out to Denver Colorado from Chicago, IL to film my best friends wedding.

Filmed entirely with the LG V30 phone https://amzn.to/2Ev3E1A
Edited using premiere Elements 11 & finished on Premiere Pro CC
www.BulbBrainCreative.com

We love a good saison (a.k.a. farmhouse), and in this episode we look at how two very different breweries present their very good saisons to the world.
It’s a Complicated Legacy
In effect, you have a “heritage” brewery in Goose Island, except that their legacy is complicated by the fact they sold to AB-InBev in 2011. This was and probably still is craft beer’s most infamous event, at least in this phase of its existence.

(In fact, the Chicago Tribune‘s Josh Noel wrote a whole book about it called Barrel-Aged Stout and Selling Out.)

For the average consumer, though, Goose is still a quintessentially Chicago beer. They have billboards around town, you can get them at Wrigley (and now at the Sox’s park, too).

Yet, for being so “mainstream,” they continue to invest in and, frankly, excel in, producing distinctive, flavorful beers like their saison, Sofie, (and their whole line of “sisters”) and, of course, their perennial favorite, Bourbon County Brand Stout.

Covering All Their Bases
Goose covers so much ground with their beers, which they only highlight by the diversity of their visual branding. They have their mainstream year-round beers, the sisters, the Cooper Project, the Fulton St. beers, and then all sorts of things that only show up on tap.

We talk about how Goose is managing their different brands when they only have a single social account on each platform. Are consumers flexible enough to roll with shots of 312 wheat painted on a skateboard followed by their Sofie saison on a bed of roses?

Given how broadly they distribute, we look at how well they’re playing the local card and trying to build community online.

We also talk about something we like to see: building events around releases and marking events with beer pairings. Which of your beers goes well with the first day of spring? Which of your beers should folks drink on opening day at Wrigley?

(Side note: It’s kinda awesome that you can find a big, flavorful saison like Sofie at Wrigley Field. It’s not your typical ballpark beer, but hey, it’s a great beer, so why not?)

A Word from our Sponsors
Goose Island promotes several causes on their socials. We’re very interested in the dynamics and perceptions of corporate charity. New breweries commonly get involved in community and other charitable causes. Do we need to doubt their authenticity if they’re owned by an international conglomerate?

Still Building a Brand
Off Color, by comparison, is much smaller, independent, and very much in the building stage. They’ve been around long enough to give us some confidence that they’re succeeding, and we couldn’t be happier for them. These guys do some great beers.

Their Apex Predator saison is pretty much their flagship, and somehow they’ve built the brand without, apparently, needing to get on the IPA train. That’s saying something.

Don’t Make Me Go to Wikipedia
At the same time, we find significant missed opportunities with their online presence, especially their website. These guys could potentially have some awesome positioning, but they seem to rely solely on their visual brand and word of mouth.

For instance, did you know their vision is to brew forgotten styles of beer? Brad kinda goes off on them, because he didn’t realize this was a deliberate vision until he saw their page on Wikipedia.

Seriously guys, we have to go to Wikipedia to find this stuff?

Take Time to Teach
Another missed opportunity is using their socials to teach their customers about the styles they’re brewing. If you’re brewing a chicha or a sahti, you’re gonna want to help your customers understand what they’re looking at. Even if it’s a familiar style like a saison, it’s worth putting some good content out there that explains why you’re interested in it.

We also discuss some creative ways Off Color could generate more content while retaining their playful approach to brewing. The point isn’t that they need to “get serious” so much as we’d like to see them take some of their marketing more seriously.

After all, you don’t want to leave money on the table because you don’t like posting pictures online.

Let’s Be Clear
It’s important to understand that, when Brad rants about Off Color’s missed opportunities, it’s because he genuinely respects and enjoys their beer and wants to see them succeed.

Craft has become a crowded space, even though there’s plenty of room for the category as a whole to grow within overall beer sales. Standing out not only visually but verbally and with a clear vision is more important than ever.

We end our saison episode riffing on fun things we think Off Color could play around with to help more people get a grip on what they’re trying to do.

https://www.2beersandapodcast.com/2018/05/24/003-saisons-to-love-goose-island-sofie-and-off-color-apex-predator/

Filmed and Edited by Michael Rataj of Bulb Brain Creative
www.BulbBrainCreative.com
instagram.com/bulbbraincreative
facebook.com/bulbbraincreative
Camera Used - https://amzn.to/2rnbJN5

Test with Old Irving Brewing

Julie Breckenfelder wants to help you be the best you in your business, job, family & relationships.
Visit JBCoaching.com to learn about the IPEC coaching energy assessment and other plans to help you become the best you.

In this episode Brad and Mike discuss how to stand out in an overly crowded IPA market, and if you're a bar or brewery you should plan on having at least a couple on draft.

How important are flagship beers? Featuring Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Sam Adams Lager.

In this episode of 2 beers & a podcast Brad & Mike take a deep dive into what relevance a flagship has in the current craft beer boom times where new beers are the norm.

filmed using the Canon Rebel T3i - https://amzn.to/2TPiYKW

Bernie Small reads a very nice poem to Joe the Plumber of Cup of Joe Networking, Monday Morning 8-8:45.

Filmed by Michael Rataj of BulbBrainCreative.com using the Olympus TG-5 - https://amzn.to/2TQruta

Instagram.com/BulbBrainCreative

A very brief intro with Michael Rataj and Julie Breckenfelder for Braincast 009. The entire conversation goes on for well over an hour covering topics of good mental health and good practices for becoming your best self.