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NO LIMITS Unlimited Brewing’ s founder & CEO Neil Soni gives his tips on getting beer right
Consider audience taste: Is the audience comprised of hop-heavy beer geeks, lagersipping beer consumers, wine drinkers or a mixed group?
Pay attention to the alcohol percentage( ABV): Some occasions call for the strong stuff( I’ ll define as over 7 %) but most events should feature‘ session beers’. Usually in the 5 % range, these are flavour-filled but lack the massive punch of stronger styles. Your audience can have a good time without having‘ too much’ of a good time.
Are you serving food? My personal rule of thumb: richer, maltier beers, such as stouts and porters, pair nicely with richer dishes, like roasts or steaks, while lighter, crisper styles, like pale ales and pilsners, pair better with grilled chicken or fish.
Packaging matters Canned craft beer continues to see increased popularity, but present a major complication for events: cans require adequate glassware. Bottles function as the serving vessel as well. However, some beers are only available in cans. Many functions feature glassware already( no one to our best knowledge is drinking wine out of the bottle) so your situation may allow for cans with minimal hassle. Cans are more environmentally friendly than bottles because they weigh 50 % less.
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Below: Feast It supplier Travelling Gin |
are still leveraging money from brewers, but really considering their audience and working with local breweries are getting it right. GALA festival is one example,” he adds.
This transition towards catering for consumer choice, while trialling unknown brands, is a delicate balance, according to Matt Curtis, a beer writer who founded craft beer event Uppers & Downers.
“ It’ s tough because organisers and venues rely on sponsorship to make things work, and very large breweries have the power to both do this and provide cheap beer, helping events make a profit- a taboo subject for many, but essential if events are going to work, grow, and improve.”
“ Things are changing though. Field Day is a good example, with its London Brewers Market area championing small breweries, if more events considered initiatives like this, then it’ ll help both the event and craft beer categories to fl o u r i s h.”
Vollrath suggests a solution in the form of working with a bar company, and convincing organisers that a larger profit overall can be made if you diversify
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your offering while taking a percentage of the takings.
“ Drinks brand Diageo has ventures where they fund upcoming drinks brands, and they are waking up to the various niches and how people are interested in a much bigger spread of drinks. Also, these sorts of companies are more involved in trialling products as they are often their future competition.”
A NEW SOLUTION
With the festival and wider marketing industry abuzz with talk of personalisation, bespoke service, uniqueness and sustainability, one company has stepped into the fray to tick a lot of contemporary boxes.
Unlimited Brewing( see boxout) is billed as the world’ s first platform for creating personalised beer, each of which is sourced locally to your event or festival. The company personalises beers from its portfolio, or allows you to design your own from scratch. The company wants to become the world’ s first, and largest, supplier of premium craft beer, without ever having owned or operated a
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Time of year: Winter calls for darker, maltier beers, sometimes augmented with Christmas spices. Summer calls for lighter, refreshing styles – think lagers and pilsners. Spring has Märzens and Maibocks, and autumn brings Oktoberfests and the now ubiquitous pumpkin ales. unlimitedbrewing. com |