Advice From The Trail: Odell Brewing on Media Relations
Talking media relations shop with Kristin Wood, the Community Manager at Odell Brewing in Fort Collins, Colorado
We got a chance to talk media relations shop with Kristin Wood, the Community Manager at Odell Brewing in Fort Collins, Colorado. Here she emphasizes the significance of relationships, specifically bringing online connections to life by hosting at the brewery. We know that’s not always possible, and we encourage breweries to get creative with swag packs, beer shipments, and other digital ways to create connections in other virtual ways that lead to longterm brand recognition.
Odell seems to get an array of media mentions every day. How much of the earned media that you get is organic? How much comes from your PR efforts?
If you include social media, I would say 70 percent organic mentions and 30 percent are from press releases and beer samples around new product launches.
How do you choose who to ship beer samples to?
We start with a list of people who are in the industry. Then we add to it over time with people who we find organically when they write stories or mentioned us or people or publications who we'd want to pitch to.
Any tips for engaging influencers on social?
Get to know them on a personal level. Communicating via social media as a brewery is great because you can be fun and casual and really build rapport with your influencers. Comment on their posts when they mention you and always re-share their content.
How often do you invite media out to visit your tasting rooms? How often do you host?
Whenever I see a social media influencer is going to be in Colorado, I always send a personal note inviting them to one of our taprooms. I often make a point to be the hone who hosts them, even if it's after hours because it's so cool to be able to meet this person in real life.
Who form your team handles PR? Is that their full-time or part time role? How does that work integrate with the rest of your sales and marketing team?
As the Community Manager, I handle PR. It's one of my many hats but it blends well with managing the social channels since the line between traditional media and new media (blogs, vlogs, social media influencers, etc) has become so blurred.
What have you had to learn the hard way about PR?
I studied PR in college and I feel like nothing I learned is relevant anymore. Social media has completely changed the landscape and rules of the game. Often I feel like I'm just figuring it out as I go.
Purpose Brewing & Cellars Celebrates 2nd Anniversary with Weekend-Long Party August 3 and 4
“Two years young and we have barely unfolded our creative potential…”
FORT COLLINS, CO —Purpose Brewing & Cellars is pulling out all the stops for a weekend-long, two-year anniversary bash at the brewery (4025 S Mason St Unit C, Fort Collins, CO 80525) on Saturday, August 3 from 2 - 9 p.m. and Sunday August 4 from 2 - 7 p.m.
“I have been floored by the amount of interest and willingness of Fort Collins beer drinkers to explore the wealth of beer dimensions that we can still create,” says Peter Bouckaert, co-owner at Purpose Brewing. “It’s not lost on me that they expect a lot out of us, which is why we’ve continued to push the boundaries of beer making.”
Live music will be provided by the eclectic, groovy tunes of JangleTHUMP on Saturday and the lyrical musings of CSU alum Nina Forsyth on Sunday. All weekend long, enjoy some of your favorite childhood games in oversized form including, Jenga, Bananagrams, Cup-Stack, Ring Toss and more. To celebrate two wonderful years in business, Purpose will be releasing brand new beers and some familiar favorites including their famed taco beer. Z Catering will provide a delicious menu for the weekend with food items that pair perfectly with the beer lineup for the weekend.
The midtown brewery, led by Frezi and Peter Bouckaert, former New Belgium Brewing brewmaster and storied sour beer maker, opened during the summer of 2017. Since then, the small but mighty brewery welcomed brewer Mike Hiatt, and has continued to elevate consumers’ palates near and far. From mushroom beers to barley wines, the brewery releases unique, rotating beers as well as an inspired Smoeltrekker sour every week. Smoeltrekker, which means “pulling a funny face” in Flemish is the brewery owners cheeky way of naming their sour beer program. Every sour is aptly named Smoeltrekker along with the barrel number in which the delicious liquid is housed.
“Two years young and we have barely unfolded our creative potential,” said Bouckaert. “We have so many barrels behind our bar that are just waiting to share their story and put Fort Collins on the map for outstanding sour beers.”
For more information about Purpose Brewing’s 2-Year Anniversary Party, contact Chea Franz at chea@radcraftbeer.com.
ABOUT PURPOSE BREWING & CELLARS
Purpose Brewing & Cellars is a small batch craft brewery that focuses on hand-crafted beers. We focus on three main ingredients: knowledge, experience and creativity and blend these ingredients with tools such as fruit, wood, barrels, spices and whatever else that draws our inspiration. Every weekend, we offer four or five unique beers that are different from week to week. We will always have a different barrel aged beer on tap, and most of the time, a delicious sour beer. Come in and say hello and try some of our tasty creations. For more information about Purpose Brewing & Cellars, visit PurposeBrewing.com.
Funkwerks Launches Distribution in Kansas
Draft and 6-packs offerings of Funkwerks select year-round and specialty beers will be available in craft-centric establishments around Kansas.
FORT COLLINS, CO— Funkwerks is proud to begin serving their neighbors to the east as they expand their distribution into Kansas this week through Crown Distribution and Central State Beverage.
This announcement comes after Funkwerks’ additions of New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Kentucky, and Chicagoland to its footprint earlier this year continuing Funkwerks plans to align their distribution footprint with their partners, Brooklyn Brewery and 21st Amendment, and bringing the total count of savvy states serving Funkwerks beer to thirteen.
Draft and 6-packs offerings of Funkwerks select year-round beers— Funkwerks Saison, Tropic King, Raspberry Provincial, and White— will be available in select, craft-centric establishments in the Crown Distribution and Central State Beverage distribution footprint along with limited quantities of specialty beers including Pineapple Provincial, Saison d'Brett, and Rhuberry Provincial.
“We are looking forward to serving our funky beers to our neighboring state,” says Funkwerks Co-Founder and President, Brad Lincoln. “We’ve heard great things about the craft beer community in Kansas and we look forward to working with Crown Distribution and Central State Beverage to expand our brand throughout the state.”
KANSAS LAUNCH EVENTS:
July 31 - Wheel Barrel in Topeka, 5:30pm
July 31 - Red Lyon Tavern in Lawrence, 6pm
August 1 - Barley’s Kitchen & Tap in Overland Park, 6pm
ABOUT SAISON
Belgian-Style Ale, 6.8%
With a recipe born from backyard test batches, the Saison that sits before you today is a GABF gold-medal winning beer. Heavily reliant on flavors and aromas generated by our house yeast, this beer exemplifies the care we take in every aspect of Funwkerks’ brewing process. Go ahead and delight in the Saison’s beautiful orange hue and bright effervescence. Notes of passion fruit, tangerine, and spices. Pairs well with high fives.
ABOUT TROPIC KING
Imperial Saison, 8.0% ABV
Originally designed to be a hoppier version of the brewery’s flagship Saison, the accidental (but fortuitous) addition of two extra bags of Munich malt balanced the hop creating this very unique Imperial Saison. Notes of passion fruit, mango, peach, ginger and pepper. Pairs well with hula hooping.
ABOUT WHITE
Belgian-Style Wheat Ale with Spices, 4.8%
Rooted in Belgian tradition, this refreshing wheat ale, or witbier, is our interpretation of a classic style. Its hazy pale color and creamy white head result from the ample amounts of wheat used in the recipe. The addition of raw oats contributes to a smooth mouthfeel while the Belgian yeast imparts a complex yet dry finish. Notes of orange zest and lemon with hints of spice. Pairs well with secret handshakes.
ABOUT RASPBERRY PROVINCIAL
Sour Ale Brewed with Raspberries, 4.2%
This delicious creation was truly a product of creativity, ingenuity, and luck. In the summer of 2013 Funkwerks took a test batch of their sessionable sour summer ale, Provincial, that didn’t quite hit gravity and decided to have some fun with it by adding a heavy dose of raspberries. The end result was so delicious,they ended up brewing it year-round. This delightfully tart fruit beer is refreshing, with a citrusy berry aroma which transitions to a subtly sweet and tart finish. Notes of lemon zest and tart raspberries.
ABOUT PINEAPPLE PROVINCIAL
Sour Ale Brewed with Pineapple, 4.2%
Pineapple Provincial is a tart, light-bodied, tropical beer with notes of lemon zest and pineapple that give the apricot and raspberry variants of the Provincial series a run for their money.
ABOUT RHUBERRY PROVINCIAL
Sour Ale Brewed with Strawberry and Rhubarb, 4.2%
Combines freshly picked rhubarb with bright, juicy strawberries to create a tart, fruity, and sessionable sour ale with rhubarb and strawberry. This beer is the pie-fect libation for any season. One sip and you’ll be transported back in time to your grandma’s porch swing while aromas of cooling pie waft around you in the warm breeze. Notes of ripe strawberries and tart rhubarb. Pairs well with cheek pinches.
ABOUT SAISON d’BRETT
Foudre-Aged Saison Ale with Brett, 7.6%
This crisp, dry, saison was aged for six months in Funkwerks’ 800-gallon oak foudre. The fruity aromas and spice flavors are derived from the brettanomyces and wild yeast previously inoculated inside the foudre. Warming flavors of ripened fruit and funky brett contribute to this beer’s bright complexity. Notes of fresh pineapple, tropical fruit, and wet hay.
Funkwerks’ beer is now available in select locations across Colorado, Arizona, Texas, Minnesota, Missouri, California, Nevada, Ohio, Kentucky, Chicago, New York City, New Jersey, and now Kansas.
For more information about Funkwerks, contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com.
ABOUT FUNKWERKS
Founded in 2009 by brewers Gordon Schuck and Brad Lincoln, Funkwerks is a craft brewery specializing in niche-style beers made in their small brewery in Fort Collins, Colorado. Find the brewery online at funkwerks.com or follow them on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Funkwerks Celebrates the Longest Day of the Year with their 2nd Annual Summer Solstice Party
Funkwerks is celebrating the longest day of the year with their Second Annual Summer Solstice Patio Party.
What: Funkwerks, specializer of niche-style craft beers, is celebrating the longest day of the year with their Second Annual Summer Solstice Patio Party—and they will be open late for all the fun!
While sipping a fruity Raspberry Provincial or refreshing Hella Helles, jam to live music from Fat Stallion (start at 4 p.m.) and J.W. Schuller Band (from 7 to 9 p.m.).
Special guests Topo Designs and Ryan Dykstra Records will be in the house showing off their inspired creations. Hungry? Shuck Brothers will be nearby to satiate your seafood cravings, serving up fresh, raw oysters, buttery Maine lobster rolls, and delicious garlic fries.
Beer will be flowing until 10 p.m., so put on some sunscreen, grab your shades and some friends and meet on the patio!
When: Friday, June 21, 2019 from 4 - 10 p.m.
Where: Funkwerks (1900 E Lincoln Ave Unit B, Fort Collins, CO 80524)
For more information, contact chea@radcraftbeer.com.
About Funkwerks
Founded in 2009 by brewers Gordon Schuck and Brad Lincoln, Funkwerks is a specialty craft brewery specializing in Saison, Sour, and Belgian-style craft beers made in their small brewery in Fort Collins, Colorado. The 2012 winner of the Small Brewery of the Year Award at the Great American Beer Festival, Funkwerks beers are available in nine US States.
Purpose Brewing & Cellars to Tap Rare Sixtel Keg of pH1
Peter Bouckaert of Purpose Brewing & Cellars has found a sixtel keg of pH1.
FORT COLLINS, CO— In the midst of CBC shenanigans and the second bomb cyclone, Peter Bouckaert of Purpose Brewing & Cellars has found a sixtel keg of pH1. This honey-colored soft sour was aged in the legendary pH1 barrel where it developed a beautiful complexity of its own. The last time the public was able to try this beer was for Purpose’s one-year anniversary last August.
The pH1 barrel itself has been on quite a journey. One of the original nine barrels from New Belgium’s sour beer program in 1998, Peter released these barrels, giving them homes at other breweries with each barrel providing a story to tell. pH1 traveled to Santa Rosa, CA., where it housed Russian River’s Beatification, was delivered back to New Belgium in 2014, and made its way to Rare Barrel in Berkeley, CA where the sour beer company blended a beer with New Belgium. In October 2017, pH1 returned to Purpose Brewing where it now rests. Get the full story on ph1 here.
pH1 will tap tomorrow starting at 12:30 p.m. Good to the last drop, this super rare, limited release is one for the books. Come in and try it at Purpose before it’s gone!