Beat the Brewmaster is a new mobile website where beer enthusiasts can match their sensory skills against the brewmaster who created the beers they’re rating.
“It’s hard to engage your patrons in a busy bar or tasting room,” said co-founder Chris Clarke. “But Beat the Brewmaster is solving that problem for the brewers who’ve joined the program.”
Since launching 10 weeks ago, 84 breweries have signed up so far with the majority from USA and Canada. Closer to home, Wayward Brewing has signed up although they are yet to upload their beers on the site.
“We put 14 of our core brands/seasonals up on Beat the Brewmaster. We’re excited to see our fans and craft beer enthusiasts engage with the beers they love to drink while enhancing their sensory skills. BTB will really help our fans understand more about each brand while enjoying every sip,” said Amanda Becklin of Odell Brewing Company.
Whether on a computer or their smartphone, players log on and find the beer they’re drinking. Once they’ve completed the challenge of rating a given beer, they can get instant feedback about how their impressions fit and don’t fit with the assessment of the brewmaster. The better the fit, the more points they gain and they climb the leaderboard, eventually unlocking levels: Enthusiast, Pro and Master. All of this can be shared on Facebook and other social media sites.
“Beer drinkers love sharing their knowledge with others and they’ll be just as excited about sharing their new insights with their friends,” said Clarke.
Some breweries are using Beat the Brewmaster to educate not just consumers but also their reps so they better understand the beers when they’re talking to customers and beer drinkers.
“Everyone tells me that education is the focus of any craft brewery to succeed,” said Marty Ochs, who most recently served as vice president of sales for Oregon’s Ninkasi Brewing. “Well, this is the tool that educates craft drinkers about specifics of your beer, what it pairs with, who made it and so much more about the brewery.”
Beat the Brewmaster also provides measurement tools during tap takeovers, pint nights, sampling programs and other events. By gaining insights into how beer drinkers perceive the beer when they drink them, breweries can develop more effective sales and marketing programs.
“It’s currently free to put your beers up and the feedback has been nothing but positive. And because we’re beer guys ourselves, it’s always fun to see who signs up next,” Clarke concluded.
For information on how breweries can sign up to Beat the Brewmaster, check out the video below.