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Collaboration beers have long been a craft beer staple. But in today’s competitive environment these partnerships have evolved into commercial opportunities, ensuring both media buzz and increased distribution.
Partnership beers are different from straightforward brewery collaborations where brewers craft a beer together. And while brewery collaborations do generate buzz for the brewers involved, they’re different from what we calling a partnership beer.
Brewery collaboration beers are about the beer. Partnership beers are about mutual branding. They are created to not just further brand awareness of the partners involved, but also to create media buzz and business for all parties involved.
A perfect example is the news that broke recently that Yuengling had partnered with Hershey’s to create Yuengling Hershey’s Chocolate Porter, a draft only offering due out in mid-October.
To be honest, we hadn’t written about Yuengling beers in years when their press release showed up in our inbox. And we can’t remember the last time we thought about purchasing a Hershey candy bar.
But news of Yuengling and Hershey’s ‘partnership’ beer was viral candy for media outlets. The story went EVERYWHERE (just google it).
Professional sports franchises are increasingly working with craft brewers on partnership beers.
We were recently sent a partnership beer that Devils Backbone did with the Washington Redskins. And although the Skins are still winless, Devils Backbone #ATTR (Ale to the Redskins) a 5.6% ABV hoppy golden ale scored, so both partners benefit.
Sports team and craft brewery partnership beers allow craft brewers a way into arenas that used to only play with the big boys. And for that reason alone we’re going to see more beers like BrewDog USA’s still unnamed partnership beer the Columbus Blue Jacket hockey team.
The New Jersey Devils and Magic Hat Brewing have announced a new partnership beer, Devils Woo! Brew. It’s going to be available on tap during the team’s 2019-20 season at team’s host arena the Prudential Center as well as at the Magic Hat Brewery in Vermont and at bars and restaurants in New Jersey.
For years partnership beers with non-profit organizations have successfully funded worthy social, health and environment causes. And those associations will continue to benefit others…But commercial partnership beers scale differently…
Band partnership beers like the Stone Brewing’s Enter Night Pilsner, a release they did with Metallica, are more nuanced animals. Mutual coolness of participants in band partnership beers is even more important.
But in the end band partnership beers, which might serve to announce new music, a tour and a brewery association, aren’t that different from sports partnership beers which helps promote the brewery and the franchise.
Collaboration beers in the truest sense are about brewers exploring the art together. Partnership beers are about business and branding…not that there is anything wrong with that.
