To the readers of this paper who are baffled by the fact that crypto and craft beer may even intersect, the doubt is natural–and justified. Outwardly, they appear to be in different worlds altogether. One is based on digital innovation, real-time market, and blockchain technology. The other is based on practical procedures, historical procedures, and appreciation of taste, harmony, and trial. It may seem that the distance between following the Dogecoin live price on exchanges such as Binance and talking about the types of hops or the fermentation patterns is far apart.
Nevertheless, impressions do not often give the entire picture. What makes this place, besides the apparent differences, is that they should have a common mindset that is going to speak to the craft beer community. The two worlds are defined by curiosity, independence, and being willing to find alternatives as opposed to the mainstream. Craft beer drinkers are drawn to small batches, aggressive concepts, and creators that break the established order, which reverberate through some corners of the crypto world, too, in a low-key manner. Once you take time and peer beyond taglines, you start to see that there is suddenly a shared denominator of being creative, belonging to a community, and having an incentive to do things differently.
A look into the intersection of the two cultures allows new worldviews to emerge, with the combination of innovation and craftsmanship remarkably organically.
A Digital Penny For A Pint
Digital currencies were created for payments (at least that’s what Bitcoin’s whitepaper leads us to believe) and gained widespread popularity as an investment option. That plot twist right there ruffled more than a few feathers, as not everyone was happy with crypto’s evolution. Regulators were particularly troubled by the rapid development of the market and the unexpected turn that crypto took, as they lacked a legal framework to supervise crypto-related activities and implement consumer protection measures. But at least this kept things interesting.
Now that crypto is neither a novelty nor the Wild West it once was, as the market has matured quite a bit, digital currencies seem to have found their way back to their initial purpose, that of serving as a decentralized alternative to fiat.
But then again, what does this have to do with craft beer? Well, even though there are still many obstacles preventing crypto from becoming a mainstream payment method, many craft breweries and retailers have already started accepting crypto payments, being among the first companies to embrace the trend. Who would have thought that one day you’d be able to use digital coins to pay for your pints?
As expected, Bitcoin and Ethereum are usually the only accepted coins given their longevity and reputation. This is not exactly a new thing either. BrewDog, a UK-based brewery that has expanded into the US market, has been accepting Bitcoin payments since 2018. Similarly, in 2020, the San Francisco craft beer retailer Earlybird integrated Bitcoin into their payment options, a move that caused quite a stir (in a good way) among its customers, and even prompted some of them to take an interest in the leading coin.
Blockchain-Powered Beer Production
The involvement of crypto and beer is much more than paying with crypto to have a beer. The connection is spilled into the production process, at least in certain quarters of the craft brewing market, where the blockchain technology is starting to feature practically. Blockchain, which runs the cryptocurrencies, has been referred to as the cryptocurrency system and is based on the principle of a decentralized registry, one that does not depend on a single controlling body, a concept that may appeal to the independent ethos of many craft breweries.
An increasing number of small and mid-sized brewers are considering the use of blockchain to add more transparency to their supply chains. This technology includes each step being documented in a non-tamperable, permanent format, starting with the sourcing of hops and barley, all the way to tracking the storage environment and distribution. In the case of breweries that boast about the quality of ingredients and the low processing levels, this supplementary transparency adds to their integrity and traceability.
To the beer drinkers, this information can be added to the experience. Understanding the origin of ingredients and the path a beer takes to reach the taproom increases trust and underscores the attention to each beer release. Another platform that can help the breweries to tell their story without losing the personality that makes craft beer so unique is blockchain, in a niche in which authenticity and craftsmanship are highly valued.
Marketing Inspiration
Several forward-thinking breweries realized that, apart from being an innovative financial tool, digital assets can also provide an avenue for promoting their businesses and products in an unconventional manner. That led to the launch of various beer-related non-fungible tokens (NFTs), some of which granted owners special perks such as exclusive access to events or tours.
Others went as far as creating crypto-inspired ales, as was the case with Bitcoin Beer, produced by UK-based company Bitcoin Drinks. Another notable example is the craft lager created by Prince Eddy’s Brewing Co., which uses HODL My Beer as a tagline. And that’s not the only nod to crypto included in their marketing campaign. They also pride themselves on offering real-time pricing powered by blockchain, accepting payments in several digital currencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Doge, and having a limited supply capped at 21 million cans.
The Innovative Spirit
There are still no practical overlaps mentioned, yet even absent them, there is one line of commonality between crypto and craft beer: the desire to be novel. The two spaces were products of the desire to challenge established systems and see something beyond the mainstream. At the center of both are creativity, experimentation, and curiosity, which form societies where discovery is more important than knowing. Consumers who are attracted to brew beer and online resources tend to be receptive to new concepts and feel at ease as early adopters of new trends.
Crypto has offered new value, ownership, and exchange thinking in the financial sphere. The craft movement redefined the expectations of brewing by abandoning the homogenized and mass-market dominated market and adopting the multiplicity, innovation, and adventurous taste strategies. This change provided consumers with greater choice and motivated producers to be original instead of being formulaic.
In this light, the connection between crypto and craft beer makes less sense to be surprised at. Their relationship is based on a shared mental attitude that values innovation and embraces experimentation, which supports the notion that significant development is regularly found in areas that at first appear to have absolutely nothing in common with each other.
