This phenomenon has been occurring in breweries locally, and I’m watching it. They’re now pouring pints, too. I went into a taproom in Ballard about 7:30 pm last Thursday. Anticipated the typical crowd of beer drinkers enjoying IPAs. What I discovered instead: 23 people around the screens watching sports, playing trivia, and having a ton more fun than a standard beer-and-conversation night. These days, entertainment and beer culture are becoming one.
Breweries Learned Something Casinos Knew All Along
Breweries have figured out what places like RexBet Casino understood from day one: people don’t produce. They desire. An experience, Bottled beer is available at home for $2.75. The desire to go out indicates that there is something more you desire. The brewer,y, is in Tacoma, and my friend who works there said that they saw a 34% increase in revenue after offering game nights. Every Wednesday has trivia, Saturday has cornhole games, and for some reason, things are fun.
The Math Actually Makes Sense
If you are simply sitting around drinking, you can have 2 beers in over 90 minutes. Done. But add entertainment? People remain there for 3 hours – sometimes more when the competition is fierce. Another beer happens. Maybe some food. All of a sudden, you are paying $45 rather than $18. It’s not all about the money, Plu. I’ve met more people at these events than I ever did bellying up to the bar on a typical beer night. Something about competition or shared experience breaks down those weird social barriers we all pretend don’t exist.
What Beer People Can Learn From Gaming Spaces
For years, gaming venues have been developing social space, knowing how to do it in a way that the traditional bar did not. They understand that lighting is important. Music matters. Actually being occupied with something hand-related other than holding a glass is important. All of the successful brewery events that I have attended emulated that playbook. The lights were dimmed a little bit. Provide space for groups to meet comfortably, without feeling constricted. Made some moments to enjoy throughout the night. In the last 8 months, I’ve witnessed 6 new breweries open in the Seattle area, and each of them has event space created from the ground up. They’re picking up a lot from one another and even new sectors!
Where Beer Culture Is Actually Heading
No more still bars where people sit quietly and drink, appreciating hop profiles! Young drinkers, in particular, no longer make a distinction between drinking beer and being social. It’s all one thing. It’s not just about the craft beer, it’s about the experience, the Instagram moment, the story to tell. Even if it’s a special release event or discussions about what’s brewing tonight at a favorite localspot, beer has always been a social drink. We’re just getting more comfortable saying it and creating spaces that allow for it, not objecting to it.
The next time you go to your local brewery where they say that they’re having a bingo night, or a watch party, don’t roll your eyes. They are not going the route of selling out. These are just the first steps towards discovering what makes people return. At 9:47 pm on a random Tuesday, no one is thinking of IBUs. Even when they’re enjoying themselves, they’re thinking about it. Not only that, but the beer is good as well! That’s basically perfect.
