Quarantine Conversation Series: A Chat with Aaron Gore of Fresh Pitch Beverage Consulting

As we prepare to pour our beers, opening in a drastically different fashion than originally planned, we look for insights and advice where we can get it.  And inspiration – we’re taking daily doses of that too. 

We’d like to share our conversation with Aaron Gore, certified cicerone and founder of Fresh Pitch Beverage Consulting. He’s been helping craft breweries succeed for more than a decade. His observations are worth passing along to our collaborative community. 

What has this time taught us? The craft beer industry is creative, resilient and certainly not for quitters. 

Here’s what Aaron had to say…

 In addition to to-go sales, what are some creative things you’re seeing that breweries are doing to survive?

 Locally, we have seen delivery direct-to-consumer become a lifesaver for several breweries. At least in North Carolina, breweries already had the option before all of this, but it just wasn't worth the extra investment and headache before the shutdown. Most are even delivering directly to peoples' houses, which adds an interesting personal touch to things.

 And some breweries are also starting to turn to e-commerce. Some are running digital storefronts themselves and shipping the product through FedEx and other services, and still others are moving to dedicated beverage delivery companies like Drizly or CraftCellr.

 Nationally, I've seen a lot of the same solutions to the same problems. I've seen some other creative approaches as well, with Denver in particular having some novel ideas. They have, for example, a bingo card that customers can fill out every time they buy a crowler from a local brewery. By filling out 5 in a row, they get 5% off crowler purchases at any of the breweries on the card. Hogshead Brewery is even selling tickets right now to a massive party they are planning to host to celebrate when all of this is over, with the date being intentionally left open since no one knows that will be. For customers, it's the chance to get into a cool exclusive event down the line. For the brewery, it is money in their pockets when they most need it. Everybody wins!"

 Are breweries being forced to change their business models to weather the storm?  Are some even able to?

 This has been a wakeup call for a lot of breweries. People are stockpiling beer for quarantine, so bigger package sizes like 12 packs and 24 packs have been selling way better than they ever have before. The move to online and direct-to-consumer sales are also unlikely to go anywhere. Customers have always wanted it, but it largely wasn't available, and for many breweries, simply wasn't worth the headache. It's a different story now though.

 Additionally, many wholesalers are going to be slimming their portfolios significantly now. Expect to see fewer rotating one-offs and seasonals on grocery store shelves, to be sure. However, that means a lot of breweries are going to be turning more attention both toward their taprooms, and toward specialty bottle shops.

 What are some innovative ideas you’ve seen from breweries, locally and nationally?

 One of my favorite things I have seen has been specialty merchandise from a handful of companies nationally. It's a dangerous tightrope to walk, poking fun at a crisis like this one, but "I Survived Prohibition 2020" shirts make me laugh every time.

 Digital taprooms are another fun approach, where bartenders from breweries host online conferences, where everyone hangs out and enjoys beer with each other as though it were a real bar full of regulars. It's no replacement for the real thing, but it's an important social lifeline right now."

 How can craft beer fans support their favorite brewery, and the industry?

 Buy local. I can't emphasize that enough. The big breweries will be fine, but even our largest local brewery is a small business. If we want them to be around after all this is said and done, then they need our support now more than ever. They are local employers. They are a third place where we can come together as a community. They give back to charitable causes right in our own backyard. We can't let that slip away because we wanted to save two bucks on a case of beer.

Also, please donate what you can to any of the service-industry GoFundMe pages or virtual tip jars that are out there right now. CIBA, the local brewers' alliance, has launched a fantastic one called HOPS, where you can donate directly to the bartenders, servers, and hosts who have been there for us over the years slinging drinks and listening to us complain about work. You can find it at CLTBrewed.com"

 What's happening on the supplier side – will breweries see short-term, or long term issues/challenges?

 There have definitely been some supply issues with raw materials, but it is worse for the suppliers than the breweries. Omega Yeast closed down, which has restricted some options, but by and large, the biggest issue is that with breweries struggling to sell beer, and tanks sitting empty, that means many suppliers currently don't have buyers. For some hop farms, who have contracts with their buyers, this creates an awkward push-pull of whether or not they can even fairly expect payment at the moment. We are also in the middle of the hop planting season, which is pretty labor intensive for the farms. It will be interesting to see if there are any downstream negative effects around harvest time, honestly.

 Any upbeat news to share?  Pretty please?;-)

 This is going to be tough, and chances are good that it will get worse before it gets better. However, craft beer will live, and it will thrive. We are all anxious and scared right now, but we also have time at home. While this can be frustrating, or lead to cabin fever, we shouldn't waste it. Learn a new skill. Call your friends and family. Pick up a hobby. Find out ways you can help people even from your house. All of those things you always said you never had time for, well... now you do. Use it.

A big thank you to our friend, Aaron! You can check out his website and follow him on these social networks.

Facebook: @freshpitchconsulting

Instagram: @freshpitchconsulting

Twitter: @fresh_pitch

Website: www.freshpitchconsulting.com