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MN Beer and Brands Panel Recap: Navigating Small Business Marketing and OwnershipNovember 09, 2015

We opened up our doors, and our bar, on November 5th for some MN beer enthusiasts looking to learn a little more about the Twin Cities Spyder Trap's MN Beer and Brands Digital Way Findercraft brewery industry. Attendees enjoyed free samples of our panelists’ brews as well as other food and drink before settling in for a panel discussion around marketing in the local brewery community. You can check out last week’s post for bios of our panelists from Sociable Cider Werks, LynLake Brewery, and Sisyphus Brewing. Keep reading for just some of the insights from our panel.

Painting a Picture of the Craft Industry

We started off the night with a simple question for each panelist: What is craft? It’s a broad topic, but one that set the stage for how our panelists and their companies position themselves in the market.

Jim Watkins of Sociable Cider broke it down to just one word: authenticity. The other two panelists added their own takes to include how the idea that craft is an end-to-end experience. “Craft” is about how the product is made, consumed, and talked about.

The craft beer community sometimes gets a reputation as being snooty or pretentious about their beer. Sam from Sisyphus Brweing doesn’t see it that way. Craft beer isn’t like wine, where the consumer can get lost in the details. It’s more accessible, and you should choose what to drink based on what you like.

That doesn’t mean that there isn’t a ton of work that goes into making craft beer and cider. All three panelists agree that making a good product is crucial to running a successful brand. What makes craft unique is that they’re not searching for process efficiencies and scalability, they’re trying to make awesome beer and cider.

Finding Your Brand’s Own Path


While our three panelists certainly have some similarities—including the stereotypical brewer beard—each has its own defined path towards success. Peter from LynLake went into detail about how his vision is to have the taproom be a hub of the neighborhood. There aren’t any near-term plans to expand distribution or open new locations because their focus is on being a neighborhood staple. In contrast, Sociable Cider has expanded into liquor stores and has goals of being a market leader in the growing MN cider space.

Sisyphus is branding itself as an event space, in addition to a taproom. Setting up a unique proposition of being an entertainment destination beyond just a place for beer lovers to congregate. A lot of their marketing and PR has gone into building awareness for its event capacity.

The Twin Cities Craft Beer Landscape

Each panelist agreed that the Twin Cities has a flourishing craft beer and cider scene. Although Jim doesn’t think the region was on the forefront of the trend, noting that “Minnesota is often late to the party. But, when we get there…we like to PARTY.” One of the reasons Minnesota was late to the craft party, are the legal barriers for taprooms and breweries.

Each panelist talked about how those barriers make it difficult to run a business, especially with seemingly subjective defitnitions of things like “cans” and “glasses.” But, the craft beer and taproom community in the Twin Cities benefits from working together to push past those challenges—as well as growing a more robust drinking community.

How to Promote Your Brew Brand?

It’s one thing to make good beer or cider. But, you also need a way for your customers to find you. The panelists agreed that the big macro brewers are experts in marketing (and efficient brewing), but each believes there are ways to stand out in a crowded marketplace.

Outside of PR (and speaking at super cool events like the Digital Way Finder), social media was the main source of promotion for each of panelists. Each had varying degrees of experience using social media, but some common takeaways emerged. It was important to each of them that they showcased their brand as an experience, and not just a product to sell.

Each talked about having a mix of organic and paid social media as a part of their marketing plan. Peter highlighted that he loves being able to share how others experience the LynLake taproom and their beer. Some of the best engagement comes from simple images of new products or taproom features. Jim noted that they use imagery as a primary tool of building anticipation for new product launches. Small, behind the scenes, type posts help build suspense and also let consumers feel connected to the end product before it ever arrives.

One tactic that Sisyphus has been using is providing exclusivity to their core audience. By using their email list, they allow their most dedicated and loyal customers sneak peeks into new products. It’s a way to ensure their best customers are able to enjoy the limited supply they’re able to produce in their small batch brewery.

That’s just a small piece of the many insights our panelists had to offer about running and marketing a small business in the Twin Cities. You can check out some more insights tweeted out using the #DigitalWayFinder tag. Or feel free to stop by the taprooms at LynLake, Sisyphus, and Sociable and strike up a conversation over a cold one.

Make sure to add any of your favorite event takeaways in the comments!

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