For breweries, culture and community take precedent—these values are the guiding force behind a brewery’s success. In fact, some say a focus on culture and community is equally as important to a brewery’s success as the beer itself.

You can feel it when you walk into a brewery with a cult following—the personality is blatant. Immediately, you feel the vibe and get a sense of what the brewery represents. There’s a cohesive story told by the brand, reflected by their fans. The staff is passionate, collaborative, and proud of what they represent. Patrons are enthusiastic, loyal, and help spread the brand story. And quite frankly, all of this love just might make the beer taste even better.

We talked to two breweries with solid communities, Fort George and pFriem, to see how they nurtured their customers and fostered a strong community. Both have embraced clubs as a way to give back to their loyal customers and create something extra special. Learn more about their journey.

Fort George resides in Astoria, Oregon, and is the 4th largest independent craft brewery in the state. They currently have three different brew houses, and their beer is sold in major grocery stores. They even figured out how to ship beer across state lines during the pandemic—no small feat for a brewery.

Astoria has a rich history, being the oldest settlement West of the Rocky Mountains. Fort George was established in 2007 in a historical culture center of the city. The owners wanted to carry that cultural history forward with their own community and following. Fort George takes careful measures to be sustainable, is committed to creating a positive workplace, puts on a monthly benefit night to support community causes, and hosts a Thursday night educational lecture series.

Fort George fans are something else. These customers are fierce supporters and Fort George is careful to support them in return.

Fort George sorts their customers into four categories.

Intro to Craft - These are people who have discovered Fort George through grocery stores. While they enjoy some craft beer, they are still in the beginning stages of exploration.
Craft Curious - This group is starting to expand its reach into craft beer. They are diving deeper into the flavor profiles, what makes each beer special, and what sets different breweries apart.
Hyper Craft - These people are more well-versed in craft beer and want more than the regular offerings. They are looking for one-offs and barrel-aged options.
Die Hard Brand Fans - These craft beer lovers are dedicated to Fort George and are looking for a unique experience. Not only do they want special brews, but they also want to engage with the beer they are drinking on a deeper level. They want to hear all of the nitty-gritty details and aren’t afraid to spend extra to get it.

Like most craft breweries with a loyal following, Fort George’s customers were accustomed to personal interactions with the brewery and other Fort George patrons. The pandemic made that tricky when in-person gatherings were no longer possible. Fort George doubled down on its clubs to keep the spirit alive and feed their die-hard fans the experience they deserve. To do this, they enlisted the help of VineSpring.

Not only does VineSpring help Fort George manage their clubs, but the flexible nature of VineSpring gives them the power to build in custom features with the software developers kit (SDK). Fort George didn’t want an out-of-the-box solution, but a solution where they could start with a solid base and build on top of it.

To make their club members feel extra special, they send them regular email updates, surprise them with bottles, create unique club-focused content, and even developed a locker system to deliver the goods.

Club members get notified that their locker has the latest allocation or a surprise goodie in it. Since the locker situation was unique, Fort George was able to work with VineSpring and use the SDK to build out a custom program that worked for their needs.

Today, as COVID restrictions loosen, Fort George’s doors are open again, and they are bringing back their in-person events. Because of the continued dedication to their customers, especially their die-hard brand fans, their community is stronger than ever.

pFriem is built on community and family values.

Stemming from a chance meeting at a child’s birthday party, the three founders of pFriem bonded on their shared love of family, the Columbia River Gorge, and great beer. They felt that if things do happen for a reason, then what better reason than to champion community by creating one of the world’s best Premium Craft Beers to be enjoyed by all who love them?

Today pFriem serves up delicious brews and local food in their Hood River brewery. For those who want to explore and develop their appreciation for beer, pFriem launched The pFriemsters Union Local 541, a premium beer club. They saw the club as the next step in their evolution and wanted to engage deeper with their customers and reward them for their loyalty.

pFriem sees their club program as a great way to keep connected with their customers as they grow. It becomes increasingly complex to ensure that each customer gets a unique experience and connects with the brand as the taproom becomes busier. Clubs help bridge that gap by allowing members a peek behind the curtain to discover unique beers and exclusive content. pFriem also wants their fans to feel that they too can be a confident beer expert when exploring barrel-aged beer styles.

The Union started out very secretive and selective. pFriem identified their biggest fans by analyzing data and looking at MailChimp newsletter opens and social media interactions. They sent their top fans an invite to the club with a passcode. Things blossomed from there, and what used to be very manual has become much easier with automation and tools like VineSpring, integrations with MailChimp, and other industry-leading platforms. Now, The Union secret is out, and anyone can sign up on their website.

During the pandemic, pFriem used VineSpring to help them organize beer pickups in Portland. Armed with iPads, pFriem employees met customers at their preferred pick-up locations and handed out their precious bottles. With Vinespring, the staff loved how they could empower their customers to update billing and other account information. Manual tasks, like contacting a customer when a card is declined, are now automatic.

pFriem is also welcoming back customers to their brewery and restaurant as COVID restrictions loosen. Loyal patrons are lining up to enjoy a fresh beer and a meal at their brewery or ordering ahead for beer pickup. Their continued dedication to their customers has made for a bond even stronger and they hope to expand their club offerings in the future.

Using Clubs to Enrich Communities

More and more breweries, distilleries, and cideries are following wine’s lead and doubling down on the strong community bond and rich culture that extends from clubs. With a club program, craft producers can give back to their biggest fans, cultivate brand advocates, and create a recurring revenue stream.

If you’re interested in seeing how VineSpring can support your craft businesses, connect with us and schedule a demo.

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