The Quip - A beer idea out of the box
Long-time beer drinker and editor of The Sip Ross Lewis talks to the people behind our great brews and beer news.
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The best way for craft brewers to market their beers is to think outside the box. Or, maybe, they need to think in it again.
Packaged brews are not new. Many producers have developed ways of distributing their drops in combined form. Bridge Road Brewers' hop series and their recent IPA and glass collection have been novel, and popular, ways to showcase their wares.
But a new business initiative out of Sydney is helping both brewers and craft beer drinkers. It is saving time, guess work and hassle.
Beer Days Beer Boxes is the middle man between brewers and consumers and fulfilling a gap which seems so simple yet has troubled those that have tried such a concept.
Basically, Beer Days are shipping boxes of beers. However, it is a bit more in-depth. The group is hand selecting craft drinks in eight, 12 or 16 bottle sets and delivering them to the front doors of sippers.
The idea was established by co-owners Andrew Leppinus and Cameron Elliott, strong craft beer lovers, who wanted to move from the corporate world and follow their passion for the boutique beverages.
“Originally it started as an event business, but I use the word business loosely because it was really designed just to get together for a few beers,” said Elliott.
“They were lunches and that is where the name Beer Days comes from. We’d hire out a nice restaurant and a place where you wouldn’t find craft beer. We wanted to take it out of the dark corners of society where everyone normally gathers to drink craft beer.
“We then decided we wanted to take the idea further. We asked how can we get craft beer out to more people and that is how the boxes came about.”
Beer Days source some of Australia’s top craft brewers. Its boxes can include products from Feral Brewing, 4 Pines, Red Hill, Holgate, Nail Brewing and Rocks Brewing Company. Yet there are also overseas tipples such as Tui from New Zealand or the great Anchor range from the US.
And if you like rare and stronger beers they can be designed for your specific box.
It can save those minutes procrastinating in bottle shops. Most craft beer drinkers like to pick and choose at fridges or shelves and trial diverse brews. These boxes can take away some of that downtime.
Also, festivals such as the Great Australasian Beer Spectapular have encouraged punters to try different drops in one session.
“Each pack has at least four varieties of beer,” Elliott said.
“It is a bit of a win for brewers, too. The concept of getting their beers before more people is pretty exciting.
“When we first started the events, the brewers really jumped at the chance to be involved.
“The boxes only launched a month ago and I have had three different brewers contact us and ask if they could be involved in one of our boxes.”
The concept hasn’t been without issues. Dealing with different liquor licensing regulations in each State has posed challenges and delayed the launch of the boxes.
But Elliott confirmed the boxes can now be shipped to all parts of Australia.
Orders can be placed through the Beer Days website.
