First Key Launches Beat the Brewmaster

first key

British Columbia — First Key, a leading consultancy to the brewing industry, announces the launch of Beat The Brewmaster, a new website designed to build even stronger relationships between craft brewers and their drinkers. Beer enthusiasts can test their sensory skills on Beat The Brewmaster by comparing their ratings to those of the brewmaster who actually created the beer.

Participating brewers sign up and enter information for each of their beers. Beat the Brewmaster uses a list of 24 attributes developed by professional brewmasters, in categories including appearance, aroma, taste, mouthfeel, and aftertaste. When players log on, either on a laptop, tablet, or smartphone, they first find the beer they’re drinking and then input their own evaluations on each of the attributes. If the player successfully matches the ratings of the brewmaster, he or she gains points, climbs the leaderboard and earns beer badges. After earning a beer badge at the first level – Enthusiast – the player can go on to the Pro level and finally the Master level. All of these achievements can be shared on Facebook and other social media sites, allowing brands to find and engage new customers.

“It seems just about every marketer today is looking at digital marketing and especially on-line games as ways to create more interaction with their customers,” said Chris Clarke, VP at First Key. “We wanted to develop a site that helps craft brewers do that, and more. Participating in Beat the Brewmaster has multiple benefits for brewers. It gives drinkers a fun and new way to engage with brands while educating them about tasting, beer styles, and food pairings. But what makes Beat the Brewmaster unique is the dual role it plays as a sales tool for brewers when running events, on premise, at festivals or in their taprooms. Brewers can message players on the site, who can then reply. There is also a feature called Meet the Brewmaster where brewers can take advantage of the ability to upload a photo and a brief bio. “We know that beer enthusiasts really enjoy learning more about the people who brew their beer and interacting with them.”

Beat the Brewmaster will also give participating brewers access to demographic information and insightful analytics about their drinkers, enabling them to design more effective promotions as well as sales presentations. The information can also be used for custom research.

“When brewers jointly promote their beers with Beat the Brewmaster, they’ll get even more benefit from the site,” said Clarke. “Think of the brand awareness and momentum that could be built by running a Beat the Brewmaster night at the taproom or bar, or even simply including Beat the Brewmaster instructions in secondary packaging.”

6 brewers have signed up, including Elevation Beer Co., Upslope Brewing and Carolina Brewery. To learn more about Beat the Brewmaster, go to www.beatthebrewmaster.com.

Beat the Brewmaster – A game for beer drinkers. A sales program for breweries.