{"id":39951,"date":"2023-02-16T16:47:03","date_gmt":"2023-02-17T00:47:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bcaletrail.ca\/?p=39951"},"modified":"2023-03-13T09:58:41","modified_gmt":"2023-03-13T16:58:41","slug":"tastings-room-come-alive-building-community-through-events","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bcaletrail.ca\/tastings-room-come-alive-building-community-through-events\/","title":{"rendered":"Tasting Rooms Come Alive: Building Community Through Events"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s nearly impossible today to find a brewery that doesn\u2019t have a live music schedule, or regular trivia or bingo nights. It\u2019s a fun way to enhance the overall tasting room vibe, as well as draw in new customers. But with more and more breweries opening their doors, the push is on to find new and creative ways to stand out in the crowd.<\/p>\n

Beyond the competition for consumers\u2019 hard-earned dollars, breweries are also looking for ways to differentiate themselves, and to make their values and culture evident. This is easily done through the regular activities and special events that they put on.\u00a0 There is also a drive to create a sense of community within a tasting room\u2019s walls \u2013 to bring people together over shared interests, friendly competition, and of course a love of good beer.<\/p>\n

All of this adds up to more and more opportunities for unique experiences at local breweries \u2013 a win for beer lovers everywhere.<\/p>\n

\"Live
Live music makes for a great night out at Wheelhouse Brewing. (Photo: Trevor Sowers Photography)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Live Music<\/strong><\/p>\n

Live music is a tasting room classic for a reason – it draws in customers who might be a fan of the music, but haven’t been to the brewery yet. It sets the mood for the evening: from a relaxed solo artist to a lively duo, or even a full band concert. Tasting rooms are increasingly becoming in-demand venues for local bands and groups on tour. As an added bonus for music lovers, seeing their favourite local acts up close and personal can be a much more enjoyable and intimate experience than being crammed into a larger, impersonal venue.<\/p>\n

When Wheelhouse Brewing Company<\/a> started its live music journey, it was almost by accident according to brewer and co-founder Craig Outhet. Since then, they have found themselves filling a niche that simply wasn’t on hand in the city before that. They often book full concerts in the tasting room, with multiple artists providing a night of entertainment not available elsewhere. The success of the music program is evident: frequent shows are being announced in a diverse range of genres, and in between live shows audiophiles can unite over the turntable with regular vinyl nights in the tasting room.<\/p>\n

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\"It's
It’s Lit: Literary Night at Small Gods Brewing (photo: Small Gods Brewing)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Niche and Unique<\/strong><\/p>\n

To me, one of the best things about the BC craft beer scene is the uniqueness of our breweries. They all have a story to tell with their brand: from the types of beer that they brew to the style and design of their labels, and even the look and feel of their tasting rooms. That\u2019s why Small Gods Brewing<\/a>\u2019s weekly It\u2019s Lit! Literary Night<\/em> events just make sense. The literary-themed brewery fosters a supportive and creative space for authors and aspiring writers to work on their passion projects. Highly niche, yes, but also perfectly suited to Small Gods values and philosophy, and a great fit for a brewery in a town with the largest number of bookstores per capita in Canada!<\/p>\n

“We’re really doing everything we can to deliver on the vision of making Small Gods the community living room of Sidney. Although that is partially achieved by having a wide variety of offerings outside of our beer \u2014 we feel that to really achieve our goal we need to put on events that bring our community together in a fun and unexpected way.” Chris Bjerrisgaard, Small Gods Brewing.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Murals
2022 Square Mural Project at Cannery Brewing (Photo: Cannery Brewing)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Beer and Art<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many people see well-brewed craft beer as an art form in and of itself, so it makes sense that beer and art would go hand in hand. Case in point, Cannery Brewing<\/a> is partnering with the Penticton Art Gallery<\/a> for the third annual Square Mural Project. 10 local artists are invited to complete a four-foot by four-foot mini mural. The artworks are officially unveiled at a gala event on March 24th<\/sup> as part of the Ignite the Arts Festival and remain on display until October.<\/p>\n

Each mural is then auctioned off, with proceeds split between the artist and the Penticton Art Gallery, to help fund their programming. \u201cThis project not only supports the arts, but it also brings beauty and creativity to our walls,\u201d says Cannery owner Ian Dyck.<\/p>\n