Internet Connections: How Breweries Are Bringing People Together | Imbibe Magazine

Photo: XPS on Unsplash

Virally, politically, and economically, these are days of deep disconnection. We’re six feet apart and can’t tap beer’s finest attribute: assembling people and lubricating conversation. Festivals are paused, barstool seating is banned, and taprooms are closed except for grabbing four-packs and heading home to scroll social media. “We’re glued to our phones,” says Bryan Winslow, the head brewer and a founder of St. Elmo Brewing, in Austin, Texas. “People are thirsty for connection and a sense of virtual community.”

Breweries are using arm’s length as an opportunity to reinvent interaction, merging physical liquids and digital initiatives to synergize new kinds of connectivity. There’s no pandemic playbook for operating a brewery, but breweries, industry stakeholders, and festival organizers are writing their own rules and unveiling initiatives on accelerated timelines, propelled by social urgency, ingenuity, and economic survival.