As breweries across the United States try to zero in on the most effective events to engage today’s drinkers, plenty are still making time for the biggest event—or series of them—as they plan ahead for their annual local beer weeks, wherever those might fall on the calendar.
Yet the industry has changed, and so have drinkers, and events like these must keep up to be successful. Few beer festivals, for example, can survive just by offering dozens of different beers in one place; many people now live within minutes of a taproom or three, a beer bar, or a bottle shop. Most of today’s drinkers already know something about IPA or stout or tart fruit beer—and they have nothing but options, year-round, within easy reach.
So, what does an entire week of events—once geared toward introducing people to craft beer—look like in 2025? And, importantly, what should it look like? What are the objectives of a beer week now, and how can breweries make the most of them?