Frankly, the impact of competition or politics between distributors is largely invisible to the consumers. Most craft-beer lovers I know don’t pay attention to who is bringing their beer to the market — unless they have a vested interested in such information. Maybe it would be useful for next year’s organizers to keep in mind that collaboration can only *help* everyone.

My initial question was, “have we earned the right to host our own beer week?” It was intended to be a comparison to other large metropolitan areas that have established their own beer weeks in various ways. Essentially, it boils down to “do we have what it takes to create momentum around a series of events like this and will that momentum continue?” Reading the responses, it seems that most everyone agrees that, indeed, we have earned that right and the fervor is there to keep an annual beer week alive. If all goes according to plan, the general public will have learned more about craft beer and Richmond will be a better place for that education.

The second question, or rather, observation, was that this series of events was being put on by one distributor in the Richmond market. Everyone approaches this observation through their own lens, as the comments clearly illustrate. But as someone pointed out, it’s hard to feel the craft beer love when the perception is that only one distributor is running the show for events that are cast as a city-wide celebration, as it has been done in the past.

The familial environment that craft beer has fostered makes questions like these especially difficult to ask, and even more difficult to answer. There may not necessarily be a clear answer to some of these queries. Granted, I understand that most people don’t associate the products they consume with the method in which those products reach the market; meaning, you don’t hear anyone going around saying, “I love X beer from Y distributor.” So maybe this topic only appeals to a microscopic segment of the beer-consuming population in Richmond. Still, I think it has a place in the conversation wherever these types of events occur.

I, for one, would love to see a little more open cooperation and collaboration from all sides. I don’t know all the details behind Richmond Beer Week, but there does seem to be a fundamental disconnect somewhere. I’m not pointing the blame at anyone in particular, and let me emphasize that I have absolutely no axe to grind or hidden agenda to push. I just think it would be great to see industry folks of all stripes sit at the same table and discuss how they can share the message of great craft beer to best accommodate the consumer for something such as Richmond Beer Week. Sometimes that means reaching across the aisle, regardless of where you’re seated.

Maybe that’s a little too pie-in-the-sky, but I believe that everyone could benefit from a move like this for next year, or any event like it for that matter. And isn’t that rising-tide-lifts-all-boats mentality what craft beer has been built on anyway?

All that being said, I hope to see you tomorrow night at Mekong.

Cheers.

Next, as a relative newbie to the Richmond beer scene who has worked to promote beer education and awareness all over the country, I’ll respond to your title question with an emphatic YES! Richmond most definitely deserves its own beer week, which is why we at Specialty Beverage, along with dozens of brewers and local retailers have poured a tremendous amount of time and energy into planning the inaugural event. So far, the unbiased response by Richmond locals has been overwhelmingly positive and supportive of this becoming an annual celebration.

Finally, I’ll try to address the deeper concerns raised in this blog post, as I did with a response to a very similar sounding, yet anonymous display of pessimism toward Richmond Beer Week in a BeerAdvocate forum. As the marketing director for the L. Knife Cos., a proud Richmond resident, and a part of the planning committee behind Richmond Beer Week, I can assure you that this event was no diabolical scheme on our part to dump loads of unwanted beer on the local market, but rather a very genuine effort to enhance beer education, awareness, and culture in Richmond. Pete and Bridget from Specialty have done a fantastic job working with local bars, restaurants, and stores to compile a list of exciting events that rivals any beer week in America in terms of quality and creativity. Matt from Specialty has been on the phone for months recruiting brewers to come to town to share their stories and locking in commitments for individual kegs, cases, firkins, and pins of some extremely rare beers. As an end result of our ongoing efforts to enhance beer education, we may achieve an incremental sales growth, which will enable us to continue creating local jobs (20 have been added by Specialty Beverage in the past 18 months), increasing access to market for many small, independently owned breweries, driving business to locally owned bars, restaurants, and stores, and supporting local charities, like The Byrd Theatre Foundation, which is the primary beneficiary of the inaugural Richmond Beer Week. While Specialty Beverage has spearheaded Richmond Beer Week, we have had a lot of fun working with the great folks at Legend Brewing this year, and will remain open to enthusiastic participation among other brewers down the road.

In closing, as I’m sure you know, the craft and specialty beer community is very tight knit, and benefits from the optimism, collaboration, and passion of all of its driving forces. Your employer, Global Beer Network, is a supplier to L. Knife in other markets, as are nearly all of the breweries in Brown Distributing’s exceptional portfolio. Please consider that while we’re working for/on behalf of competing wholesalers in the Richmond market, our big picture objectives are aligned. Rather than disparaging Richmond Beer Week, we hope that you’ll embrace the spirit in which it was conceived, and continue working to proactively promote the craft/specialty beer category.

Thanks to all who have made the inaugural Richmond Beer Week so successful. There are still plenty of exciting events to come, so please come on out, enjoy some great beer and beer education, have some fun, and most importantly, be safe.

And Pete, I know you guys worked hard to put up a bunch of cool stuff. Personally, I’m going to try to hit a couple events despite it being more about sales than celebration. Being offended by that notion is a little silly. CAH didn’t let Jacob do the first 2 Beer Geek Weeks out of the goodness of their hearts – it was because thought they were going to make some money on the deal.

At the end of the day, Beer is a business. Yes, we all love it, and to some extent I understand the draw of seeing craft beer as somehow above all that – but it’s not.

The fact that L Knife is trying to capitalize on the beer week trend makes it feel a little hokey – but don’t let that stop you from enjoying all the cool stuff or appreciating the hard work by people on the ground.

The “host distributor” has done yeoman’s work setting this thing up. I understand how much work went into setting this week up, and I don’t envy the folks that did it.

The big question is, “Will Richmond support it?” We all know the small craft beer community will. But will it get any cross-over support? Whether we like it or not, the majority of beer drinkers in RVA don’t drink craft beer, much less the stuff that appeals to us uber-nerds. And getting those folks involved will be key.

Also, how do we judge a success? Does anyone out there have attendance numbers for Beer Week events in Philly, B-more, D.C., Atlanta, etc.? And will the “host distributor” have the will-power to follow-up next year? Or the openess to invite others in?

I have mixed feelings about the organization of the initial RBW, but I’m hoping it presents a great launching pad for future RBWs that are more inclusive.