03/16/2026
Does a brewery need to have a presence in its community? This is a complicated question, and answers can be as complex and nuanced as you want them to be. Should we look to historical examples, social trends, or other businesses for guidance?
Looking at the last 50 years of the American craft brewery scene, large and small, there is no doubt that many of the most famous craft brewers forged a connection with their local communities. Aside from providing beer and jobs to their local or regional areas, many famous breweries operated under unique loopholes that allowed beer to be consumed at the location it was made. In post-prohibition America this was a big deal; it meant that states were now leading the charge of redefining the public’s relationship with breweries and beer itself. Draft pours led to seats, those seats led to good food and good times, and thus they became a part of the fabric of the communities they operated in. Countless birthdays, fundraisers, and retirement parties have been hosted by American craft brewers since the late 1980s. The success of these brewpubs in their local markets largely defined what a brewery was for the next generation of consumers - who gladly filled seats in the 2010s boom era of the local taproom focused brewery.
The rise of the smart phone and social media forever changed what it meant to be a small business - driving many new businesses away from developing local community ties. Many savvy small operators found and built their customer bases in this era, liberating them from traditional career paths while avoiding capital intensive startups. They used social media to promote and sold their niche or high quality products via targeted advertising, relying on digital marketplaces and common delivery services as part of their formula. Goods retailers who did not adapt found it hard to compete in this paradigm. Ever increasing overheads, the ability of customers to price check from their palms, and less customers venturing out to browse for their wares led to many empty storefronts and family businesses that did not pass to the next generation.
Remarkably, craft brewers were able to buck these gloomy retail trends. Profitable taprooms became an almost standard feature of new breweries. Regulatory burdens placed on the transport of alcohol and a patchwork of state level restrictions made it more difficult for craft brewers to take advantage of new, online consumer habits. While there was the occasional success story of the brewer that ventured into online sales, many found it difficult to justify the added shipping logistics, and many consumers quickly tired of the extra shipping fees adding up. Liquids in crushable containers not only cost a lot to ship but also to safely pack. Meanwhile, the number of small breweries just kept increasing nationwide into the 2020s - ensuring even remote areas had access to the latest craft beer boom via their local brewers or better stocked grocers. Consumers, despite the wave of ecommerce that had enveloped their spending habits, were by and large still purchasing lots of craft beer in their communities, directly from their local brewers or in the beer aisle.
Over the years, the amount of special moments that I’ve witnessed in my own breweries were staggering - a dozen marriage proposals, professional photos for a myriad of reasons, non-profit fundraisers that raised thousands in a few hours, and informal wake brunches, to name a few. Maybe it makes more sense to look at the presence of a community oriented brewery as a reflection of the people who live and work in that area instead of a clear decision by brewery management to court people to the business. The need for spaces in which people can informally gather close to work or home remains strong, and when those places can fulfill other needs, such as a place to eat, drink, or be entertained, it’s an easy choice for a customer to make.
A brewery’s role in its community might be less a matter of branding and more a matter of geography and circumstance. Breweries make a product that is regulated, heavy, and perishable. Those constraints naturally favor proximity - brewed nearby, sold nearby, and consumed nearby. Community as a social dynamic is also largely driven by proximity. As such, a brewery does not necessarily create community so much as it occupies the physical and social space where community was already going to happen.
After all, community cannot be manufactured the way beer is. It can only be hosted.
