We love standout, traveling craft beer marketing concepts, like this street party Deschutes threw all over the country, or New Belgium’s Tour de Fat. Well, for the fifth year running, Brooklyn Brewery is revving up its Brooklyn Brewery Mash tour and this year is bringing it home to Brooklyn for the first time ever this April. Oh, and the big draw is something called Beer Mansion.
The video and the initial email we received about the idea sounded cool, so we followed up with the Brooklyn Brewery people for a bit more info. That exchange and some extra details are below.
Beer Mansion. Love it already. What is it, and how does it fit in with the Mash tour?
The Mash tour is an international arts and culture festival with beer at its heart. The idea for the Mash was born from and inspired by our active role in our Brooklyn community. For so long our neighborhood has been home to artists, artisans, food and beverage pioneers, chefs, brewers and musicians. These same folks that make our cities vibrant are the same ones who support craft beer. This is our way of deepening our connection with those communities at home and in other cities.
Now in our fifth year, the Mash tour is taking the form of a two-day kaleidoscopic beer extravaganza called Beer Mansion. Beer Mansion is a crazy multidisciplinary dive into the beauty of the craft beer community. Our goal has always been to highlight urban communities through local collaborations and unique, authentic programming. This year is no different, but we decided to throw all of these elements into one funky space and let them all simmer together under one roof.
How long has this idea been in the plans?
Beer Mansion was born last year and was the breakaway event of our 2016 Mash tour. Beer Mansion embodies everything we’ve always commemorated through the Mash: community, delicious beer, adventurous food, live music, art, celebration, collaboration and more beer. This year we are devoting all of our time, energy, partnerships and creativity into this two-day festival, so it’s taking the concept to a whole new level.
What does Brooklyn Brewery hope to achieve with the tour this year?
The idea this year was to create a food and beer festival that we wanted to hangout at with our friends. The concept of a beer festival is certainly not a novel one. They’re ubiquitous for a reason. Beer Mansion is our take on a beer festival. So while you can expect endless beer from us plus other local breweries in each city, there won’t be rows and rows of 6-foot tables topped with jockey boxes or pretzel necklaces for sustenance.
Our hope is that this festival is first and foremost, fun and that it allows folks approach beer, food, art and community in a light and engaging way. Beer Mansion is for the craft beer fan, but it’s also for anyone who enjoys everything that makes life worth living, so it’s also our way of bringing new craft drinkers into the fold. In our fifth year we are hoping catch up with some old friends and drink a few beers with some new ones all over the world.
Thanks for the info. Here are the rest of the details on what’s inside the Mansion.
By purchasing a ticket, party-goers get access to unlimited beer tastings while exploring Beer Mansion’s five themed tasting rooms, each complete with festive decor and beers from Brooklyn Brewery and local craft breweries. These rooms and themes include:
- Tart of the Tropics: A stroll through all things breezy, sour and fruity Sour ales, crisp pilsners and citrus-forward IPAs
- The Forest: Wander through the cool, the funky & the sublime Hoppy lagers, American brown ales and black IPAs
- The Darkness: Spend some time behind the cloak Porters, stouts and Oktoberfests
- The Stoop: Kick back for a while, it’s the Brooklyn way Kolschs, pilsners, blondes & table beers
- The Anatomy of a Beer: A pause at the intersection of art and science, Deconstructed tasting of Brooklyn Brewery’s Kiwi’s Playhouse, a zesty sour ale oak-aged on fresh kiwi fruit, making its debut at BeerMansion.
Brewmaster Garrett Oliver will be there alongside Brooklyn Brewery resident chef, Andrew Gerson, who will prepare surprise bites. In each city, McClure’s Pickles will host a Bloody Mary bar, and Garden of Eatin’ will set up a tortilla chip-sampling wall.
In addition to booze and food, guests can enjoy live music by local bands and a whole bunch of art+tech+games+can’t-tell-you-yet surprises throughout each night.
