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Oh look, Michigan has another brewery. Here’s why you should care

July 18, 2016Cody Fague and Isaac Arthur

Ultimately, your intentions will shape the outcome of your brewing business. If you only care about money, your beer might not turn out so great. If you’re cynical and think people don’t know what great beer tastes like, trust me, you are wrong. If you aspire to be the aloof guy with a beard who exclusively brews balls-to-the-wall small batch ÜBERBRAU, more power to you, but keep in mind, you may wind up alienating potential macro converts, warding them away from the craft beer market through sheer intimidation.

HOWEVER, if you approach the field with a genuine love and knowledge of craft beer — not just the stuff that goes in the glass, or into your wallet — you will have the perspective you need to deliver a great experience to your customers. ALL of your customers.

Of all the nice things I can say about North Pier Brewing, I would say this: It feels like a brewery that anyone can enjoy. If there’s to be a craft beer bubble, it will be the result of too many breweries offering unremarkable products and lackluster experiences for their would-be customers. Thankfully for us, and for the formidable Michigan beer scene, North Pier is not one of those breweries.

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Jay and the team behind North Pier grew up in the area, have had a chance to travel and absorb different brewery experiences and understand at a fundamental level how compelling a craft brewery space can be. They’re coming at things from a holistic approach. Yes, they’ve got good beer, but it isn’t enough. They’ve also got solid branding, a consistent public image, a purpose-built ‘third place’ setting that people in the community are already flocking to hang out in, and a business model that is flexible enough to weather changes in the market. They’ve got a responsive website that people can actually use. You can’t drag your ass in Michigan when it comes to selling beer, after all.

Something similar: Branding Fernson Brewing — a prairie road trip into positioning and storytelling.

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So, there’s another brewery open in Michigan. It features a friendly staff plus some nice, clear way-showing signage. There’s a cool taproom with garage-door style windows and a patio. It’s close to the beach, so you can grab a growler and go enjoy the weather. Bring the whole family. There’s nitro coffee on tap, a freshly waxed shuffleboard table and some wicked t-shirts for sale. The beer is well-made and tastes great (fantastic, actually). If you don’t feel up to driving all the way to the Grand Rapids area, it would make a nice little day trip. Be sure to stop by North Shore Inn and grab a burger. You’ll thank us; that is, once you regain your wits.

This column was provided by the folks at CODO Design, a five-man branding firm based in Indianapolis, IN. They’ve spent years working with startup craft breweries on naming, branding and positioning, responsive web design, and package design. They’ve gathered their experience into a comprehensive Craft Beer Branding Guide to help startup breweries navigate the entire branding process. Check it out at www.craftbeerbrandingguide.com.

Pages: Page 1 Page 2
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. VDBCapital says

    July 22, 2016 at 7:01 am

    A great story about another new Michigan brewery: https://t.co/N6p1UIy7Bj

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  2. beerbrewinghome says

    July 21, 2016 at 4:11 pm

    Oh look, Michigan has another brewery. Here’s why you should care https://t.co/jaSXkalAh4

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  3. Beargrylls Sum says

    July 19, 2016 at 5:36 am

    Beargrylls Sum liked this on Facebook.

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  4. Jerry Elliott says

    July 19, 2016 at 5:36 am

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  5. Scott Tucker says

    July 19, 2016 at 5:36 am

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  6. Charlie Reeves says

    July 18, 2016 at 9:36 pm

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  7. KCHopTalk says

    July 18, 2016 at 5:45 pm

    Oh look, Michigan has another brewery. Here’s why you should care https://t.co/GTvAsz52ks

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  8. Kathy Bailey says

    July 18, 2016 at 5:21 pm

    Kathy Bailey liked this on Facebook.

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  9. Travis Archey says

    July 18, 2016 at 5:21 pm

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  10. northpierbrew says

    July 18, 2016 at 3:41 pm

    RT @CraftBrewingBiz: Oh look, Michigan has another brewery. Here’s why you should care. @CODODesign @northpierbrew https://t.co/AdDw5Z1WVi

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  11. crsimp01 says

    July 18, 2016 at 3:32 pm

    CODO Design Brands North Pier Brewing Co. https://t.co/GqiDGLAvow via @craftbrewingbiz

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  12. Nicole Parrott Dellaposta says

    July 18, 2016 at 3:07 pm

    Nicole Parrott Dellaposta liked this on Facebook.

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  13. LVRGLLC says

    July 18, 2016 at 2:21 pm

    #CraftBeer #CraftBrewing #Beer #BeerBiz Oh look, Michigan has another brewery. Here’s why you should care https://t.co/SzDFapH7WS

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  14. Jay Fettig says

    July 18, 2016 at 2:06 pm

    Jay Fettig liked this on Facebook.

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  15. Lee David says

    July 18, 2016 at 1:21 pm

    Lee David liked this on Facebook.

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  16. Justin Barton says

    July 18, 2016 at 1:21 pm

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  17. Isaac Arthur says

    July 18, 2016 at 12:51 pm

    Isaac Arthur liked this on Facebook.

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  18. CODODesign says

    July 18, 2016 at 12:39 pm

    RT @CraftBrewingBiz: Oh look, Michigan has another brewery. Here’s why you should care. @CODODesign @northpierbrew https://t.co/AdDw5Z1WVi

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