No matter what time of year it is in New England there is always a reason to drink beer. In the Fall the Patriots are playing football, in the Winter the Celtics are playing basketball and the Bruins are playing hockey, and in Spring and Summer, the Red Sox are playing baseball. All of these events attract and promote beer drinking. In the past decade, people have begun to travel for the sake of beer and try the new beer from different brewing companies, regardless of the season. The increase of craft breweries has created the beer trail which reflects the ideals and views of New England, as well as, opening up locations to new streams of tourism.
New England is composed of the Northeastern states of the United States: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. Historically, these states were a part of the 13 original colonies of America, hence the region’s football team is called The Patriots. Culturally, New Englanders are people who are attached to their iced coffees from Dunkin Donuts despite the snowy winters and argue over which state truly has the best lobsters. New Englanders are avid and known to be overzealous sports fans whose loyalty can be seen from tattoos and hats to city murals and sports hero road names. Only in New England is there Patriot’s Day, where companies and schools are closed to celebrate Revolutionary War battles and the Boston Marathon, which is a drinking marathon for those not running. The constant reminder and celebration of the colonial era in New England demonstrate the essentialism which has been accepted in this region (Barthes, R. 2009). These contextual factors surrounding New England contribute to the success of the craft beer trail campaign because these factors mirror the fundamental New England values.
The beer trail is composed of each state’s individual craft beer locations, made from Beer associations, organizations or even the Beer Guilds in the individual states. The trail map can be downloaded and printed by the individual tourists to take on their trip. There is also an option to hop onto the beer trail buses that run from each of the different states in order to avoid drunk driving mishaps. Most maps have places to receive a signature, stamp, or sticker to prove that the individual has been to all of the different breweries on the map. When their map is completed to include proof that they have been to all of the breweries, they can enter to win different prizes and giveaways. The collection of stamps and possibility of prizes has given more incentive for people to complete the beer trail and travel to all of the different microbreweries locations. Through the beer trails, the breweries along with the locations, restaurants, and distilleries are also advertised because they are all apart of the same field.
The New England beer trails success comes from the historical context of beer drinking in New England. In the past decade, craft beer sales have more than doubled and craft breweries have tripled with a total of 5,005 in the United States currently (Gorey, Jon. 2017). The rise of microbrews largely comes as the popularity of mass production beer has lessened. Drinking beer is now more widely done by more diverse audiences than just men drinking after work, especially with blue collar workers. Drinking beer is now a reflection of people’s individuality and tastes whether they pick a double dry hopped IPA or a Belgian saison; it is a personal decision. The individualism of New Englanders is shown through the many different types and options of beers allowing everyone to choose their favorite beers. This individualism is furthered through the historical references in many of the beer brands and names like Samuel Adams, a colonial hero, who is an icon of New England. This forethought of what is important and has value to local residents is a huge contribution to the success of branding and in this case the success of these microbreweries (Campelo, A., Aitken, R., Thyne, M., & Gnoth, J. 2014).
The increase of microbreweries also mirrors the entrepreneurial spirit of brewers and beer lovers. Considering that mass production breweries allow for less creativity and individuality in styles and types of beers, these brewers who make their own companies are showing their individuality. This further shows the uniqueness of New England through being entrepreneurs and creating their own beer. Furthermore, it shows how the startup and recent rise of entrepreneurs across all sectors of the United States are related to the beer industry. The overall rise of entrepreneurship in America in the past decade is exhibited in the beer industry and specifically in New England (Bureau of Labor Statistics). The beer trail takes advantage of the growth of craft breweries and connects them as they expand and pop up all around New England.
“For the Love of Beer”, Samuel Adams brewery logo, embodies the essence of the beer drinking culture in New England. The historical context of New England, the colonial reflections, the pride of individualism, and entrepreneurial spirit, play a role in the success of the beer trail. The beer trail takes advantage and furthers these ideas in its marketing and promoting strategies. As a past bartender in Boston, the hub of New England, I have seen these ideas and beliefs in New England beer drinkers. The pride of New England is strong from its history, weather, and, most importantly, its sports teams. This pride is echoed in our beer drinking and beer pride. The demographics of beer lovers is now very wide and varied; anyone can be a drinker because there is a beer for everyone. The variance and range of types, styles, and tastes of beers come from the growth of microbrews and the popularity of individuality in beers. The beer trail encompasses all of these trends and promotes the travel in New England for the love of beer.
References
Barthes, R. (2009). The Blue Guide. In R. Barthes Mythologies , pp85-88, A. Lavers, Trans. London: Vintage
Business establishment age. (n.d.). Retrieved October 01, 2017, from https://www.bls.gov/bdm/entrepreneurship/entrepreneurship.htm
Campelo, A., Aitken, R., Thyne, M., & Gnoth, J. (2014). Sense of place: The importance for destination branding. Journal of Travel Research , 53(2), 154-166.
Gorey, Jon. (2017, March 15). One excellent tour of New England’s brewery coast – The Boston Globe. Retrieved October 01, 2017, from https://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2017/03/15/one-excellent-tour-new-england-brewery-c oast/p2EhMeb9j6zEQzlpme7FgN/story.html
Chelsea's Travels 