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Thoughts On My First Time Attending CBC...Finally

This is a long overdue piece, but time and life always bring surprises, delays, and all kinds of unexpected curveballs. This being said, I am finally getting time to get caught up and share some of the great happenings over the last few months and the first half of the year. This piece is just that, and a big thanks to the Brewers Association for the recent Craft Brewers Conference that took place in Indianapolis from April 28-May 1st this year. Attending the event as a media presence was a great opportunity to get behind the scenes with the many companies that are bringing success to the craft brewing industry. From the breweries to the suppliers and marketers, and all that make it happen…it was a worthwhile experience. I had the honor to meet and talk with some legendary folks from the beer world, and here, just like many of the events that I have been a part of, the beer industry is one of the most welcoming and community-building ones that I have ever seen. It is something to see. ...

Whetstone Beer Co. innovates eco-friendly can label wrap with peel off sticker

BRATTLEBORO, Vt., Oct. 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A shared love of beer, travel, art, and the great outdoors united three partners – Tim Brady, Amy Brady, and David Hiler - to open Whetstone Station Brewery in Brattleboro in 2012. The spirit of exploration and discovery through rail travel underpinned the concept behind the establishment housed in a former train station building. A decade later, they've rebranded to Whetstone Beer Co. and reimagined packaging to celebrate their love of adventure and respect for the environment with fully recyclable cans and labels with a surprise inside: a keepsake peel-off sticker on every can.

The custom labels, imagined by Whetstone Beer Co. co-owner Tim Brady, were developed over a year-long process with a USA label manufacturer. They are the first to incorporate a built-in, removable sticker within a fully recyclable beer can label.

"We spend a lot on printing custom can labels, which nearly always just end up in a recycle bin," said Brady. "I thought, there has to be a way to make the label useful beyond simply showcasing the beer on the shelf. Now when you purchase any of our Whetstone Beer Co. cans, you get a unique sticker for free."

Whetstone Beer Co. packaging got a slick new look for the company's 10th anniversary, thanks to a local Vermont artist. On shelves at retail locations, bars, and restaurants around New England, the new merchandising and packaging showcase a take on "travel by rail" posters popular during the early 1900's golden age of train travel. A miniature "travel poster" sticker adorns each can while the wrap portion includes hidden elements with scenes harkening back to owners' adventures. 

The peel-off sticker concept embraces brew culture where beer and brewery stickers are collected, traded, and used as artwork on "sticker walls" at stores, restaurants, breweries, ski chalets, and construction shops, among others. For individuals, beer stickers cover coolers, water bottles, laptops, man caves, and she-sheds to represent favorites and themes.  

"People reach out all the time requesting stickers," said Whetstone brewer Derek Hall. "We send ours, and they send some of their favorites in return." Collecting brewery stickers is so popular, that a Facebook group called "Brewery Stickers and Beer Stickers Collectors & Traders" has 1,100+ members swapping stickers across the country. Stickers are also hotly sought at "breweriana" events and conventions.

As an added benefit, stickers remind restaurateurs and retailers to order Whetstone. According to Whetstone Director of Sales, Brayton Brown, "When I brought a sample to a new customer, the manager peeled off the sticker, pasted it in the middle of his beer cooler and said, 'It's official. I need to order something from you now.'"

Whetstone Beer is available throughout the northeast, at their waterfront taproom, and online for home delivery.

For more information see whetstonebeer.com or contact Maia Segura at maia@whetstonebrands.com.

 

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