Brewer Marketing Playbook: Complete Edition

The Marketing Playbook: Complete Edition

The complete guide to brewery marketing, from the editors of Brewer Magazine

"The novelty is gone, the hype is gone, and there are less new enthusiasts entering the customer base." That's how Berlinetta's Chris Ruggiero described the market to us in 2026. A new brewery used to count on curiosity to fill the taproom. That doesn't work anymore, so marketing has to.

Most brewery owners never planned to be marketers. Marketing usually falls to a co-founder, a taproom manager or whoever is good at Instagram, with no plan, no budget and no training. The Marketing Playbook is that training.

This 116-page guide teaches brewery marketing from the ground up, step by step. It's built entirely from Brewer's own reporting: more than 120 articles and cover stories, and over 150 brewery owners, marketers, taproom managers and sales leads speaking on the record. When the guide says something works, it's because a brewery told us it worked for them, and we tell you which one.

What's inside

• Part I: Foundations. Marketing 101 for breweries, knowing your drinker, and building a brand people recognize.
• Part II: Product, Package & Price. Labels and packaging, portfolio and beer launches, pricing and promotions.
• Part III: The Taproom Experience. The taproom as your No. 1 marketing channel, regulars, loyalty programs and mug clubs, events and programming.
• Part IV: Reaching Drinkers. Social media, your website, search, email and text, community partnerships and earned media.
• Part V: Selling, Measuring & Protecting the Brand. Supporting sales and distribution, measuring what works, and protecting your brand.

Every chapter includes

• the core idea in plain language
• numbered how-to steps you can use this week
• "From the Field" case files on real breweries
• common mistakes
• a "Try This" exercise
• key terms and takeaways

The Marketer's Toolkit

• 10 fill-in templates: one-page marketing plan, drinker profile, positioning statement, event brief, beer launch brief, weekly content plan, partnership and donation request form, monthly marketing dashboard, review reply starters, and first-visit audit.
• 4 checklists: before an event, before a rebrand or refresh, before a beer launch, and a digital and taproom audit.
• Also included: a 12-month marketing calendar, a glossary, and a source index that dates every quote and figure.

Breweries you'll learn from include Alaskan, Highland, Karl Strauss, Revolution, Sun King, Great Lakes, Baxter, MadTree, Castle Island, Neshaminy Creek, Twin Oast, Goat Patch and many more.

Who it's for: Owners who handle marketing themselves, new marketing and taproom hires, and anyone at a small or midsize brewery or cidery who's been handed "the socials" and wants to do more than post.

Digital PDF, 116 pages. Licensed for internal use at your brewery. This guide shares what brewers told us about trademarks, label approval and responsible marketing, but it isn't legal advice. Alcohol marketing rules vary by state.