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says Marissa Mills, Parallel 49's marketing manager, at the brewery's new 150-seat tasting room. "It sounds kind of lame, but we've always had the same people behind it, and we've never lost touch with what we think is cool, and what we think is funny and stupid or interesting." Even as the brand has moved from being a relative outsider that "does what- ever it wants" to a major player in the craft scene, Mills maintains that keeping the ingredients it was originally created with is essential. "Of course beer styles and trends change, and we obviously want to ebb and ‚ow with the market and be on top of trends, but in our own way," she says. "All of our characters that are on the beers, we want them to look like they're cohe- sive, as part of one brand identity. But at the same time, you never know what's going to happen next." LIFESTYLE FIRST, BEER SECOND The same basic theory is in play a few blocks over at another East Vancouver shop, but Postmark Brewing takes a much diˆerent approach to keeping things fresh without losing its identity. After launching in 2014, Postmark decided to marry a clean and simple design concept with an outdoorsy, West Coast vibe. The result has been the creation of a lifestyle brand to go along with an easy- drinking beer. "Instead of just taking a beer and slap- ping a label on it and saying, 'Drink this and you'll feel like it's summertime,' we send people out to enjoy summertime activities, with the beer as an afterthought," says Devin O'Brien, Postmark's marketing manager. "From a marketing perspective, it's part- nering with brands and creating friendships and a natural ‚ow around the consumption of products, which has let us grow." Those partnerships have been essential to how Postmark positions itself and even the beer. Special batches are made to go with events, like a Sevens IPA for the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, held in Van- couver in March, or a High Line Ale to kick oˆ summer at Shaper Studios' Main Street surf shop in June. "Everyone is making good beer," says Postmark community manager Ksenia Dempster. "So you have to kind of set your- self apart in a diˆerent way, and we are approached by a lot of diˆerent partners and events, because we make good beer, but also because we represent more than just the beer." A THIRST FOR NOVELTY It's hard to tell what strate˜y is best, or which is built to last. Either way, maybe there's enough craft beer business in B.C. to ensure all of the players a long lifespan. Beattie of the Craft Brew- ers Guild won't play favou- rites—ask him what his preferred beer is, and his canned answer is "the one you're going to buy me"—but he acknowledges that his job has taken on more importance lately. "It's obviously more complex because you've got more members, but it's also easier to do because you've got more members; there's more people listening," he says. "So there's motivation to get things accomplished that beneœt everyone." Right now the guild is expanding its BC Ale Trail, a collection of routes around the province, designed with tourism marketer Destination BC Corp., that lead to more than 90 breweries. So, yes, "wars" does seem like hyper- bole. Still, we could be on the cusp of a new era for craft beer in B.C. "The consumers of today aren't the consumers our parents were," says Drift- wood's Lindsay. "Back in the day, one dad drank Canadian, one drank Labatt, and the other guy drank Lucky. And they would be adamant that they got that beer: 'If they don't have it, we're not staying.'" Craft beer fans don't think that way, Lindsay notes. "They'll grab a couple of their favourites, but they're always going to grab a couple big bottles or tall cans of something new and diˆerent," he says. "I think consumers are more motivated and more adventurous." Given that thirst for novelty, could offering more beer for the same price keep them coming back? As Central City's Medwid said at the company's big announcement in May, "This allows us to go after the consumer in a more aggressive way than craft beer traditionally has." It's probably not long until the industry sees its next aggressive move. ¡ BCBUSINESS.CA SEptEmBER 2018 BCBusiness 31 Expert Guidance And Planning From A Firm You Can Trust VANCOUVER | SURREY | ABBOTSFORD www.manningellio .com 604-714-3600 Taking your business to the next level requires guidance and expert planning from a fi rm you can trust. To learn more, contact one of our trusted business advisors today. Accoun ng Assurance Business Advisory Estate Planning Succession Planning Tax

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