CHEERS to the New Year!

Welcome to the inaugural blog that we’ve affectionately decided to call “Happy Hour”.  

Nice to meet you!  Tammy Vilaboy, here!  I’m the Ink Master @ Tat2 and to keep this true to form, I’ve opened a beer on this Friday afternoon to christen the first blog. 

Here’s what you can expect in these little glimpses into my bizarre mind.  It will be two-fold: 

1. An intro to a new (or just damn good) beer, commentary to join it and my overall rating of the beer (from 1 tat to 5).   
2. Secondly, a marketing lesson designed to make you laugh and make your mark. 

So, go ahead and join me!  Open a beer, grab a seat and ENJOY.

Elysian Space Dust IPA – 4 Tats

I guess I should let you know that I’m an IPA fan.  I don’t have the beard and I won’t engage you in painful conversations about hops.  But, I do enjoy ’em.  This one has always been one of my faves.  I’m kicking off the blog with this one because just like the high ABV, (8.2%), the New Year for Tat2 is HUGE! 

The key to enjoying this “nebular” beer is to take it slow, have some snacks and friends close by, because the conversations tend to be amusing after a few of these. 

Something else I enjoy about this beer is the label and the name.  Obviously, at Tat2, we appreciate creativity and that is what stopped me in my tracks when I saw it on the shelf at a local shop.  (Jungle Jim’s) 

So, let’s take that concept a bit further.  Why did a bright eyed hop, spewing glitter catch my attention?   Three reasons:  

1. Elysian is synonomous with good beer.  They’ve won “Large BrewPub of the Year” three times at the American Beer Festival.  Their reputation precedes them.  Any true IPA fan knows this.
2. They specialize in IPA’s.  I’m an IPA girl.  They speak my language and I follow them.
3. The labels and artwork, across their portfolio of beers, are incredibly cool.

Summarizing all of that into marketing terms:  They know their product.  They’ve “made their mark” within a niche and they know how to speak directly to their audience.  Add that up, and what you get is Great Marketing!

Perhaps that is really what drew me to the craft beer industry – good marketing.  (No.  Who am I kidding?  I just like beer)  But, we’ll explore that a bit further for the sake of this inaugural “Happy Hour” blog. 

Craft beer marketing.  Yes.  That’s it.

When I began Tat2, I sought out to show businesses that being unique, being strategic and having fun will set you up for success.  So many craft breweries started that same way.  Although they most likely started in a garage, Tat2 also started at home…at a kitchen table. 

The names are tied to their personality or their individual story.  They went through numerous recipes to find what they thought tasted yummy.  Then drank many bottles featuring that recipe, invited friends over and brainstormed names that meant something to them and told a story.  They had a vision for the brand and they followed it.  They set out as FANS of their product and turned into stewards of their business.  And had a ton of fun in the process.  Then, the BRAND fell into place.

I’m here to tell you.  All good brands start with a story.  And most times, a good beer.  Afterall, look at the Tat2 logo.  Recognize the circles?  If not, grab a frosty brew, and look at the table.  Did you make your mark?

Thanks for reading and keep following us.  More reviews and more brews with Tat2 are coming soon.

Tammy out.

#MakeYourMark #Tat2Marketing #Elysian #SpaceDustIpa