#wit beer

Hopfengrund - Barrel aged Wit

Urban Souths Charming Wit and Coop'd Up Saison!

De Koningshoeven - La Trappe Witte Trappist

A fellow student brewed a wit and was kind enough to give me a bottle. Luka did put quite a lot of orange peel and coriander in there but not too much. This wit is fruity and floral and has an amazin mouthfeel.

Not a beer milkshake, though it sure looks like one!  The nose on this wit was wonderfully hoppy, with a mix of Warrior, Citra, Cascade, and Mosaic hops all crowded into one glass.  The name provided a fairly apt description of the beer, as it tasted like a citrusy wit bursting with hops.  There was a slightly bitter aftertaste, akin to a pulpy orange juice burn.  A rather perfect beer for the last stretch of patio weather. 

Dearest Mill Street Brewery Marketers, Tonight I discovered Wit.  The following is meant to be as much a thank you as it is congratulatory... as you've garnered yourselves what is most likely a lifetime customer. It was almost happenstance.  There happened to be an Air Miles promotion at the LCBO for a variety of lesser-known breweries.  Being an avid Air Miles member, it seemed a perfect opportunity to try something different. Sure, the promotion pushed me over the edge, but it's not like I put a blindfold and pointed at what to pull off the shelf.  There was a conscious choice, and there an important piece of recognition that needs to go to the various marketers responsible for pushing me through awareness all the way to purchase and beyond to what I'm projecting to be repeat customer. Branding In reflection, I'm finding it wasn't any one thing that drove me into the loving arms of Mill Street, but a series of effective marketing decisions.  Brand decisions. Not to forget, of course, that once here in your arms, you followed through with quality product that exceeded expectations.  The end result?  Not just a satisfied customer, but an unorthodoxly elated one. My first exposure to Mill Street that I can recall has be through the local burger chain, The Works.  I recall seeing Mill St. available, folded postcards on tables reminding us of its availability.  It's been a while since I've been, so I'm not sure if that's still that case, but that's beside the point.  I remember being recommended a Tankhouse and thinking it sounded like an epic name for a brew.   In the end though, I don't think I'd ever purchased while I was at The Works, more often than not opting for something familiar to go with my meal, or one of their epic shakes. So, that didn't get you my business... But... I've since as a result associated Mill St. with other unique brands that I trust - namely the venue, The Works.  I think of The Works, I think quality.  Quality product, quality experience.  From the hip decor that reminds me of a Fallout video game, to the plethora of creative toppings, the same creativity applied to their sides, or the quality of the burgers themselves, or what are quite possibly the best onion rings in the history of onions and/or rings.  It's never let me down in the few times I've frequented their restaurant.  Though I may not have converted there, just having your product available there created the association with the same qualities. In addition to the quality thing, there's also the whole squishier sentiment of being off-the-beaten path.   As illogical as it is now since The Works was sold/acquired and is pursuing their own successes via expansion, I still have that lingering feeling that there, I'm enjoying something that isn't mainstream.   It's not broadcast on major TV networks, radio, etc.  I don't get plastered with their ads on TSN.ca.  It's my little secret.  But more than that, it's not those mainstream vendors.  The Works isn't McDonalds.  The Works isn't Subway.  It's not commodity food, herding masses, leveraging buying power to push margin-per-sandwich.  By association, you became not Blue, Not Canadian.  Something different, and quite possibly better.  And I hadn't even tried it yet. Not an Everyday Commodity Now the whole notion of not being a commodity hurts and helps, and I'm sure it's something to wrestle with.  I know for those times when you're rubbing quarters together hoping they'll reproduce AND you happen to be afflicted by a ravenous flesh eating disease curable only by hamburger, The Works isn't necessarily your first choice.  People need to be pragmatic.  As such, the non-commodity sticker shock can turn people away.  That's where your use of very smart, strategic branding makes so much sense. You get what you pay for... Positioning around quality makes the cost wholly justifiable in a lot of cases.  Like my folks always told me, "wash behind you ears".... and also, "you get what you pay for". But sometimes reality doesn't let you do that. I've fallen in love with my share of single malts where an ounce every day or two would cost me more than the electricity to keep my lights, television, and beer-chilling-machine fridge running.  As such, like many folks, I try to find a happy place where acceptable quality and agreeable price intersect.  But of course, the value equation changes as external factors like promotions, mood, sentiment and loyalty come in to play, making me more willing to make agreeable what might be less agreeable prices. On the external factors, you've also done great things that have impacted my buying decision today. Local Influence From my perspective, there's a geographic focus at play.  I don't know if it's intentional, if it's widespread, or if it's just my impression since I live where I live and am only subjected to the current events and marketing that surround me. In any case, the acquisition of the Old Mill restaurant and the projected plans for housing a brewery/restaurant there made news headlines at the time, and helped to create the impression of a company wanting to carve a niche out in our area code, and creating what should be a very nice venue in itself. And on the local note, how can you miss BluesFest... A brewery at a music festival; you have a very smartly targeted audience.  While they might not be a captive audience with all the other activities on hand, you can be sure that you'll get a fair bit of mention in social media and traditional media outlets by association.  Sponsorship and exclusivity at the Ottawa Bluesfest certainly helped most recently as the brand resurfaced a number of times on Twitter and Facebook as concert-goers shared their experiences online.  In more than a few tweets, posts and pages, I've seen the Mill Street name dropped, so by mere coincidence, it's helped to affirm awareness, and in my guilt and shame of not having been to any of the opening few days' events, maybe even pushed me along the buyer's journey.  Then more holistically, when you look at Ottawa and the BluesFest demographically, you've got a pretty good group of folks who may have propensity to have the tastes and disposable income to swing the value equation in your favor should they enjoy it at the venue and become repeat customers. Repeat customers like me.   Looking at it all, it isn't rocket science.  It's all 4 P's stuff... but not quite.  At only one point, the point of purchase, did all 4 intersect.  But without all the earlier impressions, it never would have happened. I don't want to go down the rabbit hole of attribution, as that can be a journey unto itself.  At this stage, I'd just like to acknowledge that all the little marketing touches, no matter how insignificant or unsuccessful at the time, in the end mattered in my own minute case.  Not everyone can measure it though... That's why I'm here to say thanks and give you a pat on the back, 'cause between you and me... it worked.