20170307

State's craft brewers unveil new app for the consuming public

The craft beverage industry in New York State not only is growing in the number of businesses involved, it also is growing in the sophistication of getting its message out.

On Saturday, I reported on the unveiling of a new website by the New York State Distillers Guide. Today, the topic is a new iOS/Adroid app from the New York State Brewers Association (NYSBA) that can be downloaded from the iTunes Store.

The state currently is home to 326 licensed craft breweries, the most since Prohibition, that in total represent a $4 billion impact that is the fourth highest of any state. The app has what the NYSBA refers to as "a hyperlocalized focus." Its key feature is an incentives-based "passport" program encouraging consumers to discover and visit local breweries across the state. Among the features:
• Users can acess discounts at breweries, T-shirts, regional posters featuring original artwork by local designers, plaques and so on. The Passport is valid for a year from the time of a user's first passport stamp.

• A map of every brewery in the state.

• A beer and brewery rating system.

• Updated information on breweries' beers on tap, events and hours.

• The ability to organize one's own brewery tours.

• A label-scanning tool for beer style suggestions.

• Photo booth and social media integration.

• Craft beer educational tools and style guide.
"As the number of breweries in New York State continues to grow, we wanted to create an exciting app with a passport program to reward users based on the number of breweries they visit throughout the state,” said NYSBA Executive Director Paul Leone. “It was also essential to make it easy for users to locate every brewery, either through a statewide map, regional maps, or simply by locating the breweries ‘nearby’, no matter where they are in the state.”

The NYSBA was cofounded in 2003 as a promotional and legislative proponent for New York's breweries, microbreweries, brewpubs and brewing-affiliated businesses.
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