How to Choose the Right Email Tool for Your Brewery
The best tool depends on how your brewery operates and where your revenue comes from:
Taproom vs. distribution focus. Taproom-focused breweries need event promotion, visit follow-ups, and mug club management. Distribution-focused breweries may need e-commerce integration for online ordering. Most craft breweries are taproom-first, which means simplicity and event promotion matter more than e-commerce features.
List size impacts cost. Calculate pricing at your expected subscriber count in 12 months. Breweries accumulate email addresses quickly from WiFi signups, event RSVPs, and mug club registrations. A brewery open for 3 years might have 5,000-10,000 contacts, making per-contact pricing expensive.
Mug club complexity. If you run a membership program, look for tools with good segmentation and automation. Renewal reminders, member-exclusive content, and tier-based communication require more than basic email broadcasting.
Brewery Email Tool Fit
| Brewery model | Best-fit tool need | Email priority | Cost risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taproom-first brewery | Event and segment management | Release announcements and event reminders | Paying for ecommerce features you do not use |
| Mug club-heavy brewery | Member tags and renewal automation | Member exclusives and renewal reminders | Losing renewals through weak timing |
| Multi-location brewery | Location-based segmentation | Taproom-specific events and hours | Sending irrelevant events to the full list |
| Distribution-focused brewery | Retailer and consumer segments | Where-to-buy updates | Mixing trade and customer messaging |
| Brewery with online sales | Ecommerce integration | Shipping drops and merch bundles | Contact pricing on large WiFi lists |
The Brewery Email Playbook
New Release Announcements Drive Taproom Traffic
New beer releases are your highest-performing email content. Every release email should include the beer name, style, ABV, tasting notes, the story behind why you brewed it, and when and where it is available. Send a teaser email 5-7 days before release to build anticipation, a release-day announcement when it hits the taps, and a follow-up 2-3 days later with early customer feedback and a limited-availability reminder.
For limited releases, give your email list 24-48 hours of advance notice before posting on social media. This exclusivity makes your email list valuable and trains subscribers to open your emails immediately.
New Beer Release Email Timeline
| Timing | Email angle | What to include | Best segment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 days before | Teaser | Beer name, style, partial tasting notes, release date | Full local list |
| 48 hours before | Email-list early notice | Quantity, tapping time, member window | Email subscribers and mug club |
| Release day | Available now | Photo, ABV, tasting notes, taproom details | Full list by location |
| 2-3 days after | Limited left | Customer reactions and remaining quantity | People who clicked but did not visit |
| Sold out | Next similar beer | Thanks, waitlist, upcoming related release | Release-clickers |
Event Promotion Fills Your Taproom
Food truck nights, live music, beer festivals, and themed events drive significant revenue because customers stay longer, spend more on food and drinks, and bring friends. Your event email strategy should include an announcement 2 weeks out, a reminder 2-3 days before, and a same-day or day-before final reminder.
Include specific details that help people decide to attend - the food truck name and menu highlights, the musician and genre, drink specials, and timing. Vague event descriptions get ignored while specific details get shared with friends.
Mug Club Communication Drives Retention
Your mug club is recurring revenue. Monthly member emails should include exclusive release previews, upcoming member events, benefits reminders, and community content like member spotlights or behind-the-scenes brewery updates. Start renewal reminders 60 days before expiration, follow up at 30 days and 7 days, and include a summary of benefits used during their membership to remind them of the value.
Mug Club Retention Calendar
| Moment | Email to send | Message focus | Metric to watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | Member insider update | Exclusive releases, benefits, events | Member open rate |
| 60 days before renewal | Renewal heads-up | Benefits used and upcoming perks | Early renewals |
| 30 days before renewal | Value reminder | Savings, events attended, member-only beer | Renewal clicks |
| 7 days before renewal | Final renewal reminder | Deadline and simple renewal link | Expiring members saved |
| 1 week after renewal | Thank-you and next perks | Make renewal feel recognized | Retention satisfaction |
Building Your Brewery Email List
Taproom WiFi Collection
Requiring an email address for WiFi access is the most effective passive collection method for breweries. Every taproom visitor who connects to WiFi joins your email list automatically. Set this up once and it grows your list continuously without staff involvement.
Event RSVPs and Registrations
Every event should have an RSVP mechanism that captures email addresses. Even free events benefit from RSVPs because they give you a list of attendees to follow up with afterward and help you estimate attendance for planning.
Mug Club and Loyalty Signups
Mug club registration naturally captures email and creates your most engaged segment. Even if you do not run a formal mug club, consider a loyalty program or VIP list that captures email with a clear benefit like early release access or a discount on their next visit.
Staff-Assisted Collection
Train your bartenders and servers to mention the email list when interacting with customers, especially first-time visitors. A simple "Sign up for our email list and get first access to new releases" at the bar converts well because the customer is already having a positive experience.
Seasonal Email Calendar for Breweries
January-February: Winter seasonal releases, Valentine's Day events, mug club renewals (if annual starting January)
March-April: Spring beer releases, patio opening announcement, Easter brunch events
May-June: Summer seasonal releases, outdoor event season kickoff, food truck series announcement
July-August: Peak event season (weekly or bi-weekly emails), summer limited releases, festival announcements
September-October: Oktoberfest events, fall seasonal releases, harvest collaboration beers
November-December: Holiday party promotions, gift guide (merch, gift cards, mug club memberships), year-in-review, limited holiday releases
What a Healthy Brewery Email Program Looks Like
A brewery with 3,000 email subscribers should see 25-32% open rates on general emails and 35%+ on release announcements. Click-through rates of 3-5% indicate content is resonating. Your list should grow by 100-200 subscribers per month through WiFi signups and events.
Mug club members should open emails at 40%+ because they are your most engaged audience. Renewal rates above 70% indicate healthy member communication. If renewal drops below 60%, your member communication needs more value and better timing.
Getting Started This Week
- Set up WiFi email collection at your taproom if not already running
- Import your mug club roster and tag them as members
- Create a new beer release email template with space for beer photo, tasting notes, and story
- Build a 3-email event promotion sequence (announcement, reminder, same-day)
- Set up mug club renewal reminders at 60, 30, and 7 days before expiration
- Plan your next month of emails using the seasonal calendar above
Start with the release announcement template and event promotion sequence. These two email types drive the most immediate revenue for breweries.