Good Craft Beer AND Marketing

What doesn’t go better with a good craft beer? How about a good craft beer and a good marketing program?

You Only Pope Once #YOPO was tapped this week at the Cape May Brewery’s tasting room, near the airport. The brew commemorates the historical visit of Pope Francis to Philadelphia.

You’d have to be living under a rock not to notice all the attention Cape May Brewing Company has stirred up lately. Even if you don’t like good craft beer, you can’t argue with the attention.

While the small batch Pale Ale was still fermenting, Ryan Krill the brewery leader was becoming a darling of the local and national media. Take a look at the brewery’s own lovely blog for the updated media appearances. 

Ryan made appearances on Fox News (National) and on the Wall Street Journal website. That’s destination marketing at it’s finest. Not since the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue two years ago has Cape May garnered so much media buzz.

Enough of the media attention, let’s get straight to the pint. No one is being very specific about how much #YOPO Cape May Brewery actually brewed. But they didn’t brew very much and it surely won’t be around forever. Neither will the Pope. Maybe that is part of the genius marketing plan of the smart people at the brewery.

Tasting the Pale Ale, brewed with an “unholy amount of hops” was almost a spiritual event. Lining up with a crowd of people at Noon, like the faithful in line for communion added to the excitement. With self-guided tour complete I finally had a pint in hand. 

The Pale Ale has a crisp, clean hoppy flavor, though not as hoppy as I led my self to expect. Described as brewed with three times the usual amount of hops in the dry hop process of a good craft beer, it certainly is indulgent. In a word it is delicious.  My over hopped expectations resulted from a conversation at MAC’s Brew Fest event on Saturday.

Why call it a spiritual event? Throughout the day I kept meditating on the #YOPO Pale Ale. As others posted on social media their tasting pictures, I kept recalling the nice hop finish of the Pale Ale. I concluded I liked it better than the Cape May signature IPA.

Rumor has it, the limited edition #YOPO Pale Ale will be available at Harry’s Ocean Bar and Grill at the Montreal Beach Resort. Check back often to learn if the Papal brew makes any other appearances.