Culture You Can Drink: What Can Museums Learn from Brewery Tours?

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-06

Large brewery tours are popular attractions. However, they are rarely considered to be cultural attractions despite academic research linking localized food and beverages such as beer to local culture. To investigate this popularity and determine what visitors to brewery tours think museums can learn from brewery tours, a qualitative study was undertaken to interview visitors and staff at New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins, Colorado. Visitors identified the key aspects of the brewery tour as the accessibility of the information presented, the relatability of the brewery’s values and staff, and the personalized interactive aspects of the tour. These aspects were readily contrasted with perceptions of museums being inaccessible and unwilling to involve visitors in the institution. Staff indicated that these aspects were consciously included to create positive experiences and differentiate the brewery from competitors. Both staff and visitors indicated their belief that the brewery represented a Fort Collins cultural institution.