Beer festivals continue to evolve with the changes in consumer preference. Efforts to include an educational component can often be met with apathy or indifference. The recent Farm To Tap (FTT) campaign and festival series organized by the Tennessee Brewers Guild successfully achieved the goals of engaging craft beer drinkers, along with a wide array of stakeholders, to celebrate the role local agriculture can play.

This series brought together farmers, maltsters, legislators, and researchers with the mission of connecting the agricultural roots to the craft beer industry. In year one, Farm To Tap kicked off with three events at guild member breweries—Harding House Brewing Co. in Nashville, Printshop Beer Co. in Knoxville, and Soul & Spirits Brewery in Memphis—all aimed to engage the public in this initiative by offering flight tastings, brewery tours, and panel discussions. Additionally, more than 1,900 tickets were sold for three FTT festivals that also took place in Nashville, Knoxville, Memphis.

Learning Objectives:

• See an example of a broader approach to the traditional beer festival model Gain a better understanding of the dynamics associated with hosting multi-stakeholder events across a broad geographic area Walk away with strategies for maximizing engagement of the general public, guild members, and the legislative community