How does Flying Bike Fit in the Seattle Craft Beer Market?
By: Jake Heare: Owner-Member #713
It’s a frequent sight in Seattle to see any number of people wearing a brewery logo on their T-shirt. Just recently I saw someone wearing Ghostfish Brewing Company at Costco. When I asked him about the new brewery’s beer he said it was great and surprisingly informed me that he was the owner. What a weird coincidence that I would by chance meet the owner of Ghostfish Brewing because of the shirt he was wearing. I doubt the same could be said if I talked to someone wearing an Elysian or Two Beers shirt. That’s what makes Flying Bike Cooperative Brewery so unique. Everyone I’ve met who is wearing an FBCB shirt is an owner.
The Seattle craft beer market, like its T-shirt wearing sponsors, is crowded and can be somewhat disconnected from the consumers it serves. While Seattle breweries are beloved by many craft beer drinkers, how many of those people can say that they own any part of the brewery? As the old saying goes, “You only rent beer”. Having a deeper connection to a brewery is something long sought by consumers. Every T-shirt sale, every bumper sticker, every ball cap worn is a statement that they love this brewery, but what if they could do more than love it? With FBCB they can.
Member-Owners are what make FBCB so unique in the Seattle craft beer market. The beer is developed by homebrewing members, voted on by the membership, and will be served in OUR taproom. This beer is a community. This beer is the reason we get together to share a pint. This is the beer you made happen. No other local brewery can claim that. No other local brewery can serve the community the way Flying Bike does.
The cooperative has held many community events in its history and will continue that tradition into the future. From Flying Bike “Learn-To-Brew” events at local homebrew stores to annual brewing competitions to pick the offerings for the brewery, Flying Bike brings the membership community together to celebrate all things beer. Future events including community brew days, special beer release events, beer education courses, and many more will serve the community from our new taproom on Greenwood Ave.
Flying Bike is a brewery of which you can be proud of being an active member. Your contributions, from homebrew recipes and competition votes to drinking a pint in the new taproom, mean you are a part of a larger community. Together we make Flying Bike great! For me personally, every Friday is Flying Bike Friday! I wear my T-shirt proudly. I tell everyone who will listen about the big things brewing at Flying Bike. As a Member-Owner, we should all wear our shirts with pride! We are Flying Bike!
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This post is the beginning of a series of Member-Owner blog posts, sharing your enthusiasm and thoughts on our #memberdrivenbeer community. Thank you Jake for your thoughts and enthusiasm! If you would like to write a guest post for our blog, please reach out to marketing@flyingbike.coop with your story idea and we'd be glad to consider it for our website.
