The Colorado Brewers Guild brings some interactive attention to the five regions of the state known for their strong brewing culture. American craft beer week spans May 15-21, a tribute to independent breweries by the Brewers Association, and beer lovers everywhere will have eyes on Colorado. CBG received a grant from the Colorado tourism office to create promotional videos with the intention to share why they all have something unique to offer. Denver, Colorado Springs, Western slope, mountain towns and Fort Collins each have their own individual representation.
“There are a lot of similarities in the communities, but there are enough things that differentiate them that we thought it’d be great to capture that,” says Steve Kurowski, CBG operations director. “You could be mountain biking the Western slope, cruise in and have a beer, versus walking River North. It’s a whole different approach to experiencing craft beer.”
The Colorado tourism office posted the mountain town video on their site with an astounding 87,000 views just over the course of three days.
Director Tom Kolicko, and his company Traverse Image, are behind the scenes of the video diaries that magnify the strengths of the Colorado beer industry. Traverse Image is a friend of the craft beer scene and is responsible for the documentary Crafting a Nation, which has a strong focus on Denver brewers. “It was an easy partnership to rekindle,” says Kurowski.
The production took place over the course of 10 months, with mountain town filming held in the wintertime, then easing into Fort Collins for summer shots.
The videos claim that every element is 100 percent Colorado pure; the script writing, the soundtrack, the editing and all the talent in between. “All the work, all the effort, from skiing to fly fishing, they’re all Colorado brewers featured in the videos,” says Kurowski.
The clips may highlight the many differences found in the five regions, but it’s the commonality they possess that is most notable. “The likenesses surround the collaborative spirit that the breweries all share,” says Kurowski. “Every community has a vibrant culture for the breweries to work together for a stronger voice and stronger presence.”
