I didn't make the GABF this last week and that is where the most interesting things in beer were happening. So I like most beergeeks I spent some time watching online. For the five people who don't know the GABF is the Great American Beer Festival. It is an event to celebrate craft beer hosted by the Brewers Association. This is the 27th year of the festival with 2052 beers from 432 breweries (thanks William for the numbers). The GABF is held in October each year in Denver, Colorado. Perhaps next year I'll get to join in the fun.

As someone at home watching the web as the festival unfold it seemed that Twitter and the new technologies brought the festival to us more than year's past. The Brewing Network once again did a fine job of live broadcasts, but twitpixs, small handheld cameras, and blogs gave us a more personal feel of the festival.

Twitter while sweeping the web of late also was sweeping the GABF. I was constantly seeing updates from various attendees at the festival. You knew who was at the Flying Dog booth or heard about a great beer that someone was pouring.

I think the difference this year was Web 2.0 started to impact GABF and by extension craft beer. Ultimately, it is the perfect marketing tool for craft brewers looking for a way to connect with beer drinkers. Two reasons it's low cost and when someone subscribes to Flying Dog's twitter stream it's because they are really interested in what the brewery is doing.

But just like craft beer it has to be done right. It can't be done in marketing speak, but in a real voice when it works it shows, also when it doesn't work. Web folk, especially those who have been following the Cluetrain ideas, have always looked for real world examples to show the market. I think that craft brewing may provide the first regular case studies of it's implementation as an industry.

They make a quality specialized product that makes an emotional connection with it's customer base. You have to love the product to get involved, you might subscribe to a feed because someone is going to give away a free trip, but you stay if they offering a compelling story that you are interested in hearing.

A prime example is the Tour de Fat by New Belgium. It became a tradition in Flagstaff not just because of the beer, but because of the fun people had with the beer. The bike rides, the crazy festival spirit, it all came together. As Hugh MacLeod would say it's a social object.

The more I think about this today, the more clear it is to me, that the latest web technologies are the future of craft beer's success. Not in the bits, but in the stories those bits will carry. The InBev-AB deal may have some folks worried, but as I watched the GABF this year I realized the future is bright.

Cheers!