EP-119 Rachael Weseloh of Brooklyn Brewery

Published: April 8, 2017, 1 p.m.

In the age of small and local, some of the more mature craft beer brands in the US are looking to new markets to find the relevance, brand awareness and the resulting sales that they seek. For the 28 year old Brooklyn Brewery this means investing heavily in markets all over the world including The UK, Sweden, Australia and more recentlt East Asia, thanks to the recent sale of a 24% stake in the business to Japan\u2019s Kirin. But finding that relevance isn\u2019t as simple as just shipping over a few containers worth of beer, throwing a launch party and hoping it sells. Building relevance requires the careful investment of time and resources and Brooklyn, who\u2019ve been exporting to beer to the UK for over a decade, should know more about this than most. In fact, such is the success of their export market that 45% the beer it produces is now sold overseas.\xa0 Rachael Weseloh has been Brooklyn\u2019s UK brand ambassador for just over two years now. As well as being the brewery\u2019s eyes and ears on the ground, she\u2019s also throwing events like Brooklyn\u2019s popular Beer Mansion and annual Mash party, which are creating a deep sense of engagement with consumers, while behind the scenes it\u2019s endearing the brand to wholesalers and retailers alike.\xa0 Weseloh originally hails from Humboldt County in the North of California and it was here she began her beer journey, working for Fortuna\u2019s Eel River Brewing Company. She eventually made her way to Paris, where she worked in the French capitals vibrant Cocktail scene, before she eventually landed her gig with Brooklyn and made London her home.\xa0 Over the next hour or so Weseloh and I chat about this continuing search for relevance by beer brands and just how important markets like the UK are to Brooklyn as the brewery continues to increases the impetus behind its export program. We also chat about Brooklyn\u2019s sister breweries, Swedens New Carnigie and Norway\u2019s E. C. Dahl\u2019s as well as the brewery\u2019s relationships with its distributor, Carlsberg and it\u2019s new partner, Kirin.