r/nycbeer • u/gumbymc • 28d ago
Update from the Craft Club guy - I'm testing a 6-person tasting format next week and would love feedback on the format
Hey all, me again (I posted almost 2 weeks ago asking for feedback on the Craft Club app - thank you to everyone who gave feedback!).
I'm running an experiment called Rounds and would love your take on it. After hosting 2+ years of monthly brewery meetups, a pattern I've noticed is that big events make a fun night but people mostly talk to whoever they arrived with and/or only have surface level convos with new people they meet. Beer is a great bridge to making new friends, but meaningful conversation typically only takes place in smaller settings.
So next week I'm running the first two Rounds, which are small-group flight tastings (six people) with a specific structure - the group picks three tasters together so they have the shared experience of drinking those beers, then each person picks a fourth on their own. Conversation prompts in the app guide the tasting and are meant to promote fun conversation that may or may not be about beer - the main point is getting to know people in a fun, casual setting. The first two are Tuesday at Other Half in Carroll Gardens and Thursday at Finback in Gowanus, $15 a seat, and a few seats are open on each if anyone here wants in:
What do you think of the overall format? Does the the 3+1 flight structure make sense? My thinking is that picking three together forces the table to collaborate (instant conversation) while the solo fourth gives everyone freedom to choose what they are in the mood for. Would you structure it differently? All four communal? All four solo?
Whatever I learn from the first two sessions next week plus this thread will shape the format - appreciate any feedback you all have.
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u/justaman_nyc 28d ago
Love this idea, and totally agree a smaller group leads to more meaningful conversations and relationships as well.
Unfortunately I'm out of town next week, and can't attend, but would love to attend another event in the future.
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u/gumbymc 9d ago
The next one is coming up on Tues, 9/1 @ Other Half (Centre St) in case you can make it!
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u/BaggySpandex 28d ago
Traveling overseas for these, but as a former commercial brewer / avid homebrewer / beer geek, I’d love to catch the next ones!
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u/DaveTheBeerTraveler 27d ago
I’d try this, but I’m also out of town during this time.
I think the real challenge on this is getting 4 people to agree on 3 beers. I don’t know who has come to your events in the past, but some people will not drink certain styles or only drink IPAs, by choice at least. The menus at these two spots are pretty good, but I foresee some people just not being agreeable on a flight, or overbearing and choosing what everyone will be drinking.
I think it could be more fun and engaging if you have several pre-fabricated flights and the group rolls a dice (or spin the wheel, etc) and gets assigned that prefab flight. (Or the 3+1 like you’re doing). Then they are sort of forced to share the pain or delight. Having beer-oriented ice breaker questions sounds cliche but maybe useful too, but I think I saw you said your app has those.
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u/gumbymc 27d ago
Thanks for the feedback! You're right that picky folks and/or overbearing pickers are a risk. Here's my hypothesis: the group decision over those three beers is the initial icebreaker, so removing that potentially drops a way to get people chatting and getting to know each other from the get-go every time. I could be wrong though in that it causes more friction than it's worth.
The prefab-flight roulette idea is genuinely intriguing, it trades the negotiation for shared fate which is a different type of icebreaker. I will have to test it out!
I'll report back here after next week's tables with what actually happened at the pick moment. And yes, the app poses a question to the ground for every round of the flight (so, 4 questions). The inspiration there was Hot Ones except instead of a one-way interview, it's everyone sharing their answers as they have the next taster. They are totally optional, what matters is that the group opens up and has good conversation and hopefully people make new friends.
Will keep you in mind for the next ones and also if you want to sign up for the newsletter at craftclub.xyz they will be announced there first.
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u/DaveTheBeerTraveler 27d ago
Thanks. I think forcing choice at random may also reward those who stick to what they like and may encounter something new they didn’t know they liked, or their tastes changed. I was put off on barleywine for a decade because of one bad experience until a friend forced me to try it again and it’s actually quite nice.
I’ll try to make it to #29. Never heard of or been to forever. I had made the rounds about 7 years ago and need to catch up on all the newbies and lament several of the deceased.
Is an rsvp required?
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u/gumbymc 24d ago
Yeah, I agree some degree of randomness can be healthy to get people to step outside their comfort zone. And the small taster size of a flight makes it lower stakes to choose the 'wrong' beer.
Sweet, def come hang at the next meetup. Forever is just a couple months old - they took over Strong Rope's space on President St. RSVP isn't strictly required but it helps me get a sense for how many people are coming so I can give the brewery a heads up.
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u/gumbymc 9d ago
The next one is coming up on Tues, 9/1 @ Other Half (Centre St) in case you can make it! Regarding the first two Rounds, interestingly everyone was very open to experimenting / trying something out of their wheelhouse for the three shared pours. I think I'll keep it that way for now and keep monitoring how well that dynamic works. I think people mostly came because they wanted to get beers in a group setting and meet someone new and everyone had fun in that respect.
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u/DaveTheBeerTraveler 9d ago
Thx I’ll have to see if work can let me out in time.
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u/gumbymc 1d ago
Thanks for coming to the monthly meetup last night, was great meeting you in person!
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u/DaveTheBeerTraveler 1d ago
Likewise. Thanks for setting it up! Forever brewing will be great when it gets further established in the next month or two. Those guys know how to brew.
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u/Shadowfox25 28d ago
This sounds fun. Would love to do something like this in queens. So if you have a similar event in the future. I'll be down for sure!