DRINKING
DEMOGRAPHICS
Tired of the same old beers at festivals? Our
beverage experts discuss the art of appealing
to the modern festivalgoer’s taste buds
Illustrations: Jim Stoten
Words: Tom Hall
M
y editor’s letter this issue
explains why I was wrong to
doubt the paternal wisdom
handed down to me, championing the long
lineage of lovingly brewed beverages.
Brewery Signature Brews’ John
Longbottom (a freelance writer for Vice
and Kerrang!) explains how a generation
underwent a renaissance in beer choice, and
beer-orientated events.
“It feels like the rise of craft beer in the last
7-8 years could be the reaction to a nation
of teenagers who are now adults but spent
their late teens frequenting bars and venues
with beers that were copy/pasted across the
country, a completely homogeneous beer
scene centred around lager that had almost
no appeal.
“Now we care about where our beer comes
from, how it’s made and who made it. We
want the story behind it. That’s something
people love about what Signature Brew
do – we’re not a faceless company, we work
closely with bands who want to work with us
and get stuck in.
“We had a band called Banfi in the
29