Take part in Tryanuary to support local breweries, beers, bars and bottle shops
Tryanuary is a new initiative encouraging the nation to try new beers and support independent pubs, breweries and shops during the month of January.
You can also make donations to charity while taking part, as several partner organisations are offering discounts on purchases, coupled with contributions to regional and national charities.
January is traditionally a quiet month for pubs, brewers and alcohol shops but the campaign aims to inspire people to experiment with new beers, visit local breweries, bars and bottle shops and share their discoveries using the hashtag #tryanuary. There is already lots of interaction on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with fans and followers sharing images, tasting notes and feedback on their new-found drinks.
Tryanuary, launched by Manchester-based beer fan and blogger, Andy Heggs, does not encourage excessive drinking, but focuses on experimenting with new beers, brands and outlets. He says:
“I decided to launch Tryanuary as the start of the New Year is always a challenging time for the beer and brewing industry and January can really damage business. Naturally, I think less alcohol is consumed during the month as people have spent a lot of time and money partying and socialising over the Christmas break, but why not have January as a month to support independent businesses? We are in tough economic times, so supporting those local to you has clear commercial and community benefits. This simple campaign could help keep these fantastic businesses thriving, while encouraging Brits to try new beers and raising funds for charities.
“The charity aspect was a logical one and would encourage both individuals and businesses to get involved. It makes sense to raise money for good causes while discovering new beers and promoting businesses, brands and products.
“The initiative has had a phenomenal response so far with support from around 130 breweries, bars and beer festivals, SIBA (Society of Independent Brewers), as well as many beer bloggers and ale-lovers. We have also secured some great offers and discounts, coupled with charity donations, from Beer Bods and Shelter, Eebria.com and Kidney Research, Yorkshire Ales and Cancer Research as well as Beer Central and St Luke’s Hospice (Sheffield) – to name but a few!
“In just two weeks, we have hit over 1,600 followers on Twitter, 1,500 Facebook fans and recorded over 1000 images, shares and interactions from individuals, brands and businesses. We’re offering free downloadable posters featuring the #tryanuary logo as well as graphics and banners for websites and blogs, to encourage people to get involved.
“We’ll monitor the overall success of the campaign next month with a view to running it as a regular event every January!”
As well as Tryanuary, Andy runs beer and cycling blog hoponthebike.co.uk – a series of interviews, videos, commentary and images on cycling trips to breweries around the UK. Andy is founder and director of digital agency Drumbeat, based in Manchester.
To get involved, visit tryanuary.co.uk or follow the activity on Twitter (twitter.com/tryanuary), Facebook (facebook.com/tryanuary) and Instagram (instagram.com/tryanuary).
Happy Tryanuary!
