A Denver Brewery Is Delivering Beer Via Reindeer

To close off one of the weirdest years we’ve experienced, a Colorado brewery has announced that this holiday season, their holiday beers will be delivered via reindeer (sorry, Reinbeer?). 

Breckenridge Brewery is working with the local Moon Deer Ranch to deliver holiday brews via a reindeer-led sleigh. Customers who order the brewery’s seasonal Christmas Ale will be allowed to feed, pet and take photos with the reindeer. 

“The team at Breckenridge Brewery saw that we’re all facing an unusual holiday season as many treasured traditions are canceled, so we wanted to help keep the holiday spirit alive and spread some joy this year,” said Todd Usry, the president of Breckenridge Brewery. “We usually release Christmas Ale with a big holiday celebration at the brewery; but this year, we partnered with Moon Deer Ranch to find a safe way to bring holiday magic to our fans with ReinBEER deliveries (who doesn’t love a good pun?). After all, it seems we could all use some holiday cheer & festive beer right now!”

(The brewery is offering the reindeer delivery service on December 5 and 6, and only for orders of the Christmas Ale mini-keg. The brewery has a capacity of ten reindeer deliveries.)

The terrain of this year has spurred a stream of unconventional campaigns from alcohol brands. With drinkers stuck at home, on-premise activations (think bar promotions and festival presences) are cancelled. To catch the attention of home drinkers, brands have to think differently.

Miller High Life (the Champagne of beers) sponsored a spate of weddings over the course of the pandemic. Natty Light offered drinkers flights to absolutely nowhere. Taco Bell released a Jalapeno Noir to herald the return of Cheesy Chalupas, while Babe Wine has trotted out a series of flashy marketing gambits, like a monster truck emblazoned with Babe Wine.

In a time when drinkers are constantly bombarded with the depressing news of the day, campaigns like this are adding a bit of levity to daily routines, making drinking a bit more fun. Quirky and unconventional, yes, but is it working? Taco Bell’s Jalapeno Noir sold out within 24 hours. Miller High Life’s wedding campaign made the homepage of major publications across the country. Babe Wine saw a 182% uptick in web traffic and a 7.6-fold increase in wine sales on its own website in the early pandemic.

In this unprecedented year, it’s clear marketing needs to get unconventional to keep up.