Most Compelling BEER Personalities on TWITTER 31


Several bloggers and other internet sources have written posts about the “most influential” or “top” people to follow on Twitter — in specific topics of interest (such as food, wine, social media, etc…)

However, everyone seems to be over looking the beer community. Pssshhhaw. How rude. Us beer geeks can be influential and important too, ya know!

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So I thought I’d take the liberty to make my own (COMPLETELY SUBJECTIVE) list of the “Top 20 Most Compelling Beer Personalities on Twitter”. What exactly is my credential for creating the lists? Well let us start by defining the word compelling:

com⋅pel⋅ling  [kuhm-pel-ing]
–adjective
1. tending to compel; overpowering: compelling reasons.
2. having a powerful and irresistible effect; requiring acute admiration, attention, or respect: (a man of compelling integrity; a compelling drama)

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THE BEER WENCH’S CRITERIA FOR THE TOP 20 MOST COMPELLING BEER PERSONALTIES ON TWITTER:

  1. COMPELLING ENOUGH TO FOLLOW: I must follow this person. Unfortunately, this rules out the people I do not follow — which means this list has potential to change in the future.
  2. COMPELLING CONTENT: Tweets contain information of value in relation to the craft beer industry. (i.e.: news updates, events, announcements, beer reviews, links to beer related information, etc…)
  3. COMPELLING PERSONALITY: Twitter personality is interesting and captivating. There is a person behind the twitter handle — they are more than just a “brand” or a “blog”.
  4. COMPELLING CONVERSATION: Community engagers — people who are constantly engaging in conversations with the twitter community (whether it be through retweeting or replies). People who constantly have one way conversations, in my opinion, are not compelling. Talk to me. And I will follow you.
  5. COMPELLING FOLLOWER RATIO: Good follower to following ratio. This does not mean they necessarily need to have a huge followership — number of followers is NOT criteria for this particular list. But they need to have at least an equal amount of followers as they are following.

twitter-war-beer-and-blog

At first, I was going to rank the top twenty followers — based on how well they execute the basic 5 criteria listed above. But, the metrics on that is too complicated for me to deal with at this time — and besides, it would be entirely way to subjective and open for debate. Instead, I’m going to list my TOP TWENTY MOST COMPELLING BEER PERSONALITIES ON TWITTER in a random order. There is no method in my madness (although, it be but madness). The numbers have no relevance to rankings. IGNORE THE NUMBERS.

THE BEER WENCH’S TOP TWENTY MOST COMPELLING BEER PERSONALITIES ON TWITTER

  1. @dogfishbeer – Dogfish Head has (hands down) the best brewery brand presence on Twitter. Why? 1. She has a personality. AND a name. In fact, the Dogfish Head Twitter account is Mariah Calagione — aka Sam’s wife. She is constantly retweeting her followers and engaging in conversations. If you send her a question or mention her brand, she responds. Mariah kicks ass.
  2. @TheArtofBeer — Tay Shaw is one of the biggest craft beer evangelists on Twitter. She has been known to send (coveted) craft beer all around the country to her followers. She is extremely active in the twitter community and also very entertaining.
  3. @Cicerone_Org — Ray Daniels is one of the foremost educators on the subject of beer. He is one of the most brilliant men I have ever had the pleasure of meeting in real life. If you need to know something about beer — he is the man to talk to.
  4. #gents – AKA @kenoftheyear @DrStarkWeather @SlovakBrewer @hopcast @beerad – These dudes are hiliariously entertaining, but also a wealth of information. They get together on a frequent basis to homebrew and taste beers … and then share all of their experiences on Twitter. They also create entertaining video blogs at Hop-Cast.com Following the hashtag #gents can get addicting …
  5. @beerbabe — Besides having a super cool name and really hot avatar, Carla defies the common misperception that women hate beer. She is a huge advocate of females in the beer industry and uses both Twitter and her blog as a platform for expressing her passion.
  6. @hookedonwinter – PJ is one of my favorite people to banter with back and forth about beer. He is an awesome homebrewer (I know this for a fact) who is aspiring to turn his passion into a career. Through both Twitter and his blog, PJ encourages others to join his adventure in starting a brewery.
  7. @bruisinales – This woman must be a robot, because I swear she never sleeps. Julie can be found on Twitter just about every minute of every day. No really. Her tweets are very entertaining and she provides a lot of great content regarding beer releases, beer events and beer news.
  8. @beerandnosh — Even though I only just started following Jesse, he has provided me with a wealth of beer knowledge via Twitter. Jesse is by far one of the best beer photographers out there and I love living vicariously through his photos and tasting notes.
  9. @TimWeber & @StephWeber – Rockstar homebrewing couple in the process of getting certified through the American Brewers Guild. They have aspirations to start their own brewpub in the next 5 years. They are very engaging and informative on Twitter. And well, ADORABLE.
  10. @ChipperDave — I’ve been following Dave’s blog for some time now. He is well-connected in the beer world and extremely knowledgeable about all things beer. I was lucky enough to meet him in person at GABF.
  11. @beerinator – This dude is super talented. Jonathan is a key member of the Beer Mapping Project as well as DRAFT magazine’s Web Director. He is located in Chicago — beer hub — and is extremely engaging and fun to follower.
  12. @olllllo – Very talented homebrewer (LOVED his Pro-AM beer at GABF). Works for a brewery in Arizona. Like me, he travels in the name of beer. Great beer knowledge resource.
  13. @StoneGreg — Another “brand” that utilizes social media very well. Greg is the owner of Stone Brewing Co. (you know … that small unknown craft brewery :) …) Although he travels a lot, Greg does a great job of responding to tweets as well as retweeting others.
  14. @beersage — Currently runs one of THE best beer news sites out there — beernews.org. He is always tweeting out the most cutting edge beer news … whether it be new releases or beer events, this guy is definitely one of the best beer sources on the web!
  15. @newbrewthursday — A collaborative team of (4) funny & cute beer geeks. All dudes. They are hilarious, supportive and very engaging on Twitter. Excited to meet them at San Diego Beer Week.
  16. @HomeBrewChef — Chef, brewer, writer, photographer. Sean knows his beer. And on top of that, he makes amazing food — with beer as an ingredient. I’ve had his cookies — trust me, he’s good.
  17. @SudsyMaggie — Another femme fatale in the beer industry. Beer blogger, homebrewer & huge beer evangelist, Maggie is freaking ADORABLE. Regardless of whether or not you’ve met her (I have), she is too cute not to love.
  18. @BlatzLiquor — Joe runs Blatz Liquor, a super awesome liquor store that has a kickass beer selection. Joe constantly tweets about new releases and specials that his store is featuring … unfortunately for me, I do not live near Milwaukee … otherwise I’d be there everyday.
  19. @TeeCycleTim — Contributing author to DRAFT magazine (online). Tim is THE Beer Runner. He writes about staying physically fit while living the life of a beer enthusiast. He is also a big environmentalist and entrepreneur.
  20. @brewed4thought — EXTREMELY well-connected beer “geek”… always ahead of the trend. Great blogger, beer event planner and resource for all things beer. Also, THE editorof the “soon-to-be-released” online beer publication on RATEBEER.COM site (where I will be a featured publisher)… stay tuned.

Runners Up and the “Up and Coming” Beer Tweeters):

  • @BeerinBaltimore – Don’t let his avatar fool you. Brad does not limit himself to just tweeting about beer in Baltimore. However, he is THE best resource in Baltimore for beer events & beer news.
  • @odiedog52 — Brian is absolutely ADORABLE! Super beer geek … just getting into the whole swing of things with Twitter. Currently imprisoned by the Army, but soon to be released. Brian is also the beer editor for Mutineer Magazine.
  • @tattoodbrew — Jon is a talented graphic designer by trade, which explains why he has one of the coolest avatars on Twitter. He offsets his beer “geek” image with his badass tattoo obsession and passion for all things music.
  • @jchristieJosh definitely puts the geek in “beer geek.” Where as most people are pairing their beers with food, Josh pairs his with books. He is probably the most adorable book nerd-beer geek on Twitter.
  • @bisonbrew — Emerging brewery brand on Twitter. Daniel is dedicated to all things organic and sustainble. Produces awesome beer … and has a down to earth personality.
  • @misohungry — Jenni bakes with beer. Her treats are F*ing phenomenal … and I would know. She has baked with me. Great recipes for beer geeks who want to bake with beer!
  • @ruinationpress – Tattoo obsessed beer geek and fellow beer blogger. Really engaging on Twitter. Good friend. Knows his shit.
  • @beertodd — Brewer of some awesome and unique beers at Copper Canyon in Southfield, Michigan. Super beer activist … and recently released a great viral video in support of the Rock Art Brewery movement.
  • @Beervangelist — Owner of New Holland Brewing Co. in Michigan. Only just started following Fred, but already … he is providing me with lots of compelling and valuable content. Fred is on my list of “brands to watch.”
  • @sarahhuska — Voted (in a secret ballot) as one of THE hottest beer lovers on Twitter. Many of my guy beer geek friends have a crush on her … and for good reason. She is hot. And she knows her shit about beer.

NOW … before all you Twitter beer connoisseurs out there start crying about not making this list — just remember, this is a subjective list. My list is based on the people I follow, how often I interact with them and the value of their tweets. As far as I know … this list can change over night.

The two best tips I can give to beer personalities on Twitter is 1. BE HUMAN (don’t talk AT my … talk WITH me) … and 2. BE COMPELLING.

CHEERS!


About The Beer Wench

Ashley is a self-proclaimed craft beer evangelist & social media maven on a mission to advance the craft beer industry through education, inspiration and advocacy. She is currently the “Director of Awesomeness” at Bison Brewing in Berkeley, CA — where her responsibilities include everything from marketing, sales, PR, social media & events. Ashley is also a freelance consultant and professional speaker on the subjects of social media, beer mixology, food & beverage pairings. She is the founder of DrinkWithTheWench.com & BeerMixology.com as well as a regular contributor to CraftBeer.com.


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31 thoughts on “Most Compelling BEER Personalities on TWITTER

  • cbjerrisgaard

    Although I have no issues with your list or how you constructed it, as it is very well thought out, I did have one thought. Follower to Following ratio is something that seems to be a bit over exaggerated these days. There is something to be said for someone who is interested in ‘listening’ more than speaking. I would agree that if the person’s only interest is beer and they follow / only have beer followers that’s one thing. However if the person has further interests in which they don’t contribute to the conversation and thus do not have followers from that area of interest, but enjoy hearing what is going on there then their ratio can be off.

    Again this is just a thought – I do enjoy the list and like the thought and care you have put into it – I’m also happy to say I follow most of these fine people as well!

  • Barry Wasser

    Nice list. I’ll definitely check out those on the list both on twitter and their blogs. I put up a blog about a month ago with lots of reviews (text and video). Check it out and let me know what you think. Cheers!

  • Terry

    Very nice and fair list. Hopefully, one day I could make that list. Until then I will continue to follow all of these entertaining and knowledegeable people. Thanks to all of you!

  • The Beer Babe

    Thanks for the shout out. I love engaging with the twitter beer community – its a great one! I get a lot of knowledge, suggestions and info from the people I follow and its an always growing list. Thanks for finding me a worthy addition to the list :)

    P.S. The bird/beer/sword logo is ADORABLE!!

  • Brew Hilda

    Great list. How come you’re not on the list? I agree with cbjerrisgaard above, it’s ok to be a listener (reader) and not tweet back.

  • Brad

    Yikes on that trackback. Don’t worry, I corrected the butchering of your last name just minutes after posting.

    btw, “Social Media Whore Extraordinaire” is meant as a compliment ;)

  • admin Post author

    Brad —

    Dude. Calling me the “Social Media Whore Extraordinaire” is the utmost compliment! Cheers!

  • admin Post author

    Mom — errrr I mean “Brew Hilda”

    Of course it is cool to be a listener/reader (we call those lurkers/stalkers) … but my list is of the most COMPELLING. That requires enragement :)

    Cheers!

  • Chipper Dave

    Ashley – I’m surprised and honored at the same time. Lots of good people on that list. I only wish I would have had more time to hang out with you at the GABF this year. Keep up the good work.

  • Kristy

    Great post! I work for BitterSweet Partnership in the UK, set up by Molson Coors to look at the way the beer industry here has traditionally ignored women in its marketing, resulting in beer sales in the UK to women being amongst the lowest in Europe. I was already following a few of the people you mentioned but this list is really useful to connect with other beer lovers, as it’s a subject pretty close to my heart! You can check out our website here http://www.bittersweetpartnership.com. We’d be interested to know what you think…

  • Stephen Lyford

    A glaring omission is @beerlass, aka Suzanne Woods. She works I’m marketing for the fantastic Sly Fox Brewing, heads up a women’s beer appreciation club called IPA: In Pursuit of Ale, and has her own blog http://www.beerlass.org/. … Look her up!

  • admin Post author

    Stephen — Thanks for the heads up! Unfortuntely, I was not following her until now! I hope to write up a post about the TOP female beer bloggers in the future … and will definitely include Suzanne!

  • Kevin

    I send all my beer related questions to @djacra…very knowledgeable. Talks alot about the business behind the industry…which I think is kind of cool.

  • James Mann

    For me, your list focuses too much on the “craft-beer-as-career” crowd.
    Over time, I’ve followed roughly 2/3rds of these names. Now however, I only follow two names in your top 20. Both are bloggers.

    Unlike you, beer isn’t my job.
    I just like (make that love) high quality beer. My wife believes I spend disproportionate amounts of discretionary funds on brown bottles. This seems to qualify me as a valuble demographic target.

    I’m eager to know more. But I have no tolerance for insider beer-fanzine personality-based content. As such, I no longer follow “beer-only-content” accounts. Nor can I tolerate ANY account, beer, sports, tech or otherwise, with more than 1/3rd promotional content.

    I’m always interested in good-beer-centric content, but rarely brewery-centric content. So, having unsuccessfully followed at least 40 during the past 18 months, I now only follow 2-3 breweries.

    I’ve no use for Facebook, but follow nearly 300 various Twitter identities. My Twitter feed sits opens on my office PC screen all day. I’m not anti-social, but I have no need to interact bi-directionally with online personalities. Twitter’s best feature is that it allows me to intake valuable information and minimize exposure to shameless hype. I’m happiest when someone delivers real “takeaway” in 140 characters. Based on what my colleagues say, there are MANY others like me.

    My requirements –> Be smart, be interesting, be diverse, have opinions, be authentic, have a world-view relevant to an informed lifestyle and, at the very least, be useful.

    Bottom line : There is far more to life than beer (I know- a bone-chlling shudder ripples the ether).

  • Wenchie Post author

    James: Thanks for your comments! As I’m sure you might be able to tell, that post is very old. And with the face of social media changing rapidly each day, that list is probably no longer relevant. And the real bottom line was that it was a list that I personally generated based solely on my opinions and not on the opinions of others.

    I agree that creating RELEVANT, GENUINE, and COMPELLING content is the true key to social media success — brand or no brand.

    Thanks for taking the time to stop by my site and comment!

    Cheers!