Your Local Microbrew

Whenever I walk into the grocery store and see one of those free sample booths positioned between two aisles, I can't help but want to stop. My curiosity takes hold and I want to know what this product tastes like. The possibility of trying a product and knowing what it tastes like before you buy it usually never happens. This gimmick may not grab everyone, but if I like the product I taste I am likely to buy it.
Microbreweries have been able to take this concept of catching people's curiosity by having daily tours. The use of having tours as a public affairs tool is used by various companies, but after the microbrewery tour a person can become apart of their community. The initial tour allows the customer to get to know the microbrewery and it's culture. They do this by describing their history, the physical brewery itself, how they brew the beer, and their cultural folklore of how they came to be. This approach allows people to become comfortable with the brewery and the friendly approach of the person giving the tour helps to accentuate their comfort. At some point in the tour, usually at the end people are allowed to taste their beer. In some microbreweries the tour is free, while others charge only a minimal amount.
After the tour a person comes to know the brewery and is then invited to participate in various events that the brewery holds at certain times. One example of this is the Hooker's Brewery in Bloomfield, Connecticut. Once a month they have an open house where people can come help to put bottles in cases. After working for about one hour or so, everyone is allowed to take home a free six pack and they also get to have free samples the whole time. This involvement in the process helps to create a community around the microbrewery. Nothing could be better for a company than having your customers feel as if they are apart of your company.