Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/590181
irst-time visitors to the tast- ing room at The Infinite Mon- key Theorem Urban Winery wouldn't be faulted for thinking they had stumbled into one of the dozen or so craft breweries also located in downtown Denver's hip River North Art District. Modern rock plays over the sound system, as a tattooed young woman wearing a Wavves T-shirt BY TOM WILMES + As craft beer market share grows, beverage industry insiders are studying brew- ers' strategies. + Two factors are driving craft beer's growth: con- sumer interest in experi- mentation and a strong preference for local brands. + 80% of craft beer drinkers also drink wine. + Community connection is an important marketing tool for regional craft brewers. + Breweries are adept at getting consumers into the brewery to learn and taste. AT A GLANCE Crafty Strategies Small and regional brewers maintain a big buzz serves draft offerings, cans of wine and growlers from behind the bar. Several patrons sip wine in a small outdoor courtyard next to a raised- bed herb garden, which supplies neighborhood restaurants and is fertilized with compost made from both spent brewer's grain and wine must. The overall vibe is industrially cool and resolutely low key. O w n e r B e n P a r s o n s c h o s e D e n v e r t o l a u n c h T h e I n f i n i t e Monkey Theorem because it's a rapidly growing city with young demographics in close proximity to 85% of the population of Colorado. These factors also have helped support a proliferation of small and regional craft breweries along Colo- rado's Front Range, and Parsons reasoned that he could tap into that market by opening an urban winery 1 0 4 V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T | N o v - D e c 2 015 w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m