As we all know, breweries have been affected by the current pandemic that has swept our towns and cities across the country. Many local breweries have had to quickly evolve and adapt to the changing landscape, closing taprooms and offering to-go beer purchases.

A standout during these trying times is Birds Fly South in Greenville, SC. The booming “funk first” brewery’s 2020 plans came to a screeching halt, but that didn’t stop them from finding fun ways to serve up their award-winning beer. In order to evolve, shift and engage their community, the brewery has developed a series of virtual beer events to keep people connected in new ways, pioneering how we can all enjoy beer together.

Birds is known for hosting outstanding events such as Funk Collective and their Black Sheep Party. Many of their spring and summer events have been postponed or canceled due to restrictions and safety concerns over COVID-19. So what does a brewery do? The great ones do what they do best: create and innovate.

Mystery Beer Bag Bottle Share

For more than a month, Birds has hosted a weekly “Mystery Bag” bottle sharing event. During the week, the brewery thoughtfully puts together an undisclosed collection of four or five beers that folks can reserve via their online shop and pick-up prior to the live-streaming event on Thursdays at 7 p.m. Each Thursday, the brewery’s founders and owners, Shawn and Lindsay Johnson, go live on their Instagram and Facebook channels and open the surprise bag with their tuned-in audience. From there, things get fun and funky as they take folks on a guided tasting with full backgrounds on each beer.

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mystery Bag of Beer! Virtual Bottle Share! 😲🙌🍻 Say what?! Buy online only – just $40 – and you’ll get 4-5 beers, including some of next week’s brand new releases and surprises from our secret stash. All a mystery to you. Here’s the really fun part: no opening the bag until Thursday at 6pm. Just put in the fridge or cooler and we’ll go LIVE and drink ’em together. Our own @saisonhabit will head up this virtual bottle share and tasting session, so don’t miss out. We’ll have it up for purchase online only – shop.bfsbeer.com – starting tomorrow at 12pm. #killcovidnotsmallbiz #bottleshare #virtualparty #theflockway #beerme #covid_19 #craftbeer #indiebeer #gvlbeer #birdsflysouth #mmmbeer

A post shared by Birds Fly South Ale Project (@bfsbeer) on Mar 26, 2020 at 5:06pm PDT

Some weeks have included a guided brewery tour, guest breweries, additional brewers/staff and even a collaboration with a local mixology bar.

“More than ever, people want to meet and connect with who’s behind their beer,” said Shawn Johnson.

It’s especially important during these times when people are craving social connectivity. During these live social events, users are also able to submit questions and get to know the makers of these amazingly diverse brews.

 

 

 

 

 

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Live tasting

A post shared by Birds Fly South Ale Project (@bfsbeer) on May 14, 2020 at 5:03pm PDT

Upcoming Mystery Bag nights will feature a craft beer COVID-19 survival kit, special merchandise items and perhaps even an “IPA bag,” just to give you a taste of things to come.

Details

Here’s how you can join in and support this local brewery AND get some great beer insights and social connection:

1. Reserve your Mystery Beer Bag prior to Thursday.
2. Pick up your bag at the brewery at a time of your choosing (NO PEEKING!!!).
3. Follow Birds Fly South on Instagram or Facebook.
4. Grab your Mystery Bag and log on at 7 p.m. to join the live streaming event

There are no current limitations on attendees. The tasting typically lasts about an hour including Q&A. Birds is worth learning more about whether you can join this event locally or not, so be sure to give them (and many others) your love and support during this time. Cheers!

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