Cheers!

An Intro and a Mission

Two seemingly unrelated movements are gaining momentum right now: Craft beer, and remote employment. I created Reply Ale to facilitate the natural union of these wonderful phenomena.

Ok, so maybe craft beer has been a thing for a while now. You know it’s more than a fad when InBev is spending millions to roast craft beer fans in commercials. Let’s agree, though, that remote employment isn’t widespread, but is gaining traction at start-ups and massive corporations alike.

In any case, isn’t mixing beer and working from home a recipe for disaster?

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My career has been somewhat unconventional. Since 2010, my roles have been field-based, meaning my office is anywhere I can find decent Wi-Fi and enough room for my laptop. I wouldn’t trade the freedom and flexibility of this arrangement for anything…and the idea is becoming more and more popular. 23% of U.S. workers surveyed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in June 2018 reported completing some or all of their work remotely. The New York Times reported that remote employment rose 79% between 2005 and 2012, trending up to 3.2 million Americans working from home in 2014. The benefits are pretty well established at this point…happier, more productive, more engaged employees, and reduced costs for employers. (source: Remote.Co)

As the remote workforce grows, the craft beer scene is also showing some wild growth trends. The number of brewpubs, microbreweries, and regional craft breweries has exploded in the last 6 years — from 2,420 in 2012 to 6,266 in 2017, according to the Brewers Association…a 259% industry expansion. That means that wherever you live and work, there are probably some badass fermented beverages nearby. Brewers are capitalizing on these positive trendlines by building taprooms to attract local beer enthusiasts. Case studies from Brewing Industry Guide show that from small microbrew purveryors like metal af TRVE in Denver, CO to craft behemoths like Sam Adams in Boston, MA, breweries want you to experience their goods on-site. To which I say, “AMEN…do you have Wi-Fi?”

You may see where this is heading.

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Reply Ale is here to tell you about the best breweries for working remotely. The reviews will be limited to Central Texas for now, but hopefully we can take this thing coast to coast. I’ll break down each taproom I visit according to 4 metrics: Connectivity, Work-space, Atmosphere, and of course, Beer Quality. Read more about the extremely scientific rating system on our Taproom Ratings section.

The Reply Ale mission is straightforward:

To help you get shit done while enjoying great beer.