Morning. 

I just renewed my Indiana fishing license for the year. 

You pay your fee, you play by the rules, you support local conservation — and in return, you get a Word doc printed on letter-size paper that you have to fold ten times to fit in your wallet.

No craft. Or sense of history. No sense that anyone gave a single thought to the thing beyond making sure the fields were filled in correctly.

Bleh.

This wouldn't matter if it didn't stand in such stark contrast to what licenses used to look like.

Look at what they took from us.

Same information. Just beautiful. A physical artifact worth keeping. 

– Your kid's first fishing license. 

– The one from the time you landed your first 5# bass. 

– The one you were carrying the last time you went fishing with your grandpa.

If you had twenty of these from over the years, you would frame them and put them up in the garage above the beer fridge. (I would.)

This is a missed opportunity. And it's everywhere.

(Above): Thanks for letting me rant. Now, let's talk about what this has to do with *your* brewery's branding.

—
 

Which brings me to touchpoints.

We use this term constantly at CODO, but have never really dug into it here on the newsletter. 

A touchpoint is any moment your brand comes into contact with a customer. 

The obvious ones: Your taproom, a sampling at Total Wine or over a jockey box at a festival. 

But also the mundane ones — a receipt, your bathroom sign, the email confirmation after someone books a private event.

Each one is a chance to connect. 

And I bet most of them are left unconsidered.

Your packaging alone is full of them. The bottom panel of your carton — lovely or a junk drawer? The wooden nickel tucked under a Paktech carrier. Your floor stack and POS. The tray itself. Nobody thinks about this stuff until someone points it out, and then you can't unsee it.

(Above): Helliwell, Malibu, Left Field

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Try this next week.

When you get a quiet moment, walk your brewery with fresh eyes. Start outside and work your way in. See how many touchpoints you can count.

Start before you even arrive. Google "breweries near me." What do you see? Is your listing accurate? Are your photos current?

Now walk up. What does your exterior signage say about you? Are your hours posted? Your rules about dogs, kids, outside food — do they have any personality, or do they read like a legal disclaimer stapled to a telephone pole?

Walk through the door. What does the place smell like? Do you know what you’re supposed to do when you come in? Is there a host? A sign? Anything? Or do they just stand there looking lost while your staff pretends not to notice?

How are your menus handled? Beautifully printed? A tap list visible from across the bar? Or a QR code that forces me to stop talking to my wife and stare at my phone — just to find out you have a pilsner, which I was going to order anyway. 

(Above): MAP, Mission, Fernson, Tinker

—
 

Keep going. 

Bathroom signage. Murals. Tap handles. Beer mats. Merch. Cooler graphics. To-go packaging. How your staff is dressed and how they’re trained to greet you. 

These details matter. 

Each one is a chance to delight someone. To make them smile. To give them a reason to come back — or to reach into a cold box on a Friday afternoon and grab your beer because it's attached to a good memory.

Maybe on their way to go fishing.

With their kids.

Which is where I’m going right now.