Karbach Brewing Co and Pollfish Release National Study on Family Reunions

HOUSTON, June 25, 2018 (Newswire.com) - Karbach Brewing Co., a Houston based brewery, is hosting its first annual Family Field Day Sunday, July 22. The brewery has been all about family and community since its inception, which is why the winners of the Family Field Day will win a FREE family reunion at the Karbach brewery. In preparation for their upcoming competition, Karbach also partnered with research company Pollfish to survey 1,000 Americans over the age of 21 to see just how important family reunions are to folks across the country.

Karbach’s brewmaster, Eric Warner, also shared some helpful tips on how to choose the best beer selection for family reunions and gatherings based on guest preference, the occasion, and the weather.

The full report is available below:

The American Family Reunion

• A whopping 91% of Americans have been to a family reunion.
  • Folks from Massachusetts and Arizona were the least likely to attend, but still quite high at 79% and 80% respectively.
  • 90% of those surveyed from Texas noted the same, coming in right around the national average.
• More than three quarters (78%) of people said they’d rather go to a family reunion than a high school reunion.
• We all love our families, but there can be some pain points when everyone gets together. Almost 1/3 (29%) of people say their least favorite part of family reunions is annoying relatives, quickly followed by being asked personal questions (27%), seeing people they normally avoid (20%), and traveling to the reunion (13%).
• Age makes a difference in what was selected as the least favorite element of a family reunion.
  • Those in the 18-24 range seemed particularly irked by being asked a lot of personal questions (37% v. the 26% national average) and annoying relatives (33% v. the 29% national average).
  • While those in the 45-54 bracket seemed more concerned about seeing people they normally avoid (28% v. 20% average).
  • Finally, those ages 54 and above were the least excited about traveling (21% v. 13% average) to the family reunion.
• However, folks don’t seem too bothered by lodging or planned activities, with only 4% and 8% noting that those are their least favorite parts of reunions respectively.
• Brewmaster Eric Warner notes “People tend to enjoy planned activities at a family reunion. In fact, planned activities are much like beer in the way that they both serve as great icebreakers as well as tension relievers. You don’t have to get crazy with planning; you just want to make sure the reunion is set up so anyone can easily grab a drink and jump into a casual game like cornhole. Taking the focus off all the commotion and introducing simple games will allow your family to relax and enjoy each other.”

Beer is King at Family Reunions

• 70% of Americans say beer is served at their family reunions.
  • Respondents from Louisiana and Nevada have an even bigger beer presence at family reunions - 83% and 82% respectively.
  • 69% of Texans note that beer is served at their reunions, again coming in right around the national average.
• Additionally, the majority of folks (34%) named beer as their favorite drink to enjoy while at a reunion.
  • Texans enjoyed beer more than the national average (42%).
  • But it's Virginians who really favor a brew at a family reunion (92%).
  • Cocktails came in second (22%) and wine came in third (13%) for favorite reunion beverages.
• Of those who listed “other” for their favorite family reunion beverage, one in ten (10%) wrote in tea or sweet tea, and a handful of folks listed moonshine as their favorite.
• “When selecting the perfect beer for your family reunions there are a few different things you want to be sure to consider,” explained Brewmaster Eric Warner.
  • Your audience. Your family reunion will likely be spanning a few generations so you want to be sure to keep your beer selection inclusive so that your hipster cousin and your Southern grandmother can both enjoy. A crisp lager or a kölsch is something that will please just about anybody.
  • The weather. Many family reunions are taking place during the heat of the summer. You want to be sure to factor the season and the heat when selecting the beer. An amber lager is a good choice as it's light and refreshing enough for the heat and not as bitter as some beers.
  • The vessel. Cans are great because they are easy to move around and can be in different types of areas as well as opposed to glass bottles or kegs which can be a bit trickier to manage and keep cool.
  • The adventurous. If you want to wow your cousins with your craft beer knowledge, then take a trip to your local taproom. There you can find something a little more trendy like a hazy IPA or juicy IPAs.
  • The non-beer drinker. For those who usually don’t drink beer, consider a gose or a Radler. These are light and will appeal to wine and cocktail drinkers.

Family Gatherings Outside of Reunions

• Many families battle about screen time, but 75% of people said they feel more connected to family members through social media.
  • 92% specifically called out Facebook as the main social platform for keeping in touch with family.
• When it comes to getting together, 40% of families meet once or twice a year, while 33% report seeing each other between once a week and once a month. Only 13% of families report seeing each other every day.
• Not shockingly, holidays are by far the biggest occasion that brings families together (67%), followed, naturally, by funerals (12%). Other less common occasions that bring families together include birthdays (11%), weddings (6%), and new family members (5%).
  • “At Karbach we see the heaviest concentration of family visits over the winter holidays when most folks come home. We also tend to see many families at the brewery on three day weekend holidays. I personally favor getting together during the summer holidays when you can enjoy the outdoors together.”  
• Almost half of the people (46%) noted they think the best family holidays are those in December: Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa.
  • Thanksgiving came in a close second at 34%.
  • The Fourth of July was the closest runner-up coming in at 9% with Memorial Day, Mother’s & Father’s Day, Halloween, Labor Day, and Valentine’s Day all coming in at less that 3%.

Methodology

Karbach Brewing Co. partnered with research company Pollfish to conduct a survey gauging consumer sentiment about family reunions and what brings families together. These findings were collected from a survey conducted by Pollfish in May 2018 when 1,000 Americans over the age of 21 were surveyed. Pollfish fields its surveys to a pool of over 480 million mobile users all over the world through its global app publisher partnerships. Its data controls for various audience demographics, including location, gender, age, race, occupation, and more.

About Karbach Brewing Co.
On a mission to provide high-quality craft beer, Karbach Brewing Co. was founded in 2011 by beverage industry veterans, Chuck Robertson and Ken Goodman. Based in Houston, Karbach proudly brews all its beers in Texas. As the company continues to grow, the team relies on its homegrown roots and universal flavors to provide craft beer that everyone can enjoy because after all, it's all about the beer. Karbach beer can be found across Texas, Louisiana, and Florida.

For more information, visit us at http://karbachbrewing.com.

Source: Karbach Brewing Company