Bin Day Brewing Company (BDBC), which brands itself as a YouTube brewery, has sold out of its first beer in just 72 hours, smashing sales records for collaborator Docks Beers, too.
Robbie Knox and Mike Miller with their beer, Valencian Tip Run. Photograph: Bin Day Brewing
The company, created by YouTuber and podcaster Robbie Knox and former BBC presenter Mike Millar, was launched just one month ago and is named after one of Robbie’s kids’ favourite activities — taking the bins out.
It aims to become an integral part of the YouTube community, working with creators and viewers to make great drinks and great content. BDBC is building a community based on a strategy of transparency, with the team sharing their results and lessons online with followers.
The company’s YouTube channel, where the team has started documenting their journey, is already the second biggest craft beer channel in the UK, behind Brew Dog, and has more subscribers than much bigger drinks companies.
Robbie and Mike launched Valencian Tip Run, an orange pale ale, in collaboration with Grimsby’s Docks Beers, using just its social media channels. The release campaign racked up more than 100,000 YouTube views.
A meet the brewer launch event sold out in 12 hours and people drove up to four hours to meet the team and taste the beers.
Three days later, all 5,000 cans of Valencian Tip Run were gone. This made it the fastest selling collaboration ever for Docks Beers, and put it just behind sales of their own Clap Clap Clap Clap Clap Clap Fish beer, which pays homage to local football team, Grimsby Town.
Robbie said: “The success of Valencian Tip Run just goes to show that people shouldn’t be put off starting a business just because they’re vastly under-qualified. We didn’t know anything going into this about brewing beer on a commercial scale, but by sharing the journey with the audience we can all learn together. Docks have been great partners for our first brew, and we’ve learnt so much from them about the industry.”
Will Douglas, co-owner of Docks Beers, added: “Valencian Tip Run orders started flying like the proverbial hitting the fan almost as soon Bin Day emailed their subscriber list. We knew it would sell fast, but we have been been slightly discombobulated by the speed it sold out.
“Some might say this is beginner’s luck, but we don’t think so. Bin Day has absolutely given a masterclass in getting their customers to engage with their story via YouTube long before the beer even went on sale, and we strongly suspect this will be only the first of many smash hits for Robbie and Mike.”
