This is turning in to a very exciting week!

I (Sean) just got word from the Brewers Association that the organization (and its conference committee) has accepted our presentation pitch for the 2010 Craft Brewers Conference.

The topic: “Storytelling 2.0: Social Media as Conversation.” An excerpt from our pitch:

It’s time to stop thinking of Twitter, Facebook, and blogging as simple extensions of your press releases. Storytelling 2.0 will help you discover your own unique voice, and connect, build, and bond with your fan base. It’s time to talk with — not at — your audience.

Craft brewing is story-driven. Each individual brewery has a unique story to best engage its customer base. Social media empowers your brewery to include enthusiasts in that story, giving them access to your narrative voice in an unparalleled way. Well-crafted updates, photo postings, and personalized responses engage your customers, giving them a chance to see inside your operations and meet the characters in the story first-hand.

The panelists:

• Charlie Papazian (@charliepapazian) is head of the Brewers Association, the industry voice and organizational body for the nation’s booming craft beer scene.

• Erik Lars Myers (@topfermented) blogs about beer, brewings, and starting up a brewery at Top Fermented. He’s also actively involved in the North Carolina Brewers Guild and the planned relaunch of Know Your Brewer.

• Dr. Dean Browell (@dbrowell) is far too cool to have a PhD, but at least it’s in social media. Dean speaks and presents often on the challenges and opportunities in new media. He recently started up his own agency, Feedback.

• and me.

Dean Browell presented at last year’s Craft Brewers Conference — a rousing “c’mon people, get with it” sermon. Tough love 2.0. I was both challenged and inspired by his speech. I wasn’t the only one.

A year later, it’ll be interesting to see how much has changed. A lot of breweries have, in fact, done gotten with it. Every week it seems breweries are signing up with Facebook and Twitter. But are they truly getting it, making the most of the opportunity to connect with fans? Simply re-hashing news? Is there a “bandwagon,” and if so, is there anything wrong with that? What’s working well, and what needs improvement?

We haven’t decided on the format, but I suspect it will center around crafting a consistent, creative voice and story. We’ll look at examples that work. And some that don’t. Our format may be workshop, a short series of presentations, heavy on the Q+A, or Web 2.0 interactive. We’ve got some time to plan, but all four of us want to make sure we make the most of the hour.

<side note> I’ve been tempted to delete cringe-worthy Fullsteam Facebook posts and tweets, but I’ve kept them in case there are lessons to be learned. So if you see an embarrassing post or two, I’m *sure* it’s because I’m simply preparing for the CBC. Yea, that’s it. </side note>

Seriously now, if you have suggestions on best practices (could be a company, brewery, or blog), let us know! A request: since we’re a brewery-in-planning, we’d rather you not post negative comments about our fellow brewers.

So who has their “social media” story nailed down? And why? Let’s prove this is an interactive era. We invite your comments here, on Twitter, and on Fullsteam’s Facebook fan page!

I was deeply honored to be a part of the four-minute “I am a craft brewer” movie, a skunkworks project of Greg Koch at Stone Brewing Company. The film premiered at Greg’s keynote speech for this year’s Craft Brewers Conference in Boston.

(For the record, I’m the guy with the borderline-obnoxious paisley jacket in front of a bunch of tanks in storage. Prepare for the burn in your eyes at around 0:25.)

Greg and the team at Redtail Media worked tirelessly not only on this video, but all the interactive elements that went into the keynote presentation at the craft brewers conference. It was quite the presentation. Considering all the interactive elements in the speech, it was truly amazing that they all ran so flawlessly.

“I am a Craft Brewer” showcases OUR heroes in the beer world. I believe Fullsteam was the only brewery-in-planning with a role in the video. I’m both honored and sheepish about this fact. We have a lot to learn and a lot to prove in the years to come. But you better believe we’re even more educated, invigorated, and inspired having attended another incredible Craft Brewers Conference. And, of course, having the opportunity to play a small role in the “I Am A Craft Brewer” movie.

One part of the film that I was a bit torn on was the “adjunct” part. You’ll notice one section about not putting rice or corn in beers. While of course you read the script as handed to you, I also mouthed a few tongue-in-cheek words about “not putting rice or corn in our beer…except for that Southern Rice and Corn beer we’re talking about doing someday.” And for that matter, our sweet potato beer is an adjunct, as 25 percent of the fermentables come from the local vegetable and not from imported grain.

I also was hoping for a blooper clip, especially for the scene where I told 32 and my friend Adam that I wasn’t ready to start reciting the script. I proceeded to pinch my nipples and told them, “Okay, I’m ready now!” (To clarify: that was to break the ice and generate laughs on-set and not some kind of fetish of mine.)

In all seriousness, we sincerely hope that whatever you do — and whatever your dream may be — this video helps charge you up just a bit more. Sure, we’re living the dream as we gear up to launch a brewery. But among us are dreamers of a different dream. What’s yours?

Cheers!

I Am A Craft Brewer from I Am A Craft Brewer on Vimeo.