Monumental Beer Works is combining Mesa County’s COVID-19 regulations with one of its owners’ love for Colorado winters in its newest promotion.
The Polar Bear Outdoor Drinking Club began on Black Friday and will continue through February. The club is the Grand Junction brewery’s idea to keep customers coming as the coronavirus pandemic leads to tighter rules and the temperature continues to drop.
If customers drink a beer on one of the bar’s outdoor patios when the temperature is 45 degrees or cooler, they’ll get a Polar Bear Club punch card.
Once a customer has their 10th such drink, they’ll earn a free beer and their punch card will become a raffle ticket to win “Beer for a Year.”
“It was just a brainstorm trying to figure out ways to encourage people to come drink a beer outside,” said Brian Fischer, one of the owners. “Obviously, we have a limited capacity inside and the cold weather is coming, and also daylight savings time is here, so it could be a pretty tough winter for a lot of local businesses, especially ones that have relied so heavily, like us, on outdoor seating.
“We said, ‘You know what? Let’s put our faith in the community, let’s give them incentives to come out and enjoy a beer with us on our patio outside, and hopefully, they’ll respond.’ ”
The public health and financial benefits of the promotion are clear. Scientific consensus dictates that it’s more difficult to spread COVID-19 in an outdoor setting and the rewards of the promotion provide motivation for customers to go out to drink. Monumental Beer Works’ five-star rating under the county’s Variance Protection Program certainly helps in a winter where many watering holes will have their doors closed.
The other factor in the promotion, however, is the cold. Of course, patrons will feel some warmth from their alcohol, but Fischer has another reason for promoting drinking outside: it reminds him of his favorite pastime.
“I grew up in Summit County and, to this day, I’m an avid skier, and when you finish your ski day, it’s not uncommon at all to enjoy a beer outside on the patio at whatever ski area you’re at with your friends to talk about the great day,” Fischer said. “We’re going to try and build a little bit of an outdoor winter culture here in Grand Junction, at least for this winter, so that’s where the idea stemmed from.”
Should this winter feature more snow than years past, the brewery is planning special promotions for snow days.
