Odell Brewing Promotes The Value Of Play Through UnBottled

Fort Collins, CO – This week, Odell Brewing Company kicked off UnBottled. What is UnBottled? It’s the playful spirit within Odell Brewing that leads to collaboration, creativity and innovation. Play is what Odell puts in all their beers. And what they hope you get out of them.

There’s a growing awareness of the value of play, thanks in part to Stuart Brown’s book, Play; Kevin Carroll’s book, Red Rubber Ball; and recent marketing campaigns from companies like Keen (“Recess is back”) and Purina (“Play like a pet”).

Odell Brewing – UnBottled from Odell Brewing on Vimeo.

The Great Ball Hunt, Saturday June 2. (Fort Collins + Denver) Find hints at Facebook.com/OdellBrewingCo

But play has always been part of the Odell culture. They refer to their pilot brewing system as their “playground,” and their mission statement practically makes fun official. They invite anyone in the company to try their hand at brewing. And when they need to let off steam, they’ve been known to have shrink-wrap boxing matches or shoot hoops right there inside the brewery. At Odell, they know that play brings people together, loosens them up and forces them to think differently—and sometimes, to stop thinking so hard.

Playful experimentation has produced some of their most talked-about beers, including St. Lupulin, Myrcenary, Friek and the industry’s first-ever Twitter beer. Each year they celebrate this approach to brewing at their Small Batch Festival. And of course, they encourage fun and community every day in the taproom, through games, live music and a collective commitment to donate proceeds to a Charity of the Month.

For Odell Brewing, play isn’t a distraction from brewing. It’s a secret ingredient.

*Here’s how you can play along*

Great Ball Hunt, June 2: Part treasure hunt, part pub crawl. Odell hides a bunch of UnBottled balls in their favorite pubs around Ft. Collins and Denver; hilarity ensues. The hints are dropping now on Facebook and Twitter.

UnBottled Sharing (June 2nd – July 7): Show the world how you get UnBottled. For every photo or video you post to the Odell UnBottled Facebook app, they’ll donate $1 to one of three non-profits: Trout Unlimited, United Way or Education and Life Training Center.

Playday, June 30: What happens when everyone everywhere plays on the same day? Only the best day ever! Make your pledge to play, starting June 3 on Facebook.

Join the fun at Facebook.com/OdellBrewingCo and twitter.com/OdellBrewing

Founded in 1989, Odell Brewing was started by Doug Odell, his wife Wynne, and his sister Corkie. Twenty-three years later, the culture of family and collaboration still thrives fostering a brewery full of beer-centric people. It is this passion for beer that inspires Odell Brewing to create quality, hand-crafted, innovative brews. As a regional craft brewery, Odell Brewing is committed to serving the communities in which it distributes by sourcing local raw materials, and through its charitable giving program known as Odell Outreach. Odell Brewing was recently named a “Top Company of 2010” by ColoradoBiz Magazine and is an award winning brewery, nationally and internationally: 2012 World Beer Cup® – Silver for IPA. 2011 Great American Beer Festival® – gold medal for Friek. 2010 North American Beer Awards – gold medal for Woodcut No. 3. 2009 BrewNZ Awards – gold for 5 Barrel Pale Ale. 2008 World Beer Cup® – gold for IPA. 2007 Great American Beer Festival® – gold medal for IPA.