Long Trail Brewing Company’s iconic hiker logo was inspired by a trail sign near the Pico Peak trailhead. For close to 30 years the hiker has been closely associated with Vermont’s outdoor recreation culture. We’ve built our brand through partnerships with heavy hitters in the Vermont outdoor scene like Killington Resort, The Green Mountain Club, Ski Vermont, Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports and Vermont Mountain Bike Association, to name a few.
Those relationships reflect the ideology of our brand, which in turn inspire graphics and branding we create. Beers like Over The Handlebars; “Sick Day”; Green Blaze IPA and the iconic Long Trail Ale were inspired by the mountain playground where we work, play and brew. For us, it’s important to live up to the lifestyle we portray on our packaging. Not only does it keep us sane and stoked, but it ties us to our local community.
For the past two years, we’ve sponsored the Killington Mountain Bike Club’s weekly Bike Bum races and after parties. The Bike Bum races are a wicked example of community; where else do you get dozens of folks dropping everything on a Wednesday afternoon to go biking? We’re super proud to be part of the rapidly growing scene in Killington – maybe next year we’ll finally get a team together.
The growth in Killington mirrors the state’s progression that’s facilitated by the Vermont Mountain Bike Association. We’ve been a VMBA marketing partner for 6 years, contributing to their mission and supporting fundraising events like VMBA Fest. Building on our partnerships with Killington and VMBA, we were stoked when the Fox US Open of Mountain Biking knocked on our door for their August event in Killington. As a sponsor, we poured beers while promoting a huge national event exhibiting the rapid growth of mountain biking-related tourism in Vermont – a few of us even got a little muddy on the mountain, too.
Vermont Adaptive’s annual charity biking event is another local event we’ve supported for the past eight years, which expanded from the road to the mountains with the addition of a downhill ride in 2017. Despite a little soggy weather, we (along with 600 riders) helped raise $280,000 for adaptive sports equipment and programs this past June. Our partnership with Vermont Adaptive continues with après-ski events at Pico and Killington in the winter.
We also work closely with Ski Vermont throughout the year. This gives us an excuse to chase fresh snow and promote Vermont tourism through our wide distribution network and social media channels.
Of course, making kick ass beers is our priority. Our partnership with the Flyin Ryan Foundation gives us the opportunity to combine killer beer and an awesome cause. While a portion of proceeds from Flyin Ryan IPA go to the foundation, the highlight of this project has been sharing stories and some turns with Peter Hawks. We also work closely with Ski Vermont throughout the year. This gives us an excuse to chase fresh snow and promote Vermont tourism through our wide distribution network and social media channels.
We’re closely examining our role in the Vermont landscape as we enter our 30th year as a pioneering craft brewery. Supporting institutions like the Green Mountain Club and VMBA, who advocate for the resources that define our state, is ingrained in our brand. The love of outdoor recreation spreads from our production crew to our sales team, and it’s only natural that we recognize our role in fostering the outdoor vibe that has come to define Long Trail Brewing.
While nothing’s more satisfying than a cold beer after a day on the trails, it’s hard to beat the advocacy and progression fueled by groups like VMBA and the Green Mountain Club, who make it possible for us to hit the trail.