No matter where you drink it or how often, it's easy to see that craft beer is an art form. Why not put it on a canvas for the world to see?

The Beer Department is the creative expression of North Florida Sales, a regional beer distribution company based out of Jacksonville, Florida. The goal for the Instagram account is simple: Showcase the best beers available in the area with imagery so beautiful it'll make Scarlett Johansson tip her cap.

Since it's establishment in 2014, The Beer Department has reached a much larger audience than the initial north Florida fans. Over 13,000 beer lovers from all over the country have hopped (pun seriously unintended) aboard the bandwagon on Instagram. This huge fanbase became even larger than those of several breweries that The Beer Department represents.

Some of the great breweries featured on The Beer Department include:

• Southern Tier
• Widmer Brothers
• SweetWater Brewing
• Goose Island 
• Victory Brewing 
• Green Flash
• Bold City Brewery
• RJ Rockers

Beer fans love to boast about their favorite brewery and talk trash to anyone who doubts their claims. Why not give them a chance to pick the best brewery on the fastest-growing beer account on Instagram? The Beer Department picked eight beers distributed by North Florida Sales to go toe-to-toe in a March Madness-style tournament. Fans were encouraged to tag their friends and comment with their votes each round until a grand champion was crowned.

The clear, simple rules made it easy for fans to participate and vote with friends. Breweries like Goose Island and RJ Rockers had no choice but to chime in as several fanbases came to The Beer Department to vote. This campaign helped The Beer Department crack the milestone of over 10,000 Instagram followers and paved the way for future successful campaigns.

NOTABLE RESULTS:

• 875% increase in Instagram comments
• 15% increase in Instagram followers over the course of the campaign
• Over 15,100 Instagram impressions
• Over 34,200 Twitter impressions
• Active participation and reposts from Goose Island, SweetWater Brewing, Kona Brewing, RJ Rockers and Bold City Brewery
• Over 1,300 votes cast

With all of the great beaches around Jacksonville, it just made sense to give away a sweet beach cruiser to The Beer Department's loyal followers. But the average cruiser simply wouldn't do. We decided to create the most patriotic bike the city has ever seen. This two-wheeled chariot of freedom was tricked out top to bottom with everything from custom tires to cup holders. This bike was more American than a bald eagle in a nest made of fast food. It's a shame Paul Revere couldn't use this for his famous ride.

Fans were encouraged to repost the promotional image and use the hashtag #thebeerdepartment. People loved the bike so much that over 430 submissions were made in less than four days. The new followers gained from Red, White and Cruise laid the foundation for the future success of The Beer Department, especially on Instagram. The organic engagement that came from the contest saved over $23,500 that would've been needed for the same success with paid social media promotion. 

NOTABLE RESULTS:

• 432 unique submissions on Instagram 
• 48% increase in followers in less than four days on Instagram
• 92,317 impressions across Instagram and Twitter
• Over $23,500 saved using organic social media promotion
  • Estimated paid social  = $23,739.01
  • Total spent = $195.70