- Lyft partnered with Baderbräu Brewing in Chicago to make Five Star Lager
- It is available starting this week in Chicago bars
- Each can comes with a discount code for a ride, up to $5
- The beer, a Helles lager, is a rebrand of the brewing company’s South Side Pride
- Lyft hopes to encourage people to summon a car instead of driving home after a night out
With so many ride-sharing apps available today, it’s less excusable than ever to drink and drive.
And this week, Lyft has found a new creative way to encourage that personal responsibility, launching its own craft beer in the Chicago area.
Called Five Star Lager, the Lyft-branded drink is available to order in bars only, and each 12 oz. can comes with a code for a Lyft discount, so drinkers might be more likely to use the app when they are ready to head home.
Drink, don’t drive! Lyft has launched a craft beer in Chicago to encourage people to use the ride-sharing app after drinking
‘We know through data that nightlife is one of our largest business segments, especially going out on a Friday or Saturday night,’ David Katcher, general manager for Lyft in the Midwest, told the Chicago Tribune.
‘Harder (to understand) is the psychology of how they decide to get home and when they decide to make that happen. That’s a little more art than science.’
By launching its own alcoholic beverage, the company found a way to remind adults to call a ride home after imbibing, rather than get on the road.
Called Five Star Lager, the beer is put out in by Baderbräu Brewing, a Chicago microbewery and taproom. It’s actually a rebranding of their South Side Pride, a Helles lager, and is similar to PBR or Miller Lite.
Brilliant team: They partnered with Baderbräu for the beer, called Five Star Lager, which will be sold in bars and come with a discount code for the app
‘We decided to partner with Baderbräu for the Five Star Lager launch to encourage more Chicagoans to travel responsibly when they’re out on the town,’ Katcher told AdWeek.
‘It was important to us to work with a local brewery that cares as much about Chicago as we do, and we found an excellent partner in Baderbräu.’
It will make it’s big debut at a launch party at 5:30 pm on January 18 at Baderbräu, and will then be sold by the can at 10 area bars. Over the next few months, Lyft will continue to roll it out to another 20 or 30 bars at a time.
Each can comes with a discount code for 40 to 60 per cent off a ride, up to $5, and expires within a week.