#BeerMatch is an automated Twitter utility featuring a back-end library of 1,000+ different beers aligning with 1,100+ separate dishes, developed by five beer writers and experts.

A user tweets their meal choice to @beerforthat, using the hashtag #BeerMatch, to receive an instant automated reply. This reply contains an image of the perfect beer for their meal, with tasting notes.

Most excitingly, we launched #beermatch in our live, data-infused Loop Room with beer sommeliers in attendance, enabling us to provide both an automated and bespoke user experience and allowing us to develop the utility of the tool in real time.

#beermatch heralded in the first period of growth for UK beer since 2006, with 96M additional pints sold going into 2015. There were also major shifts in perception at a category level, considering it had been in decline for years: +4% in perceptions of Beer as a quality product, +3% in variety of styles available and +2% in suitability as a food accompaniment.

#Beermatch achieved 11.9M organic reach at launch, 2,409 meals were matched with beer and we achieved +570% Twitter follower growth. Finally, we’re in talks to roll out #beermatch in-store at two major UK supermarkets.