“Good conversation flows better over a good beer.”

At IdentiBeer, that is exactly the point. People come together not just to enjoy a good beer, but to talk openly, exchange ideas, and discuss the topics shaping Identity and Access Management today.

It all started with one simple but brilliant question: why shouldn’t IAM experts get together outside traditional events, trade fairs, and conferences? Instead of one-sided presentations, stiff panel discussions, and formal networking rounds, the idea was to create a setting for personal, relaxed, yet still highly professional exchange.

The founders around Espen Bago, Sam Evens, and Martin Braun—each deeply rooted in the IAM world for years—knew one thing: there needed to be more conversations among peers, ideally in a natural, informal environment. A cold beer in a relaxed atmosphere was meant to become the catalyst for open, creative discussions about current challenges, best practices, and innovation in IAM. And just like that, the idea for IdentiBeer was born.

The first IdentiBeer meetups organized by Espen Bago took place in Oslo and Copenhagen in 2019. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive: technical depth combined with a relaxed atmosphere—a combination that struck a chord then and still does today. That is why IdentiBeer events now take place around the world, in cities such as San Francisco, Tel Aviv, Amsterdam—and more recently, in Germany as well.

Over the years, we have already hosted several IdentiBeer online events—thanks, among other things, to the pandemic—also the first official IdentiBeer meetup in Frankfurt on May 28, 2025. But as a nation of self-proclaimed beer kings, we Germans did not just want to join in. We wanted to add our own special twist.

IdentiBeer in Berlin

After the CEO of NEXIS had already established an official IdentiBeer event chapter in Munich, another special highlight followed: on May 5, 2025 during EIC in Berlin, the IdentiBeer initiators in Germany ceremonially passed the baton to Benjamin Mewes, who will now regularly organize IdentiBeer events in the German capital. That marked the starting signal for an even bigger, even livelier IdentiBeer movement.

With growing enthusiasm, a new idea emerged in 2023: why drink just any off-the-shelf beer when we could brew our own? So that is exactly what we did. Instead of turning to a large, well-known brewery, we approached a small and passionate brewery in Pfungstadt, southern Hesse. In founder Martin and his BrauDich team, we found a special partner. The result was a hand-brewed craft beer made exclusively for the community—and with a lot of heart. You can see the personal touch immediately in the specially designed green-blue label featuring a symbolic fingerprint and a DNA segment.

The first “real” IdentiBeer—meaning an actual beer you could drink—had been brewed: a characterful, hop-forward Helles that perfectly matches our idea of authenticity and community. And because Identity Management, despite its enormous growth, is still a niche topic, every bottle is limited to a maximum of 99 bottles per batch, individually numbered, and signed by us—making each one a real collector’s item for IdentiBeer fans. The handover of every bottle to the defining experts of our community is, of course, documented in style: anyone awarded a bottle usually poses proudly with their IdentiBeer for a photo, which is then published.

By the standards of our small but special community, these posts have gone almost viral, dramatically increasing the visibility of #IdentiBeer—and even leading to conspiratorial-sounding questions like, “Are you the guy with the beer?” At that point, it only made sense to adopt the nickname IdentiBeerGuy.

And that is how the IdentiBeer community continues to grow—bottle by bottle, event by event.

AuthoriBeer

The success of the physical IdentiBeer and the strong response to the creation of an “Authori” community by Roland Baum, CEO of umbrella.associates GmbH, and me during the Identiverse conference in Las Vegas in 2023, led to an even more exclusive offshoot: AuthoriBeer. Like the original IdentiBeer, it is also a Helles, but it gets its special kick from a so-called dry hop addition. Distinct citrus notes and a slightly more bitter taste make the striking purple bottles even more unique. Because of the special brewing process, each batch is limited to just 50 to 60 bottles, and Roland is happy to hand out signed and numbered editions during personal conversations.

IdentiBeer is constantly evolving: more events, new locations, and of course, our own beer. There are even plans for a globally coordinated IdentiBeer event. Much like the new year moving around the world on New Year’s Eve, the event would take place sequentially across continents and countries. It is an ambitious idea—but our shared passion will surely make it possible.

One thing always remains the same: the spirit that has defined IdentiBeer events from the very beginning—professional exchange with heart, peer-to-peer conversations, and the joy of a good glass of beer.