Is food the path to taproom success? And is there still a place for a $240 bottle of beer?

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Just Tapped

Don’t forget to set your clocks back this weekend. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could set the craft beer clock back, too? What year would you choose? How about 2016, when everything was still expanding and growing? Alas, the past is the past and all we can do is keep pushing forward even if we must fall back every now and again. So here we go.

Beer sales and food sales joined at the hip

Do brewery taprooms that offer food options sell more beer? Data would suggest so. Also, anecdotes support the data. The data we’re talking about comes from Arryved, a company that provides point-of-sale solutions to thousands of brewery taprooms and similar businesses across the country -- mostly breweries, but also some wineries, cideries, and so on. Arryved originally designed its POS system for brewery taprooms. But this is not a commercial, so let’s move on. 

The company recently released a report on data it compiled over the past few years. We’re talking about thousands of taprooms and taproom-like businesses, millions of transactions, real data. It revealed some interesting stuff, including some stuff about taprooms that did and did not provide guests with food options. 

Short version, taprooms that offered some kind of food option saw increased sales over the past few years compared to those that offered no food options. In other words, brewery taprooms that offered some kind of grub (from its kitchen, from a food truck, or whatever) were more likely to see sales increase. Why? In small part, it’s because folks have gotten more comfortable eating out again as the pandemic gets further behind us. But that is only a small part of this data bump. (In some places, but not all places, food is a requirement at brewery taprooms. We know this.)  

And while we were still digesting the data from Arryved, an email serendipitously showed up in our inbox. A Taster Tray subscriber, Steve L, said, “I was having a beer at [a brewery taproom] and started talking with a few people about the food from the [food truck], as it is one of my favorites. Once seated, we continued to talk and before I knew it half the patrons had gathered around. I put forth the question of whether food being offered at a brewery, especially great food, has an effect on where they are going to have a beer. The vast majority said absolutely, especially on a weeknight.”

Steve is just one person, but his observation is backed by data, whether he knew it or not. Maybe you feel the same. It seems pretty clear: your brewery taproom needs to offer food. You gotta do something. Building and operating a kitchen is expensive and intimidating, but the data from Arryved suggested that anything is better than nothing: food trucks, pop-ups, snacks, something. Be creative. Pay attention to what others are doing. But you gotta do something. 

Below, we offer a simple little poll because we want to see where your head is at. 

Georgia brewers fight for distro rights

As we’ve previously reported, more and more states are legalizing self-distribution. In Georgia, for instance, breweries are not allowed to distribute their own beer and must work with a beer distributor. Hopefully, that will change soon. 

If passed, Georgia Senate Bill 163 would allow breweries to sell beer directly to restaurants and grocery stores within 100 miles of the brewery. The bill stalled out last time around, but the Georgia Craft Brewers Guild just started a new petition to drum up support for it in the upcoming session. As you might imagine, not everyone supports the idea. Distributors don’t like it and will likely work to impede the bill’s progress.

Utopias is back

At a time when a lot of people are complaining about $7 pints of IPA, Boston Beer Company is not taking its foot off the pedal. At 28 percent ABV, Utopias is so strong that it is prohibited in 15 states. And it ain’t cheap. A 24.5-ounce bottle of Utopias will set you back $240. Boston Beer Company is shipping it to select beer and liquor stores, so if that big wad of cash is burning a hole in your pocket, keep your eyes peeled.

The Latest BPI

Well, it’s a little bit better news this time around. Good news for beer overall, and especially for imports, but not quite so brilliant for craft. For the craft beer segment, the latest info from the National Beer Wholesalers Association shows some improvement over last month, but...

Within the larger BPI, the craft segment continues its bumpy ride back towards expansion, though it continues to wallow in contraction. Learn more about the BPI and what it means here.

This week's Taster Tray was composed by Kendall Jones.