Most often, I simply report what’s happening, but sometimes my obsession with beer-related news and information spawns an observation that evolves into an opinion. I want craft breweries to succeed, and I share my thoughts in the sincere hope they’ll help.
What Your Not-Beer Says About Your Brewery
The Brewers Association (BA) recently published a report accompanying its annual Harris Poll Consumer Survey. The report provides insight into the general population’s relationship with alcohol and, within that, a more focused look at folks’ relationship with craft beer. Buried in the mountain of data is one finding that every brewery taproom should take note of.
The nature of a brewery taproom has evolved. If yours does not offer something beyond beer, you are losing customers. Long gone are the days of saying, “If they don’t want to drink my beer, they should go somewhere else.” Survey says, that’s exactly what happens — and they take their beer-drinking friends with them.
Their Friends are Weirdos, but…
The Harris Poll Consumer Survey addressed an interesting and important question: why don’t some craft drinkers drink it more often? There were some predictable answers, but the BA’s Chief Economist, Matt Gacioch, zeroed in on something less expected and more actionable: young adults say one of the main reasons they don’t drink more craft beer is that their friends don’t drink craft beer.
Gacioch noted, “Compared with the overall population, 21-34 year old respondents were more likely to say they don’t drink more craft beer because their drinking companions do not drink craft beer…”
Read that again. It’s not that they hate your IPA. It’s that they go wherever their group wants to go — and if your taproom is beer-only, their group might not choose you. If you’ve got nothing to offer the beer-avoiding weirdo in the group, you’ve lost them all. Perhaps, like me, you sometimes find yourself part of such a group. It’s not some imaginary scenario. It’s real.
The fix isn’t complicated. Offer good non-beer options — and mean it. Not an afterthought cider that fell off the back of a distributor’s truck, but something you’ve actually chosen with care. Kombucha, wine, craft soda, or whatever fits your vibe. Every beverage on your taproom’s menu should be selected and served with intention.
What have we always said about craft beer? It’s a quality product, made with pride and intention by people who practically consider it an art form — superior to the corporate, mass-produced stuff. It follows that anything on your taproom’s menu should rise to that same standard.
As a beer lover, how do you feel when your friends drag you into a trendy cocktail bar where the beer options are Bud Light or Corona? You’d think more highly of that bar if it offered a couple of well-chosen craft options. It would signal that they care about quality and hospitality, not just cocktails.
One more thing: don’t forget the teetotalers. They like tasty beverages too. Everything above applies equally to non-alcoholic options — and especially NA beer. Here in the Northwest, there are some excellent locally produced choices.
Lean In
Don’t be shy about telling people what you’ve got. Put it on the menu. Post about it. Let the non-beer drinkers in your community know they’re welcome — and empower the beer drinkers in that friend group to advocate for your taproom. Holding yourself to a standard that extends beyond your beer speaks volumes. It’s more hospitable, and it shows that you authentically care about the things you say you care about.
Now more than ever, your brewery and its taproom are in the hospitality business, not just the beer business. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you’ll convert someone by giving them no other choice. Craft beer is no longer unexplored territory. As much as we love it, others don’t — and that’s not because they’ve never tried it.
Be Hospitable, Unless You Can Be a Unicorn. Then, Be a Unicorn.
Every business is different, and yours is unique. Maybe you’re that rare kind of taproom that can flourish while catering exclusively to craft beer fanatics. That’s great. The world needs unicorns.
The rest of us live in a world where the modern taproom isn’t just a place to drink beer — it’s a community gathering space, a dog-friendly living room, a post-bike-ride hangout, a comfortable spot for a first date, or an impromptu event venue. Admittedly, recognizing this sometimes makes me a little sad and nostalgic. But for a lot of your customers, the beer is almost beside the point. The experience, the hospitality, and the community are the point.
The data backs this up. The question is whether you act on it. But if you can be a unicorn, by all means — be a unicorn.
