Hold Up. Just a Few Words First…
Typically these email intros will be very short and focused on what’s included.
But, this is the first-ever send, so we have to give it a proper introduction while you get on to happy hour.
You might be asking yourself, ‘Why the hell is anyone writing about beer anymore?’ Or maybe not because you’re subscribed here.
It’s no secret that many have hung up their cleats as of late, and I get their reasons. The craft bubble has popped, whether you feel it or not.
But I am convinced beer will always find a way. It’s a vocation stretching back through history. It’s shaped advancements in technology, and humankind’s impact on the earth. And in turn advancements in technology have shaped it, and will continue to do so.
Alcohol Content is made for the people that call beer their passion as well as their career.
We want to see you succeed, and to do our little part in that, we’re going to deliver news that matters, marketing and sales advice, and trends to inspire your next steps. If you end up going Premium, there’s even more.
And my promise to you is these specific insights will only be written by people equipped to talk about them.
Because candidly, I’ve been successful helping breweries as a brand and marketing guy, but as a brewery owner of 4 years I was not. In fact, I met my demise and the first extraordinary failure of my career.
That’s why I’m tapping into my network of the smartest numbers and business people I know to tell you about that side of the industry.
I’ve also compiled a rockstar cast of award-winning beer writers stemming from all topics and backgrounds.
Expect to see these people and their insights every week in the newsletters to follow.
So enough talk, let’s dive in. Thanks for joining us!
Yours truly,
Ben Butler
Founder, Alcohol Content
Certified® Cicerone
Founder, Top Hat
News to Know
PA Governor Josh Shapiro. Photo courtesy of CNN
Laws are Changing and Being Challenged
It’s no secret how tightly alcohol is regulated. This week’s News to Know is dedicated to what’s changing and being challenged.
New Jersey is trying to make Liquor Licenses more accessible.
Earlier this year, they also struck down some antiquated laws.
Breweries can now offer snacks and non-alc beverages, host up to 25 off-site events, host unlimited onsite events, and actually have food trucks on-site (kinda ridiculous it took this long).
More significantly, however, it bumped production limits from 10,000 to 30,000 bbls per year. Breweries can also sell 50% of their product direct to retailers rather than through a wholesaler (which saves them and the end consumer money).
New York is allowing small craft manufacturers of Beer, Spirits, Cider, and Mead to ship DTC.
Within state lines, and apparently across state lines, too (other state laws pending). Here’s the fine print:
It involves getting a new permit
It requires signature at the time of delivery (duh)
Only certain carriers are approved for shipping (seems standard, but possibly monopolized)
There may be volume limits imposed on how much can be shipped
Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania signed a bill amending the Liquor Code.
This bumps max happy hours per week from 14 to 24 hours. It also permits RTD cocktails to be sold in convenience stores, grocery stores, beer distributors, and certain bars/restaurants with proper permitting.
Seems like it’s benefiting businesses, but don’t forget how much money the state stands to profit.
More opportunities to sell means more tax revenue. In fact, the state estimates it will see $35 million in annual revenue from these moves by 2028. Counties like Allegheny County (which has its own drink tax) will likely get a totally additional cut of the pie too.
Speaking of PA, don’t forget Urban Artifact is suing the state on how much beer can be shipped directly to consumers.
The Ohio-based brewery has filed a federal complaint over out-of-state breweries only being able to ship 90oz of beer (unless they use a distributor), while PA breweries can ship as much as they want.
Some case law from the wine world may support them. Granholm v. Heald ruled that New York and Michigan’s laws forbidding out-of-state wineries from shipping into-state were unconstitutional.
The Takeaway? Leverage Your Local Guilds. Make Your Voice Heard.
Don’t underestimate the power of your local Brewers Guild, and coordinate to advocate for what is fair.
After all, it was the Brewers Association and the Brewers Guild of New Jersey that organized grassroots efforts to send over 6,000 messages to NJ Governor Murphy to influence change.
Marketing
Photo by Ngakan Eka
Are You Doing Too Many Events? Probably
More events = more beer sales? Not necessarily.
And literally every brewery and their grandmother is loading up the schedule with as many as possible. Live music, trivia, art openings, craft nights, and more.
Too Many Cannibalize Each Other
Events are no small feat. Set up can be labor and cost intensive.
Too many begin to cannibalize one another, and rob them of attendance and impact. That wastes time and decreases team and vendor morale.
It’s also worth considering that customers like successful events. Too many low attendance ones in a row will erode their faith in your future happenings.
You might hear, “Well, we didn’t promote enough.” Or “so-and-so down the street does these every day and gets people….”
Meanwhile:
So-and-so down the street is in the city and has high foot traffic regardless of events.
And people are flooded with so many events in your feed they just stop paying attention.
Be More Selective for More Impact
Establish some annual, high-impact anchor events. This can be different for everyone, but here’s a good starting point:
Oktoberfest. Go big or go home. Align it with live music, food, and limited-edition merch. To insure attendance sell tickets and tables.
Halloween. Costume contest, DJ, and horror it up.
Holiday Party. At my former brewery, my team pitched a Krampus-style holiday market and it regularly was our top-trafficked event annually.
Surround Them With Lightweight Recurring Events
But don’t go overboard. Typically a very select few can drive the traffic you want.
Industry Night. Reward your fellow industry members with discounted drinks. And be sure it’s on Monday when they’re actually off.
Trivia. These always surprise me, but they work. Make set up a breeze by hosting right in the taproom and delegate the running to a local company.
Daily or Weekly Happy Hour. No brainer to attract early birds.
And no, “showing sportsball” doesn’t justify an entire event promotion.
Drive Private Events
There will be an entire future send dedicated to this.
Private events are a great way to sell beer and get a rental charge in the process.
But be careful. Make sure you aren’t shutting down your taproom unexpectedly too often or people will quickly get frustrated.
It’s ideal if you have a dedicated space to make this happen to keep business running as usual.
Promote you have it. And be sure you have pricing figured out in advance.
Trends
Photo courtesy of Lagunitas
Hop on to the Water Trend
They’re not new to the market by now, but Hop Waters are taking off and craft breweries aren’t taking advantage.
It’s no secret consumers are pulling on more NA options. Personally, I don’t advocate for most people to do NA beer unless you’re super good at it. There are a lot of quality control and safety concerns. Especially when served on draft.
You already have all (or most) of the equipment you need to make this.
I won’t pontificate on how to produce this — leave that to your brewers.
But I will say, you want to consider getting some hop biotransformation by adding yeast into your process.
Position It as a Real Product
You might be tempted to try this as a “Draft Only” pilot, but I don’t know that’s enough to get lift. This is a case to really invest in the branding and package strategy.
Offering 4- or 6-packs shows your consumers it’s a real, breathing product.
Try it as a smaller batch if possible before going all-in
Make sure this is visible next to your other to-go items.
Give it a proper social media post
And yes, supplement with it on draft too
Flavor Variants
One may be enough to entice people into your taproom. But a variety is cause for them to stay and come back.
Consider even a rotating flavor every so often.
Thirsty for More?
Something you’d like us to cover? Hit reply and let us know.
