Kolsch or Cream Ale?

[ShepFL]

Plan is to launch small rural brew pub 2016. Currently dialing in recipes on 1 bbl system. Took several samples to young ppl party this weekend. They are Bud light and Natty lite fans. The cider and wine were gone in 1 hr. Brown ale next and IPA the next day.

They didn't like the IPA style so to draw this crowd and majority of thier kin which is better ?
Honey kolsch or Cream Ale?

 

[Cider123]

Biermuncher's Centennial Blonde

 

[zmanzorro]

Depends what your plans are. I was reading up in Sam Caligione's Brewing Up A Business and he said that he would never brew a regular pilsner on the fact that BMC would always be able to beat him on price (though he did do a small batch of malt liquor once).

That being said, if you're brewing it to have something lighter on tap, go for it. But if you're trying to draw in the BMC crowd, I wouldn't do it, or at least lean towards Kolsch, as it leans more on the flavorful side of things.

 

[Michigan_Wolfman]

Kolsch tends to be a bit more like a lager, so it might please the BMC crowd.

 

[damsquirl]

The cider and wine were gone in 1 hr. Brown ale next and IPA the next day.

They didn't like the IPA style so to draw this crowd and majority of thier kin which is better ?
Honey kolsch or Cream Ale?

Sounds like this crowd prefers cider and wine. Maybe you should open a cider house or winery instead.

 

[ShepFL]

Don't want to lager i.e. pilsner as it ties up equipment to long i.e. 3 months in fermentation. Just trying to introduce younger crowd to good beers.

 

[damsquirl]

I agree with Cider123 on "Biermuncher's Centennial Blonde"

 

[Iseneye]

I think cream ale would be most approachable. I think Biermuncher's centennial blonde would have too much flavour since you're aiming at BMC drinkers. CB may be a lightly flavoured beer to us but probably not to BMC.

Kolsch's are nice but once again have more flavour than BMC.

I assume you're aiming at youngins who's main concern is price. I would see that as an equivalent factor as taste. You probably wont win the battle if you have to pay $xx for a pint of your cream ale when another pub is selling BMC $1 cheaper.

 

[mattdee1]

I've often wondered about the strategy of trying to lure in BMC drinkers with craft lagers, blondes, etc.

Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems to me that this is kind of like a good band attempting to lure in the lowest-common-denominator masses by intentionally writing music that sounds like Nickelback.

I think the challenge--and it's a big one--is getting people to accept and understand that beer is supposed to taste like... something. Because, usually, as soon as it does it's like "ug, tastes too beery, get me a Busch please".

With that out of the way, anecdotally, I've noticed that a few of my BMC-only friends actually like some of the cream ales I've made them drink.

 

[Psylocide]

I've often wondered about the strategy of trying to lure in BMC drinkers with craft lagers, blondes, etc.

Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems to me that this is kind of like a good band attempting to lure in the lowest-common-denominator masses by intentionally writing music that sounds like Nickelback.

I think the challenge--and it's a big one--is getting people to accept and understand that beer is supposed to taste like... something. Because, usually, as soon as it does it's like "ug, tastes too beery, get me a Busch please".

With that out of the way, anecdotally, I've noticed that a few of my BMC-only friends actually like some of the cream ales I've made them drink.

Hahaha, excellent.

Blondes or Cream ales would be a good gateway.

And Busch Light is amazing. You don't have to drop the BMC to enjoy craft beer, unless you're a girly man and don't want to seem "uncool."

 

[hs1149]

My BMC drinking friends really enjoy Biermunchers - Cream of 3 Crops.

It is cheap, easy, fast, yellow and fizzy. It is not much of a gateway into more flavorful craft-beer, but it does go fast.

 

[Grannyknot]

My vote is Kolsch, assuming you do it right with the proper water chemistry & ferm temps.

 

[slym2none]

Hahaha, excellent.

Blondes or Cream ales would be a good gateway.

And Busch Light is amazing. You don't have to drop the BMC to enjoy craft beer, unless you're a girly man and don't want to seem "uncool."

I refuse to drink BMC not because I think it might make me uncool, but because it just plain tastes bad.

 

[iijakii]

Both Kolsch and Cream Ales are delicious. Why not both?

 

[Cider123]

If you want something really light then Cream of 3 Crops or Yooper's Fizzy Yellow beer would be a good choice.

 

[tennesseean_87]

Do most commercial breweries lager that long?

 

[tennesseean_87]

Don't want to lager i.e. pilsner as it ties up equipment to long i.e. 3 months in fermentation. Just trying to introduce younger crowd to good beers.

Do commercial breweries usually lager that long?

 

[MileHighBrewer]

I have seen a few here do it at 60 days, but that is still a pretty long time for a 1bbl brewery to have a tankbtied up. Even if the op is only mildly popular, 2 1/2 bbl kegs go pretty fast.

Might be a good plan, at least for the first few quarters, to stick to fast, light styles....pale or dark milds, bitters, cream ale, blondes, saison, belgian wit, maybe even some light kettle sours like berliner and gose. My friends brewery in a very non-craft city introduced a gose and it, along with fruit variants (juice or concentrate added to kegs, just a few kegs at a time) has become a HUGE seller.

Track what sells fastest, talk to your patrons actively, be on top of social media, let your fans decide what you brew