Starting selling your beer?

[Poindexter]

One piece that needs to be in here. I thought this thread was going to die a few pages ago. It has moved from Farmer's Markets to brew pubs. So you got your brew pub open. You get 20 homebrewer's in the first weekend.

The home brewers each come back with five buddies from the office. Your first 100 customers. If they all have a good time 4,000 people will hear about it and you have a chance. If those 80 not homebrewer customers don't find something they like you might as well close the doors now before you lose anymore dough.

Besides the interesting brews you already make, what are you going to have on tap for the people who can talk about Coors Lite verus Miller Lite and rag on Good old Bud Longnecks for being "too heavy"? That is going to be 80% of your customers, but if you don't have "Sex in a Canoe" on tap they won't be back.

How do you feel about making four kegs of this mystery brew for every one of interesting brew you get to make?

Just to consider. Having owned three small businesses, I really like making the beer I like for me, and I don't care two squirts if anybody else likes it at all.

 

[eviljafar]

I was talking to a brewer and part owner of a brew pub a while ago. He started out by cleaning kegs during summer holidays. He was offered a full time job and said yes on the condition he could learn the brewing process. He did a sort of unofficial apprenticeship for the next few years. He then went on to be assistant brewer and brewer at a couple of brew pubs and also took 6 months off to do a master brewers course. He now owns a share in a brew bar but no longer does much brewing, more office work.

So before being a brew pub owner he spent years working in brew pubs learning the process and the business.

And remember, drunk people are some of the worst customers. How often do you see mates punching each other, puking all over the place or kicking in the toilet doors for something to do at the local book store?

I once worked for a guy that used to run a pub. I remember him saying "if I can give you one piece of advice, it's never get involved in a business that serves alcohol". I'm glad some people do though, or I wouldn't be able to go out for a beer!

 

[Cheesefood]

One piece that needs to be in here. I thought this thread was going to die a few pages ago. It has moved from Farmer's Markets to brew pubs. So you got your brew pub open. You get 20 homebrewer's in the first weekend.

The home brewers each come back with five buddies from the office. Your first 100 customers. If they all have a good time 4,000 people will hear about it and you have a chance. If those 80 not homebrewer customers don't find something they like you might as well close the doors now before you lose anymore dough.

Besides the interesting brews you already make, what are you going to have on tap for the people who can talk about Coors Lite verus Miller Lite and rag on Good old Bud Longnecks for being "too heavy"? That is going to be 80% of your customers, but if you don't have "Sex in a Canoe" on tap they won't be back.

How do you feel about making four kegs of this mystery brew for every one of interesting brew you get to make?

Just to consider. Having owned three small businesses, I really like making the beer I like for me, and I don't care two squirts if anybody else likes it at all.

I've read this twice and I don't understand a single bit of it.

 

[delboy]

1 US gallon = 8 pints.

So says teh g00glez: http://www.google.com/search?q=gall...s=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Im talking about man size pints cheesfood (imperial 0.568 Litres, not the 0.473 Litre US variety)

 

[Poindexter]

I've read this twice and I don't understand a single bit of it.

What I am saying is:

1) If you open a brew pub you got to make payments on 200k to 1mil.

2) To do that you got to sell beer to _everybody_.

3) To do that you are going to have to have "Effen close to water" on tap next to "Sex in a Canoe", so the masses can have a choice.

4) Because IIPA is such a small percent of your sales, you will spend most of your life making those two BMC clone beers you despise.



EDIT: I'll be amazed if none of you have heard this one before, but why is American BMC beer like practicing reproduction in a canoe? It is effen close to water....

 

[Cheesefood]

What I am saying is:

1) If you open a brew pub you got to make payments on 200k to 1mil.

2) To do that you got to sell beer to _everybody_.

3) To do that you are going to have to have "Effen close to water" on tap next to "Sex in a Canoe", so the masses can have a choice.

4) Because IIPA is such a small percent of your sales, you will spend most of your life making those two BMC clone beers you despise.



EDIT: I'll be amazed if none of you have heard this one before, but why is American BMC beer like practicing reproduction in a canoe? It is effen close to water....

Ahh...yes. We'll all agree with those points. When my wife and I go to a brewpub for dinner she orders Miller Lite or wine since she's not a fan of full-flavored beers. You also have to figure that you'll sell pints of your beer for about the same price as a bottle of Miller Lite, and it takes 3 Lite's to get someone as buzed as one of your beers. Therefore, you'll make way more money in lite beer than in Oatmeal Stout.

 

[faber]

One piece that needs to be in here. I thought this thread was going to die a few pages ago. It has moved from Farmer's Markets to brew pubs. So you got your brew pub open. You get 20 homebrewer's in the first weekend.

The home brewers each come back with five buddies from the office. Your first 100 customers. If they all have a good time 4,000 people will hear about it and you have a chance. If those 80 not homebrewer customers don't find something they like you might as well close the doors now before you lose anymore dough.

Besides the interesting brews you already make, what are you going to have on tap for the people who can talk about Coors Lite verus Miller Lite and rag on Good old Bud Longnecks for being "too heavy"? That is going to be 80% of your customers, but if you don't have "Sex in a Canoe" on tap they won't be back.

How do you feel about making four kegs of this mystery brew for every one of interesting brew you get to make?

Just to consider. Having owned three small businesses, I really like making the beer I like for me, and I don't care two squirts if anybody else likes it at all.

I *think* I understand your point: unless you have homebrewers in the vanguard of initial/loyal customers, you are doomed to fail when faced with the beer-ignorance of John G. Public. Right?

I wouldn't sell the public so short. Have you seen the beer cooler in your local store? Even if the majority of the micro-/craft-brew customers are falling for the cool label or the zippy name, they are open to falling for it. They want to buy something unusual. (Another must-do for a new brewpub owner: hire a real graphic designer and marketing guy with local experience.)

People like to drink, and they like to know that what they are drinking is good, even if they lack the connoisseurship to really taste it. Have you seen what's been happening with tequila in the last 5-7 years or so? Tequila, of all things? Or vodka?

And for the common clay of humanity...nearly every brewpub I've been in still sells macrocornwater in an aluminum bottle, too.

As for "Sex in a canoe".....try to stay on centerline.

 

[the_bird]

Ahh...yes. We'll all agree with those points. When my wife and I go to a brewpub for dinner she orders Miller Lite or wine since she's not a fan of full-flavored beers. You also have to figure that you'll sell pints of your beer for about the same price as a bottle of Miller Lite, and it takes 3 Lite's to get someone as buzed as one of your beers. Therefore, you'll make way more money in lite beer than in Oatmeal Stout.

It's too bad you can't get your wife to partake in something more adventurous than Miller Lite...

 

[Cheesefood]

It's too bad you can't get your wife to partake in something more adventurous than Miller Lite...

She did have a couple Cream Ales this weekend, but that's just because the alternative was a Red Ale.

 

[martymoat]

all you need is one of these. Duh

 

[cheezydemon]

No disrespect, but WTF?

 

[the_bird]

She did have a couple Cream Ales this weekend, but that's just because the alternative was a Red Ale.

Lucky man. Under those circumstances, I usually get stuck with a Miller Chill....

 

[olllllo]

I'm moving this to the General Beer area. Nothin All grain abouth this.

 

[Brewing Clamper]

Check out this brewer in SF. He might have the right idea... until he gets busted I guess....