What do you want from a Craft Beer Store?

[danielofthedale]

Hello all, me and two of my friends are working on a business plan to open up a Craft Beer and Growler Store. The store itself is not going to very large with it probably being best described as "boutique" sized. We are planning on have mostly craft beer bottles and a decent growler list and some ciders and meads.

There are somethings I would like to get some craft beer enthusiasts feed back on if you would not mind.

What else do you want your craft beer stores to carry besides beer?

What kind of growler selection do you like see and how many taps?

What are somethings you like about your favorite craft beer stores?

What are somethings don't like about your local craft beer store?

Would your opinion of a craft beer store change if they had BMC on the growler list? (One of the partners things this would be a great way to get people in the store but I am more than a bit hesitant about it.)

If there are any craft beer store owners, I would welcome any advice about things you wish you knew when you were starting and if you would not mind me giving you a PM to ask some questions that would be great too.

Thank you any response and they will be a great help to us.

 

[MaxStout]

We have a store here that sells only craft beer--no BMC. The place is very small, and they pull it off well. They also have low lighting (no beer sitting under bright fluorescent lights), and even cover the windows to keep sunlight out. Maybe it's overkill, but you'll never get skunked beer--or at least it won't happen on their watch.

If you do a mix & match 6-pack deal, don't use that as a means to get rid of old bottles of beer. There are too many stores that do that already. Giving people real selections of onesies will help ensure that they'll come back.

I can't comment on the growler/taps thing, as I live in a state that does not allow it.

If you sell specialized beer, why not sell some specialized liquor? Maybe a nice selection of single malts and small-batch bourbons. If you plan to make it a small boutique store, you probably won't have the square footage to do much wine.

Good luck with your store!

 

[tx-brewer]

I don't have much advice other than location. I go to a growler store in houston and love it, they opened less than a year ago and business is booming. If they were out in the suburb that I live in, I'm sure they would fail.

They seem similar to your concept, about 30 rotating taps, some ciders and mead, and bottles.

You might email the owner, he seems nice.

Growlersbeerandwine.com

 

[mattd2]

Hello all, me and two of my friends are working on a business plan to open up a Craft Beer and Growler Store. The store itself is not going to very large with it probably being best described as "boutique" sized. We are planning on have mostly craft beer bottles and a decent growler list and some ciders and meads.

There are somethings I would like to get some craft beer enthusiasts feed back on if you would not mind.

What else do you want your craft beer stores to carry besides beer?

What kind of growler selection do you like see and how many taps?

I would say 10 taps with a rotating selection, but I would say turn-over would be more important than number. i.e. I would rather less taps and something new on them each time I visited than the same thing over and over.

What are somethings you like about your favorite craft beer stores?

freindly and knowlegable - tell them what I'm after and they can lead me to something they think I will like

What are somethings don't like about your local craft beer store?

Would your opinion of a craft beer store change if they had BMC on the growler list? (One of the partners things this would be a great way to get people in the store but I am more than a bit hesitant about it.)

I would question why it was there, seems like a waste of a tap because who would get a growler of BMC???

If there are any craft beer store owners, I would welcome any advice about things you wish you knew when you were starting and if you would not mind me giving you a PM to ask some questions that would be great too.

Thank you any response and they will be a great help to us.

 

[jrgtr42]

IN Massachusetts, we don't have growler fills at liquor stores, or anywhere other than the brewery (we can buy pre-filled at some liquor stores) so I will only comment on the bottle part of it.
What I want to see from a shop is a good selection. You don't need to have every beer in the world on your shelves, but a representative selection is needed.
Also freshness. I don't care for going into a store and seeing tons of past-prime beers sitting on the shelf.
Something that would (possibly) bring customers in, is tastings. Regular tastings, either walk-up or sit down, gives customers an opportunity to try new beers, and possibly expand their horizons. Maybe Offer a discount on beers sampled that night.
You may need to stock BMC - I don't know your area or your potential clientele and competition - those will factor huge into what you will want to or need to stock.
What I do like and look for in stores is

 

[danielofthedale]

Thanks for the replies so far.

@MaxStout--My favorite craft beer store lets you pull any single from a 4 or 6 pack so I would probably do it like that. I never thought of adding some craft spirts but I really like that idea so might look into that if there is enough space in the location we end up using. As for the wine, I have not drank wine I would not feel knowledge enough to sell it since I would not be able to really answer any questions about it.

@mattd2--We are planning on a smallish growler list, 8-10 to start out, but have room to expand to as need. Will want to have a cider and/or mead on the list of the time just to give people some more options.

@jrgtr42--Tasting are a great idea and something that we will definitely look into doing if the local municipality allows it.

 

[mattd2]

...@MaxStout--My favorite craft beer store lets you pull any single from a 4 or 6 pack so I would probably do it like that. I never thought of adding some craft spirts but I really like that idea so might look into that if there is enough space in the location we end up using. As for the wine, I have not drank wine I would not feel knowledge enough to sell it since I would not be able to really answer any questions about it.
...

Just a thought, if there is a boutique wine shop local to where you end up you could think about cross marketing with them - if someone comes in and wants some good wine you point them their way and vise versa

 

[jhoneycutt]

We have one here in Birmingham al called Hop City. Its mother? Store is in Atlanta Georgia. LOVE that place. Over 1100 different craft beers to choose from. 60 on tap for growlers, pints, and tasters. They also have a pretty decent selection of wine I suppose since I'm not a fan of wine. Last but not least they have a corner where they sell most anything you need for home brewing. My only two issues with the store is its 35 minutes or so away from home and they only have one female on staff haha.

 

[Jaybird]

There is a shop in Davis Ca that I go too every time I am down that way. I even go out of my way to visit it. I LOVE that they have REAL hard to find beers ON TAP. The shop is small but very well stocked and NOT overpriced like some of the others I have been too.
I would totally (if you haven't) look into your profit margins very closely. I have known 2 different craft shop owners 1 of them had a full on liquor store, one of the busiest in town and they would talk to me about the REAL low profit margins they had. Were talking 5-7% margins and 3-4% on some things. Just a tip for ya. Talk to the distributers in your area and get to know them REAL well as they are going to be your best asset (not that you asked) just though I would toss it out there.

Good luck and I hope you guys just kill it!! What are you going to call it?

Cheers
Jay

 

[gratus fermentatio]

I'd like to see a very large & varied selection. One thing that realy bugs me about the craft beer stores is they'll devote 2/3 of their entire stock to IPA's & IIPA's, etc...
And the remaining 1/3 is everything else; including BMC. I'm lucky to find 1 doppelbock in the whole store. Contrary to popular belief, there is more to beer than just IPA's.

Something that I really like about the craft beer store in Missoula is the fact that they're more than happy to special order something for you. If you want it & they can get it, they'll call you when it comes in. I just wish they could get some of the more difficult to find imports like Tucher Brau or these days, McEwan's Scotch Ale.

One thing I'd like to see is being able to buy a single 12oz bottle. I've been burned a few times buying a sixer of a new beer, only to find out it's so nasty, I have to pour it down the drain. I won't buy a full sixer of an unknown beer anymore. I'll buy a 22oz bomber, sure, but not everything is available in that size. If I can buy a single 12oz bottle to taste, I'll buy more if I like it.

What to carry other than beer? Wine. Bottle openers & corkscrews. Ice, assorted snacks, mixers, maybe some better cheeses, chocolates & crackers.
Not too sure about the growler question, other than NO BMC in growlers. People can buy BMC in 12 pks, why on earth would you waste a growler on BMC? Just have at least 1 tap that rotates every week or 2 & another for seasonals.
My 2 cents worth. Regards, GF.

 

[Grannyknot]

-10-12 taps.
-Don't waste a tap on cider, mead, or BMC.
-Don't dumb it down with customers. Assume every customer who walks in knows about craft beer, until they ask for help or suggestions.
-Get to know your regular customers. Face & name recognition goes a long way. Also, giving a regular customer a buck or 2 off a growler fill every once in a while goes a long way in customer retention.
-If you are going to have high $$$ bottles on the shelves, clearance them if they haven't sold after a few months. Not many people are going to bite on a $15 bomber of DIPA, but the customer who does is going to be pissed when he buys it and finds out its been on the shelf for 9 months.

 

[mcmeador]

I can't imagine many BMC drinkers getting excited about BMC in growlers. Also, it's likely that you will not be their go-to place for BMC bottles/cans unless you're just in an incredibly convenient location. You likely will not be able to offer prices as low as Wal-Mart or other grocery stores, so why would they come to you? Also, if you waste a tap on BMC, your craft beer consumers will always be wondering what else you might have been able to put on tap had you not wasted one or more on BMC.

 

[GotPushrods]

Organize beers by style, NOT brewery. This drives me nuts when I'm looking to pick up a couple [insert style here]. I even talked to Bevmo about this recently (I know not quite boutique, lol) and they are already considering it. I was told some stores have already gone that route.

I would imagine this is when you also realize how poorly most styles are represented. 50 IPAs and not a single schwarzbier, Vienna lager, mild, or English barleywine. Try and get some representation across the spectrum.

 

[jhoneycutt]

Oh i do have a gripe about hop city. Another good thing they do is beer and wine tastings occasionally. Sometimes more than once a week sometimes less. My gripe is i work night shift during the middle of the week. Guess when the large majority of their tastings are, that's right an hour before i gotta be at work. I happen to believe a good many who work normal hour also wouldn't make it simply because its a week night. For god sake keep things like that on the weekends where the most people could come by.

 

[FermentusMaximus]

Oh i do have a gripe about hop city. Another good thing they do is beer and wine tastings occasionally. Sometimes more than once a week sometimes less. My gripe is i work night shift during the middle of the week. Guess when the large majority of their tastings are, that's right an hour before i gotta be at work. I happen to believe a good many who work normal hour also wouldn't make it simply because its a week night. For god sake keep things like that on the weekends where the most people could come by.

I hear you...I work 4-midnight. I wish more hombrew clubs had weekend meetings too. Most in my area are during the week.

 

[agrazela]

There are two smallish Brewpub / HB stores nearby me that I've checked out:

Place #1 is larger, better known, has been around a lot longer, has more equipment and ingredients, and is cheaper than Place #2.

BUT, at place #1:

• The pub/growler fill area is literally smack dab in the middle of the store, so if you want to go in there just to buy a few HB ingredients, you almost always have to wade through a drunken crowd.
• The place has maybe 3 parking spaces and no street parking. (It is near a campus, and the pub clientele apparently is primarily college students on foot)
• The staff, even when the place is fairly empty, treats you like you're a major bother. Last time I stood at the counter for at least 10 minutes while the two guys chatted about something before one of them felt I merited some attention. And then his answers to all my questions were variations on "if you're not ready to buy something, quit wasting my time."

At place #2:

• The pub/bar area is completely separated from the ingredients/equipment section, AND they have a good-sized parking lot, making it far easier to pop in and grab a few things, and to actually get to have a conversation with the folks selling the HB stuff.
• Every time I walk in there, someone is on me right away asking what I need, AND they go get it for me.
• Place #2 also has giant bins of u-pick-em used bottles for 20 cents apeice, which is an awesomely cheap way to stock up on bottles.

So even though it costs me 15-20% more to shop at Place #2, I don't even bother with place #1 anymore.

 

[Darwin18]

A few things that I'd like to see:

- Organize by style, not brewery, as has been mentioned above.
- I like the idea of 8 - 10 rotating taps from local breweries and hard to get selections. I would constantly vary it so that you don't have the same beers on tap with repeat customers.
- Keep the place well lit, organized, and clean.
- Consider having a few large display refrigeration units with local brewery bottles, hard to get bottles, limited selections, etc.
- Limit the pretentiousness. I know a lot of bottle stores seem to attract a certain hipster-ish crowd, but try to turn off other people.
- At the end of the day, it's all about variety and quality. If you can get difficult to obtain and highly desirable beers then you'll do very well.

 

[danielofthedale]

More good responses. I totally agree about having a wide selection. The Craft Beer store that I go had a big selection and it was what get me into Belgians, Strong Ales, and many other styles. So I want to be able to provide that to new people coming to craft beer too.

Thanks for all the insights on BMC on growler. I feel the same way but with some more educated opinions it will carry more weight.

@Jaybird--We are planning on calling the store Hop Fathers Bottles and Taps though the bottles and tap is not set in stone yet.

 

[NathPowe]

My two cents-

What else do you want your craft beer stores to carry besides beer?

- I guess just the usual stuff. Bottle openers, a decent selection of different style glasses, ice. Not too much though really.

What kind of growler selection do you like see and how many taps?

- However many allows you to provide interesting, quality beers that ARE FRESH.

What are somethings you like about your favorite craft beer stores?

- I like when stores stock beer that's fresh. I like it when the staff has some reasonable knowledge of the product. They don't have to be a 7th level Cicerone BeerAdvocate Untappd Super Ninja, but it's nice when they're at least familiar with a variety of styles and can provide examples that they like. If you have regular customers, get to know them.

What are somethings don't like about your local craft beer store?

- Beer that isn't fresh. Old beer. Whatever you want to call it - this is bad business for niche craft beer store. It's even worse when the old beer is sitting unrefrigerated on a shelf. Avoid this if at all possible. Related to the question above, it can be frustrating when staff has no knowledge of the product they're selling. On the other side of things, staff that comes across as douchey/snobby/I know more about beer than you is even worse. The latter doesn't seem to happen very often though.

Would your opinion of a craft beer store change if they had BMC on the growler list? (One of the partners things this would be a great way to get people in the store but I am more than a bit hesitant about it.)

- I personally wouldn't put BMC on tap. This isn't meant to sound snarky, because I think people should drink what they like, but do most BMC drinkers have/normally use growlers? If not, will they spend the extra money to buy a growler up front to have it filled? Just questions you might ask when considering this. If a store sells BMC bottles or cans (or growlers for that matter) it's certainly not a deal-breaker to me. As long as they have something I want to buy at a competitive price, I'll shop there.

Good luck with your venture.

 

[abarnett]

I'd like to see a very large & varied selection. One thing that realy bugs me about the craft beer stores is they'll devote 2/3 of their entire stock to IPA's & IIPA's, etc...
And the remaining 1/3 is everything else; including BMC. I'm lucky to find 1 doppelbock in the whole store. Contrary to popular belief, there is more to beer than just IPA's.

YES! (I've stopped drinking IPAs for this reason.) For bottles and taps make sure you have a variety of styles/strengths/breweries/etc.

- Organize by style, not brewery, as has been mentioned above.
- I like the idea of 8 - 10 rotating taps from local breweries and hard to get selections. I would constantly vary it so that you don't have the same beers on tap with repeat customers.

Just to elaborate on this, or rather the combination of the above points: yes, rotate what you have on tap, but make sure you keep (roughly) the same styles on tap. So if you pull an English Brown Ale off tap, make sure you put the same (or similar) style on as the replacement. More often than not, I want to go into a place for a style of beer, and I don't necessarily care what brewery it's from (within reason).

 

[mcmeador]

Organize beers by style, NOT brewery. This drives me nuts when I'm looking to pick up a couple [insert style here]. I even talked to Bevmo about this recently (I know not quite boutique, lol) and they are already considering it. I was told some stores have already gone that route.

Hop City in Atlanta does that, but it goes both ways. It's a PITA when you are looking for beers from a particular brewery and have to wander all over the place trying to find them in each section.

 

[thisisbeer]

One thing I like about the store in Houston is they don't have a large selection of bottles. I know that sounds odd but I always no I am getting fresh beer. Also the bottles are hard to find or not "house" beers. People will tend to go to the grocery store or liquor store to get there normal drinking beers, including BMC. They seem to do pretty good because of there good QUALITY selection of bottles not quantity. They have about 30 taps for beer & wine. You could ideally do somewhere around 15 taps and do half of the popular local and regional year round beers and half limited release beers. You have to remember you are a specialty store and if you get out of specialty and into mainstream your getting out of your niche. That's what seems to make that store do well is focus on a few taps and bottles of hard to find or limited release beers and then just growler fills of popular craft beer.

No BMC please these people wouldn't have a clue what a growler is.

 

[Arrheinous]

Posting review numbers (Ratebeer, BeerAdvocate), prices, style, ABV, and brewery name/location near or below the bottles on the shelves really helps to make a decision and compare what's out there. It also helps showcase the best examples of a given style or interesting diversions to the recipe.

Say what you will about RB and BA ratings but I don't appreciate going home with a $15 bomber of something that nobody thinks is worth the time.

Whiskey/cigars are pretty popular additions to the Lizardville beer store chain out here in Ohio.

I don't know what to call them in general, but randals or beer towers or other serving apparatuses are pretty showy and can make quite the regular event without adding too much expense. Though I'm certain the randal is under patent and some of those beer towers can cost $100 for a setup.

You can also consider what it would take to get SWMBO to come out there. I go to these kinds of places with a few buddies of mine once a week and we bring along our SOs - some of the SOs that don't drink really put a damper on the experience ("can we go now?").

Something you can offer people throughout the experience at your business is the opportunity to learn more about beer. A lot of places like this don't have the time or talent to turn a trip into an experience. Know what you're selling and make sure anyone selling it for you knows the difference between a cream ale and a barleywine.

 

[mattd2]

One thing I like about the store in Houston is they don't have a large selection of bottles. I know that sounds odd but I always no I am getting fresh beer. Also the bottles are hard to find or not "house" beers. People will tend to go to the grocery store or liquor store to get there normal drinking beers, including BMC. They seem to do pretty good because of there good QUALITY selection of bottles not quantity. They have about 30 taps for beer & wine. You could ideally do somewhere around 15 taps and do half of the popular local and regional year round beers and half limited release beers. You have to remember you are a specialty store and if you get out of specialty and into mainstream your getting out of your niche. That's what seems to make that store do well is focus on a few taps and bottles of hard to find or limited release beers and then just growler fills of popular craft beer.

No BMC please these people wouldn't have a clue what a growler is.

And the upshot of going quality over quantity is you premise will be smaller - initial fitout and lower running costs.
If I had a choice between a "Craft Beer supermarket" and a "Boutique" shop side by side I would always go the boutique option as I would expect a faster turnover (=frsher product).
For me a someone that is looking for unique beer, I will not blame a small business that happens to have run out of XYZ brewery ABC style beer (as long as you have something else I can try ). To me it is more about trying new things than staying with the same old-same old. Same goes with the growler filling.

 

[Rhumbline]

Sell the sizzle, not the steak...

When I started brewing I certainly wasn't any stranger to beer. About 1/4 of my grocery budget was spent buying oddball beers. But I was pretty ignorant about the different styles. I just figured that with the exception of stouts, it was all beer and any differences were due to the brewer. A Russian Imperial Stout was just a Guinness brewed in St. Petersburg. Saisons? what do the French know about brewing beer?

For every beer expert in your market area, there will be a thousand like I was. Try to get them interested in styles they might not try otherwise by explaining what makes an IPA, why they were developed. Why is there such a thing as an RIS and what makes a Saison a Saison.

You don't want to talk down to the beer experts, but if you don't frighten off the ignorant they will be the vast majority of your sales.

and good luck.

 

[jhoneycutt]

I hear you...I work 4-midnight. I wish more hombrew clubs had weekend meetings too. Most in my area are during the week.

Same here with home brew clubs. At least rye ones in aware meet on Wednesdays nights...

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Another good thing they do is beer and wine tastings occasionally.

This is a great idea! I'd love to be able to go to a beer tasting & taste say, 30 different beers. That would so much fun, would save me money & time, and would be a great way to socialize too. Bet you could turn a tidy profit from such an event too.
Regards, GF.

 

[jhoneycutt]

This is a great idea! I'd love to be able to go to a beer tasting & taste say, 30 different beers. That would so much fun, would save me money & time, and would be a great way to socialize too. Bet you could turn a tidy profit from such an event too.
Regards, GF.

They typically do and not usually from the beer tasted, it's free. But say even a quarter of the ones who try a 3 or 4 ounce glass of it like it turn around and buy a 6pack or bomber then looks there what ya just did.

Edit. But for god sake do it on a Friday or Saturday lol. I've missed every one of them so far except exactly one.

 

[DrunkleJon]

Are you planning on selling kegs too? If so, have your list displayed and either have the option to swap/fill co2 or know the best places nearby to get CO2 refills (huge help) and rent out taps/buckets/sell ice.

Definitely pay attention to bottle freshness and turnaround.
Providing education on the styles/pairings/tastings is a really nice draw
Special order brews upon request if you can get them (I know that distributers can limit this, but if it is a winner you could start carrying it It is good for learning new things)
Other things than beer... some glassware/bottle openers is a nice touch but i wouldnt concern myself with it too much.

The thing I hate most is the fluorescent light. There is so much, that I always worry about hoppy singles that I cannot pull from the way back of the shelf.

 

[danielofthedale]

I just want to thank all of you for the thoughtful responses. As someone who got there degree in Marketing this is better than any focus group I could have ever done. So many great ideas and suggestions.