craft beer

Beverage Trends for 2016: Beer

December 1, 2015/in Beer, Industry Trends, Restaurants /by Kyle Thacker

The aftershock of the craft beer boom is still being felt, and not just the tremors. The explosion has been more like a night of fireworks than a single detonation. The do-it-yourself ethos of microbreweries has blown holes in Big Beer’s dominance of the U.S. market. New breweries and brewpubs are popping up all across America, and as distribution increases, more bars and restaurants have craft-minded beer lists. Regional beer markets have created new forms of tourism, and gives local beer geeks more ammunition to argue with in comment threads on blogs across the globe. With no signs of slowing, what trends should we expect to see in 2016? Read more

Gose: Why This Salty Beer Should Be on Your Restaurant Beer Menu

January 19, 2015/in Beer /by Hilary

In the 1940s, Gose disappeared, but this thousand-year-old salty beer from Germany is making a comeback—and it just might be a great fit for your restaurant. Not only does this beer have a unique taste, it also features a comeback story that will get your customers wanting to try it out. Here’s why Gose just might be the unique drink you’ve been looking to add to your restaurant beer menu.

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The 3 Craft Beer Questions Your Servers Should Be Asking

December 3, 2014/in Beer /by Hilary

Craft beer, like wine, can be intimidating. Similar to wine, craft beer has its own jargon… and craft beer menus typically assume that the reader is knowledgeable about a range of beer-centric acronyms: IBU (International Bittering Units), ABV (Alcohol by Volume), IPA (India Pale Ale), ESB (Extra Special Bitter), etc. Not only are the acronyms hard, beer classifications can be confusing to the uninitiated… again, much like wine. Do you remember a time before you knew the difference between a pilsner, a kölsch, a doppelbock, a maibock, and a saison? Today we’re going back to the basics, so that you can make craft beer less intimidating for your customers. Here are the three questions your servers should ask to make sure that your guests love their craft beer. (Want more tips? Check out the wine version of this guide.)

How Will You Deal with Increasing Beer Prices?

November 24, 2014/in Beer, Industry Trends, News & Information /by Hilary

Have you heard? The price of craft beer is expected to rise quite a bit over the next year—and for the restaurants and bars that base a lot of their business on craft beers, a price hike can be devastating. Here are the main facts you need to know about the impending beer shortage your establishment may have to deal with in 2015.

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Where Craft Beer is Losing On Restaurant Menus

Top 2014 Beer Trends for Restaurants

November 13, 2014/in Beer, Industry Trends /by Hilary

It’s undeniable that the craft beer industry is booming–but how about your restaurant? Your diners may now search out restaurants based on the number of craft brews they carry, and if your menu carries a large variety of brews on tap, you’ve probably been dominating the scene. However, with so many brews now available at the local liquor store, your restaurant can no longer survive just by playing a numbers game. You need a strategy, and that starts with identifying and capitalizing on the latest beer trends. Here are the top beer trends you need to know about to keep your sales strong in the competitive holiday season.

Lager Loving Ladies and You

October 29, 2014/in Beer, Industry Trends /by Erica

Last week, an event took place here in Chicago named “She’s Crafty: Women in Craft Beer” and while I couldn’t attend, the existence of such an event again points to the ongoing and increasing trend of women drinking and enjoying craft beer in the US. Any number of polls will show that beer-drinking is up across the board in the US, but what is less well-reported is how many of those drinkers are women.

So, what can restaurateurs and brewers do to take advantage of this trend? Read more

What the Heck Is a Beer-Wine Hybrid?

April 2, 2014/in Beer, Industry Trends, News & Information, Wine /by Hilary

A new drink hit the scene last year, beer-wine hybrids. I’m sure that this new beverage is going to be one of the hottest drink trends for 2014, but you may not have heard much about it because it premiered just before the fall and holiday rush. It’s not quite wine, and it’s not quite beer, but it’s not quite what you’d expect if you just poured some wine into a fresh, cold pint. The popularity and visibility of this new drink is increasing, and soon your guests will be asking you questions about it, questions that you, your sommeliers, and your cicerones should know the answers to.

Now that we’re in a brief lull between drinking holidays, you have the time to learn everything you need to know about beer-wine hybrids. Read more

How to Market Your Craft Beer Correctly

February 19, 2014/in Beer, Industry Trends, Tips & Tricks /by Hilary

If you’ve been carrying craft beers for a while and you haven’t experienced an upswing in business, you’re doing something wrong. Craft beer is the largest and fastest-growing segment of the beer market, and it should be giving your restaurant or bar a boost. Are you marketing to the right demographic? Here are some stats, compiled from a Nielsen-backed lecture from last year’s Craft Beer Conference. Read more

The Best Craft Beer to Add to Your Menu

January 16, 2014/in Beer, Industry Trends /by Hilary

There are a lot of beers out there these days, and you have decided that it is finally time to add craft beers to your menu. But what craft beer or beers should you add? This week’s most popular searches were about Chimay beer, so we know that beer enthusiasts want Trappist ales today. But what about tomorrow? What craft beer will your customers want to see on their beer menu?

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