Attract Craft Beer Drinkers at a Lower Cost? Yes, You Can

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When you think of beer in a can, the first image to come to mind might be a cringe-inducing one. Perhaps it’s the image of a six-pack of the cheapest, least drinkable beer that the local supermarket sells. You may be surprised, then, to learn of the growing acceptance and popularity of canned beer amongst craft brewery enthusiasts. Not only is the quality of canned craft beer becoming more and more trusted; canning also brings down overhead expenses, making it possible for more beer to be shipped for the same cost.

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What the Heck Is a Beer-Wine Hybrid?

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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

3 Springtime Drinks That Bring Crowds

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Springtime is here, and that means that your guests’ drinking tastes have changed to reflect the warmer weather. In the springtime, your customers are clamoring for lighter, fruitier drinks that they can sip while lounging on your newly opened patio. These warm-weather drinks are the kind that inspire your customers to sit for hours in small, informal gatherings and laugh at the college students who walk by in flip-flops, shorts, mini-skirts… and goose bumps. To help you select your new featured drinks for your digital wine menu, I’ve compiled a list of what springtime drinks your customers are wanting right now. Read more

Tips for Pairing Beer with Burgers

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What pleasure in life could seem any simpler than a beer and a burger? If only it were that easy! While a well-paired beer and burger combo may be about as close to heaven as it gets, it’s so easy to completely miss the mark when making pairing suggestions to your patrons. There’s an understandable reason for that; on the one hand, some beers have far too much flavor and will therefore drown out the rich, meaty flavor of the burger, while, conversely, anything too light (less than medium to full bodied ) will be totally overwhelmed by it.

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How to Market Your Craft Beer Correctly

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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

Session Beers: We’ll Drink to Another Round!

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The old tradition of friends gathering together for a few rounds is certainly a time-honored one. Speaking of “time,” however, how long can the average patron order one round after another (or painstakingly nurse just one or two drinks) before everyone calls it a night (or a day)? Well, with “session beers” – defined as highly “drinkable” brews that have an alcohol by volume (ABV) content of 5% or lower (or 4.5% and below, depending on who’s talking) – customers can stick around longer and order more drinks without feeling the ill effects of overindulging. Patrons are therefore not only drawn to establishments that offer a great selection of “sessionable” beers, but they’re also happy to pay a good price for each drink and, when all is said and done, to order more of them.

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“Beer Cocktail”: Oxymoron? Or Overlooked Classic with Crossover Potential?

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Say the two words together, consecutively – “beer cocktail” – and some people might look at you like you have two heads. However, certain beer cocktails, whether explicitly labeled as such or not, have been popular for years. What’s more, the trend for developing new types of beer cocktails – increasingly popular everywhere from the United States to as far away as Australia – may be a profitable opportunity that bar owners and managers would be remiss to ignore in 2014.

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Discover the Next Mexican Beer Star for Your Restaurant

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Mexicans have been fermenting grains to make beer since at least the time of the Aztecs, and since Europeans first ventured to the New World, Mexican beer brewing has only expanded. Today, Mexico’s beer market is dominated by the “Big Two” corporations that supply over 90% of the beer in Mexico, so if you’re considering adding Mexican beer to your restaurant menu (or just adding more variety), you’ll need to know what beers they sell.

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This bartender could be your Cicerone

Why a Cicerone Will Increase Your Profits Now

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Your bar rocks. You’ve spent all the time and money to get it perfect, it’s exactly the bar you’ve always wanted to hang out in, and your friends love it… even the beer menu is legendary. So, why is it that your customers gaze at your menu of 763 beers, glaze over like deers in the headlights and then order a Budweiser? Yes, I know, you think they are uncultured and cheapskate Philistines, but maybe the problem lies with your bar. If you employed a Cicerone, they’d have bought that Abita beer at $9 a bottle.

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A selection of craft beers

The Best Craft Beer to Add to Your Menu

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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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