Crafting Connections: Five Dynamic Marketing Strategies to Engage Beer Enthusiasts

In today's dynamic craft beer industry, breweries face fierce competition, making effective marketing and engaging activations essential for success. To stand out in a crowded marketplace, breweries must develop innovative strategies that captivate beer enthusiasts and create memorable experiences. In this article, we will explore the world of brewery marketing and activations, highlighting key strategies to engage and delight consumers.

Building an Authentic Brand Identity:

Craft breweries thrive on their unique stories and passion for brewing exceptional beers. Developing an authentic brand identity is crucial to attracting loyal customers. Breweries should focus on telling their story, emphasizing their brewing process, ingredients, and commitment to quality. By showcasing the brewery's values and personality through consistent branding and messaging, breweries can forge a strong connection with their target audience.

A brand is not just about our exceptional products; it's also about the heart and soul of the people who make it all happen. Take pride in showcasing the individuals behind the scenes, fostering a strong sense of camaraderie and family amongst your customers 

Social Media- Strategies to Consider:

Sharing stories and images of your staff members on a regular basis. Feature different employees in each post, highlighting their role, expertise, and contributions to the brewery. Include a brief interview or Q&A session where they share  brewing techniques, or interesting stories related to their work. This creates a lifestyle image and not  just a product centric image for your brand.

Behind-the-Scenes Brewery Tours: Take your Instagram followers behind the scenes of your brewery by sharing glimpses of your staff in action. Capture moments of brewing, canning, or labeling processes, and showcase the hard work and dedication of your team. This not only gives your followers a unique perspective but also allows them to appreciate the craftsmanship and passion that goes into every beer.

Staff Favorites: Create posts featuring staff members' favorite beers from your brewery.

Influencer Partnerships and Beer Influencers:

Influencer marketing has become a powerful tool for breweries to reach new audiences. Partnering with beer influencers, bloggers, or local beer enthusiasts with a significant online following can help generate buzz and attract attention to your brand. Collaborating with influencers for tastings, reviews, or social media takeovers can expose your brewery to their dedicated followers and create authentic connections.

Need to know- It's important to note that bigger isn't always better when it comes to influencer partnerships. Nano influencers, those with fewer than 10,000 followers, can be a cost-effective method for creating awareness around your brand. These influencers may require minimal or even no payment, often requesting only food or beer in exchange for their promotion. Embracing partnerships with nano influencers can be a budget-conscious approach that still yields valuable exposure for your brewery.

Loyalty Marketing

Realizing the potential of data and personalized marketing is crucial for achieving success. With the advantage of first-party ordering provided by advanced POS technology, breweries can take their marketing strategies to unprecedented levels. This facilitates seamless, real-time data transfer from the point of sale system to marketing efforts, encompassing customer details, menu/product preferences, average order values, and more. This wealth of data empowers operators to leverage the capabilities of the marketing platform, facilitating targeted email campaigns, automated sequences, the implementation of customer retention initiatives, and informed decision-making based on data insights. Whether it's tailored email marketing or automated customer interactions, having these capabilities offers essential tools to enhance marketing endeavors, increase customer engagement, and maximize revenue.

Brewery Tastings and  Events:

Hosting brewery events and tastings is an excellent way to showcase your beers and create immersive experiences for your guests. Consider organizing beer tastings, brewery tours, or special release parties to engage directly with beer enthusiasts. These activities allow customers to sample your beers, learn about their unique flavors, and gain a deeper appreciation for your craft. Additionally, hosting trivia nights, sports nights, or clubs on off nights can generate a consistent crowd. Promote these events weekly on platforms like Eventbrite or partner with "things to do" pages on social media to reach a wider audience. Depending on your location, opportunities to be a sponsor bar for recreational leagues is another avenue for bringing in business and building brand awareness.

GoTab Brewery Solutions:

For breweries, leveraging innovative technology is essential to drive success. With GoTab's Brewery POS and KDS Solutions, breweries can take their operations to the next level. Our comprehensive suite of features and integrations empowers brewers to enhance guest experiences, increase revenue, and optimize operational efficiency.

PATHWAY DEVENS DEVELOPER SEEKS BREWERY FOR NEW TAPROOM

King Street to provide turnkey move-in ready space
for brewery to open Q1 2024

Devens, MA (June 21, 2023) – King Street Properties (“King Street”) announced today that they are seeking a brewery for a new taproom at its Pathway development, a thriving 45-acre multi- tenant campus in Devens, Massachusetts.

Pathway Devens is a five building, 700,000 square foot state-of-the-art advanced manufacturing campus that will start welcoming employees in the first half of 2024. This campus sits within the larger Devens community that employs over 10,000 people on a daily basis, making it an ideal location for a brewery to expand its footprint northwest of Boston. Devens boasts a thriving mix of commercial, residential, and recreational areas including parks, trails and golf courses and a portion of Devens is also still home to an active military reserve base.

Over half of King Street’s campus has already been delivered and phase 2 of the development is currently under construction, including the 8,300 SF amenity center and taproom. King Street has committed to a turnkey delivery of the taproom build-out and the space will be ready for occupancy in Q1 of 2024. The superior onsite amenities include a fitness center, lounge area, game room, cafe and taproom that will serve the campus workforce and the surrounding community with the food & beverage program. The amenity center will be a ‘third space,’ a place where employees in the area can work, socialize, eat and drink in a relaxing environment.

“This taproom will add a much-needed destination where those who work and live in Devens and the surrounding area can gather, dine, and spend time,” said MassDevelopment President and CEO Dan Rivera. “MassDevelopment has worked to redevelop Devens into a thriving —

mixed-use community that is now home to more than 950 residents, 100 businesses and organizations, ample open space, and a range of recreational activities. Bringing a brewery to Devens will complement this community feel and further our efforts to create jobs and vibrancy here – we applaud King Street Properties for making this a part of its Pathway campus.”

“We have a track record of incorporating successful F&B experiences into campuses for both tenants and the surrounding community,” said Tyson Reynoso, Managing Director & Partner, King Street Properties.

“This is an amazing opportunity for a strong brewery partner given that the area is currently underserved by breweries and because there are 28,000 people within a five-mile radius on any given day.”

About King Street Properties, LLC
King Street is a private real estate investment management firm focused on servicing the complex needs of science-based companies and institutions. Headquartered in Boston, King Street’s assets are located in core research hubs including Greater Boston, New York, the Research Triangle in North Carolina, San Diego, and the San Francisco Bay Area. With 3 million square feet of stabilized assets under ownership and management and 4.5 million square feet in development, King Street is highly experienced in the development and operation of best-in-class life science research and development space and biomanufacturing & pharmaceutical buildings, serving as a trusted partner for companies that develop lifesaving drugs and therapies, medical devices, and companies harnessing renewable materials.

New Program Aimed At Spurring Community Investment in Massachusetts Craft Breweries

MAINVEST AND MASSACHUSETTS BREWERS GUILD ANNOUNCE THE LAUNCH OF “INVESTING IN MASSACHUSETTS CRAFT BREWERS” A LOCALIZED PROGRAM ALLOWING INDIVIDUALS TO INVEST AS LITTLE AS $100 DIRECTLY INTO OUR BURGEONING CRAFT BREWING SCENE.

The Mass Brewers Guild, the state’s trade association that exists to protect and promote the interests of Massachusetts craft breweries, has partnered with Mainvest, a Salem-based investment platform enabling small businesses to harness community investment to fuel their growth, to launch “Investing in Massachusetts Craft Brewers,” a program to enable individuals of any income level to become investors in the growing Massachusetts craft beer community.

“Owning, operating and growing a successful craft brewery takes capital -- funds that can be difficult to come by in today’s tight lending market,” says Katie Stinchon, executive director of the Mass Brewers Guild. “Mainvest has helped several of our state’s breweries get up and running so they can help revitalize downtown areas, employ locals and drive traffic and tourism to our state. We are excited about our new partners in this space and the support local investors can provide to aid these small business owners in fulfilling their dreams.” 

Over the past five years Mainvest has helped over 350 small businesses, and over 50 craft breweries, across America access capital to maintain and grow their small businesses, providing local communities with great food, good beer, local jobs, local wealth building opportunities and spaces that support and build community. Through Mainvest’s innovative platform, they allow anyone to become an investor in their community, investing with as little as $100 in local businesses and real estate offerings, strengthening the connection people have to their small businesses while providing capital on friendly terms to local entrepreneurs. 

“Massachusetts Craft Breweries have become a major force in local economic development, job creation and community building,” said Jonathan Berk, Mainvest’s VP of Growth and Partnerships. “We’re thrilled to be able to work with Massachusetts Brewers Guild to provide individuals across Massachusetts the opportunity to invest directly in their favorite local breweries while providing area breweries with this new opportunity to access the capital they need to sustain and grow their operations locally.”

Anyone interested in raising funds for their brewery or signing up to be alerted of new investment opportunities in Massachusetts breweries can sign up on the “Investing in Massachusetts Craft Brewers” landing page (mainvset.com/massbrew).

An explainer video from a recent webinar can be found below:

Demystifying Active Dry Yeast – By Fermentis

Active Dry Yeast (ADY) is a topic which has always intrigued the homebrew community. It does not take long to figure out that there are a lot of myths surrounding ADY and its use. One example relates to active dry yeast preparation prior to pitching - should I rehydrate or not? Information on the internet tells you that there are as many answers to this question as there are web pages! Throughout this article we will dis- cuss several topics about Fermentis’ ADY from a manufacturer’s point of view.

A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY

Brewing yeast strains have gone through a long domestication process. For those who want to dive more into science and know more about industrial yeast phylogeny, including brewing strains, we recommend reading two re- cent papers, both describing how this process occurred: Gallone et al. Domestication and Divergence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Beer Yeasts. 2016. Cell 166. 1397–1410; Gonçalves et al. Distinct Domestication Trajectories in Top-Fermenting Beer Yeasts and Wine Yeasts. 2016. Current Biology 26. 2750– 2761. The domestication process was driven by ancient brewmasters and contributed to generate all the diversity in this industry today. In other words, brewers have driven the evolution and diversification of these strains inside the breweries, unconsciously shaping the yeast to their needs. Nature also influenced this process, for example allowing inter and intra species hybridization, like the well-known case of Saccharomyces pastorianus (lager yeasts). This diversity is now kept safeguarded in different yeast banks, and our mission is to screen for the most representative strains available and deliver them to the industry in a convenient format to simplify brewers’lives; which is dried yeast, otherwise known as “active dry yeast (ADY)”. Although the first yeast biomass culture was dried back in the early 1970s for the baking industry, ale brewing yeast was not dried until 1995, and lager yeast until 1996! Since the late 90’s ADY has come a long way and the industry agrees that ADY today has a state-of-the-art quality, but more about that later.

Optical microscopy image (Gx26) of Active Dry Yeast powder granules prior to packaging

THE ADY PRODUCTION PROCESS

Fermentis beer yeast strains are produced in one of the Lesaffre plants located in Belgium and specialized in handling multiple strains with high quality standards. The production of Fermentis ADY starts with a laboratory phase where the purity of the yeast coming from our yeasts bank located in Lille (France) is monitored before we ship a slant/slope to our industrial production site. In the plant laboratory, the culture is propagated from the slant in aerobic and constantly monitored conditions. When we have produced enough biomass, the culture is transferred to a bioreactor where industrial production takes place. Propagation is done in state-of-the-art facilities where yeast is grown in fully aerobic conditions, on a balanced nutrient base with molasses as the sugar source (which makes all of our yeasts gluten free). This production process is called fed batch fermentation. Oxygen and sugar levels are critical to control… If interested, please read about the Crabtree Effect. The idea is to produce yeast biomass from all available sugars (energy) and avoid alcoholic fermentation! In other words, we want to use sugars to produce yeast and not alcohol.

Yeast multiplication will be stopped when the desired amount of biomass is grown. At this stage, the yeast physiology is managed to prepare the cells for the next steps and resist the drying process. The yeast culture will then be centrifuged, vacuum filtered and finally dried in a fluidized air bed to reach 94-97% of dry matter. Depending on the target market segment, yeast can be vacuum-packed (500 grs bricks) or packed under inert atmosphere (soft packs, nitrogen flushed (11.5 grs, 5 grs sachets, and small- er)) to protect against oxidation and moisture.

As you can guess, the details of the production process are a secret known only by a few people in this world but be assured that parameters are constantly monitored to provide you with the best yeast. What we can tell you is that each strain has its own “recipe” for the propagation and drying processes; to best grow the yeast in terms of vitality, viability, purity and fermentation re-start. It is the manufacturer know-how which makes the difference and with over 160 years in the business, we have some experience. Also, technology is continuously improving to make the resulting product even better. These improvements allowed us to extend the shelf life to 36 months in 2016, and to launch the Easy-to-Use (E2U™) concept last year for all our brewing yeast strains (see below). You may have been introduced to this in 2018, at the CBC in Nashville or at Homebrew Con in Portland.

Production process of Active Dry Yeast (ADY)

DEMYSTIFYING ACTIVE DRY YEAST

Through this Q&A we will answer most of the questions people have about Fermentis’ ADY and explain our Easy- to-Use (E2U™) concept/brand.

Who are we?

Fermentis is part of the Group Lesaffre, a key global player in yeasts and fermentation. Lesaffre designs, manufactures and markets innovative solutions for Baking, Food Taste & Pleasure, Health Care and Biotechnology. Fermentis is the business unit in charge of fermented beverages (wine, cider, beer, distilled spirits, mead, etc.).

In other words, we take care of the most fun part of the business. In all seriousness, Fermentis produces many of the most popular strains for the beer industry like SafAle™ S-04, SafAle™ US-05, SafAle™ WB-06 and SafLager™ W-34/70 to mention a few of the thirteen strains available nowadays in our range.

What is Active Dry Yeast?

Active Dry Yeast (ADY), as the name states, is dry yeast which once rehydrated will be reactivated and able to ferment the sugars that are in the wort as well as contribute to flavor and aroma production. This technology has been available in the market for brewing purposes since 1995 and has been greatly improved since then. ADY is known for having numerous advantages in the brewery and when you brew at home too. The long shelf life (preservation of yeast) is one of the major advantages of ADY. In addition, when considering brewing schedule there are several other advantages of ADY: e.g. more economical, no need for propagation or starter preparation, no need for quality management equipment, increased flexibility (see E2U™), reliability, consistent quality and time savings overall. ADY gives you the ability to be very dynamic in your strain diversification before and during the brew day. With direct pitching, you can split the batch in two, four, etc., and try several strains on the fly.

What is E2U™?

Easy-to-use (E2U™) is a Fermentis brand used to characterize specific wine and beer yeasts & fermentation solutions which can easily be used in the beverage manufacturing process, without going through complex preparation protocols that complicate the operation. E2U™ is an innovative concept to make your life easier, to save you time, and offer more comfort and safety. In fact, the extension of this brand to our beer range was recently communicated after a study conducted by Fermentis and independent laboratories in 2017. In the study, several trials were made to measure viability, various fermentation parameters (fermentation kinetics, final ethanol production, apparent degree of fermentation, etc.) and volatile compounds production in beers made; using different media (tap water, distilled water, 7°P, 15°P, 25°P wort), different temperatures (8°C/46°F, 12°C/54°F, 16°C/61°F, 20°C/68°F, 32°C/90°F, 40°C/104°F) and different kinds of agitation (without, moderate and violent) to rehydrate yeast, in comparison with direct pitching (moderate agitation at 30°C/86°F). No significant differences were found in this study for our full range of yeasts. You can see the example of the SafAle™ S-33 in Figure 4 on the next page. The study concluded that the performance of our brewing yeasts is not affected when they are rehydrated in different types of media (wort of different strengths, distilled water, tap water, etc.), at different speeds of agitation, and in a wide range of temperatures.  Furthermore, it is not affected when they are inoculated directly into the wort, without previous rehydration. The range is E2U™! You can now pitch directly, with no need to rehydrate; but if you still want to rehydrate, you can relax and use different conditions that adjust more to your process, without negative effects. But please… keep in mind that we are still talking about living microorganisms and there are some limits. Use the recommended temperature range for pitching (check the back of the sachet) and if you have always rehydrated Fermentis ADY, again, you can still do it, but do it preferably with hopped wort that will protect the yeast against microbial contamination. Last but not least, there is no need to oxygenate the wort when using E2U™ yeast by Fermentis (due to our production process) and DO NOT shake the flask extremely vigorously when you are rehydrating the yeasts. Our ADY are ready to go when you pitch them!

What is the Best Before End Date (BBE) of E2U™ Fermentis ADY?

Best Before End Date for Fermentis yeasts is three years from production date which was established in 2016. Study results showed that in beers made with yeast exposed to forced aging tests, and almost 4 years of natural (true) aging, the performance and sensorial profile is not affected negatively, for either ale or lager strains. In addition, the temperatures of storage studied (-20°C/-4°F, 5°C/41°F, 25°C/77°F) do not affect the ale yeasts in any way, how- ever there can be longer fermentation (2-3 days) for lager yeast that have been stored at ambient temperatures. So our recommendation would be to store lagers strains (Sa- fLager™ W-34/70, SafLager™ S-189, SafLager™ S-23) at or below 10°C (50°F).

Can I use E2U™ Fermentis ADY after multiple generations?

Yeast recycling is something you can do with E2U™ Fermentis yeast, it is your decision. Keep in mind that yeast management requires laboratory equipment and knowledge to validate the quality of the cropped yeast as genetic drift can happen over time impacting several parameters in your beer, such as fermentation kinetics and volatile compounds produced. Our recommendation is to limit repitching to no more than 4-6 times (for any yeasts, not only Fermentis) and always check the quality of the cropped yeast. Again, the fact that you are using dry yeast does not mean you cannot recycle the culture. What is important is to check, when recycling yeast, the presence of beer spoilage microorganisms and that is something our E2U™ yeasts are controlled against from our yeasts bank and through the production process.

What is the recommended pitch rate for E2U™ Fermentis ADY?

Active Dry Yeast is dry yeast biomass with no free water molecules (94-97% dry matter). A pitch rate in weight per volume (grams per hectoliter) is the most accurate way, for ADY, to achieve consistency in your fermentations time after time. For E2U by Fermentis ale strains we recommend a pitch rate of 50-80 gr/hL (2.06-3.3 oz/bbl); and 80-120 gr/hL (3.3-4.95 oz/bbl) for our lagers strains. In other words, one 11.5grs sachet (0.406 oz) is good for 5 gallons for ales and two 11.5g sachets for 5 gallons for lagers. For high gravity beers (over 18°P) it is better to pitch 2 sachets per 5 gallons brew.

Fermentation performance of SafAle™ S-33 (Pitching rate 50 g/hL, 15°P, 20°C) and the concentration of ethanol, residual sugars and volatiles (acetaldehyde, esters, higher alcohols and vicinal diketones) at the end of fermentation (before diacetyl rest) for 3 diferent rehydration procedures (in triplicate). DP: direct pitch without rehydration, W: rehydration in water at 30°C with moderate agitation, 15°P: rehydration in 15°P wort at 30°C with moderate agitation. 

For more information about our strains please check the website www.fermentis.com or download the Fermentis App from the Apple Store or Google Play by scanning the QR code below. You can also download our Tips and Tricks for more detailed information of our strains from our web page.

This article was written by the following Fermentis Team members: José Pizarro, Industrial Account Manager – The Americas, Kevin Lane, Technical Sales Support Manager - The Americas, & Marcelo Cerdán, the Sales Director - The Americas.

We are very grateful for the contributions of our R&D Team, by Philippe Janssens and Yves Gosselin, Hugo Picard (Technical Sales Manager – Home Segment) and as well as our Marketing team: Stefanie Roedenbeck (Marketing Manager – The Americas), and our Global Marketing Manager Jeanne Gallerand.

Contact us at: fermentis.com/en/contact

Every Beer Trail Starts with The First Step

·      Have you ever thought about starting a regional beer trail?

·      Want to drive traffic to your taprooms?

·      Encourage state or regional tourism?

As you know, craft beer enthusiasts are willing to travel for the love of discovery, brewery hopping all the way. That’s where BeerTrail.com comes in and since we’re in early-stage development, I’d appreciate your input and feedback. We always aim to elevate the industry and connect our followers with the folks who brew the suds.

Brief Intro

I’m Kevin Mardorf, MA Brewers Guild member and founder of Craft Beer Community, LLC. We’ve proudly built a massive community of over 300,000 passionate craft beer enthusiasts (and growing) on BeerFests.com, The Craft Beer Community, CTBeer.com and coming soon, BeerTrail.com.

With over a decade in business, we’ve helped execute 1,000 beer fests and sold 800,000 tickets using our expertise and ticketing software. Along the way, I’ve learned that people value experiences when they attend live events, and they want them to be as fresh as the beer you’re serving!

We’ll Bring the Beer Fest to You – no more lugging equipment!

I believe that beer trails are the future of beer festivals and since customers are willing to travel for a fresh brew experience, breweries no longer need to schlep everything, including staff, to a venue. We can bring them to you! 

Goal: create a simplified, turnkey discovery experience for you and your customers. If they’re on your beer trail, they’re in your venue spending money.  

Your Input is Crucial: Let’s talk and collaborate on “how” your beer trail gets done, because we want to get it right. I’ll bring lots of ideas and background but what’s most important is how it’s going to work best for your operation. In general, craft beer lovers looking to explore new brews will receive a mapped-out experience, customized by how you want to design the trail.

Transparency: We make money when you do and build in a percentage of ticket sales when you use our turnkey ticket sales platform. We sell merchandise online and at events. We provide fee-based event marketing solutions (as needed).  

First steps: Beginning January 1st, I will hit the road “virtually” on a listening & learning tour of MA breweries. It’s important to me that I hear feedback on BeerTrail.com and anything else that’s on your minds.

Be a part of our Listening & Learning Tour!

To schedule a time to chat, please visit: https://calendly.com/beerfests

I'm eager to hear your feedback!

Cheers,
Kevin Mardorf
Founder   
800-801-FEST x4

Operations: The 5 essential brewery management software types

Restaurant management software was built to make your life easier when running a restaurant or brewery. But deciding which software types are best for your business can quickly become a headache. There are so many choices from different types of software to different brands and a whole range of price points. And there are even more choices for breweries. 

But we’ve got your back. We’ve laid out the most important brewery management systems you need to run the best brewery business. Whether starting from scratch or fine-tuning your brewery supply chain, we’ll help you figure out what you need and can avoid. 

1. Point of sale software

Point of sale (POS) software helps you accept customer payments and keep track of all your sales. Your POS software holds info about the cost of each item you sell and pulls that up when you tell it what a customer orders. The software can integrate with different types of hardware that serve your brewery best, such as multiple tablets or a computer. 

There are a lot of POS software brands out there these days, and you may have heard of some of the more common ones like Toast, Clover, TouchBistro, or Arrival. With so many choices, it’s a good idea to consider what features are most important for your brewery business when choosing POS software. Here are a few features you may want to look out for:

• Multiple payment options: The more flexible you are with payment types, the more customers you can serve. You want to be able to take credit card and cash payments, but you should weigh the different fees you’ll have to pay for processing credit cards and which makes the most sense for digital payments.

• Easy mobility: If you want flexible POS software, look at their feature list first. Smartphone integrations allow you to use your POS in different areas, and printer routing simplifies hosting multiple bars in one venue.

• Integrations with other restaurant management software: You can make your brewery management software choices easier by finding different software types that work together. Some POS software integrates easily with other software types such as inventory management or self-pour.

2. Quality control software

Quality control helps you make beers with continuity in flavor and substance. Cranking out quality beers requires you to monitor the quality of your ingredients and your brews throughout the brewing process. Beers can be monitored for quality by looking at components such as flavor, clarity, color, and foam. These software options also similarly monitor beer ingredients.

Quality control software can help make the process simpler and less time-consuming. Brewery control software also keeps track of your brewing history and points out any patterns or inconsistencies in your beer quality. 

3. Digital order and pay software

Digital order and pay software allows customers to place orders for themselves at their table or online for takeout. Order and pay free staff to focus on other needs and build customer relationships. Software, like Bbot, doesn’t require guests to download apps and allows you to fulfill orders any way you want.

4. Keg use tracking and analytics software

Keg tracking helps you grab hold of potential keg loss costs. There are a few different ways to track kegs; keg use tracking software may use varying methods. Each has pros and cons, but you will want to use the best method for your brewery. 

• Barcode scanning: This method involves sticking a barcode on the keg shell and using barcode scanners to scan it at every step, from production to shipment.

• Outsource tracking: If buying your kegs isn’t in your budget, you can use a keg company to outsource them. These companies typically require you to pay-per-fill, and it’s their job to keep track of the keg.

• RFID keg tracking systems: The more efficient, more expensive cousin of barcode tracking, RFID tracking systems means installing RFID tags on all of your kegs. Using an RFID system means your kegs are automatically scanned and tracked wherever they go.

There’s keg tracking software that works with each type of tracking system, so you’ll want to look for software that fits with the system you have in place. 

5. Customer feedback software

Potential customers are more likely to give your brewery a try if they can access reviews. You can encourage your customers to give that positive feedback by harnessing the power of software. Customer feedback software can automatically encourage customers to leave a review or let you know how you did serving them. 

You could look for software that focuses on reviews through big sites like Google or Facebook. Or you could focus on customer interactions on apps specific to the beer world, such as Untappd.

Honorable mention: Self-pour software

Allowing customers to serve themselves cuts down on staff costs and increases your sales. If you have the space and budget, investing in self-pour software could be great. Software companies like PourMyBeer help you design a self-pour bar that integrates seamlessly with the software. And, if you want more mobility in your self-pour station, you could work with a company like SmartBar to create a portable tap station. 

Choosing the best brewery management software

Choosing the right brewery management software takes research and time. But when you get it right, a brewery management system will streamline your processes and maybe even boost your bottom line. When choosing your software, check out reviews and talk to the customer service team to ask questions. You could even check other breweries or restaurants that use the software to see if you like it. 

Make a plan to stay within your budget as you shop for software. Look for different software types with integrations to get the most bang for your buck. Consider investing in different software types in phases as you start seeing a rise in revenue.

Blog post submitted by MBG Associate Member Bbot

6 Top POS Reports: Know Your Business, to Grow Your Business

Growing your business is shockingly easy when you have access to the right insights, to make the right decisions.  With these 6 Top POS Reports you’ll know how to increase sales, optimize labor costs, and improve production schedules, event programming and menu building. 

1. Tab Tags

What is it?  Tracking return on investment based on customized guest group tags.

Why does it matter?  You have a beautiful, welcoming space that attracts groups of all kinds in search of their go-to meet-up spot—from corporate baseball teams to knitting clubs. Tag each of their tabs with a descriptive tag so you can measure total sales from the group over time. 

Okay, give me an example.  This year you decided to sponsor the local baseball league’s dues with the guarantee they’ll come in after each game. Tag their tabs every time they come in to see their spend. Those baseball players eat and drink a lot! The reports show a return on your investment so be sure to sponsor them again next year.   

2. Employee Performance

What is it?  Total sales by each employee, and product category to see what they’re selling.

Why does it matter?  Though you’re often on-the-ground with your staff and get first hand experience of what they’re up to, the data will highlight your best performers. Use total sales by employee to make informed staffing decisions or know when to create incentives for more engagement and add some fun to the workday. 

Okay, give me an example.  Terry’s sales are consistently higher because they’re always sending guests home with a 6-pack to-go. You want Terry in your busiest venues on Friday night. If you want your staff to sell more packaged beer, have Terry share their secrets. Then start rewarding staff with the highest to-go sales with weekly growler bonuses!

3. Ounces Poured

What is it?  How many ounces were poured, by size, and time. 

Why does it matter?  Track trends in what’s selling to drive production schedules, marketing, and distribution. 

Okay, give me an example.  Your data shows that in the last week you poured 1,000 tasters and 200 pints of the Pilsner. Meanwhile, you poured 1,000 tasters and sold 950 pints of the Hazy. Which beer was better received?  You’ve got it, the Hazy. Increase production on that Hazy IPA and start pushing for distribution.

4. Hourly Total Sales

What is it?  Total orders by hour of the day.

Why does it matter?  Hourly sales data helps you plan ahead. Track trends over time to know what you’re selling, when you’re selling it. Staff up when you’re typically slammed and plan events to incentivize visitors when you’re typically slow. 

Okay, give me an example.  You already had a sense, but once you look at the data, it’s clear: Tues and Weds 2-4pm is slow. Perhaps run a teacher’s special to incentivize afternoon grading parties, and advertise to the local schools. 

5. Hourly Sales by Product

What is it?  Sales by product, by hour of the day.

Why does it matter?  Make informed menu decisions and keep food costs down with hourly sales by product.  With reports that show the exact time each product is ordered you can curate timed menus with only the most popular menu items. No more keeping extra ingredients in stock and wasting unused food.

Okay, give me an example.  You love the lobster roll, your Mom loves the lobster roll, but—shockingly— it turns out your happy hour crowd does not.  Strike the lobster roll and minimize your happy hour menu to just the items that sell again and again. (And save those lobsters for you and your Mom!)

6. Weekly Sales

What is it?  Total sales by day of the week.

Why does it matter?  Maybe you’re freshly open (congrats!) and don’t have a ton of historical data or you’re coming off a pandemic year where each business day was a mystery. Understanding trends each day of the week helps you to make proactive decisions to help boost sales and keep your business relevant. 

Okay, give me an example.  You’re seeing a trend of low sales on Tuesdays, it’s barely worth it to keep the doors open. Now what can you do to get guests in seats? That might be the perfect day for trivia! Use your loyalty program to send out offers redeemable only on that day and build hype for your new weekly trivia.  

Wrap Up:

Data matters. A lot! Starting with these 6 top metrics, you’ll be able to track what is working in your space, iterate, and wow your guests while improving efficiency. 

Founded in 2016, Boulder, CO based Arryved is a point-of-service based software company specializing in craft food & beverage: breweries, brewpubs, cideries, distilleries, wineries, and non-brewery taprooms. Arryved is a team of tech geeks with relentless passion for, and extensive experience in, the craft beverage industry, as both employees and consumers. The goal is simple: Deliver a flexible, reliable, team-centric platform that puts service first in every way. 

BFE ARCHITECTS & C.E. FLOYD CONSTRUCTION COMPETITION FOR BREWERS UPDATE

Bechtel Frank Erickson Architects is currently working with Untold Brewing to help conceptualize solutions to the challenges brought on by the pandemic and the restrictions imposed upon their business. Their taproom is currently closed to patrons for on-site consumption but BFE’s goal is to provide them with a plan that allows them to safely open again.

Taylor and Jesse (BFE Architects) recently presented two schematic design options to Untold Brewing owner Matt Elder via Zoom. The first being a less invasive option which limits the disruption to brewing operations with architectural changes while creating new circulation paths and expanding their outdoor space. The second, more invasive, option proposes an exterior bar, the addition of a kitchen in an adjacent building, and the expansion of their existing patio space. 

Screenshot from Zoom meeting showing the “Most Invasive” site diagram) 

LEVELS OF ALTERATION

Street/Patio View

Next steps 

The Untold Brewing team will review the proposed interventions and provide feedback to BFE. BFE will then implement their comments into one final design proposal which will then go to C.E. Floyd for schematic pricing.

Keep an eye out for more posts about their work with Untold Brewing! 

Questions?
For more information regarding the competition, contact Taylor Theriault at ttheriault@bfearc.com & 781-862-3313).