Tips & Tricks to Curating the Perfect Beer Menu
Craft beer, one of the better product booms of this century, was my cherished and happy career for nearly 10 years. I relished in everything about the industry–the variety of products, the continuing innovation, and the close knit community of colleagues and new friends everywhere I went. National Beer Day is special to me, because working in Craft Beer were some of the best days of my life.
Just because I switched to Craft Cocktails and Consulting doesn’t mean I still don’t find knowledge and love of craft beer important, so here today, on National Beer Day, I’m going to give you some personal tips and tricks to make sure you are selecting the perfect lineup of draught, canned and bottled craft beer for your restaurant (or home bar!).
1. Know Thou Audience
As much as I’d love to tell every one of you to stick to small, local craft breweries, quite frankly, that doesn’t work for everyone. Consider who you are catering to. Are you a sports pub packed with diehard fans on game day? Make sure you have the big boys on tap, but leave a little room for some local craft flare. Are you a high-end cocktail establishment brimming with patrons looking for high quality and unique products and pairings? Then I suggest keeping the mainstays at a minimum and continually rotating your draught menus with local products, unique hard to find styles, and seasonal selections. In the middle? Find the perfect split between big and small, and consider adding can and bottle selections to enhance your offering.
2. Considerations for a Perfectly Balanced Menu
Look, I get it, IPAs are the King of Craft Beer. But, in my humble and hopeful opinion, their dethroning as the most popular and sought after beer style is swiftly coming. I still recommend keeping several variations of IPAs on tap, but overloading your menu with 90% bitter or haze bombs will naturally push away a consumer looking for inventive and distinct styles. When in doubt, select a pendulum of styles swinging from light lagers and blondes, to richly roasted stouts and barrel aged brews. I recommend always keeping an amber or red beer on tap, with a mild roast but hoppy finish. Don’t forget to include experimental and international styles (this German girl demands a Helles) and always have some room for a fruited sour.
3. Kegs, Cans and Bottles–OH MY!
I’ll state the obvious, it’s one of my fortes–space considerations come first. But effectively laying out your draught and cooler space (bar layout consulting, anyone?), is key to any effective bar. Before any menu selection process happens you need to know the basics:
Total draught lines is a given, but what can your cooler hold to maintain ease of movement and keg replacement?
How much dedicated cooler space do you have to cans and bottles, and what are accurate numbers you can hold? (Pro-tip: shelf height is important to note for tall-boys and bottles)
What is the maximum variety of cans and bottles that you can fit without overwhelming staff with replacing stock during busy hours?
Be considerate of what styles and brands are top sellers in your establishment. When it comes to those, maintain draught lines for those high-volume products. However, keep in mind that many small craft breweries do not have the capacity or equipment to can or bottle, so keeping dedicated lines for those smaller producers can help to ensure you are able to keep beers on tap that do not come in any other format.
4. Times are Changing, and So Are ABVs
In an era of health conscious choices, alternative legal substances, and changing mindsets of alcohol, N/As and THC infused beverages are becoming a must-have for busy bars and restaurants. N/A Beers, once overly sweet malt bombs, have now shifted to carefully crafted brews that fit inline with style specifications. New technology in brewing is also allowing for full strength beers to be brewed, only to have the alcohol extracted, leaving behind the flavor, aroma and hops and discarding the alcohol (Check out ABV Technology based in Minnesota–they are changing the game!). Consider keeping at least one or two N/A beer options in cans or bottles to cater to those either choosing sobriety, or consumers who are looking to enjoy a beverage but taking it easy on the alcohol.
5. Welcome to the Rotation Station
Every beer list needs to have its staples, the tried and true that never seem to go out of style. However, it’s far too easy to let yourself get into a rhythm of ordering the same draught beers over and over, never updating your list. I recommend always keeping at least 30% of your tap lines available for seasonal rotations and new styles. However, if your menu is regularly changing with the seasons, so should your draught beer menu. Be sure to keep in mind the changing weather, flavor and aroma pairing and up and coming beer trends.
Struggling to keep an exciting beer list that pulls in customers? Our beverage consulting services can help you to hone in your cocktail menu development and beer menu. Schedule a call today!
