If you opened a bar, which beers would you have on tap?

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by raynmoon, May 21, 2012.

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  1. raynmoon

    raynmoon Initiate (0) Aug 13, 2011 Colorado

    Let's say you can only work with 5 open taps though. Also keep in mind your clientele, local availability, and variety. GO!

    I forgot to add...5 different breweries.
     
  2. Dweedlebug

    Dweedlebug Initiate (0) Feb 28, 2012 Pennsylvania

    Merry Monks
    Monk's Cafe Flemmish Red Ale
    Old Brown Dog Ale
    Old Chub
    DFH 90 min. (might switch this out for Hennepin during the warmer months)
     
  3. minnesotaryan

    minnesotaryan Initiate (0) Dec 27, 2010 Minnesota

    summit saga
    surly bender
    steel toe rainmaker
    steel toe provider
    cantillon gueze
     
  4. semibaked

    semibaked Pooh-Bah (1,897) Mar 27, 2007 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah Deactivated

    The top 5 best selling beers on draft are at the time.
     
  5. ledzeppelin4

    ledzeppelin4 Initiate (0) May 18, 2011 Illinois

    Only five taps? Hmmm. I think I would have constantly rotating taps then. Something along the lines of. 1. Seasonal. 2. IPA/ Pale Ale. 3. Stout/Porter. 4. "Refreshing" type (wheat beer, pilsener, etc.) 5. Belgian-style. So right now I would do...1.Bells Oberon.2.Daisy Cutter 3.Left Hand Milk Stout (Nitro). 3.Sam Adams Noble Pils. 5. Delirium Tremens.
     
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  6. hophead247

    hophead247 Initiate (0) Jan 27, 2008 California

    My friend is opening a shop soon, and we'll be carrying local craft...at first.

    Drakes, High Water, and Heretic are just a few to be named.
     
  7. silentjay

    silentjay Initiate (0) Nov 25, 2008 Massachusetts

    so Budweiser, Bud Light, Coors Light, Miller Lite, and Guinness or Blue Moon maybe?

    good choice. I don't know of any bars that offer those, so you would definitely find a niche market.
     
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  8. semibaked

    semibaked Pooh-Bah (1,897) Mar 27, 2007 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah Deactivated

    If I opened a business I would want to make money. A lot of bars do very well by putting those beers on tap.

    Plus if I just wanted to put on beers I or my friends liked I would just buy a kegerator and stay home.
     
  9. marquis

    marquis Pooh-Bah (2,301) Nov 20, 2005 England
    Pooh-Bah Society

    What is your target clientele?
    What beers do your competitors offer?
    Knowing that, you can begin to narrow things down.
    Is there any possibility of creating a niche market? I know of pubs which have very successfully decided to stock no keg beers only cask in the face of the fact that the vast majority of draught beer sold in the country is keg.
     
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  10. Spider889

    Spider889 Pooh-Bah (1,921) Mar 24, 2010 Ohio
    Pooh-Bah Society

    All the rare ones. Especially the retired bottle-only ones.

    Everyone's so damned concerned about oil piplines in Alaska they never noticed when I built mine directly into the fermentation vessels at Cantillon. I win.
     
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  11. LaneMeyer

    LaneMeyer Initiate (0) Mar 20, 2011 California

    Duff
    Duff Light
    BBA Duff
    Vanilla BBA Duff
    BBA Rare Duff brewed with chilies and secret Mayan spices
     
  12. Spider889

    Spider889 Pooh-Bah (1,921) Mar 24, 2010 Ohio
    Pooh-Bah Society

    You forgot about Düff...
     
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  13. LaneMeyer

    LaneMeyer Initiate (0) Mar 20, 2011 California

    Well I could only choose 5, so...
     
  14. rjknyy

    rjknyy Initiate (0) Nov 7, 2009 Georgia

    choosing only what is currently available in my market (Savannah) and what I think would sell well.

    Sweetwater 420
    Bell's Oberon
    Founders Porter
    Terrapin Rye Pale Ale
    Bell's Two-Hearted
     
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  15. nickapalooza86

    nickapalooza86 Initiate (0) Feb 23, 2010 Wisconsin
    Deactivated

    Here is what I would start with if I can only have 5...

    1. New Glarus - Moon Man
    2. New Glarus seasonal - right now Black Top or Dancing Man Wheat
    3. Lake Louie - Warped Speed Scotch Ale
    4. Central Waters - Satin Solstice Imperial Stout
    5. Tyranena - Rockys Revenge bourbon brown.
     
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  16. TongoRad

    TongoRad Grand Pooh-Bah (3,848) Jun 3, 2004 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    The people I know who've run a restaurant tell me that the BMC crowd will greatly prefer bottles to draught, if they carry the same beer in both versions, so let's assume that I don't have to waste a handle on that stuff. I would have at least one with broad appeal, though, and that would be either Sam Adams Boston Lager or Brooklyn Lager.

    The other 4:
    Ithaca Flower Power
    Anchor Porter
    Weihenstaphaner Hefe
    and 'seasonal'

    Damn, that doesn't really look that bad for 5 taps; I think I'd really enjoy hanging out at my own place:wink:. I'm kind of thinking that I do prefer the 'fewer taps' scenario these days; the beer moves and has a better chance of being served fresh. The trick is to make sure those few selections are well chosen, but that's not that much of a trick, is it? Sadly, most places around here just go with what's obvious, or what their distributor pushes on them (Blue Moon, Smithwicks, etc...).
     
  17. Nuggethops

    Nuggethops Initiate (0) Jun 7, 2010 New Hampshire

    Depends where I opened the bar, but whatever the dankest local beers available to me I would try to get on tap in my bar. Assuming I opened near my home in NH or MA I would have:

    Jack's Abby beers,
    Mystic Beers,
    Pretty Things Beers,
    Smuttynose Beers,
    Allagash Beers,
    and whenever possible anything from HF. I would have to rotate different beers if I only had five taps because clearly 5 beers isnt enough
     
  18. Snowrs

    Snowrs Initiate (0) Oct 10, 2009 Indiana

    Yep unfortunatly it would be something like
    1 Bud lite
    2 Miller lite
    3 Coord
    4 Sam Adams Boston Lager
    5 Oberon/rotating

    I have to make money and with only 5 taps this would be it. I would just add more taps.
     
  19. Hanzo

    Hanzo Initiate (0) Feb 27, 2012 Virginia

    Ok, the concept of this thread needs tweaked...a new bar would certainly have to have BMC available. The question should be outside of BMC what five craft taps would you have.
     
  20. keithmurray

    keithmurray Pooh-Bah (2,943) Oct 7, 2009 Connecticut
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Sam Adams Seasonal
    Flower Power
    Brooklyn Lager
    Ommegang Hennepin
    Rohrbach Scotch Ale
     
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