Has your local brewery transformed into a taphouse?

I hear your concern and could see that working temporarily. Eventually, the beer and atmosphere will win. Good beer will eventually attract good customers. So will a good atmosphere. I see it as the quality of the beer or the atmosphere? The question is what is the brewery selling/taphouse selling. Both have a lot of, but different, potential.

 

It is no wonder why many have sold out after they burned out trying to make a go of it as an independent brewer. I don't like to see this happening, but I can understand why they do it. It is our (BA) responsibility to support our favorite brewers through our patronage. Every sale helps!

 

It could be the US normalizing and returning back to the local brewpub where people gather together in communities, mirroring gemütlichkeit found in localized German beer establishments. Another way to think of it would be Cheers. I have seen everything from yoga to line dancing being advertised by breweries and it seems like it's just an attempt to draw new people in or give them a reason more than beer to visit.

I would like to see more outdoor spaces like beer gardens, even if it is something as simple as a brewery setting up a tent and selling beer on a boardwalk or leasing some space by a lake or park. Maybe it's not as simple as it sounds but it would be nice.

 

Is it possible you're seeing this change because local laws have changed to allow it?

In both Michigan and California, my first exposure to local breweries were similar to what you're calling a taphouse. They were basically restaurants that also brewed the beer they served. They often sold nonbeer alcoholic drinks and often hosted events designed to attract customers with entertainment, support some local charity, or celebrate some some holiday.

The rise of establishments that served beer they brewed and nothing else was novel to me. I don't remember where or when I first encountered that, maybe when our local Redwood Curtain first opened (circa 2009?) and they were just a couple barrel top tables next to their brewing gear?

It was very exotic and exciting at the time. Felt very exclusive. Beer nerds only. But that only gets you so far. They now have a large tasting room with a kitchen, a patio, and a nice window onto their much larger brewing set up. They also have a satellite location that is basically just a beer bar.

 

In Chicago...nope, not really a thing I've seen.

They either make it or fail on their own...I never see anyone adding "guest taps" to try and make it.

 

Do you ever see "guests taps" of cider or wine? That's the only thing I see out here really

 

Yep, that's a thing. Just not beer.

Good point!

 

A bit of a tangent - and I doubt I'm the first one here to say it - but I think it's a crime how little brewer's/brewmasters make from my understanding of the industry. My recent research has led me to believe less than 1% of brewers in the US make more than $60k.
To put in that much work for it to be unappreciated on top of not being compensated for such a widely enjoyed and imo respected occupation leaves me speechless.

If this were different, I would have dropped my programming job last summer the day I walked into Silver Reef in southern UT and saw they were looking for an assistant brewer.

So I'm all for and understanding of operations that branch out so they can make their dream come true!

 

For years we had a brewery like that, a couple of taps for their own, 30+ 'guest' taps, food, event space, etc. At that point there were only a couple other breweries in town, but when we got more they sold the place and the new owner has made it an independent taproom with 50+ taps and no brewery. They also have crowlers/growlers, bottled/canned beer, plus wine, cider, seltzer, and BMC macro.

 

I have seen this a bit in my area, but not to the extent that some others have seen. It makes sense. I would imagine that busting your ass seven days a week so that you can make beer for the five ornery white guys who hang out in your taproom gets old fast.

 

I agree on the guest taps in Chicago beyond say collaborations and Bixi now working with Pipeworks and serving both breweries beers, but have experienced in both Nevada at Tenaya Creek (Vegas) and Beachwood (Long Beach) and San Diego Taproom (San Diego / Pacific Beach) carry multiple guest taps, everything mentioned except for “Beertails” and full service bars. Revolution Brewpub carries hard liquor and I believe a beer slushy machine in the Summer. Ditto Mikerphone with their ice cream beer machine and near full service bar. There are others locally that push the boundaries.

IMO, the IL Craft Guild pushed to far in some aspects. I know your guy Michael Roper of Hopleaf and also Pat Berger of Kaiser Tiger have spoke out about it for years. I agree with them that breweries / taprooms should not be allowed to serve any hard liquor or wine, the former unless they are also a licensed distillery such as Pollyanna or 3 Floyds.

Some of the other aspects Michael and Pat have railed about such as widespread guest tap list abuse I’ve seen in California has not taken place locally to date. I personally don’t have objections to allow a couple guest ciders or seltzers for non beer drinkers, but do see opponents point that they are intruding on the domain of bars within the 3 tier system.

Bars have to pay the city a higher fee for their license, don’t create their product and enjoy the high margins breweries have selling in taprooms, and they also have to pay off distributors as well which breweries are able to avoid (depending on state laws, some of which include provisions beer including on premise taprooms go through distribution) with both on premise and to go sales. These factors and others are why we’ve seen the continued the destruction of bars including quality beer bars throughout the country including here (Fountainhead).

 

I don't see any difference in the price breweries charge for a pint versus restaurants, at least in Arizona. I would hope that with the efficiency of the distribution logistics, a brewer would entice patrons by offer their beer a bit cheaper than elsewhere, but I guess that would probably raise howls from resellers.

 

In one sense, this strikes me as "everything old is new again" and we've come full circle to the brewpub era of the craft beer movement (where "making decent beer" wasn't always exactly a priority in the business model), but in another sense, it's a logical endgame for smaller/newer breweries given how saturated the market is in many parts of the country.

Craft beer in general has long ceased to be a novelty; virtually everyone who's opened a brewery in the past decade or so would be a bit delusional to think that wild growth and expansion is a likely outcome. Given that, putting a strong emphasis on being a community hangout and developing/maintaining local patronage (even at the expense of "making decent beer", if your clientele doesn't seem to care either way) makes sense for a sizable fraction of breweries in the country.

 

That's an interesting observation, but it makes me wonder - why visit a brewery if you don't care at all about the beer? Is the brewery providing a better environment / atmosphere than local bars? Parks?

I wouldn't say I've seen this in any meaningful (or tangible) way here locally. The breweries I frequent still feature people leaving with cases of beer, or sipping on several half pours, or clamoring about the latest release. Then again, I don't really go to the giants (i.e. Boulevard) anymore.

 

Often a "passion" isn't a financially sound business endeavor. So you get a lot of compromises to keep the lights on, or you go under. You don't really think those passionate brewers want 75% of their taps to be ipas w/ the same 7 hops do you? The electric bill don't care you made a doppelbock. It wants its money (pounds fist menacingly).

You don't want Furio showing up.


Lifestyle branding (free trade, drink local, yoga night, individualized conformity, Ukraine, brewer beard/metal shirt combo, collaborations etc. . .) can help pay the bills. Its not just for Corona commercials (beach fun lifestyle brand).

You probably shouldn't go into a career of beer brewing if your primary goal is to get rich. Econ 101 supply/demand discussion here.

 

My local brewery closed last year. Womp womp.

 

In north Spokane, there's a taphouse that turned into a brewery.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29079/

 

Yes, that's happening a bit around here. I like it, too. I appreciate having events (bingo, trivia, yoga, etc.), food/snacks, and options beyond beer. I welcome it. We have a brewery on every corner and most are at least halfway decent thanks to the amount of competition. The little side stuff (and food truck schedule) is an extra motivator to get me in the door when most other things are equal.