Beer "categories"?

How about "Premium", "Domestic" and "Imported"

Seriously, what kind of establishment & clientele do you have?

 

The only four I can come with is.

Hop forward
Malt Forward
Yeast dominant
sours and flavored beers

I would be shocked though if they are anywhere near equal in numbers for a nice 4 page list.

 

Basically, don't do what you have planned. It will force too great generalisations. Have more than section per page. Organize first by style, then by country. Put lighter styles first.

 

I always found it interesting how Michael Jackson organized his book Ultimate Beer (aka "Beer" in the UK). Click on the link and then on Amazon's LOOK INSIDE feature, and see page 5, CONTENTS -Seasonal Beers, Sociable Beers, Party Greeters, Thirst Quenchers, Restoratives, Winter Warmers, Nightcaps & Aperitifs.

 

Why don't you want to do it by styles? Anyway do it by the food you serve, best with steak, best with fish, ect.

 

Do it Geographical. USA, Domestic (for you CANADA), European etc etc... seems like that will be a safe bet and cover the educated and novice alike...

 

If it is good enough for the wine stores....

 

Just organize them by alphabetically by country, then by brewery, then the beers themselves. Or organize them by style and list them alphabetically according to the brewery.

 

Hoppy, Dark, Malty?

 

Ugh... I really dislike places that do wine or beer like this.


If you are set on dividing into 4, then I would divide it into Hop Forward, Malt Forward, Balanced, Other (sours, fruit, etc)
Then I would list under these in order of Style (generally lighter first), then Brewery (also list the country)

 

Light Hoppy
Hoppy
Dark Malty
Dark & Roasty
All Others for an optional 5th header for a catch-all that is organized by styles

 

Go with what your anticipated patrons will likely understand most. You have got to play to your clientele. A beer list for this crowd would likely be different than those for an average restaurant crowd. In addition, a format that is inexpensive and easy to change if you plan a lot of rotation. ACCURATE and UPDATED are a must if looking to cater to a real knowledgeable crowd.

I just hate it when I spot that gem and am told it kicked two days ago .

Canadian
American Micro
American Macro (if you serve that)
European

 

How about asking some of your regular clientèle for input?

 

Check out ChurchKey's beer list for a great example.

http://churchkeydc.com/documents/ONLINEDRAFTSATURDAY12-13-14.pdf

 

I think style is the best way to organize a beer menu
and you can put more than one category per page which would give you more options

 

I think the best places just do it by brewery or style. I'm being a little vague, but reds/ambers, browns/scotch ales, apas/ips/dipas, porters/stouts, sours/fruit, imports/Belgians, other. Something like that

 

Most of (if not all of) the chain of restaurants in the group do it like this. I do like the idea, but it may leave some room for interpretation, and not for all places. Combining the Hopppy/Malt Forward etc. concept with something along the lines of color I think is a happy medium. I tend to expect different things from a malt forward paler beer and a malt forward dark beer. Unfortunately, that'd likely leave you with more than 4 categories.

 

style is good, but you can get creative with it. for example you could break down IPA's into; Fruity,balanced, And Hop Bomb (i wouldn't think using the word "bitter is a great idea) . With stouts you could do; Sweet and Roasty, etc.

 

This seems reasonable, and it doesn't seem vague when trying to limit the categories.

When your clientele ask questions, how are they framed? Do they ask based on color? dominant profile? drinkability? region? If there is a pattern you can think of, you can organize it that way. Then couple that with your staff knowledge base. Are they adept at description? Do they know what a customer wants when they ask in vague descriptions like thick?