Mediocre local brewer opens 2nd location

I'm totally with you on the vapidness of "smooth." I too have noticed it used exactly as you describe and share that pet peeve.

 

This is a perfect example imo. I’m just seeing that Natty Greens in downtown Greensboro is investing $800,000 in a complete renovation of their 3 floor facility. This is only my opinion here, but they are the epitome of a brewer of average at best beers, but they’re in a great location, beautiful facilities, imo great food and they’re very well attended. So the beer imo is average, but it’s a great location to enjoy a cold beer especially on the patio. So there’s more to a breweries success than just the beer, the enjoyment factor is really the driving force, because they like do the beers, and they check every other box on anyone list. So good for them, there’s thousands who prove everyday my opinion is in the minority.

 

I'm curious about whether these successful marginal-beer breweries (or maybe average in this case) might also have wine or spirits available to keep the customers interested?

@nc41, how in the hell does a third floor brewery have a patio? How much did you have to drink when you were there?

 

He wrote "3 floor," not "3rd floor," so I assume he meant the brewery has three stories, and I assume the patio is outside the first floor. Also, rooftop patios are very popular, so a third floor patio is entirely plausible (although I doubt that's to what he's referring in this case).

In Minnesota, taprooms aren't allowed to serve guest taps, wine, or liquor.* That doesn't stop many taprooms that make what I consider to be mediocre-or-worse beer from being apparently successful (based on crowds). I've also seen some very good breweries fail because of bad location, mismanagement, etc. I wish people could accept that the quality of beer simply is not a major factor in brewery success, especially in the era of taproom-oriented breweries; at least it tends to be overwhelmed by other factors.

* Brewpubs are, but there are far more taprooms than brewpubs.

I'll also note that some very poor breweries -- breweries that make fault-riddled beer -- are very popular among beer geeks and get great ratings because they emphasize the requisite sexy styles and have atmospheres to match. Now, in fairness, such breweries are indeed to a degree succeeding because of the beer (although I think the trendy atmosphere, hip staff, urban settings, and with-it social media and other marketing also are sine qua non of their success), but it's not because the beer is "good" but rather because it connects with their customer base even if it's not good. But the same may well be true for old-fashioned craft beer styles, even if amateurishly executed or with bland results, connecting with a small-town customer base. In other words, the people who are declaring beer to be "good" or "bad" themselves are being influenced by factors beyond the beer when making those declarations.

Added: Why does there seem to be such a strong correlation between hip setting/atmosphere/marketing and beer ratings? Is it because the people who make the best beer also are the hippest people, that somehow trendiness and brewing skill go hand-in-hand? Is it that, regardless of the fundamental quality of the beer being brewed, those are the breweries that are connecting with the palate preferences of those who rate beer at that moment? Is it that people who rate beer, although they're rarely willing to admit it, are heavily susceptible to the influence of factors beyond the beer that make the brewery seem cool and they allow those factors to influence their ratings? I think the first possibility I suggested is laughably improbable and the reality lies in some combination of the latter explanations.

 

I'm guessing non-BA members like it. I mean, Bud Light is still the best selling beer in the country, and few of us would call it a great beer.

Same reason McDonalds sells the most hamburgers. It's not because they're the best, but people still eat them like crazy.

 

Your theory is very possible but I would not be surprised if cash flow were better than you perceived. I'd store sales were a small part of their sales and most went out through their taproom then those are great margins, especially on the simpler styles you mentioned and (apparently) not springing for a top notch brewer.
If the owner is also a savvy business person and/or has a good relationship with a bank, it's not hard to imagine getting funding to open the new location. Without seeing their books we can only speculate, but I think that a small taproom that doesn't appear especially busy can still turn some solid numbers.