Lines at Taprooms: Your Experience

I could be way off base here, but I am thinking it could be a combination of perceived freshness, economics, and convenience. In terms of popularity, taprooms seem to be the "thing to do" so, there is that at play, too. If enough hype is drummed up, people will wait in line.

Some people may ask themselves "why go to a restaurant and pay a little extra for a beer on tap, plus likely spend money on food, and tip on top of that, when I can go directly to the brewery, get a growler/bunch of cans, and enjoy at home...this is the convenience and economic piece.

One interesting note: I was talking to a local taproom employee, and he brought up a good point about hours...why do we close at 5? Simple: we do not want to compete with the restaurants we distribute our kegs to.

 

I doubt this is unique to MA. Pretty much all the brewery taprooms I've been to across the US are packed on a weekend. Seems like a brewery is the preferred place to hang out if you just want to drink.

 

I go to mystic all the time. It gets busy but never to the point of a line. If I go to a tap room and it is too busy for my liking I just try again at a different time or don't go back. I don't do taproom lines.

There are still plenty of taprooms with great beer and either faster service or less crowds. They get my business.

 

I avoid the Nightshift taproom most of the time now because of the lines and crowds, even with their expanded bar area I just find it unpleasantly cramped. I do appreciate that the doorman will let you cut the line if you are just picking up beer to-go.

I've tried going to Lamplighter twice but bailed because of the lines (Lord Hobo & CBC are right there!). I've also run into regular lines at Aeronaut (even after they expanded their capacity) and Boneup (which is a tiny taproom). I haven't yet seen a line at Winter Hill but it can be a long wait for a table if you want to eat something. I've never seen a line at Idle Hands, Mystic, Bantam or Slumbrew. Idle Hands and Mystic are getting most of my taproom business these days. (Both have easy parking too!)

 

I have no problems with lines at a brewery since i'm typically just there to get beer to go. I wait in line at the grocery store, i wait in line at liqour stores, i dont see why a line to buy beer at a brewery is such a big deal, especially for brewery exclusive stuff. I think the biggest line i've seen and the only one i walked out on was at Night Shift, and i only walked out because i was really in the area to fill a growler at Bone Up.
It's funny OP mentions the bars being empty because in my limited experience going to bars they're packed on the weekend evenings and there's no line to order, just a mob at the bar competing to get the bartenders attention.

 

I buy my night shift a beer store. No lines.

 

I don't care for brewery lines/crowds at all. I'll only go to Nightshift during a period I know it's not busy - so pretty much never nowadays. Even the Harpoon Beerhall was a mob scene on a recent Monday night.

Happened to be in Lynn yesterday afternoon and visited the Bent Water taproom - nice chill space, not crowded, and sneaky good beer.

 

Might be unique to MA because of how new the taproom laws are. There's a less-than-three-year-old BA thread on "the new Farmer Series pouring permit that MA introduced last year" [July 2013]: https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/full-pours-at-ma-breweries.165780/

It kind of seems like forever ago now, but it's all fairly new. I thought places like Lamplighter, Exhibit A, Bone Up were opening into a too-crowded brewery market, but there's clearly still a ton of demand for new taprooms.

Anecdotally, I stopped at Aeronaut last Saturday when I assumed it wouldn't be busy to grab a growler, around 4:00 PM, and ended up in a line. Bouncer told me they've hit capacity at between 1:30-2:15 PM each of the four Saturdays prior to that.

I swear Night Shift is also more crowded every time I go.

 

This all seems like a fairly recent issue, almost like something snapped when the calendar changed to 2017. Lines at Aeronaut were nearly unheard of not that long ago. I had never waited in a line at Night Shift until a couple few ago - And they've even ditched the picnic tables for narrower little beer hall style tables to fit more people!

Perhaps the increase of things to do at tasting rooms has added to the "activity" aspect of going, rather than just going to chill and drink? What self-respecting tap room doesn't have arcade games, corn hole, or the like nowadays?

 

I think it's an awareness thing compounded by the proliferation of full pour taprooms.

Each time a new brewery opens with a taproom, it expands the awareness of brewery taprooms being cool places to hangout in general.

I have beer friends and non-beer friends who just happen to be yuppies. The non-beer friends make more plans to meet at breweries to hang out after an activity (seeing a movie, getting dinner, going rock climbing/hiking, etc.) than the beer friends do (who tend to go on more "pilgrimage" visits or go to new beer releases). This trend accelerated with the openings of Winter Hill and Lamplighter.

If you're not eating, taprooms often offer a superior experience than bars. In general, they're often new with nice decor. It's usually a "cool" crowd: People who hang at taprooms are often the same people who hang at cafes. Prices are mostly reasonable compared to beer bars. There's no pressure to dance or club it up like you're 21. You have a connection to the beer you're drinking since you're drinking it in the place it's made.

 

Just a .02 anecdote from an outsider, I visited Boston/areas around last year and planned to stop by Nightshift. Given its decent seating size (outside also) we were really surprised we had to wait 10-15 mins by the door to get in like it was a club.
I assumed maybe it was just random bad luck/timing as lines to get in taprooms are not really a common thing here & in our surrounding areas.

 

We are constantly humbled by the number of people that visit us. Between 2-4pm on Saturday and Sunday are always our peak business hours at Night Shift. Its a fun time to be there then but if that's not your thing there are plenty of times when its not like that. We thought nearly doubling the size of the taproom would help get everyone inside but the weekend lines are still the normal. The line usually move pretty fast and is often no more than 10 minute wait even if it looks long. With so many people there is a constant rotation of people in and out.

If you are looking for mellow times to visit - early in the week is best. On weekends - when we open at 11am or later in the evening is best.

And like someone mentioned - if you come to NSB and its packed but you want beer to go. Ask the door person for the hall pass and you can come in get some beer to go without waiting in line outside.

 

All of us on here are the ones contributing to the issue.

The true issue is that most of the beer produced in these breweries that people truly want draft is sporadic and hard to find in a setting that offers more then one option.

Sure I can get Bissell around me. But I prefer to take the trip to the brewery so I can have one of 8 or so that on tap that day. 90% of the time it's just subby around town(which aint so bad) I'd rather go to Trillium then hunt down a tap line somewhere around the area.

The tap room culture has also evolved and it's not coincidence each brewery put a good deal of effort into keeping your attention while there. Colors, pictures, art, music, creative décor, games, pet friendly, etc.

At a tap room your going to eliminate (for the most part) Shit beer swilling drunks, people taking room for food and wine/spirits, limits due to tables, space issues(you can literally stand anywhere in a tap room and its not weird), "shoooots, get us some shotsssss, seriously," hard drinks that take to long to say and even longer to order.

Also, I'll add that the majority of what people bitch about are the lines on a Friday evening, Saturday or Sunday and to some extent Thursday. Also if you are talking about anywhere in a city, you chose to live in a city. Traffic and lines are the norm. But unfortunately for most of us 9-5rs and people like me who prefer to be in the gym during the week rather then in tap rooms, the weekends are when we cluster.

What I can guarantee you for sure, is the lines will only get longer with time. Canton, is a perfect example. It's become a zoo there on weekends. Which I think is fucking awesome.

A tap room gets right to the fucking point.

End thread, you're welcome

 

Agree with you on most of this.

I too have been drinking craft since around 2003(obviously other have to an extent longer) But you have to understand that craft was not, by any means, what it is now. I actually miss the days of picking out sixers at the stores and just trying new things. My preferences and purchases have become so much more focused. There wasn't much for tap rooms here in the Northeast. I would visit them on trips in CA and the west coast I guess, but I can't think of many here. But brewery tours were always popular. Maybe not the 100,000's that Sam is pushing through each year but breweries always had a pull to them, still often being people from outside of the craft world.

Then came social media...the rest is history. If anything, you can blame multiple forms of instant social media for the popularity.

Your last line answered the original issue.

 

Trigger warning. I'm going to put on my Jon Taffer hat here and say it has something to do with these places doing a better job of attracting women to show up and hang out. Just speaking anecdotally. But consider the difference in crowd between some of the more hardcore DIPA slinging breweries vs. balanced menu brewpubs with ciders, fruit beers, and side activities with bag toss, arcade machines, etc.

 

Yes, social media sure. But the laws changed too. In CT, breweries weren't allowed to sell beer for on-site consumption until 2012.

 

I agree that breweries are working harder to be all inclusive. Both gender and family friendly to an extent. I also think that progressiveness in the world is working in favor of beer specifically as it's not just your "grandfathers suds" these days. Think about it, the way the old beer days are talked about it's as if women had an aversion to beer or something, which is f'ng crazy. If anything the macro brands STILL work to market specifically to women with bottle shape, ads, strategic marketing attempts. But the juicy/fruity hops found in the IPA craze now is actually also a lot easier to get the masses into craft(men or women) then tryin to convince them some brown ale or lager was something they had to try.

Having a wife and daughter I don't see any reason this can't be talked about. But, there is still to an extent sometimes the gentlemen's club vibe in some brewery concept and art. Then again, it's a private business. I don't tell you how to run it. I think it's awesome to see groups of guys and girls at the tap rooms. I do think that cultural shift is much more recent.

Make no joke about it but Sam Adams has really powerful and impactful women in key strategic position at BBC. They have all through the years. It's so powerful and cool to see.