Beer | KRG Hospitality

February 22, 2023by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

Do Super Bowl Ads Work on Consumers?

Do Super Bowl Ads Work on Consumers?

by David Klemt

One of the biggest Super Bowl ad winners is Pepsi Zero Sugar.

Brands spent hundreds of millions of dollars to advertise during Super Bowl LVII, but do their ads actually translate to demand for their products?

A week ago we shared our ten favorite beverage-focused Big Game ads. Along with those ads we shared some numbers.

One of those numbers was $7 million, the cost of a 30-second Super Bowl ad on Fox. Other numbers? $500 million and $700 million, the range of revenue it’s estimated that Fox generated this year from Super Bowl ads.

At this point, these ads and the Halftime Show have essentially become their own entities. Some people watch the Big Game for the ads, some for the show halfway through. It stands to reason that brands are well aware of this development. So, they try to create the most impactful ad possible in the hopes of generating consumer demand.

In other words, these brands aren’t spending all this money just so they’re commercial can be deemed cool. Sure, brands want that buzz. But they also want an ROI on the millions they spend.

The big question is, then, are they seeing a return? Well, it just so happens that behavioral insight platform Veylinx has a data-driven answer to that question.

In short, the answer is yes. Of course, it’s a nuanced yes. For example, it appears Gen Z doesn’t care much about Super Bowl ads, as you’ll see below. Also, non-advertisers in the same categories as Super Bowl advertisers appear to see a benefit from the ads.

You’ll learn more from the Veylinx press release below. It’s an interesting read with valuable data for restaurant, bar, and hotel operators.

NEW YORK, Feb. 22, 2023 — A new study from behavioral research company Veylinx determined whether or not Super Bowl commercials boost consumer demand for the products advertised. The results show that 2023 Super Bowl advertising fueled a 6.4% increase in demand among viewers.

The overall increase in consumer demand was driven by women, who accounted for a 21% increase in demand growth. The commercials had minimal impact on men, yielding just 1% demand growth for the brands tested. Gen Z viewers were largely unimpressed by the Super Bowl ads, with demand among 18 to 25 year olds actually shrinking by 1%.

“It’s not really a surprise to see that Super Bowl ads improve sales, but the short term bump alone may not be enough to justify the $7 million price tag,” said Veylinx founder and CEO Anouar El Haji.

Using Veylinx’s proprietary methodology—which measures actual demand rather than intent—the study tested purchase behavior during the week before the Super Bowl and again the week after. The research focused on measuring the change in consumer demand for eight brands with Super Bowl ads: Michelob Ultra, Heineken 0.0%, Hellmann’s Mayo, Downy Unstopables, Crown Royal Whisky, Frito-Lay PopCorners, Pringles and Pepsi Zero Sugar.

Super Bowl Advertising Winners Overall

Michelob Ultra – 19% increase in demand

Pepsi Zero Sugar – 18% increase in demand

Frito-Lay PopCorners – 12% increase in demand

Heineken 0.0% – 11% increase in demand

Super Bowl Advertising Winners Among Women

Pepsi Zero Sugar – 45% increase in demand

Michelob Ultra – 40% increase in demand

Heineken 0.0% – 40% increase in demand

Crown Royal Whisky – 26% increase in demand

Halo Effect for Non-Advertisers

The biggest winners were arguably brands in the same product categories as Super Bowl advertisers. Non-advertisers in those categories appeared to benefit nearly as much as the advertisers: demand grew by 4.2% percent for the study’s control group of non-advertising competitors. Corona Extra, Kraft Mayo and Lay’s STAX were the greatest beneficiaries in a control group that also included Budweiser Zero, Arm & Hammer Clean Scentsations, Canadian Club Whisky, Popchips, and Coke Zero Sugar. Notably, every non-advertiser saw at least a slight increase in post-Super Bowl demand.

“The goal of our study was to look specifically at how consumer demand is affected by running a commercial during the Super Bowl,” El Haji said. “It’s possible that the non-advertisers deployed other marketing efforts to offset or take advantage of the Super Bowl advertising—or they simply benefited from increased exposure for their categories.”

Additional Findings

Study participants also answered a series of follow-up questions about their preferences, perceptions and how they watched the Super Bowl. More than three-quarters watched at home through various platforms, the most popular being the live cable/satellite broadcast (38%), followed by YouTube TV (15%) and Hulu (10%). When asked why they watched, it’s no surprise that participants were all about the game (64%)—but the commercials were the next most popular reason for watching (39%), followed by halftime (35%), the social aspect (26%) and fear of missing out (13%).

About the Research

Veylinx studied the behavior of 1,610 U.S. consumers pre- and post- Super Bowl LVII. Unlike typical surveys where consumers are simply asked about their purchase intent, Veylinx measures whether consumers will pay for a product through a real bidding process. Consumers reveal their true willingness to pay by placing sealed bids on products and then answering follow-up questions.

For more information about the study and the Veylinx methodology, visit info.veylinx.com/super-bowl

About Veylinx

Veylinx is the most realistic behavioral insights platform for confidently answering critical business questions during all stages of product innovation. To reliably predict demand, Veylinx captures insights through a Nobel Prize-winning approach in which consumers have real skin in the game. This is a major advance from traditional market research practices that rely on what consumers say they would hypothetically buy. Veylinx’s unique research methodology is trusted by the world’s largest and most innovative consumer goods companies.

Main article image: PepsiCo / Article body images: Veylinx

February 14, 2023by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

Top X Super Bowl LVII Beverage Ads

Top X Super Bowl LVII Beverage Ads

by David Klemt

As everyone knows by now, the commercials that air during the Super Bowl are nearly as big a draw as the game itself and its famous Halftime Show.

But before we get into the ads, congratulations to the 2023 Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs!

Of course, we can’t help but feel a bit of a sting. With an office in the great city of Philadelphia, we were cheering on the Eagles.

However, I think Super Bowl LVII featured one of the best matchups in the championships recent history. Also, I feel confident in saying that I expect Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles to fight there way to another Super Bowl in the near future.

Super Bowl Ads

Big Game ads are famous—perhaps infamous—in part because of the cost for a 30-second commercial.

Per reporting, the price of a Super Bowl LVII ad was set at $7 million. That’s double the cost in comparison to 2012. A 30-second commercial cost $3.5 million during Super Bowl 46.

In other words, brands spend huge dollars on Big Game commercials, with the price increasing each year. After doing some digging, I found that anywhere from 70 to 100 ads will run during the Super Bowl. Assuming $7 million per ad, that’s just shy of $500 million to $700 million in ad revenue.

Companies wouldn’t spend that kind of money if they didn’t expect a healthy ROI. In fact, if you sell any of the items below you may see a sales bump.

And if you don’t sell some of the products below, you may want to consider doing so. That’s why knowing your guests, collecting data, and listening to what guests would like to see on your menu are so important.

Sure, some guests are brand loyal and don’t want to try new products. But there are plenty who are easily influenced by ads and seek out the products they see on their screens.

Bud Light: “Hold: Easy to Drink, Easy to Enjoy”

This would be my favorite Super Bowl ad if Crown Royal’s “Thank You, Canada” commercial didn’t exist.

The ad below is a worthy runner up.

Busch Light: “Cold + Smooth Survival Skills”

Crown Royal: “Thank You, Canada”

Personally, this is my favorite of the Super Bowl LVII beverage ads. Given that KRG Hospitality’s global headquarters is located in Toronto, Ontario, this shouldn’t come as a surprise.

I have to wonder how many people’s heads exploded when Dave Grohl thanked Canada for basketball and football as North Americans know it.

Heineken 0.0: “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”

Michelob Ultra: “New Members Day”

Michelob Ultra: “Full Swing Gossip”

Miller Lite vs. Coors Lite vs. Blue Moon: “The High Stakes Beer Ad (Extended Version)”

If John Wick weren’t a loyal bourbon drinker, he’d probably appreciate this commercial the most. Of course, that would require John Wick to be a real person…

Still, excellent fight choreography, and you have to love Blue Moon’s strategy.

Rémy Martin: “Inch by Inch”

Pepsi Zero Sugar: “Great Acting or Great Taste feat. Ben Stiller”

Pepsi Zero Sugar: “Great Acting or Great Taste feat. Steve Martin”

There you have ’em! Which ad is your favorite?

Image: Dave Weatherall on Unsplash

January 4, 2023by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

Celebrating the Baltic Porter

Celebrating the Baltic Porter

by David Klemt

In just over two weeks we celebrate a rich, dark beer style with sweet malty characteristics that traces its history back to the 18th century.

Once a favorite among the working class in London, Baltic Porter is seeing a resurgence. This is, unsurprisingly, driven largely by interest from the craft beer world.

Tracing its own history to 2016, Baltic Porter Day celebrates its namesake beer. The beer holiday takes place every third Saturday in January. So, this year we celebrate Baltic Porter Day on January 21.

That should give operators enough time to prepare. One of the best ways to drive interest in this holiday—and beer style in general—is to look into local breweries. Craft breweries, brewpubs, and microbreweries around the world release Baltic Porters to celebrate this holiday.

Locality and hyper-locality are, as we know, important to many guests. That makes it a smart move to develop relationships with local brewers, distillers, farmers, vintners, etc.

Operators who don’t yet have those relationships need to commit to changing that this year. And, hey, Baltic Porter Day is an excellent reason to begin that change and approach local brewers.

What’s Baltic Porter?

In the 1700s, high-hop Pale Ale wore the beer crown in England. However, some small breweries made a run at the throne. They wanted to see a dark beer on top.

So, according to some beer historians, brewers looking to take on Pale Ale began with sweet brown beer. The beer was higher-hopped, dark, and higher alcohol with cocoa, chocolate, and coffee notes.

Porter was born, named for the working class people who embraced it: dock and street workers.

Eventually, the production and reach of Porter of small brewers was overtaken by larger breweries. This is largely due to maturation time, which translates to higher costs; it can take six to twelve months for a Porter to mature.

Over time, Porter found its way to Northern Europe, including Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Those three countries are known as the Baltic states.

Brewers in those countries tried their hand at Porter production. Importantly, Baltic state brewers put their own spins on Porter. Notably, they replaced ale yeast with lager yeast.

Additional changes include replacing British hops with Baltic hops, and blending pale and dark malts. Baltic brewers roasted the malts in a drum kiln. The invention, created by Daniel Wheeler, allowed brewers to roast malts without burning them.

The Baltic Porter was born.

Characteristics of Baltic Porter

Curious operators and teams can find the official Beer Judge Certification Program guidelines for the this style here.

As a quick summary, the following are keys to Baltic Porter:

Appearance: Opaque dark brown to dark reddish-copper. Not black in appearance.
Aroma: Rich, malty sweetness with some dark malt characteristics. No hops on the aroma.
Flavor: A roasted but not burnt flavor. Rich, malty sweetness. Caramel, nuttiness, toffee, molasses. Dried fruit and alcohol.
Mouthfeel: Medium to medium-high carbonation keeps the beer from feeling “heavy” on the tongue. Smooth but full-bodied.
Finish: Licorice or roast coffee.

Since this beer tends to range in ABV from 6.5 to 9.5 percent, it’s wise to serve this beer with food. Think hearty fare, like barbecue, chili, and burgers, and Gouda as a cheese pairing.

Of course, local brewers should be able to offer up their own ideas for food pairings. After all, they know their beer better than anyone else.

As some sources note, people often serve Baltic Porter in a snifter. However, a pint glass is perfectly acceptable for this beer style.

Image: Peter Fischer from Pixabay

November 18, 2022by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

Is There Demand for Non-alcohol?

As the Holidays Approach, is There Demand for Non-alcohol?

by David Klemt

There’s no denying that non-alcohol is a growing beverage category, but does the data support the hype and operator consideration?

A report by behavioral research firm Veylinx offers compelling insight into non-alcohol and consumers.

By now, there’s really no excuse for failing to give non-alc serious consideration. When planning menus, operators should treat non-alc as much more than an afterthought.

Admitting fully that I’m repeating myself, giving alcohol-free beverages the same attention as their full-proof counterparts is crucial. Doing so is smart business; non-alc is capable of driving traffic and revenue.

And then there’s the guest experience element of the non-alc equation. Hospitality is about service, about ensuring every guest is comfortable. Giving guests who are abstaining from alcohol consumption a different experience than others isn’t hospitality—it’s alienation. Not only is that the antithesis of hospitality, it’s bad business.

Reviewing Veylinx data shows that non-alc is worthy of operators’ time and consideration. In my opinion, it’s even more important that non-alc menus and offerings be dialed in now. After all, the end-of-year holidays on our doorsteps.

The infamous Busiest Bar Night of the Year is nearly here. From November 23 through New Year’s Eve, people will be meeting up with family and friends. Many will also be seeking an escape from the stress of those gathering and the holidays.

Non-alcohol by the Numbers

One of the most important points made by Veylinx is this: Abstinence from alcohol isn’t limited to “social media” events like Dry January and Sober October.

Rather, consumers are choosing to abstain from alcohol throughout the year for myriad reasons. Specifically, Veylinx data reveals that more than 75 percent of Americans have abstained from alcohol consumption at some point for at least one moment.

Further, 46 percent of Americans plan to reduce their consumption of alcohol “right now.” As in, the holidays may be upon us but they’re actively working on a plan to drink less, not more.

Two major factors motivating this behavioral change are mental well-being and physical health. In service of those factors, more than half of LDA drinkers in America plan to replace beverage alcohol with non-alc beverages.

Interestingly, Veylinx finds that these consumers will pay more for non-alc alternatives in comparison to the general population.

Drilling down further, this shift in consumer behavior appears to be driven by a handful of consumer types:

21- to 35-year-old consumers;
“light” drinkers; and
consumers who have set aside alcohol consumption for one month or more.

Speaking of the first group, demand for RTDs is 48 percent greater in comparison to those aged 35 or older. Add CBD to RTD and the demand among the 21 to 35 cohort grows by 18 percent.

However, not all non-alc growth comes from the 21-to-35 group. Non-alc beverages with mood boosters see an increase in demand from the 35-plus group of 29 percent.

In short, if an operator is ignoring the non-alc consumer, they’re harming their own business and reputation. Alcohol-free RTDs, cocktails, beer, and wine are growing.

Savvy operators will leverage that growth.

Image: Helena Yankovska via Unsplash

October 24, 2022by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

Learn to Homebrew Day Returns on Nov. 5

Learn to Homebrew Day Returns on November 5

by David Klemt

On Saturday, November 5, the American Homebrewers Association and brewing and fermenting fans will celebrate the 24th annual Learn to Homebrew Day.

If you’re not familiar with this holiday, it’s not difficult to understand or participate. As the name implies, Learn to Homebrew Day is about learning how to brew beer at home. More accurately, it’s about learning the science and process of brewing beer yourself.

Participation is simple: All participants follow the same recipe, which the American Homebrewers Association (AHA) provides. This year, the recipe will (perhaps “should” is more apt, depending on your ability to follow instructions) produce one gallon of Hoppy Amber Ale.

According to Northwest Beer Guide, this ale sends Amber into the IPA space and is a great brew for experts and neophytes alike.

Learn to Brew

Established in 1999, Learn to Homebrew Day isn’t difficult in terms of taking part. In fact, pledging to participate also gets you $5 off an annual AHA membership.

One perk that caught my eye is access to a database of myriad homebrew recipes, including ciders and meads.

For this year’s holiday, the AHA provides the recipe. Additionally, the association provides several resources to help homebrewers, inluding:

tutorials, such as “All-Grain (Batch Sparge) Homebrewing” and “All-Grain (Brew in a Bag) Homebrewing.”
lists of must-have and nice-to-have brewing equipment;
a search engine to help participants find necessary equipment in their area; and
a link to the Facebook page for Grainfather, a manufacturer of top-quality, technologically enhanced smart homebrew equipment.

Speaking of social media, make sure to follow the AHA on Instagram ahead of November 5.

Interestingly, while the AHA has “American” in its name, there are international participants. According to the AHA website:

there are, as of October 23, 147 people pledging to participate;
the 147 participants are from nine countries;
participants span 36 states and territories;
and participants have pledge to brew 925 gallons.

Why Participate

So, let’s say you’ve never brewed your own beer at home. “Why,” you may be asking yourself, “should I take part in Learn to Homebrew Day this year?”

One good reason is that if you’re reading this, you likely play a role in the food and beverage. Beer, of course, is a huge part of the F&B world. And there’s no arguing that craft beer and microbrews are very important to many restaurants and bars.

Gaining the ability to understand and speak intelligently about the products you sell is of great benefit to all F&B and hospitality professionals. Today’s guest knows much more than they ever have before. Many want to engage the front-of-house team members who serve them about what they’re consuming.

If you’re an operator or leader of the membership team—particularly of a venue with a serious focus on beer—encourage your teams to take part. There’s no downside to gaining knowledge of and experience with the products they serve to guests.

Another great reason to participate? It’s going to be fun. That may seem like a shallow or flippant reason. But think about this: How many stories of craft brewers, craft breweries, brewpubs, and taprooms start with trying out homebrewing?

Learn to Homebrew Day may just spark your next great idea. That idea may be kicking off your microbrewery or brewpub ownership adventure.

If you love (or even just like) beer, follow this link to learn more about Learn to Homebrew Day. Happy brewing!

Image: by George Cox on Unsplash

September 12, 2022by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

Are You Ready for Oktoberfest 2022?

Are You Ready for Oktoberfest 2022?

by David Klemt

Oktoberfest, one of the single best beer events and promotions operators can program for, kicks off on September 17 and goes through October 3.

Impressively, this year represents the 187th Oktoberfest. Of course, this would be the 189th Oktoberfest if Covid-19 hadn’t forced Munich to hit pause on the celebration.

At noon Central European Summer Time, Orktoberfest will tap the first keg. Then, Munich’s Lord Mayor Dieter Reiter will declare, “O’Zapft is!” The Bavarian phrase translates to, “It is tapped!” (For you linguistics nerds out there, the phrase is, “Es ist angezapft!” in German.)

In America, that means Oktoberfest will kick off at 1 AM HAST, 2 AM AKDT, 3 AM PT, 4 AM MT, 5 AM CT, 6 AM ET or 7 AM AST.

For Canada, those times are 3 AM PT, 4 AM MT, 5 AM CT, 6 AM ET, 7:30 AM NT.

Clearly, that’s pretty early for most people to start drinking beer. But hey, if you’re in a market like Las Vegas there may be people who want to kick off Oktoberfest at your bar at 3:00 in the morning.

The Official Oktoberfest Breweries

You may have heard that there are rules about which breweries can actually be at Oktoberfest. Well, that’s not a rumor.

To clarify, just six breweries in Munich can serve beer at this world-famous event. Those six breweries are:

Augustiner
Hacker-Pschorr
Hofbräu
Löwenbräu
Paulaner
Spaten

So, why does Oktoberfest limit the event to just these breweries? Essentially, this move is to ensure that this Munich-based event remains a Munich-based event.

Luckily, it’s not too difficult for operators to get their hands on Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, and Spaten. Really, it just depends on the relationship an operator has with distributors the region in which they operate.

Oktoberfest Outside of Munich

Of course, an operator need not serve only the official Munich beers to celebrate Oktoberfest wherever they’re located.

Plenty of brewers outside of Munich brew seasonal Oktoberfest (or Octoberfest, as it were) beers. For example:

Bell’s
Brooklyn Brewery
Founders
Great Lakes
Jack’s Abby
Sam Adams
Sierra Nevada
Summit Brewing
Warsteiner

And when it comes to food programming, the Munich event serves some delicious bites. It should go without saying that yes, the following pair well with beer:

Roast chicken
Roast pork
Pounded, breaded thin cuts of meat (schnitzel)
Sausages
Brats
Pretzels
Tarte flambée (flammkuchen)
Potato pancakes (kartoffelpuffer)
German potato salad
German “cottage fries” or fried potatoes (bratkartoffeln)
Sauerkraut
German beer cheese spread (obatzda)
German red cabbage (rotkohl/blaukraut)

Truly, this is an amazing time of year. Just over two weeks of great beer and delicious comfort food.

To learn more about this annual celebration of beer, visit the official Oktoberfest website.

Image: Kurt Liebhaeuser on Unsplash

September 5, 2022by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

5 Books to Read this Month: September 2022

5 Books to Read this Month: September 2022

by David Klemt

This month’s engaging and informative book selections will help you develop next-level leadership skills and dial in your drink menu.

To review August’s book recommendations, click here.

Let’s jump in!

Your Restaurant Culture Sucks!: Stop surviving. Start thriving. Escape mediocrity

Donald Burns, the Restaurant Coach and friend of KRG Hospitality, completes his Your Restaurant Sucks! trilogy. For the third book in the self-improvement and hospitality industry leadership series, Burns tackles culture.

In Your Restaurant Culture Sucks!, Burns helps owners, operators, and leadership team members understand the importance of workplace and company culture. Instead of complaining that “nobody wants to work anymore,” look inside and find out why perhaps nobody wants to work for you. That kind of honesty helps implement real change, change that sets you apart and improves recruitment, hiring, and retention.

“All restaurants can buy from the same vendors and hire from the same labor pool. What separates the good, from the great to the outstanding is culture!”

Subtract

Sometimes changing our outlook and improving our leadership skills is about streamlining.

“We pile on ‘to-dos’ but don’t consider ‘stop-doings.’ We create incentives for good behavior, but don’t get rid of obstacles to it. We collect new-and-improved ideas, but don’t prune the outdated ones. Every day, across challenges big and small, we neglect a basic way to make things better: we don’t subtract.”

With Subtract, Leidy Klotz explains how changing how we approach solutions can be life changing. Maybe we need to stop adding and start subtracting to improve our strategies.

Cure: New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ’Em from the Award-Winning Bar

If you travel to New Orleans and you’re in this industry, you probably make sure to include Cure on your itinerary. For more than a decade this 2018 James Beard Award winner (Outstanding Bar Program) has been integral to the city’s craft cocktail scene.

Whether you’re after a deceptively simple beer and shot or a cocktail made with a rare, allocated bourbon, Cure is there to elevate your French Quarter visit. And soon you’ll be able to bring Cure home with you, and to your restaurant or bar as well. Available now for preorder, Cure includes 100 cocktail recipes that tell the tale of NOLA from past, present, and future.

Craft Beer Design: The Design, Illustration and Branding of Contemporary Breweries

Anyone who pauses to consider beer can design knows that it’s becoming nearly as important as the liquid. With thousands of breweries all over the US alone, how does a brewer stand out? How does a small, independent craft brewer grab a potential new customer’s attention in a sea of options? In part, through their can designs. Of course the beer itself is crucial and the most important element. However, a consumer has to be motivated to try a beer before they learn how good it tastes.

Craft Beer Design dives deep into craft beer design, featuring real-world examples and interviews with the designers themselves.

Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know

Curiosity keeps us learning. The pursuit of knowledge keeps us sharp. Learning helps us improve ourselves, our leadership, and our operations. The belief that we’ve learned all there is to know, however, prevents us from learning to our own detriment.

Much like Subtract teaches us how to remove rather than add, Think Again proposes a new approach: unlearning and rethinking. Why do we get defensive when we’re wrong? Why are we so afraid of challenges to long-held beliefs? Admitting when we’re wrong and seeking facts is a strength, not a weakness.

Image: Mikołaj on Unsplash

Stay Weird neon sign with purple background

September 1, 2022by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

Stand Out with Weird Holidays: Sept. 2022

Stand Out with Weird Holidays: September 2022

by David Klemt

Want to stand out from from other restaurants and bars in your area? Then commit to keeping it weird.

Several “holidays” are set against every date on the calendar, and September is no exception. These holidays range from mainstream to “weird.”

Pay attention to the latter to raise eyebrows, carve out a niche for your restaurant or bar, and attract more guests. Why do what everyone else is already doing?

Of course, you shouldn’t try to celebrate every holiday, weird or otherwise. And this month’s list in no way includes every odd holiday.

Focus on the days that are authentic to your brand; resonate with your guests; and help you grab attention on social media.

For August’s list, click here.

September 5: Be Late for Something Day

You know what’s a great reason to be late from something? Enjoying an awesome meal or some great drinks with friends. Your bar or restaurant can provide that awesome meal and great drinks.

September 6: National Read a Book Day

As you know if you’ve been visiting KRG Hospitality throughout the week or subscribe to our newsletter, we love recommending good books. Cookbooks, cocktail books, hospitality industry history books, leadership books… We’re all about learning.

This is an excellent day to promote swapping books, recommending books, sharing books, etc.

September 8: National Ampersand Day

If there was ever a day that demands food/and or drink combos, it’s National Ampersand Day. For example, this is the perfect bar holiday to create a beer and shot limited-time offer menu.

September 13: National Positive Thinking Day

Restaurants and bars are the cornerstsones of their communities. One way operators and their teams can support their community is by ensuring they provide a positive experience.

On this day, encourage your community to stop in for a bite, a drink, a chat, and an overall happy, healthy time.

September 14: National Eat a Hoagie Day

No, hoagies aren’t weird…in Philadelphia. Everywhere else, it can sometimes be a “weird” thing to call a submarine sandwich. At any rate, guess what food you should create an LTO around on this holiday.

September 17: National Monte Cristo Day

You don’t have to agree with me, but this weird sandwich is my favorite. Sure, burgers are cool. But have you ever dipped a ham’n’cheese or turkey’n’cheese in egg, fried it, then dusted it with powdered sugar? Even weirder, have you used corn flakes as breading and then fried it? Put a few Monte Cristos on your menu to celebrate this glorious sandwich holiday.

September 22: Car Free Day

This one’s pretty simple: Encourage and incentivize your guests to use any mode of travel that isn’t a car/truck/SUV to come to your restaurant or bar. I, for one, will be opting for my motorcycle, which I don’t need to mention here but I’m going to anyway because I love it.

September 24: Innergize Day

First, a disclaimer: This isn’t a day celebrating a “performance” drink brand. Rather, Innergize Day is about relaxing and recouping. I’m sure you can see where your restaurant, bar or hotel fits in with this holiday.

September 25: National One-hit Wonder Day

This one’s simple: Commit to playing only one-hit wonders. People love nostalgia, particularly when it comes to music. Either create a playlist or hire a DJ, and if you’re feeling creative, put some themed drinks on your menu.

September 27: National Crush a Can Day

You don’t have to encourage your guests to literally crush cans to celebrate this day. Really, this is a great way to make people aware of your craft beers, RTDs, canned wines, and other canned beverages on your menu.

Image: Dan Parlante on Unsplash

August 29, 2022by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

2022 World Beer Cup Winners

2022 World Beer Cup Winners

by David Klemt

The Brewers Association‘s 2022 World Beer Cup identifies the top three beers across a staggering 103 separate categories.

If you enjoy multiplication, that’s 309 medals in a single competition. And that’s just the winners; there can be more than 200 entries in a single category.

So, yes—I envy the World Beer Cup judges. I mean, what beer fan wouldn’t want to taste all the entries into the Olympics of Beer?

This competition, developed by the Brewers Association, has been going strong since 1996. Next year’s competition, if you happen to brew beer and want to enter it, will take place in Nashville in May.

Okay, you may be wondering why I’m talking about this beer competition. The reason is simple: To get your ready for September.

There are three beer holidays to program for and celebrate next month:

National Beer Lover’s Day (September 7)
National Crush a Can Day (September 27)
Drink Beer Day (September 28)

Oh, and there’s this little event—Oktoberfest—that takes place from September 17 to October 3.

Below you’ll find 48 medal winners from 16 categories to give you a taste of the 2022 World Beer Cup results. For the full list, click here, then click the “2022 Winners” button.

Cheers!

Category 1: American Wheat Beer (68 entries)

Gold: For-scythe, Cherry Street Brewpub at Halcyon (Alpharetta, GA)
Silver: Hefe, Widmer Brothers Brewing (Portland, OR)
Bronze: American Wheat, Cerveceria Principia (Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico)

Category 2: Fruit Beer (134 entries)

Gold: Yuzu KSA, Fort Point Beer Co. (San Francisco, CA)
Silver: Berry, Berry, Quite Contrary, Territorial Brewing Co. (Springfield, MI)
Bronze: Grape Fruit Session IPA, Mahanine Brewing (Hohhot, People’s Republic of China)

Category 5: Pumpkin Beer (40 entries)

Gold: 5 Phantoms, Philipsburg Brewing Co. (Philipsburg, MT)
Silver: Ryes of the Pumpkin King, Sound2Summit Brewery (Snohomish, WA)
Bronze: Pumpkin Paddy, Launch Pad Brewery (Aurora, CO)

Category 9: Coffee Beer (79 entries)

Gold: Gusto Crema Coffee Ale, Georgetown Brewing Co. (Seattle, WA)
Silver: Daybreak, Wolf’s Ridge Brewing – Production Operations (Columbus, OH)
Bronze: Double Cream Coffee Dream, Dangerous Man Brewing Co. (Minneapolis, MN)

Category 10: Coffee Stout or Porter (112 entries)

Gold: Dusk til Dawn, Pizza Port San Clemente (San Clemente, CA)
Silver: Mocha Porter, Bend Brewing Co. (Bend, OR)
Bronze: Mocha Machine, Beachwood Brewing (Huntington Beach, CA)

Category 11: Specialty Beer (56 entries)

Gold: KURI KURO – Dark Chestnuts Ale, Miyazaki Hideji-Beer Co. (Nobeoka, Japan)
Silver: Agavemente, SouthNorte Beer Co. (Chula Vista, CA)
Bronze: Graham Cracker Porter, Denver Beer Co. (Denver, CO)

Category 14: Non-Alcohol Beer (123 entries)

Gold: Golden Lager, Grüvi (Denver, CO)
Silver: Non-Alcoholic Black Butte, Deschutes Brewery (Bend, OR)
Bronze: Parallel, Southern Grist Brewing Co. (Nashville, TN)

Category 15: Session Beer (43 entries)

Gold: Swift Half, Station 26 Brewing Co. (Denver, CO)
Silver: Peacekeeper, Launch Pad Brewery (Aurora, CO)
Bronze: Bucketty’s Pale Ale No. 2, Bucketty’s Brewing Co. (Brookvale, New South Wales, Australia)

Category 16: Session India Pale Ale (107 entries)

Gold: Trump Hands, Cannonball Creek Brewing Co. (Golden, CO)
Silver: Moon Rocks, Mickey Finn’s Brewery (Libertyville, IL)
Bronze: Tiny Juicy IPA, Five Boroughs Brewing Co. (Brooklyn, NY)

Category 22: Gluten-Free Beer (66 entries)

Gold: La Gosa Rita, Lakefront Brewery (Milwaukee, WI)
Silver: Little Brown Job, Lucky Pigeon Brewing Co. (Biddeford, ME)
Bronze: Glutenberg Session IPA, Glutenberg (Montréal, Québec, Canada)

Category 91: American-Style Pale Ale (160 entries)

Gold: Figueroa Mountain Mosaic, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. (Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA)
Silver: Cruisin’, Pizza Port Bressi Ranch (Carlsbad, CA)
Bronze: Somewhere Golden, Institution Ale Co. (Camarillo, CA)

Category 92: Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale (141 entries)

Gold: Hazealicious, Reuben’s Brews – The Taproom (Seattle, WA)
Silver: Baby Azacca, 33 Brewing Experiment (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)
Bronze: Haze in the Park, Kings & Convicts Brewing Co. (San Diego, CA)

Category 95: Imperial India Pale Ale (174 entries)

Gold: Space Lettuce, Monday Night Brewing (Atlanta, GA)
Silver: Cali Boy, No Label Brewing Co. (Katy, TX)
Bronze: Devil’s Pool, Wissahickon Brewing Co. (Philadelphia, PA)

Category 96: Juicy or Hazy Imperial India Pale Ale (171 entries)

Gold: Pantless Thunder Goose, Mast Landing Brewing Co. (Westbrook, ME)
Silver: Houblon Deluxe, Pure Project (Vista, CA)
Bronze: Citra Powered Jetpack, Barebottle Brewing Co. (San Francisco, CA)

Category 102: American-Style India Pale Ale (384 entries)

Gold: Hop-Fu!, North Park Beer Co. (San Diego, CA)
Silver: Super Slap, Brewery X (Anaheim, CA)
Bronze: Aurora Hoppyalis IPA, Karl Strauss Brewing Co. (San Diego, CA)

Category 103: Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale (343 entries)

Gold: Rhymes Like Dimes, Xül Beer Co. (Knoxville, TN)
Silver: Blue Comet, Widowmaker Brewing (Braintree, MA)
Bronze: Tasty Jams, Brix City Brewing (Little Ferry, NJ)

Image: Josh Olalde on Unsplash

August 22, 2022by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

iPourIt Releases Fourth Annual Pour Report

iPourIt Releases Fourth Annual Pour Report

by David Klemt

Self-serve beverage platform iPourIt’s informative fourth annual Pour Report identifies their top beer and wine pours from 2021.

iPourIt is a pioneer in the self-serve space, enhancing the guest experience and boosting revenue. However, their annual reports are another key reason operators should consider this platform.

Unlike other industry platforms, iPourIt doesn’t limit their resources to clients. Nor do they place resources like their annual Pour Report behind a pay wall. So, this is a transparent company that clearly views their relationships with clients as partnerships.

You can check out their resources for yourself by following this link. To download a copy of the 2021 Annual Pour Report, click here.

Below you’ll find key datapoints from the latest iPourIt report. I encourage you to download and review the report in its entirety.

Key Demographic Information

When it comes to men and women using iPourIt self-serve systems, men are respsonsible for 64 percent of total ounces poured.

On average, men served themselves 6.4 ounces per pour and spent $14.21 on iPourIt per visit. For men, the top pours were IPA, Lager, Cider, Hefeweizen, and Sour.

Conversely, women served themselves nearly 11 million ounces via iPourIt systems. That’s 36 percent of total ounces poured.

On average, women served themselves 5.3 ounces per pour and spent $11.95 per visit. For women, the top pours were Cider, IPA, Sour, Lager, and Hefeweizen.

Interestingly, the top pour for both men and women was Michelob Ultra.

Key Beer Takeaways

The 2021 Pour Report analyzes data from more than 300 iPourIt systems, over 8,800 taps, and 49 million total ounces of beer and wine poured.

In total, patrons consumed nearly 14,600 total products. Further, the data above represents 1.9 million guests served 3.1 million pints. Compellingly, that’s $26.2 million in revenue generated by iPourIt systems.

In terms of iPourIt systems and patrons, cider claimed the number two slot for the top 15 poured beer styles. Perhaps unsurprisingly, IPA claims the top spot. In fact, iPourIt systems served more than 10 million ounces of IPA.

As far as beer styles that are growing in popularity, three styles are on the rise. These climbers are Belgian, Cream Ale, and fruit beer. Conversely, Lager, Red Ale, and Witbier slipped down the list. Interestingly, Witbier slid four slots on iPourIt’s top 15 beer styles list. For the first time since iPourIt has been releasing reports, Seltzer made it onto the list, claiming the 11 spot.

Another interesting bit of data concerns consumer preferences. IPA may be the beer style seeing the most pours but domestic Lagers and light Ales are the top-selling products across iPourIt systems. The platforms interprets this as consumers trying small samples of IPA but going with Lagers and Ales for full serves.

Top Beer Pours by Category

Helpfully, iPourIt breaks down their Pour Report into several categories. So, let’s take a look at the top five from several of their lists.

As for the top products poured overall, Michelob Ultra claims the top spot. In descending order, it’s followed by Bud Light, Golden Road Mango Cart, Ace Pineapple Cider, and Modelo Especial.

For domestic pours, numbers one and two are the same as above. However, Coors Light, Miller Lite, and Pabst Blue Ribbon. The top five import products are Modelo Especial, Delirium Tremens, Rekorderlig Strawberry-Lime, Stella Artois, and Dos Equis Lager Especial.

Switching gears to craft and microbrew, Mango Cart claims the number one spot. Numbers two through five are Space Dust, 805, Kona Big Wave, and Big Storm Oak & Stone Snowbird Pilsner.

Of course, the report goes much deeper than just those four categories. There’s also the top 25 IPAs, and the top 15 Lagers, Ciders, Hefeweizens, Sours, Stouts, Blonde Ales, Pilsners, and Pale Ales.

New for the annual Pour Report are the top 15 fruit beers and Seltzers.

Key Wine Takeaways

Before we proceed, iPourIt systems aren’t limited to beer and wine. If it’s a beverage without pulp or sediment intended to be poured cold, iPourIt can handle it.

So, cold brew coffee, kombucha, sodas…these are all revenue-generating serves to pour alongside beer and wine.

Now, onto the 2021 report. The key wine takeaway focuses on sparkling wine. In short, sparking wines have proven popular with iPourIt patrons. So, the platform suggests using their systems to offer guests build-your-own Mimosas, as well as promoting self-serve as an enhancement to brunch.

Addressing the top-performing wines for iPourIt systems, the top five overall in descending order are:

Boca Barrel Boca Frizzante
Starborough Sauvignon Blanc
Carletto Prosecco (up two spots)
Stemmari Pinot Grigio
Archer Roose Bubbly

Boca Frizzante is a “Prosecco-style” white wine sparkler. Archer Roose Bubbly is also a Prosecco-style white. An actual Prosecco climbed the top 10 to reach spot number three. Essentially, three Proseccos are among the top five most-poured wine products for iPourIt patrons.

Interestingly, the top five are all white wines. In fact, there are only two reds among the top ten, both of them Cabernet Sauvignons.

Image: Josh Olalde on Unsplash