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Better Beer Selection Improves Restaurant Sales

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Senior Vice President of Professional Brewing Division

Paul Gatza is the Senior Vice President of Professional Brewing Division at the Brewers Association. Paul’s origin in the beer community started when he took up homebrewing in 1990. He worked on the bottling line at Boulder Beer and would sneak over to the brewhouse when opportunity allowed. He owned a pair of homebrew supply shops in Boulder and Longmont, Colorado from 1994 to 1998. He served as director of the American Homebrewers Association for seven years and is in his 23rd year as Brewers Association director. Paul is ranked as a National Beer Judge by the Beer Judge Certification Program. Paul is also a former judge director of both the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup, before moving to the judge panels for these elite competitions.

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Consumer Edge Insight has released a study that finds that beer selection on a restaurant menu does matter. Consumer Edge Insight’s Alcoholic Beverage DemandTracker determined that “33 percent of alcohol drinkers who visit restaurants regularly report that they are more likely to order beer when offered a large selection of brands.” And ordering the first beer is not the only sign that a better beer selection helps the restaurant with sales. 26 percent are more likely to order more servings of beer than they would have otherwise on account of the better beer selection. The information was also carried in RestaurantNews.com and in a report by CNBC Senior Editor Tom Rotunno

It seems intuitive to me that when someone sees a list that has multiple beers that catch their eye as something they want to drink again or try for the first time, that they are more likely to have a couple of beers that they really want. Craft brewed beers continue to sell strongly in on-premise environments, where people are often with friends, having a good time, and want to drink a beer with flavor from a small and independent brewer. People feel good in those situations and feel good about themselves in supporting a small American business when that seems a path toward helping the country climb our way to a stronger economic situation. Yes, we all can do our part to aid the economy one beer at a time!

I and a group of Brewers Association staff visited the West Flanders Brewing Company on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder yesterday. The new brewpub is slated to open this weekend. Head Brewer Brian Lutz showed me a preview of the beer menu. The beer list was populated by in-house beers, a selection of impressive craft brewed beers from around the country and a group of Belgian imports. I saw at least 15 beers on the list that I want to try again or taste for the first time. It is going to take several visits for me and my wallet to enjoy the in-house brews and some of the interesting crafts. The strength of this particular beer list means I will be making multiple visits in the coming weeks. So it works for me and probably many others. Want to join me at the bar?

Paul Gatza
September 21, 2012

Link to author biography
Senior Vice President of Professional Brewing Division

Paul Gatza is the Senior Vice President of Professional Brewing Division at the Brewers Association. Paul’s origin in the beer community started when he took up homebrewing in 1990. He worked on the bottling line at Boulder Beer and would sneak over to the brewhouse when opportunity allowed. He owned a pair of homebrew supply shops in Boulder and Longmont, Colorado from 1994 to 1998. He served as director of the American Homebrewers Association for seven years and is in his 23rd year as Brewers Association director. Paul is ranked as a National Beer Judge by the Beer Judge Certification Program. Paul is also a former judge director of both the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup, before moving to the judge panels for these elite competitions.

See Paul Gatza's Articles