FWIW, i live right near Dry Dock Brewing. They started as a LHBS and over the course of several years expanded into the brewery. The only food they have is popcorn (free) but their "bar" "tasting room" or whatever it is called is usually packed on the weekends and in the weekday evenings (they sell pints and growlers). I even stopped by there once at 3 pm and it was standing room only. They still have the LHBS and have actually expanded that as well. Thought i would mention this when i saw the post about alternative income streams. And this is in Colorado where there is lots and lots of competition (New Belgium, Avery, Odells, Oscar Blues......). They seem to be doing well.
Come to think of it, how many brew pubs are there in your area (maybe within 20 minutes drive)? If there are none or very few you may be able to corner the market for your locality. Maybe a follow up question is: "Is craft brew popular where you are?" If most just drink flavored water then maybe you should consider another area.
Okay one last thing then i will stop typing and get back to my beer. (enjoying Arrogant Bastard
) Business has all sorts of fancy sounding research methods (like SWOT Analysis), but they are only as good as the data you put in them. So don't be skittish and shy: Go get the data you need in the field. Identify the end of the beer chain: Where does the money ultimately come from? Well...consumers. If customers don't want to drink your beer, then places will stop selling it and stop buying it from you. So you need to know what the consumers think of your brews. THAT is where the data is.
I would say (not that i have done this) go to pubs and bars in the area and ask for the manager and maybe the bartender. Give them a sample of your beer and tell them what you are thinking, and ask if they would buy it. Can't hurt, worse they could do is tell you no or go away. (and if they do like it, have a name for your business ready and tell them you will be contacting them once you get going. Then you have their attention and hopes up even before you start). I am not sure how the laws work anywhere, but maybe you could donate a case of bottles to a pub and have them sell them at low cost to people (all profit for the store with zero risk, and they can advertise it and bring more attention to their place). Then you could get reviews from the customers on how they liked your brew. Put together a quick survey (no more than five questions) asking them to rate your beer on different factors (flavor, etc.). I don't think asking them how much they would pay for it would be a good question. I bet people will say far less than they actually will. Besides, the cost is not entirely up to you anyway. A good question might be "Would you drink this again if you had to buy a pint?" If you get a bunch of "yes" go for it.
If you do decide to go for it, tell us about your experience. I am sure there are a lot of people on here (including me) that would love to learn how to open our own place.
Oh, and one comment on the workload: "Find a job you love, and you will never work a day in your life."
Topic: Selling.....maybe? (Read 13779 times)
