Networking with Local Retailers

Beer Merchant – Beer Blogger Relationship

99 Bottles® beer storeFederal Way, Wash.@99BottlesBeer | 99bottles.netfacebook.com/99bottlesTiffany Adamowski, shopkeeper@99Pours | 99pours.com

Who are we serving / writing for?• Number of legal drinking age in USA: 223,058,247• 36% drinkers prefer wine, 35% beer

(Source: Gallup Poll 2011, Do you most often drink beer, wine, or liquor? )

• Active BeerAdvocates: 285,000 (less than 1% of drinking population)

• Unique daily visitors to RateBeer: 20,000• RateBeer users: 75.5% Men, 27.5% Women• Top 10 states receiving “malt beverage” shipments:

California, Texas, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia (Source: Beer Institute, 2011)

• Top 10 “malt beverage” consuming states, per capita:North Dakota, Nevada, New Hampshire, Montana, New Mexico, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Texas, Louisiana, Wyoming (Source: Beer Institute, 2011)

• Top 10 states with most microbreweries: California, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, New York, Illinois, Texas (Source: Brewers Association, 2010)

• 99 Bottles beer store in Washington State serves over 3,000 beer lovers monthly, and over 1,140 customers have purchased at least 99 bottles

• Do you have (insert beer name here) ?– Sometimes we have it…Yeah!! – Seasonal or rotating releases– Extremely limited, rare, or sold out– Waiting for release… yeast don’t always run by human schedules– At brewery only and/or a few select accounts– Many times the requested beer doesn’t come into our state or

country… “If anyone has it, you will…”

#1 Question Posed to Beer Retailers

You can’t always get what you want.

End of prohibition begins government control– Federal licensure of breweries,

distributors, importers/exporters– Federal control of labeling– State licensure of breweries,

distributors, importers/exporters, and retailers; pricing /advertising controls

Contrary to popular belief, this this isn’t the #1 reason you can’t get that beer…

•Licensed to sell/pour•Import reporting*•No bootlegging*In Washington State: must have direct-ship license endorsement; only able to work with out-of-state breweries with Washington Certificate of Authority.

Why you really can’t get that beer.Retailers can’t pull that beer out of a hat.

Breweries expand where their products (not just one “hot” item) are most viable. • High demand, low production = Beer sells out

quickly or brewery can’t provide any to us.• Low demand = Brewery or beer leaves the market. • Increased demand in other regions = Brewery may

pull out and leave our market.• Breweries care about fresh product!

#1 Reason: Supply & Demand – Demand for delicious craft beer increases

as it mainstreams– High-demand products

– Already selling what they produce– Only one or two “Hot” beers sought– Viable business expansion– Sustainable markets

– Low-demand products– Demand wasn’t there to sustain– Pull out of market

“America has 2,051 breweries; 2,000 of which are craft breweries.” —CraftBeer.com, April 30, 2012

• Can you get (insert beer name here) for me?– People think we can call up a brewery and have it

shipped if they commit to a case or two.– They don’t realize beer’s a controlled substance.

#2 Question Posed to Beer Retailers

How beer gets to you: 3-Tiered Supply Chain(99.9% of the time your bottle shop can’t call up a brewery and have it delivered.)

#3 Question Posed to Beer Retailers• What’s your favorite? (Can you help me choose?)– Not sure what to buy; overwhelmed by selection – Don’t understand simple concepts about beer styles

“I don’t care for ales, but I like stouts.” “I don’t like dark beers like IPAs.” “I don’t like lagers, but I normally drink Coors.”

– Guidance for their taste buds, small retailers aren’t driven by corporate quotas

– Many are shopping with beer lists from retailer website/ newsletter, magazine articles and blogs

– Some beer bloggers recommend to other customers when visiting their local bottle shops… Cool!

#4 Question Posed to Beer Retailers• What’s it taste like?

– Beer reviews! Keep ‘em coming, but get creative…– Provide points of reference: “If you like this Blue Moon, you

should also try Avery White Rascal, Issaquah White Frog, Blanche des Bruxelles, Alaskan White,…” – A layman’s guide to beer flavors

– Hops doesn’t necessarily mean bitter– Dark doesn’t necessarily mean deeply roasted– Ingredients contribute to mouthfeel– Temperature’s affects on flavors– Picture book of similar flavors (chocolate + coffee = Mocha Porter)

– Tasting events! – Collaboration opportunities

Questions & Misconceptions• Beer is as fragile as milk.

“How long is okay to sit in car?”• All craft beer is expensive.• Why is barrel-aged beer more

expensive?• What beer to drink with certain

foods?• What beer is best for cooking?• How to have a tasting party?• How to plan amount of beer for

party, wedding, or event?• I don’t like beer, but want to learn

to like it. Can you help?

• What are these growler things?• How long does growler last

(traditional vs. CO2 fill)?• Why is some beer draft only?• Lots of issues cleaning growler

jugs! Mold terrariums.• How to tap a keg?• How to setup a kegerator?• Does it work? (nucleation etch

glasses, bottle stoppers, etc.)• How to get beers not available?

Trade. Travel. Black Market(?). How to ship beer?

Networking with Local Retailers• Connect with your local bottle shops & drinking places

– Are they aware of your blog?– Can you share promotional materials with their customers?

• Retailers will share posts relevant to their customers– Shared links builds your audience– More readers = greater credibility in the beer world

• Attend & promote special tasting events– Especially “meet the brewer” activities– Get tidbits of info & take photos to share with your readers

• Reference your retailers as appropriate– Untappd: Reference @Brewery and @Retailer for tweets– RateBeer: Add distribution (retail) source– Blog: Be careful not to be overly exclusive

Customer Needs: The 4 Es of Retail

• Education — See top 10 questions!

• Entertainment & Engagement & Encouragement– Make it fun! Share your personal experiences & passion for

beer! Be the beer lifestyle reality star! Take lots of pictures. Tell us about the quirky things. Let your readers live vicariously through you — and seek out beers you drink.

– People like to shop with lists! Consider different ways to present lists: The Late Show Top 10, Real Time with Bill Maher’s New Rules, Things to do before you die (life lists), Best Of lists, Top beers for various daily activities,…

– Continue to write beer reviews. Demonstrate how easy it is to do tastings & pairings. Fear of the unknown is the #1 thing stopping people from trying new things, including beer.

99 Bottles® beer store – @99BottlesBeerFacebook.com/99bottles | 99bottles.netTiffany Adamowski – @99Pours | 99pours.com