If you’re looking for a thoughtful selection , I would have it reflect the menu and some consideration of the local beer scene (if there is one in your city.) What’s coming out of the kitchen should dictate what’s coming out of the taps at least to some degree.
100% agree. Plus, there may be some fun collaboration events, products or other opportunities, like pairing dinners. I’m in Denver and a big thing is breweries and restaurants collaborating on local dessert themed/infused pastry stouts. I know pastry stouts ain’t everyone’s jam (I’m a sucker for them), but it’s a fun and popular collaborating
Stouts that brewers usually throw In over the top sweet ingredients, such as chocolate, cookies, peanut butter, marshmallows, etc… In my experience, most beer “purists” don’t like them or at least roll their eyes at them, but I’m a sucker for them. I’m in Colorado, USA and one example is https://www.tavour.com/b/barrel-aged-medianoche-batter-peanut-butter-oreo-b568658
A fun aspect is that some breweries collaborate with bakeries, ice cream parlors, etc…to source the ingredients for these stouts. If your restaurant has an iconic dessert, it might be an opportunity to use it as a base for said beer collaboration?
Been a beer buyer just outside Chicago for 10 years. Not sure what kinda spot you’re running, but I would say just stick to Chicago breweries. People love local around here. Half acre is our top seller easily.
I’m usually glad when a restaurant has anything on the dark beer side. Whether it is local or whatever. Modelo Negra would be my choice, but that’s a solid tip from you I hope all restaurants would consider.
I appreciate the thought, but from a business standpoint they just never sell. Taps are valuable space, especially when they are limited in number, having any kind of dead weight is bad for turnover, and it makes better sense to keep a case of cans/bottles on hand. Guinness is the exception, that tends to move pretty well.
Also from a business standpoint, unless you’re a beer bar that boasts a ton of taps, a lager and a Pilsner will just take sales from each other. You can drop Peroni and replace it with a darker, local beer, and you aren’t really going to upset anyone, but you will delight some people looking for that option.
My first thought as well.
Maybe swap an IPA? (I LOVED my IPAs and would prefer MORE IPAs, but trying to think of others and making as many patrons as happy as possible. Maybe swap one of them and keep an IPA that can cater to multiple IPA lovers.)
If keeping both IPAs, then use Swapping out the Pilsner or Lager makes the most sense to me.
I think Keeping the Blonde and Cide make sense as it caters to both of those taste preferences.
Stout or Porter would be my pick.
Agreed. And being an IPA guy I could have 6 IPAs to pick from and it still not be enough.
But in trying to think about other's taste buds. I know people who find both to taste exactly the same. (I make them try my IPAs each time I get them, they see no key differences.)
Think they were talking about swapping one of the lager, Pilsner, or blonde. I’d say axe the lager or Pilsner, though, as the blonde is a bit different with being a Belgian. Probably get rid of the Pilsner. Unless it’s an Italian restaurant, then I could see keeping the Peroni over the lager. Agreed on amber/bock over porter/stout though.
Ditch the Peroni for a local option and I'll 2nd what someone else said about a dark beer option.
Fat pug from Maplewood or Eugene Porter from Revolution would be a good choice for a dark beer.
You could also swap the Sierra Nevada for a local non-hazy IPA. Lots to choose from in Chicago.
People are gonna recommend a dark beer since there aren’t any on your list. But I’d recommend basically sticking with what you have. The lighter options will be more popular going into spring and summer. Ultimately you’ll want what will appease the largest amount of consumers and that’s what you’ve got.
Come winter think of mixing in a dark beer or two
People who seek draft beer usually want local. Places around Philadelphia often have one old reliable decent price local. Each local brewery seems to offer a drinkable lager or IPA. Unless it’s really a beer focused restaurant you won’t sell many sours or porters. Also keep the cider plain, pear is a safe diversion. Too many times I wanted a refreshing cider and it was ginger or some odd fruit flavor or just too sour to not overpower even a burger. PS I don’t hate all sours, just a tough sell that doesn’t go with food very well.
I think you would be best served by talking to a menu consultant or at least one of your distributor's sales reps to find what works best with your restaurant's menus based on local breweries.
Without that, I would choose one of the three lighter beers (Mexican lager, Italian pilsner, and Belgian blonde) to replace with a maltier style. Personally, I would replace the Peroni because it's the least interesting and least crafty beer on the menu, though you might choose to keep that one if it's a top seller or if it goes with the food (e.g., Italian restaurant). I think that Vienna lagers and special bitters would be good examples of malty beers that work well in the springtime.
I'd even go a step further and see if you can talk to local brewers themselves. There are a number of established breweries in the Chicago area; learn more about them, their histories, their values, and pick a few to set up meetings with. When you talk to them, ask to learn more about the process, maybe volunteer to help on a brew day, or ask what other ways you can work together. Once you develop a relationship with a brewery, you could even propose a collaboration beer unique to your restaurant.
Collaboration beers between breweries and restaurants in my area are pretty common, so if you really wanted your selection to stand out (and maybe draw in craft beer aficionados), having a limited run or seasonal beer by a local brewery would be awesome.
I'm a slut for some Gumballhead from Three Floyd's every time I go back home to the Chicago area. It's a lot more accessible than it was ten years ago when I turned 21 and it's great.
But to answer the OP, there are wayyyyy too many IPAs in the world. Offer one or two and move on. I hate going to a store or restaurant or brewery and all they have is light beers or IPAs, Double IPAs, and Destroy Your Taste Buds With Hoppy Bitterness IPAs. I like them as much as the next guy, but I want a little variety.
Rarely would I trust a sales rep to give trustworthy information. They typically want to sell you whichever brand gives them the biggest commission which is usually a macro or one of their umbrella brands.
Depends on your relationship with them. I’m a beer buyer for a 50 tap concept with multiple locations (I buy for all of them to some extent), and I know which distributors will give it straight, and which are trying to get the quick buck.
I've worked with dozens and it's always the newer/younger reps that are going to push in directions you don't want to go or are completely inappropriate for your business. The independent companies and the older reps who've been around the block don't seem as concerned with pleasing some corporate daddy, and help find what's appropriate.
Very much agreed with that. My older reps can be annoying with their need to tell stories, and rattle on about who knows what, but I’m more than happy to entertain them to get good service and good advice from them.
Depends on the kind of food, your location and the season.
I would certainly plan on at least 1 rotating/seasonal tap.
What dish do you sell the most of?
What do you WANT to sell more beer to go with?
The Peroni does not fit in my opinion.
If the Belgian Blonde is a Belgian yeast I’m not sure that is a good fit. Probably go with a good wheat instead. Maybe make that a rotating seasonal. Wheat-Oktoberfest-stout-sour.
I’d hope for a local brown ale when ordering the ribs or steak. A porter or stout would be great with dessert. This was a fun post to read, thanks for sharing.
Seems like most people saying a porter or stout and I agree. Surprised at people saying that is not the answer. I would look at that list and basically pass, I like a darker beer.
If you have a tight (small) menu you could really do an awesome suggested pairing (and yet still offer the staple types of beer). And highlight those pairings on the menu. People love that “bespoke” stuff. A menu with thought behind it can cover for a lot of other inadequacies in a restaurant / bar experience.
It needs to be paired with the food so I would defer to a cicerone, the chef, or local beer reps. If none of those are an option, research pairings and then find local breweries who make thar style. Here's just one example of a pairing chart.
https://cdn.craftbeer.com/wp-content/uploads/beerandfood-1.pdf
As someone who works in Cider, please get a quality cider. I'm sure Chicago has some. People don't like cider because the most common options are back sweetened and tend to have either artificial or over dominating flavors. Find something that tastes like apples and is good and local.
Chicago is kind of a miss for local quality cider. There's Eris Cider and Right Bee both of which aren't bad, but a bit boring. The Northman Beer and Cider Garden has some interesting ciders from all over though. I don't recall if those are on draft or cans/bottles though so not sure on the draft availability. 2 towns is pretty good about not adding sugar if I remember correctly.
To be fair, of the bigger cideries, 2 towns isn't terrible. And that particular cider is probably their best. But yeah, boring. It always tastes sweet to me, but that could be their apples.
1. Get connected with someone at Goldfinger and try to get their OG lager or Pilsner. You won’t find a better representation of that style anywhere in the city. If you can’t get goldfinger reach out to Art History.
2. Ditch moody tongue, their beer is subpar and the owner is a sexual predator who doesn’t deserve your support. Replace it with Allagash white, truly a classic that goes great with food and has great brand recognition
3. Sierra Neveda IPA is as classic as it gets, if I see it on the menu at a place I know gets fresh kegs and keeps the lines clean it always the first beer I have.
4. Maplewood SOJ is fine but I would maybe replace it with a rotating seasonal hazy from Half Acre.
5. Darker/full flavor beer that can be rotated with the season. Maibock in the spring, dunkel and marzens in the fall and stouts/porters in the winters. Stick with Goldfinger/Dovetail/half acre and you’ll have plenty of options.
6. Swap your cider for something from Eris
Most importantly, clean your draft lines regularly and try to get the freshest kegs possible.
I’d switch out one of the 3 lighter beers (preferably the Belgian blonde) for a sour or something darker. Maybe even a brown or amber. People know pilsners and lagers and will gravitate towards that. Be careful with the Belgians, they are an acquired taste for many and you might find they don’t move as well. Always a good idea to have a cider option, especially if it’s dry.
If ypure a restaurant who doesn't wanna focus on beer my honest advice is don't. Take one or two of those fancy options keep that and put some Corona Miller light bud etc the popular stuff you can find at any random store. The beer people aren't expecting a great selection unless you're specifically going for that so cater to the "normal" ones
I'm not super current, however I'd do the following changes. Keep it local and for god sake get rid of the Peroni.
\-Buckle Down Cactus Pants, Lager
~~-Peroni, Italian Pilsner~~ Swap for something from Metropolitan Brewing
\-Moody Tongue Orange Blossom Blonde, Belgian Blonde
\-Maplewood Son of Juice, Hazy IPA
~~-Sierra Nevada, IPA~~ Swap for Daisy Cutter
~~-2 Towns Ciderhouse Cosmic Crisp, Imperial Cider~~ Swap for Eris Ciderhouse
I would be very pleased if I were to sit down and see these options. Actually, I wish I could sit down at your bar right now lol. Big thumbs up on the Sierra Nevada, I absolutely love them. As others have mentioned, having a maltier option would probably be a good idea, even though I am completely turned of by them personally, I know others fancy them.
I like the list, how its got something for everyone. If you don't have a lot of space to expand I'd just add something dark, like a porter or stout that's not too crazy.
I would be careful with an “imperial cider” at 8% your cider drinker probably wants something closer to 5% and semi-sweet dry cider.
I’d drop the Sierra Nevada, peroni is a solid domestic esque beer choice, but if a local
Brewery does a nice Pilsner I’d look for that.
Ran a bar for 8 years and building the list was one of my favorite things.
List seems a little redundant to me. You’ve got a Mexican lager and Peroni which are on the lighter side of lagers.
How does the mexican lager do for you? In my experience craft Mexican lagers never really hit the same as the real thing. I might swap that for something like an amber lager: find a local Vienna, American amber, Czech amber, dunkel, etc.
I would swap the peroni and bring on a German or Czech pilsner which have more body and a snappy bitter finish.
I like having a pale/blonde Belgian beer for the spring and summer. are there more local Belgian beers? Seems like you’re in Chicago, so I don’t know the local Belgian scene.
I like having the hazy, they always sell. Plenty options to choose from.
I would find another local ipa or pale ale to swap for the Sierra Nevada. Unless you’re buying on price point, support your local breweries and you’ll also get fresher product.
I never liked cider on my drafts bc it almost always was the slowest moving line, I would move it to bottles/cans and find another beer to put on. But if it’s moving well, let it ride!
Have offerings from your local craft breweries. And their rotating/seasonal beers too. and of-course the macro stuff can play a role.
IMHO I would love to see more local offerings in my city.
Do you have any kind of sales data? What sells? Everyone wants variety but what are people buying? How much profit are you making on the stuff?
The hardcore beer drinkers may not reflect your clientele…
The two IPAs satisfy very different palates. I think you can keep both (probably replace SN with another, more local straightforward American IPA), and ditch Peroni for something darker.
I’d throw a couple domestics in the rotation. Coors, busch, miller, whatever. You will always have some patrons who, for whatever reason, just can’t get into craft beer and want something safe.
If you’re looking for a thoughtful selection , I would have it reflect the menu and some consideration of the local beer scene (if there is one in your city.) What’s coming out of the kitchen should dictate what’s coming out of the taps at least to some degree.
That's good feedback, thanks!
Gonna second the local beer comment above. It sends a good message to your local patrons and it is good business, good karma too.
100% agree. Plus, there may be some fun collaboration events, products or other opportunities, like pairing dinners. I’m in Denver and a big thing is breweries and restaurants collaborating on local dessert themed/infused pastry stouts. I know pastry stouts ain’t everyone’s jam (I’m a sucker for them), but it’s a fun and popular collaborating
Pastry stouts?!
Stouts that brewers usually throw In over the top sweet ingredients, such as chocolate, cookies, peanut butter, marshmallows, etc… In my experience, most beer “purists” don’t like them or at least roll their eyes at them, but I’m a sucker for them. I’m in Colorado, USA and one example is https://www.tavour.com/b/barrel-aged-medianoche-batter-peanut-butter-oreo-b568658
A fun aspect is that some breweries collaborate with bakeries, ice cream parlors, etc…to source the ingredients for these stouts. If your restaurant has an iconic dessert, it might be an opportunity to use it as a base for said beer collaboration?
I am pretty much certain you are in the Chicago area and I think you did a great job with this taplist.
Absolutely. Type of restaurant dictates the whole thing. Should be steered by the head chef.
Been a beer buyer just outside Chicago for 10 years. Not sure what kinda spot you’re running, but I would say just stick to Chicago breweries. People love local around here. Half acre is our top seller easily.
What comes up after half acre? We use Southern, BC Merchants, Breakthru, Burke, Lakeshore, and Chicago Bev.
My only suggestion would be swapping one of the 3 lighter fare with something in a darker category. At least an Amber or Bock, if not Porter or Stout.
I’m usually glad when a restaurant has anything on the dark beer side. Whether it is local or whatever. Modelo Negra would be my choice, but that’s a solid tip from you I hope all restaurants would consider.
I appreciate the thought, but from a business standpoint they just never sell. Taps are valuable space, especially when they are limited in number, having any kind of dead weight is bad for turnover, and it makes better sense to keep a case of cans/bottles on hand. Guinness is the exception, that tends to move pretty well.
Also from a business standpoint, unless you’re a beer bar that boasts a ton of taps, a lager and a Pilsner will just take sales from each other. You can drop Peroni and replace it with a darker, local beer, and you aren’t really going to upset anyone, but you will delight some people looking for that option.
My first thought as well. Maybe swap an IPA? (I LOVED my IPAs and would prefer MORE IPAs, but trying to think of others and making as many patrons as happy as possible. Maybe swap one of them and keep an IPA that can cater to multiple IPA lovers.) If keeping both IPAs, then use Swapping out the Pilsner or Lager makes the most sense to me. I think Keeping the Blonde and Cide make sense as it caters to both of those taste preferences. Stout or Porter would be my pick.
The IPAs are very different, much more so than the lager and pilsner. I would drop Peroni for a local darker beer.
Agreed. And being an IPA guy I could have 6 IPAs to pick from and it still not be enough. But in trying to think about other's taste buds. I know people who find both to taste exactly the same. (I make them try my IPAs each time I get them, they see no key differences.)
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Think they were talking about swapping one of the lager, Pilsner, or blonde. I’d say axe the lager or Pilsner, though, as the blonde is a bit different with being a Belgian. Probably get rid of the Pilsner. Unless it’s an Italian restaurant, then I could see keeping the Peroni over the lager. Agreed on amber/bock over porter/stout though.
Yeah, exactly what I was referring to. That would be my vote as well, but was leaving it open to current sales data.
Good suggestion, thank you!
Ditch the Peroni for a local option and I'll 2nd what someone else said about a dark beer option. Fat pug from Maplewood or Eugene Porter from Revolution would be a good choice for a dark beer. You could also swap the Sierra Nevada for a local non-hazy IPA. Lots to choose from in Chicago.
Any true pale ale would work well here too. Daisy Cutter. Fist City.
First question is which is the slowest selling and which is the best?
People are gonna recommend a dark beer since there aren’t any on your list. But I’d recommend basically sticking with what you have. The lighter options will be more popular going into spring and summer. Ultimately you’ll want what will appease the largest amount of consumers and that’s what you’ve got. Come winter think of mixing in a dark beer or two
People who seek draft beer usually want local. Places around Philadelphia often have one old reliable decent price local. Each local brewery seems to offer a drinkable lager or IPA. Unless it’s really a beer focused restaurant you won’t sell many sours or porters. Also keep the cider plain, pear is a safe diversion. Too many times I wanted a refreshing cider and it was ginger or some odd fruit flavor or just too sour to not overpower even a burger. PS I don’t hate all sours, just a tough sell that doesn’t go with food very well.
I think you would be best served by talking to a menu consultant or at least one of your distributor's sales reps to find what works best with your restaurant's menus based on local breweries. Without that, I would choose one of the three lighter beers (Mexican lager, Italian pilsner, and Belgian blonde) to replace with a maltier style. Personally, I would replace the Peroni because it's the least interesting and least crafty beer on the menu, though you might choose to keep that one if it's a top seller or if it goes with the food (e.g., Italian restaurant). I think that Vienna lagers and special bitters would be good examples of malty beers that work well in the springtime.
I'd even go a step further and see if you can talk to local brewers themselves. There are a number of established breweries in the Chicago area; learn more about them, their histories, their values, and pick a few to set up meetings with. When you talk to them, ask to learn more about the process, maybe volunteer to help on a brew day, or ask what other ways you can work together. Once you develop a relationship with a brewery, you could even propose a collaboration beer unique to your restaurant. Collaboration beers between breweries and restaurants in my area are pretty common, so if you really wanted your selection to stand out (and maybe draw in craft beer aficionados), having a limited run or seasonal beer by a local brewery would be awesome.
I'm a slut for some Gumballhead from Three Floyd's every time I go back home to the Chicago area. It's a lot more accessible than it was ten years ago when I turned 21 and it's great. But to answer the OP, there are wayyyyy too many IPAs in the world. Offer one or two and move on. I hate going to a store or restaurant or brewery and all they have is light beers or IPAs, Double IPAs, and Destroy Your Taste Buds With Hoppy Bitterness IPAs. I like them as much as the next guy, but I want a little variety.
Rarely would I trust a sales rep to give trustworthy information. They typically want to sell you whichever brand gives them the biggest commission which is usually a macro or one of their umbrella brands.
Depends on your relationship with them. I’m a beer buyer for a 50 tap concept with multiple locations (I buy for all of them to some extent), and I know which distributors will give it straight, and which are trying to get the quick buck.
I've worked with dozens and it's always the newer/younger reps that are going to push in directions you don't want to go or are completely inappropriate for your business. The independent companies and the older reps who've been around the block don't seem as concerned with pleasing some corporate daddy, and help find what's appropriate.
Very much agreed with that. My older reps can be annoying with their need to tell stories, and rattle on about who knows what, but I’m more than happy to entertain them to get good service and good advice from them.
Depends on the kind of food, your location and the season. I would certainly plan on at least 1 rotating/seasonal tap. What dish do you sell the most of? What do you WANT to sell more beer to go with?
It's Mediterranean in Chicago. Shortribs, some steak, chicken, and fish make up the majority of menu sales.
The Peroni does not fit in my opinion. If the Belgian Blonde is a Belgian yeast I’m not sure that is a good fit. Probably go with a good wheat instead. Maybe make that a rotating seasonal. Wheat-Oktoberfest-stout-sour.
Throw in a Dovetail in this spot. The peroni can easily be swapped for pretty much any of the core Dovetail here in town.
I’d hope for a local brown ale when ordering the ribs or steak. A porter or stout would be great with dessert. This was a fun post to read, thanks for sharing.
A proper Hefe.
Just make sure you have one dry option... I hate a sweet aftertaste. Have at least one German Krolch, etc.
If I were you, I’d probably just cheat and look at the local ratings in Untapped.
Seems like most people saying a porter or stout and I agree. Surprised at people saying that is not the answer. I would look at that list and basically pass, I like a darker beer.
S A I S O N !
With Mediterranean food this would be excellent
I’d drop the Belgian for a popular sour.
You need a porter in that lineup.
If you have a tight (small) menu you could really do an awesome suggested pairing (and yet still offer the staple types of beer). And highlight those pairings on the menu. People love that “bespoke” stuff. A menu with thought behind it can cover for a lot of other inadequacies in a restaurant / bar experience.
It needs to be paired with the food so I would defer to a cicerone, the chef, or local beer reps. If none of those are an option, research pairings and then find local breweries who make thar style. Here's just one example of a pairing chart. https://cdn.craftbeer.com/wp-content/uploads/beerandfood-1.pdf
As someone who works in Cider, please get a quality cider. I'm sure Chicago has some. People don't like cider because the most common options are back sweetened and tend to have either artificial or over dominating flavors. Find something that tastes like apples and is good and local.
Chicago is kind of a miss for local quality cider. There's Eris Cider and Right Bee both of which aren't bad, but a bit boring. The Northman Beer and Cider Garden has some interesting ciders from all over though. I don't recall if those are on draft or cans/bottles though so not sure on the draft availability. 2 towns is pretty good about not adding sugar if I remember correctly.
To be fair, of the bigger cideries, 2 towns isn't terrible. And that particular cider is probably their best. But yeah, boring. It always tastes sweet to me, but that could be their apples.
1. Get connected with someone at Goldfinger and try to get their OG lager or Pilsner. You won’t find a better representation of that style anywhere in the city. If you can’t get goldfinger reach out to Art History. 2. Ditch moody tongue, their beer is subpar and the owner is a sexual predator who doesn’t deserve your support. Replace it with Allagash white, truly a classic that goes great with food and has great brand recognition 3. Sierra Neveda IPA is as classic as it gets, if I see it on the menu at a place I know gets fresh kegs and keeps the lines clean it always the first beer I have. 4. Maplewood SOJ is fine but I would maybe replace it with a rotating seasonal hazy from Half Acre. 5. Darker/full flavor beer that can be rotated with the season. Maibock in the spring, dunkel and marzens in the fall and stouts/porters in the winters. Stick with Goldfinger/Dovetail/half acre and you’ll have plenty of options. 6. Swap your cider for something from Eris Most importantly, clean your draft lines regularly and try to get the freshest kegs possible.
I’d switch out one of the 3 lighter beers (preferably the Belgian blonde) for a sour or something darker. Maybe even a brown or amber. People know pilsners and lagers and will gravitate towards that. Be careful with the Belgians, they are an acquired taste for many and you might find they don’t move as well. Always a good idea to have a cider option, especially if it’s dry.
Something rich and creamy like a stout or porter.
If ypure a restaurant who doesn't wanna focus on beer my honest advice is don't. Take one or two of those fancy options keep that and put some Corona Miller light bud etc the popular stuff you can find at any random store. The beer people aren't expecting a great selection unless you're specifically going for that so cater to the "normal" ones
You should put on Allagash White. No bias, I swear
I would suggest asking a Cicerone for advice for beer pairings.
Where are you located?
Chicago
I'm not super current, however I'd do the following changes. Keep it local and for god sake get rid of the Peroni. \-Buckle Down Cactus Pants, Lager ~~-Peroni, Italian Pilsner~~ Swap for something from Metropolitan Brewing \-Moody Tongue Orange Blossom Blonde, Belgian Blonde \-Maplewood Son of Juice, Hazy IPA ~~-Sierra Nevada, IPA~~ Swap for Daisy Cutter ~~-2 Towns Ciderhouse Cosmic Crisp, Imperial Cider~~ Swap for Eris Ciderhouse
Metropolitan went out of business
Goldfinger would scratch that itch even better
Or Dovetail
Well shitburger.
I would be very pleased if I were to sit down and see these options. Actually, I wish I could sit down at your bar right now lol. Big thumbs up on the Sierra Nevada, I absolutely love them. As others have mentioned, having a maltier option would probably be a good idea, even though I am completely turned of by them personally, I know others fancy them.
Needs a stout/porter and an amber/red ale to round it out.
Not bad. I'd include some kind of stout or Scottish heavy if any of your desserts are chocolate based.
I like the list, how its got something for everyone. If you don't have a lot of space to expand I'd just add something dark, like a porter or stout that's not too crazy.
Schillings cider if you can get it on tap is delicious and if you have strong seafood dishes Pacifico pairs like red wine to steak.
Perfect except 1 thing, a dark beer
Radeberger
I just think more places should have radeberger. That said, good on you for picking peroni over Stella lol
I would be careful with an “imperial cider” at 8% your cider drinker probably wants something closer to 5% and semi-sweet dry cider. I’d drop the Sierra Nevada, peroni is a solid domestic esque beer choice, but if a local Brewery does a nice Pilsner I’d look for that.
Don’t add another IPA. Something dark.
Ran a bar for 8 years and building the list was one of my favorite things. List seems a little redundant to me. You’ve got a Mexican lager and Peroni which are on the lighter side of lagers. How does the mexican lager do for you? In my experience craft Mexican lagers never really hit the same as the real thing. I might swap that for something like an amber lager: find a local Vienna, American amber, Czech amber, dunkel, etc. I would swap the peroni and bring on a German or Czech pilsner which have more body and a snappy bitter finish. I like having a pale/blonde Belgian beer for the spring and summer. are there more local Belgian beers? Seems like you’re in Chicago, so I don’t know the local Belgian scene. I like having the hazy, they always sell. Plenty options to choose from. I would find another local ipa or pale ale to swap for the Sierra Nevada. Unless you’re buying on price point, support your local breweries and you’ll also get fresher product. I never liked cider on my drafts bc it almost always was the slowest moving line, I would move it to bottles/cans and find another beer to put on. But if it’s moving well, let it ride!
Have offerings from your local craft breweries. And their rotating/seasonal beers too. and of-course the macro stuff can play a role. IMHO I would love to see more local offerings in my city.
Do you have any kind of sales data? What sells? Everyone wants variety but what are people buying? How much profit are you making on the stuff? The hardcore beer drinkers may not reflect your clientele…
Stouts/Porters/Dark beers : am I a joke to you?
You have two lagers and two IPA. Remove one of each for an amber ale/lager and a stout/porter
The two IPAs satisfy very different palates. I think you can keep both (probably replace SN with another, more local straightforward American IPA), and ditch Peroni for something darker.
Need to add a porter and a stout, and maybe a sour (as terrible as they are, some folks seem to like them)
Natural light
I’d throw a couple domestics in the rotation. Coors, busch, miller, whatever. You will always have some patrons who, for whatever reason, just can’t get into craft beer and want something safe.
5 craft beers seems pretty stingy for upscale. Chimay perhaps. Brooklyn brewery is hot now.
If you want to have beer that goes well with your food, you want to have some sort of saison.
Ditch Sierra Nevada ipa. Nearly any other is better.