Beverage Dynamics is the largest national business magazine devoted exclusively to the needs of off-premise beverage alcohol retailers, from single liquor stores to big box chains, through coverage of the latest trends in wine, beer and spirits.
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craft beer into the national parks for years, which of course isn’t allowed,” he laughs, “and now that they can get good beer in cans…oh my.” He’s taking advantage of the variety and the interest it’s sparked by putting together his own package. “We bought our own 12-pack rings,” he says, “and we pre- package a selection of 12 different micros in cans. We sell it for $15, and it doesn’t walk out, it flies out. The breweries love it; they’re in with other breweries’ beers, sure, but people get a chance to try their beer.” Welton notes that there may be education needed. “We have a couple huge displays of craft cans,” he says. “There are still some old school guys who think it can’t be good. But if they get it in their hands and try it…I’ve got ‘em, and the 12-packs are flying.” Ramirez thinks cans might move the whole craft market past the summer season. “Craft is changing because they have this alternative package,” he says. “It’s travel-friendly, easier to get rid of once it’s empty, it’s a great package. And it seems like there’s a new craft can out every week; we got four new ones in the past month.” speculates, “I think it goes with the whole movement to more sessionable [i.e., lower alcohol] beers, and people want more than just wheat beer with a slice of lemon in it. We have a local brewery, Element, doing an oat pil- sner; Mayflower has their Summer Rye.” Welton makes sure to prominently display his locals; like session beers, local breweries are back in fashion. Display is important, and an organized display is key. Ramirez likes to keep it tight. “We have our season- al beers out front, and we rotate those through,” he notes. “It’s challenging finding floor space for the addi- tional seasonal beers, but otherwise it’s just clutter. Seasonal samplings are popular, too. The companies don’t focus just on the seasonal, they sell flagships as well, and they’ll move 25, 30 cases in a couple hours.” Craft Can Explosion cans. Adam Tolsma, the senior beer buyer in Atlanta for the Green’s Beverages chain, notes that craft can avail- ability — and sales — are exploding. B “Craft beer in cans has just taken off,” he says. “The portability of it is incredible. You can do your summer events and have good beer along. 21st Amendment, out of San Francisco, has their Hell or High Watermelon Wheat in the summer, and we’re just killing with that.” Jack Stoakes, who owns Liquor Mart in Boulder, Colo., sees a lot of recreational business with the craft beer in cans. “People have been bootlegging bottles of ut probably the biggest trend in craft beer — and simultaneously the hot wave to ride in summer beer sales — isn’t a style or flavor, it’s a package: Blocking and Tackling S till, new packages, new emphasis on summer styles, and on ‘sessionability’ aside, summer beer sales to some extent run on the same thing they always have: higher piles on all the aisles. “Most of the beer companies have their summer campaigns going on, so we go with that,” Ramirez confirms. “Corona has a big giveaway going on. They come in and put up palm trees, that kind of thing.” Stoakes goes big for the summer. “We have plans for a big truckload beer sale the week before 4th of July,” he says, and laughs, because while last year he had an actu- al truck…he didn’t get his license paperwork done in time this year. “So we’re going to promote it as ‘The Truck is Inside The Store.’ Rolling Rock and Keystone both have a gorgeous promotional in the image of an actual sideloader truck. Out of one side we’ll have a dis- play of cases of beer pouring out; the other side will be wine and pop.” One last thing: summer’s bigger for draft. “We do the logs, the sixtels, for the home-system guys,” Welton says. “But it expands in the summer, we do more halves and quarters.” Have your stock ready, get the word out with signs and up-to-date website lists, and be sure to have gas and equipment available for last-minute cus- tomer beer emergencies. That’s how you make selling beer in the summer easy: a lot of hard work. Preparation makes all the dif- ference. But do the work, and your customers are going to have a great summer. s 48 • Beverage Dynamics • www.beveragedynamics.com • July/August 2011