Cheers is dedicated to delivering hospitality professionals the information, insights and data necessary to drive their beverage business by covering trends and innovations in operations, merchandising, service and training.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/458161
www.cheersonline.com 27 January/Febraury 2015 • HOLIDAY DECORATIONS The limited-time seasonal offerings are an ideal way to change up in-house promotions and generate excitement during the often slow months in the dead of winter. "Every year at Rock & Brews, we do a Holiday Ale Fest when we bring in about 15 holiday beers, both local and from around the world," says Games, including one of his favorites, Dead Santa from Cismontane Brewery. The fest is promoted via social media and an in-house list describing the malty brews. This past season, the restaurants celebrated the Twelve Days of KISSmas (two of Rock & Brews' founding partners are Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of the band KISS). Like a sudsy Advent holiday calendar, a different beer was featured every day for 12 days, building interest and anticipation. On other promotional fronts, Rock & Brews holds Pint Nights every Wednesday, a pay-as-you-go affair spotlighting a brewery through half a dozen brews and swag like keychains and T-shirts. The restaurants host monthly beer dinners—a four-course meal with pairings. The company's annual craft beer fest attracts a couple hundred or more attendees at each restaurant for a craft brew panel discussion, a chance to interact with brewmaster and, of course, beer. The previous year featured a circus theme, complete with a dunk tank and a high striker game. "Our Christmas party season is one of the busiest times of the year," says Reed at O'Connor's. The dinner menus suggest beer as well as wine pairings with the food. The draft list changes weekly, and is posted on BeerMenus.com as well as on Facebook and the restaurant's web page. Independent Ale House celebrates a number of events around the seasons such as coordinating with Rapid City's annual Pumpkin Fest, loading up the draft taps with a variety of squash-based beers. One of the most successful has been holiday promotions is Black Friday. On the day after Thanksgiving, the bar opens at 7 a.m. to succor exhausted shoppers who stormed the stores at 3a.m. and are ready for a beer. Humperdinks promotes its seasonals with table tents and regular email blasts. Tapping events, which debut new beers, are held on Thursdays, with a meet-and-greet with the brewmasters. And the brewpub chain conducts not one but two guest reward programs. The 25,000 member MVP Diners Club alerts guests via email to events such as ticketed beer dinners and buy one—get one offers. The Mug Club, on the other hand, is aimed at beer lovers, with about 300 participants. For an annual fee of $25, Mug Club members get a 26-oz. mug and a discounted price of $3.50 and $2.50 on Wednesdays for all beers. Mug Clubbers also receive a 10% discount on food checks (15% on Wednesdays for the member and fi ve other guests), plus 25% off all keg purchases from the brewery. TURN, TURN, TURN As winter mellows into spring, new seasonal selections appear as do more opportunities to promote them. Humperdinks brewmasters are already thinking ahead to Maibocks and other spring brews. "I think people like their beers to be in season," says Reed at O'Connor's. "When the days start warming up again, it's time to tap a beer that's relevant to the weather." Thomas Henry Strenk is a Brooklyn-based freelance writer who brews his own seasonal beers. RUSHING THE SEASONALS Autumnal fl avors such as pumpkin spice are starting to appear on restaurant menus before the summer heat has subsided, and seasonal beers are no exception. "Just like Christmas decorations at Wal-Mart after Halloween, beers are moving in the same direction," says Robbie Connell of Dallas- based Humperdinks Restaurant & Brewpubs. Connell met with Humperdinks' brewmasters in early autumn to plan for the production of the restaurants' winter ales. Those seasonals went on draft right after Thanksgiving to run through New Year's Day, or longer, depending upon the supply. By then the next round of seasonals, fermented back in December, are ready to tap. But next winter, he may release seasonals early, Connell says, perhaps mid-November or even before, because commercial brewers are releasing their beers for the season earlier. "They keep pushing the timing, that's my bitch about seasonals," says Justin Henrichsen, proprietor of the Independent Ale House in Rapid City, SD. He refuses to bring in Oktoberfest beers before the offi cial start in September, or winter ales before the frost hits. "Seasonals have a time and should match the weather," he says. That said, the proprietor has to plan ahead and pre-order seasonal brews because some beers are highly allocated. —THS