The Yard House's director of beverage Kip Snider, left. Above, Yard House's new chalkboard series beer program.
Draft—or more properly, draught—beer was
Draft beer conferences get technical
the focus of a technical conference for on-premise operators and beer distributors this past May. Held by the Wisconsin Brewers Guild headquartered in Madison, "Bringing the Draught Quality Manual Alive" was based on lessons from the Brewers Association's Draught Quality Manual. Hands-on demonstrations at the conference
included recirculation draught line cleaning, detection of off flavors in draught systems, proper pour, stainless steel vs. brass parts in draught systems and blended gas systems 101. Sessions were presented by beer brands such as New Glarus Brewing Co., Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., and New Belgium Brewing Co. With more than 20 state guilds for craft brewers,
many organize annual conferences and training useful for on-premise operators to taste and learn about draft beer. Draught education is also offered by the Siebel Institute in Chicago with instructors from the Draught Beer Guild.
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MENU MERCHANDISING MORE IMPORTANT Several chains are moving toward electronic displays and
signage to display their beer menus, Oziel says. "Buffalo Wild Wings has been advertising New Belgium beers on their draft tower hangers, and with point-of-purchase promotions for draft beers on football game days." Chains such as Old Chicago and the Yard House are moving to electronic signs, "a change that is really taking off across the industry," he says. According to Oziel, draft selections for Buffalo Wild Wings'
football promotion will vary by region. These will include New Belgium Brewing's Fat Tire, Yuengling Lager, Widmer Hefeweizen, Redhook's Long Hammer IPA, Kona Brewing Co.'s Longboard Lager, Bell's Two Hearted Ale, and Shiner Bock, so units have regional variety. The Yard House has rolled out their new chalkboard series
in 26 of the chain's 40 units, with plans to finish the expansion by year-end, Snider says. "We do our beer reviews twice a year, but it has been a challenge to merchandise limited release beers that are short on availability," he notes. "With the chalkboard program, it's easy to add and update the selection." The Yard House will be adding more pumpkin beers in
—LS
time for Thanksgiving and winter/holiday ales in December. "The new draft offerings tie into our social media marketing," adds Snider. This provides a great opportunity to start the conversation about consumer beer choices online.
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