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Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/61309
A wide variety of draft beer is available at the Rumpus Room. because you off er a lot unusual beer, many that would not normally be available on draft. Bar owners and wait staff s are more engaged and interested and the participating brewers are there on-premise, so you can actually have a conversation with the brewers themselves. We've even had to create a category for the 50 tap takeover promotions in this year's Philly Beer Week program. Th at's the magic of sixtels [fi ve gallon kegs]." PRESENTATION AND SPECIALTY GLASSWARE At Walt Disney Parks and Resorts U.S., beverage sales and standards manager Brad Ward highlights the impact of draft. "Our Beverage Team decides what selections to off er based on the theme and style of location [restaurant, lounge, pool bar, quick service, or outdoor cart]. For example, at Disney's Port Orleans Resort, we off er Abita Amber, Purple Haze and Turbodog along with Bud Light. We also off er a fl ight of the three Abita beers. At Th e Wave [a restaurant and lounge at Disney's Contemporary Resort] we off er Orlando Brewing Blonde, Pale, and Brown Ales, Orange Blossom Pilsner, Blue Moon, Bud Light, Yuengling and Samuel Adams Seasonal. We also off er a fl ight of the three organic Orlando Brewing Company beers. Th ere are numerous other locations that have draft beer selections based on theme." Specialty glassware helps sell Disney's draft picks. Ward says, "We use glassware from Stella Artois, Guinness, Samuel Adams, and Abita at select Parks and Resort locations." Draft beer accounts for approximately 24 percent of Disney's beverage alcohol sales. Buff alo Wild Wing's Kronebusch adds that, "In 2011 we introduced a new large beer, the Nucleated Beer Glass, as well as www.cheersonline.com nucleated pint glass. Th is is our signature glass; we believe that the nucleated etching [in the shape of a Buff alo] allows more of the carbonation to be released and the beer to become more appealing to the guests. In 2012 we are introducing the Logo specifi c Nucleated 20 ounce Sam Adams Glass and Guinness Glass to go with the current Stella Artois glass." In 2012, BWW beverage and brand manager, Patrick Kirk, will be looking at more sampling and beer fl ights to enhance the beer experience at Buff alo Wild Wings." investments in draft beer through line maintenance and font cleaning. Training: such as the Cicerone program, the Doemens Beer Sommelier program at the Siebel Institute and the MBAA: Master Brewers Association of the Americas Beer Steward Program, helps educate servers to detect off fl avors in beer from poorly maintained draft lines. More beer distributors are focusing on the MBAA Beer Steward program to assist them in training staff to help operators get the most out of their draft beer sales. Remember, foam is beer, so if a server is scraping foam down the drain, profi ts can go down the drain, too. If your bar staff needs training to understand draft maintenance, it's a worthy investment. Draft beer clearly remains a category worth exploring and investing in for many operators. DRAFT EDUCATION IS KEY Bar owners and operators also work to protect their Lucy Saunders is a Milwaukee-based beer writer and author of the Best of American Beer & Food. APRIL 2012 | 37