2012 Beer Bloggers Conference presentation on beer blogger - beer retailer connection #BeerBloggers

1. Networking with Local Retailers
Beer Merchant – Beer Blogger
Relationship

2. 99 Bottles® beer store
Federal Way, Wash.
@99BottlesBeer | 99bottles.net
facebook.com/99bottles
Tiffany Adamowski, shopkeeper
@99Pours | 99pours.com

3. Who are we serving / writing for?
• Number of legal drinking age in USA: 223,058,247
• 36% drinkers prefer wine, 35% beer
(Source: Gallup Poll 2011, Do you most often drink beer, wine, or liquor? )
• Active BeerAdvocates: 285,000 (less than 1% of drinking population)
• Unique daily visitors to RateBeer: 20,000
• RateBeer users: 75.5% Men, 27.5% Women
• Top 10 states receiving “malt beverage” shipments:
California, Texas, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, North Carolina,
Georgia (Source: Beer Institute, 2011)
• Top 10 “malt beverage” consuming states, per capita:
North Dakota, Nevada, New Hampshire, Montana, New Mexico, Wisconsin, South Dakota,
Texas, Louisiana, Wyoming (Source: Beer Institute, 2011)
• Top 10 states with most microbreweries:
California, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, New York,
Illinois, Texas (Source: Brewers Association, 2010)
• 99 Bottles beer store in Washington State serves over 3,000 beer lovers
monthly, and over 1,140 customers have purchased at least 99 bottles

4. #1 Question Posed to Beer Retailers
• Do you have (insert beer name here) ?
– Sometimes we have it…Yeah!!
– Seasonal or rotating releases
– Extremely limited, rare, or sold out
– Waiting for release… yeast don’t always run by human schedules
– At brewery only and/or a few select accounts
– Many times the requested beer doesn’t come into our state or
country… “If anyone has it, you will…”

5. You can’t always get what you want.
• Licensed to sell/pour
• Import reporting*
• No bootlegging
*In Washington State: must have direct-
ship license endorsement; only able to
work with out-of-state breweries with
Washington Certificate of Authority.
End of prohibition begins
government control
– Federal licensure of breweries,
distributors, importers/exporters
– Federal control of labeling
– State licensure of breweries,
distributors, importers/exporters,
and retailers; pricing /advertising
controls
Contrary to popular belief, this this isn’t
the #1 reason you can’t get that beer…

6. Why you really can’t get that beer.
Retailers can’t pull that beer out of a hat.
Breweries expand where their products
(not just one “hot” item) are most viable.
• High demand, low production = Beer sells out
quickly or brewery can’t provide any to us.
• Low demand = Brewery or beer leaves the market.
• Increased demand in other regions = Brewery may
pull out and leave our market.
• Breweries care about fresh product!
#1 Reason: Supply & Demand
– Demand for delicious craft beer
increases as it mainstreams
– High-demand products
– Already selling what they produce
– Only one or two “Hot” beers sought “America has 2,051
– Viable business expansion breweries; 2,000 of which
– Sustainable markets
are craft breweries.”
– Low-demand products —CraftBeer.com, April 30, 2012
– Demand wasn’t there to sustain
– Pull out of market

7. #2 Question Posed to Beer Retailers
• Can you get (insert beer name here) for me?
– People think we can call up a brewery and have it
shipped if they commit to a case or two.
– They don’t realize beer’s a controlled substance.

8. How beer gets to you: 3-Tiered Supply Chain
(99.9% of the time your bottle shop can’t call up a brewery and have it delivered.)

9. #3 Question Posed to Beer Retailers
• What’s your favorite? (Can you help me choose?)
– Not sure what to buy; overwhelmed by selection
– Don’t understand simple concepts about beer styles
“I don’t care for ales, but I like stouts.”
“I don’t like dark beers like IPAs.”
“I don’t like lagers, but I normally drink Coors.”
– Guidance for their taste buds, small retailers aren’t
driven by corporate quotas
– Many are shopping with beer lists from retailer website/
newsletter, magazine articles and blogs
– Some beer bloggers recommend to other customers
when visiting their local bottle shops… Cool!

10. #4 Question Posed to Beer Retailers
• What’s it taste like?
– Beer reviews! Keep ‘em coming, but get creative…
– Provide points of reference: “If you like this Blue Moon, you
should also try Avery White Rascal, Issaquah White Frog,
Blanche des Bruxelles, Alaskan White,…”
– A layman’s guide to beer flavors
– Hops doesn’t necessarily mean bitter
– Dark doesn’t necessarily mean deeply roasted
– Ingredients contribute to mouthfeel
– Temperature’s affects on flavors
– Picture book of similar flavors (chocolate + coffee = Mocha Porter)
– Tasting events!
– Collaboration opportunities

11. Questions & Misconceptions
• Beer is as fragile as milk. • What are these growler things?
“How long is okay to sit in car?” • How long does growler last
• All craft beer is expensive. (traditional vs. CO2 fill)?
• Why is barrel-aged beer more • Why is some beer draft only?
expensive? • Lots of issues cleaning growler
• What beer to drink with certain jugs! Mold terrariums.
foods? • How to tap a keg?
• What beer is best for cooking? • How to setup a kegerator?
• How to have a tasting party? • Does it work? (nucleation etch
• How to plan amount of beer for glasses, bottle stoppers, etc.)
party, wedding, or event? • How to get beers not available?
• I don’t like beer, but want to learn Trade. Travel. Black Market(?).
to like it. Can you help? How to ship beer?

12. Networking with Local Retailers
• Connect with your local bottle shops & drinking places
– Are they aware of your blog?
– Can you share promotional materials with their customers?
• Retailers will share posts relevant to their customers
– Shared links builds your audience
– More readers = greater credibility in the beer world
• Attend & promote special tasting events
– Especially “meet the brewer” activities
– Get tidbits of info & take photos to share with your readers
• Reference your retailers as appropriate
– Untappd: Reference @Brewery and @Retailer for tweets
– RateBeer: Add distribution (retail) source
– Blog: Be careful not to be overly exclusive

13. Customer Needs: The 4 Es of Retail
• Education — See top 10 questions!
• Entertainment & Engagement & Encouragement
– Make it fun! Share your personal experiences & passion for
beer! Be the beer lifestyle reality star! Take lots of pictures.
Tell us about the quirky things. Let your readers live
vicariously through you — and seek out beers you drink.
– People like to shop with lists! Consider different ways to
present lists: The Late Show Top 10, Real Time with Bill
Maher’s New Rules, Things to do before you die (life lists),
Best Of lists, Top beers for various daily activities,…
– Continue to write beer reviews. Demonstrate how easy it is
to do tastings & pairings. Fear of the unknown is the #1 thing
stopping people from trying new things, including beer.

14. 99 Bottles® beer store – @99BottlesBeer
Facebook.com/99bottles | 99bottles.net
Tiffany Adamowski – @99Pours | 99pours.com