Posted: 4/21/2013 7:43:39 AM EDT
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A few homebrewers from church and I are looking at starting a micro-brewery in the Winchester/Front Royal area. It will be pure distributing focused into the NOVA area (bars at first, then grocery stores) and then down south more. With that said, we'd love to get to know our market more (you all).
-At a pub, how do you select your beer? Catchy badass name? Style/taste? Local or import? -What types of beer styles would you like to see/drink? -Would you be proud to drink from a brewery that took pride in our states history and leaders in our marketing and brands? -What makes you brand loyal to a brewery? Thank you! |
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-At a pub, how do you select your beer? Catchy badass name? Style/taste? Local or import? Familiarity, cost.
-What types of beer styles would you like to see/drink? Do you really want to fight with all the other boutique IPAs? I'd offer something different. Maybe something to compete with Mad Fox's Kölsch -Would you be proud to drink from a brewery that took pride in our states history and leaders in our marketing and brands? Not a deciding factor in my beer selection. -What makes you brand loyal to a brewery? Is it good? |
Sounds like someone is going to have a great job, goto bars and see what people drink and meeting and greet the staff. If I don't know what to get, I usually ask the barkeep or buxom waitress what they recommend 
It's still about what the owner/staff is willing to recommend and start working your network of people and see if they know owners/staff and make an appointment and see what trends they are seeing or what inch needs to be scratched. If you can arrange tasting in NoVA, I'm sure that there will be ARFcommers willing to attend and try/do taste tests. |
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A few homebrewers from church and I are looking at starting a micro-brewery in the Winchester/Front Royal area. It will be pure distributing focused into the NOVA area (bars at first, then grocery stores) and then down south more. With that said, we'd love to get to know our market more (you all). -At a pub, how do you select your beer? Catchy badass name? Style/taste? Local or import? look at the tap handles or beer list and decide what type I am in the mood for -What types of beer styles would you like to see/drink? as much as you will want to brew an IPA, dare to be different, there are lots of mediocre (and lots of good too) IPA's out there, try some Belgian or wheat/witte types -Would you be proud to drink from a brewery that took pride in our states history and leaders in our marketing and brands? only thing that matters is taste, pretty labels mean nothing -What makes you brand loyal to a brewery? quality, consistency, and my preferences Thank you! comments in orange, and I am a beer geek |
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Responses in red...
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You're welcome, and yes, I am a beer snob.
A few homebrewers from church and I are looking at starting a micro-brewery in the Winchester/Front Royal area. It will be pure distributing focused into the NOVA area (bars at first, then grocery stores) and then down south more. With that said, we'd love to get to know our market more (you all). -At a pub, how do you select your beer? Catchy badass name? Style/taste? Local or import? I look at the taps, or the bottles displayed. In the case of Capital Ale House I'll peruse the menu and see if anything looks interesting. Names, locale, or style are pretty meaningless to me, except for "Arrogant Bastard". I chose that once because it reminded me of someone I know well -What types of beer styles would you like to see/drink? I'm pretty much an ale guy, IPA's or reds specifically. You can keep the stouts and the pilsners, they're not my cup of tea. -Would you be proud to drink from a brewery that took pride in our states history and leaders in our marketing and brands? Meh, not really. I take pride in the beer I brew personally, the state/history in relation to brewing/beer not so much. -What makes you brand loyal to a brewery? Consistent taste and price. Thank you! |
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Come on down some time to The Lexington Area... Check out the Devils Backbone.. They do it right
http://dbbrewingcompany.com/ |
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I like trying new beers and will try new ones all the time as long as they are a type I like. I do not like dark or IPA beers.
I walk in and see what is on tap. If they have something I have never heard of I'll ask what type of beer is it. If its a kind I like to drink then I will order one to try. If I like it I order more, if I do not like it I move on. There have been a few beers I have disliked so much that after 1/3 of the beer i trash it and order something else. I remember beers I like and beers I do not. I do not care about cost if I like the taste (with in reason). I spend $10 on a 6 pack at the store on a regular basis. However most of the bars I go to in NOVA really only have the regular stuff on tap. Very rare to find a local brew on tap. |
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The whole "heritage" thing is something I respect, but it's kind of a mixed bag. In Maryland, a LOT of people are hardcore for the local, and even semi-local brands. DC Brau has also become really popular in DC, in a large part due to it's localization (I think). I see that a lot less in NOVA, but you have a really transient population here.
Maybe the "heritage" aspect could be just that - embracing a bunch of different international styles. |
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Come on down some time to The Lexington Area... Check out the Devils Backbone.. They do it right http://dbbrewingcompany.com/ they do good beer, and so does blue mountain, just up the road |
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I've got to agree on all the suggestions to avoid IPAs. It seems like every small scale brewer wants to make nothing but I've never been a fan of the style.
One of the guys who works at VA Arms is working on this: http://www.badwolfbrewingcompany.com/ They signed the lease about 6 months ago and are still jumping through hoops to get all their paperwork in order so they can open the doors. If you're serious about opening shop, be sure to include that much delay in your business plan. For anybody who is in VA and likes good beer, might I suggest a roadtrip: http://brewridgetrail.com/ |
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Quoted: Sounds like someone is going to have a great job, goto bars and see what people drink and meeting and greet the staff. If I don't know what to get, I usually ask the barkeep or buxom waitress what they recommend It's still about what the owner/staff is willing to recommend and start working your network of people and see if they know owners/staff and make an appointment and see what trends they are seeing or what inch needs to be scratched. If you can arrange tasting in NoVA, I'm sure that there will be ARFcommers willing to attend and try/do taste tests. You rang??  ETA: IME, true pilsners seem to be ignored by a lot of brewers. That's my favorite style of beer.
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A few homebrewers from church and I are looking at starting a micro-brewery in the Winchester/Front Royal area. It will be pure distributing focused into the NOVA area (bars at first, then grocery stores) and then down south more. With that said, we'd love to get to know our market more (you all). -At a pub, how do you select your beer? Catchy badass name? Style/taste? Local or import? When out at a place with a proper beer list I like to try something new, so I look for Style, Location, and ABV (IBUs would be awesome to see). -What types of beer styles would you like to see/drink? Wee Heavy, Cascadian Dark Ale(Black IPA, whatever they go by these days), Stout on nitrogen (if I see a local stout on nitrogen I actually get excited, which is rare), Dunkelweizen, Dopplebock, English Mild or a Brown, and if you have the resources Barley Wine. I would avoid ambers and IPAs because, like it has been said, everyone does them and very few are special. It is wise to put a Blonde and/or American Lager on the menu. -Would you be proud to drink from a brewery that took pride in our states history and leaders in our marketing and brands? Yes. -What makes you brand loyal to a brewery? Good beer, friendly staff, the old favorites and limited run experiments(that are good), reasonable prices (I don't mind paying $6.99-8.99 for a 22oz at the store, much more than that and I only get it once in a rare while), and growlers. Thank you! I wish you and your friends all the success in the world. I would focus on being original but marketable. Balancing great beer and sales is tough. Stone, IMHO, has done a great job at marketing. They have a few beers that are awesome sellers year round and then they have seasonal and limited experimental runs. At the Stone brewery they do movie nights in their beer gardens, have a great restaurant, and plenty of space to walk around and enjoy a brew outside. Maui Brewing Co. has also done pretty well for themselves with a few different beers in the store(a lot of people like their bikini blonde), they can, and at their restaurant in Maui they have a chalkboard full of limited run beers that are great. Keep us posted on your progress and if you ever need a taster, I'm just up the road a bit. |
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A few homebrewers from church and I are looking at starting a micro-brewery in the Winchester/Front Royal area. It will be pure distributing focused into the NOVA area (bars at first, then grocery stores) and then down south more. With that said, we'd love to get to know our market more (you all). -At a pub, how do you select your beer? Catchy badass name? Style/taste? Local or import? Cost, alcohol content, and type (lager, ipa, stout, imperial etc etc...depends the mood) -What types of beer styles would you like to see/drink? Belgium IPA's are my favorite with a higher alcohol content lager a close second... -Would you be proud to drink from a brewery that took pride in our states history and leaders in our marketing and brands? State pride would be cool but not a determining factor... I used to love Dominion and enjoyed bringing 6-packs to family occasions outside the state :P -What makes you brand loyal to a brewery? Consistent flavor profile. There is nothing worse than when a beer tastes different everywhere you get it. Thank you! |
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A few homebrewers from church and I are looking at starting a micro-brewery in the Winchester/Front Royal area. It will be pure distributing focused into the NOVA area (bars at first, then grocery stores) and then down south more. With that said, we'd love to get to know our market more (you all). -At a pub, how do you select your beer? Catchy badass name? Style/taste? Local or import? I go by type, what I am in the mood for. However, I know a LOT of beers, so getting me to try something requires a pretty favorable recommendation from someone - bartender, waitstaff, friend - OR an event like a tasting/happy hour -What types of beer styles would you like to see/drink? I am a lager person first, but I drink Lagers, Ales, Wheat Beer, Porters, Stouts, whatever....depends on the mood. -Would you be proud to drink from a brewery that took pride in our states history and leaders in our marketing and brands? My Virginia brewery of choice has already been mentioned - Devil's Backbone. I don't really care THAT much that it comes from VA though. -What makes you brand loyal to a brewery? Quality, consistency, price. Price is relative though. For a really good beer, I am willing to pay more. I am not willing to pay more for a local/state brewery Thank you! I don't get into buying shirts, and other random stuff from breweries. I buy beer. I don't get into overly catchy names, but I do like a name I can remember. For example, Bell's "Two Hearted Ale" - it is enough of a name to stand out from others, but the tragedy is it doesn't say much about the beer (I really like the beer, btw). On the other hand, DB Vienna Lager - says some important information about the style of the beer. In terms of marketing - the way to market is to host events for restaurants and bartenders. Teach them about beer. Teach them about your beer. Hope they stock your stuff, especially if it is on tap. It is BRUTALLY hard for a new micro to make it without a restaurant or something to go with it - but it still happens all the time. Oh, and be careful with all things "Dominion" in your name. You don't want to get confused for the no-longer-made-in-Virginia Dominion Brewery. Good luck, I would love to see an ARFCOM'r succeed in an endeavor like this! -shooter |