Boost The Profile Of Your Draft Beer Range
Stephan Kofler, Sales & Marketing Director of Krombacher Drinks UK Ltd gives us his tips on how to boost the profile of your draft beer range.
How should an Inn manager decide on which beers to stock?
“It’s always an incredibly competitive market but demand for our draft range has been astounding in 2016 and over the last couple of years. A knock on effect from the boom in craft beer is that many consumers, who for many years were happy to drink insipid brewed under licence beer, now just won’t accept it. Whether it’s a brewery with 200 years heritage or one which has just opened up in a container in Brixton, consumers want quality, a story and a real drinking experience.
“There’s never a perfect formula for what beers and how many an Inn should stock. As many factors such as location, size and clientele of the hotel plus the season will play a part. We advise F&B managers to be pro-active and look for special occasions, food and events as a way to change and introduce new beers to guests and ultimately find out what works and sells. Rotation is good when it comes to local and craft but 70% of your draft beer sales will most probably come from your lager so make sure you get your choice right.
Family owned and in operation since 1803, Krombacher is the market leader in Germany and its Pils is the number one premium brand and biggest selling. Proudly brewed at source in the town of Krombach in accordance with the purity law of 1516, the independent brewery has 55 master brewers and benefits from the unique Felsquellwasser (Untreated rock spring water). This brewing heritage, independence and dedication to quality is what sets Krombacher apart and it’s what can help set an Inn’s bar apart and make a visit memorable.”
Are there any trends in beer tastes or types for hotel guests?
“The interest in craft and world beer has been the key trend with many pubs, bars and Inns looking to move away from a standard beer range and instead offer beers of different origins, styles, abv’s and taste profiles. Consumers are taking more of an interest in where and how a beer is produced so offering a unique and exciting range is a great way for operators to distinguish themselves from the masses. Managers have to offer beers with a point of difference to set their range apart from local competition so they need to be brave and creative. Don’t just go with bog standard mainstream brands often sold for pittance in the supermarkets but instead look for beers packaged in an exciting way, brands with unique backstories and heritage, beers with great food matching qualities and of course, the finest quality.”
- How important is staff training?
“In order to maximise draft beer sales and promote your offering, your staff have to be trained properly so they can talk about the range confidently to customers and serve the beer correctly. That means being able to recommend food matches and pouring and presenting the beer in the right glassware. An eye-catching font and stylish glassware will help to drive sales and our traditional German ceramic font plus range of glassware is always very popular in the Inn sector. We offer training sessions to all venues who stock our beers and even run mystery shopper and competitions to ensure staff are incentivised to pour perfect. We can guarantee that you won’t a find a better Pils but if you’re asking a customer to pay a premium price for a beer the staff have to do their bit and make sure it looks the part at point of serve.”
- How can UK Inns use draft beer to complement their food offering, and vice versa?
“Beer and food matching is an increasingly popular trend and can be a vital way for Inns to up- and cross-sell while creating a bit of excitement at the table. Our Pils is incredibly versatile but perfect with Salmon or Pork dishes, our dark is a delight with a nice chargrilled steak and our wheat is wonderful with a Thai curry so we often run beer and food sessions with staff to help them get the confidence to make those recommendations, as they would wine.
- How can operators boost the profile of their draft beer range?
“The easiest ways for operators to boost the profile of their range is to have clear signage in their venues, introductory tasting offers so customers can try before they buy, knowledgeable staff who tell customers about the new additions and by shouting about it on their social media pages. Events are also a great way of generating press, promotion and a loyal following so speak to your suppliers about support. We are very active in working with venues to run beer and food nights, tastings or even German (Beer-) Octoberfest events and they are always beneficial to the brand and the venue.”
For further information:
info@krombacher.co.uk
Twitter – @KrombacherUK
Facebook & Instagram – /KrombacherUK
