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Best (and worst) beers you've ever had


BamaGrad03

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4 minutes ago, ShocksMyBrain said:

The two play very nicely with each other. WWS takes the brunt of the flavor with 120 backing it up with bitterness. Good stuff. 

And certainly the right abv to celebrate that beautiful chicken sandwich bowl.

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3 hours ago, ShocksMyBrain said:

@Bigbens42. I think you were waiting on this update. 

2014 Xocoveza.

Cinnamon held up nicely. Not a whole lot else going on. Maybe some of the pepper showing up. 

gP73nsm.jpg

The coffee was overwhelming on one I sat on for a year. 

Been hammering mimosas all day. Not particularly broken up about the consolation game. 

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Going to be a good night..............

IMG_0344.JPG.jpg

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2 hours ago, Tiger Refuge said:

I had forgotten how good that durn Nova Vert was...

Yep. Durn good. The Envie isn't half bad either. I have a headache. :cheers:

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So I got a promotion and healthy raise yesterday at the store as the new beer manager. My main goal right now is increasing beer sales. 

That said, what do you guys look for in your favorite beer stores that sets it above the rest? Keep in mind that our store is pretty small, so space is limited. We currently have 12 taps for growlers, a competitor went under and we/I am hoping to grab up a lot of their customers. 

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25 minutes ago, ShocksMyBrain said:

So I got a promotion and healthy raise yesterday at the store as the new beer manager. My main goal right now is increasing beer sales. 

That said, what do you guys look for in your favorite beer stores that sets it above the rest? Keep in mind that our store is pretty small, so space is limited. We currently have 12 taps for growlers, a competitor went under and we/I am hoping to grab up a lot of their customers. 

1st - Congrats!

Re: Main Question - My answer, I'm afraid, will be of little use to you. In my corner of the universe, I'm just still looking for the breadth of (out-of-state, out-of-region, out-of-county!)) selection that you folks here frequently discuss.

I do, continue to read/appreciate reviews here, in case I ever get out of the house, and

keep excelling/striving.

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29 minutes ago, ShocksMyBrain said:

So I got a promotion and healthy raise yesterday at the store as the new beer manager. My main goal right now is increasing beer sales. 

That said, what do you guys look for in your favorite beer stores that sets it above the rest? Keep in mind that our store is pretty small, so space is limited. We currently have 12 taps for growlers, a competitor went under and we/I am hoping to grab up a lot of their customers. 

Hell yeah! Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday, Happy New Year and Congrats!

I find there are 3 types of store that I like:
-The spot close to home or office that will dependably have good options
-The Beers'R'Us warehouse type place
-The small bottle shoppe, which seems appropriate to elaborate on here

My favorite spot in Atlanta, which I've mentioned before, is Ale Yeah!. I'll try to explain a typical shopping experience and why I like it.

Small place. You walk in and somebody will usually say "Let me know if I can help you find anything". Immediately to the right is the new and seasonal section. This is where you go obviously if you're looking for the new hotness. Might not follow marketing psychology best practices, but it's great for the consumer. This is also next to the Belgian section.

The beers are sectioned off mostly by style, also with a big island in the middle of mostly local stuff in the middle. This is also where you'll find most of the sixers and twelve packs.

If staff see you lingering for awhile, they'll be a little more assertive and ask if there's anything in particular you're looking for. They'll let you guide the conversation from there. They're never pretentious. It's usually up to the consumer to raise the geek level on the conversation. And no request is beneath them. I really appreciate that. I'm triggered by people who are pretentious towards those who would give them money for food and beverage services. Anyway, Eddie, the owner, clearly looks for this ethos when he hires people. They are always really kind, laid back people. But they are also major beer geeks.

There is a singles section. You can make a mixed sixer or whatever, but the beers are their actual price. As in, a 12 ounce bottle that came out of a sixer will cost you one sixth of the sixer price. These are probably not the freshest beers in the store.

They have relationships with all the local brewers and feature them as much as they can, particularly on their growler taps. They are also honest about local beers. They won't lie to you to protect their buddies.

There is a small fridge with a handful of beers in it. They are often the more accessible beers that you might stock up on for a party so that you're not trying to serve KBS to 20 people.

They have a few standards that you can depend on finding there. They always have something new and cool. They don't have the selection that some of the Beers'r'Us warehouse places do, but there's isn't a whale that will hit Atlanta that they won't get at least a couple bottles of.

Sorry. Second snow day in a row and I'm bored out of my mind. Hopefully some of that helps. I guess the main thing is friendly vibe, a lot of beer knowledge and enthusiasm, and a high quality selection while supporting the local community as much as they can. You've got the first two in the bag, which is why you got the job. Again, congrats!

 

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1 hour ago, ShocksMyBrain said:

So I got a promotion and healthy raise yesterday at the store as the new beer manager. My main goal right now is increasing beer sales. 

That said, what do you guys look for in your favorite beer stores that sets it above the rest? Keep in mind that our store is pretty small, so space is limited. We currently have 12 taps for growlers, a competitor went under and we/I am hoping to grab up a lot of their customers. 

Big congrats man! Well deserved!

 

A couple of things I really like...

1) I like to chat. Having someone knowledgeable who is willing to entertain my dumb questions is great(you guys already know that)

2) Of course, I like getting my hands on the goods. Anything "special" is good. I don't mind paying. 

 

*ETA* What 'loof said....

 

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20 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Hell yeah! Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday, Happy New Year and Congrats!

...

If staff see you lingering for awhile, they'll be a little more assertive and ask if there's anything in particular you're looking for. They'll let you guide the conversation from there. They're never pretentious. It's usually up to the consumer to raise the geek level on the conversation. And no request is beneath them. I really appreciate that. I'm triggered by people who are pretentious towards those who would give them money for food and beverage services. Anyway, Eddie, the owner, clearly looks for this ethos when he hires people. They are always really kind, laid back people. But they are also major beer geeks...

...Again, congrats!

 

 

18 minutes ago, Tiger Refuge said:

Big congrats man! Well deserved!

...

1) I like to chat. Having someone knowledgeable who is willing to entertain my dumb questions is great(you guys already know that)

...

^^^!!!^^^

Never seen this, for beer, in my neighborhood. Defines my choice, however, of Fairhope wine shops.

I consider my visits like unto a school field trip?

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5 minutes ago, AUld fAUx@ said:

 

^^^!!!^^^

Never seen this, for beer, in my neighborhood. Defines my choice, however, of Fairhope wine shops.

I consider my visits like unto a school field trip?

Speaking of such, I just saw that Fairhope brewing is releasing their 5th anniversary beer. A rye whiskey barrel aged golden barleywine. Sounds intriguing.

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14 minutes ago, Tiger Refuge said:

Speaking of such, I just saw that Fairhope brewing is releasing their 5th anniversary beer. A rye whiskey barrel aged golden barleywine. Sounds intriguing.

Lookin' forward to the education.

Little disappointed they didn't repeat their Kingslayer (Imperial stout) on tap so far this year, but they're teasing me with that, as well, for the B'day party.

He can be taught?

Edit mine

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Thanks for the input and congratulations. Sounds like I’m headed down the right track. Ale Yeah! is a store I always drop in at when in I can in ATL. I like the small store, yet sizable selection. One thing I can’t decide that I like or not is that they organize by style rather than brewery. 

Our store is much like Ale Yeah!, in terms of atmosphere and store size...we just offer a bunch more and different types of liquor/wine. Our staff knows what they’re talking about in just about every other category(some folks are stronger in areas than others) except for beer. And that’s what my owner wants me to work on, educating my coworkers in the world of beer. 

But no one will talk your head off about beer like I am willing to do. 

I’ve got some store specific stuff I want to work on. We desperately need more or better social media presence for starters. 

I am going to push to take over more shelf space. Right now most of our beer is in the cooler—6 cooler doors to be specific, which isn’t enough—and a floor to ceiling shelf to feature new and seasonal brews. 

And then I have some other stuff in mind from a retail point of view to push to increase beer sales in general. 

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You jogged my memory in a few things. I really like sorting by brewery instead of by style. Also, a local section/new section is awesome. Like ‘loof mentioned, my local places have a spot reserved for that. They both are also very weak in their social media presence. It’s sporadic at best. 

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2 minutes ago, Tiger Refuge said:

You jogged my memory in a few things. I really like sorting by brewery instead of by style. Also, a local section/new section is awesome. Like ‘loof mentioned, my local places have a spot reserved for that. They both are also very weak in their social media presence. It’s sporadic at best. 

Great call about social media. I've seen a tweet and immediately hopped in the car more than once.

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6 hours ago, ShocksMyBrain said:

So I got a promotion and healthy raise yesterday at the store as the new beer manager. My main goal right now is increasing beer sales. 

That said, what do you guys look for in your favorite beer stores that sets it above the rest? Keep in mind that our store is pretty small, so space is limited. We currently have 12 taps for growlers, a competitor went under and we/I am hoping to grab up a lot of their customers. 

Congrats Shocks!

I am a customer service freak, so a few points:

  • listen to the customer
  • learn what they like
  • engage them, always
  • educate them and yourself/your team
  • enjoy the experience. The customer will take notice

Few other things in general:

I like to see the Beer Advocate score. Bought many a beer I knew nothing about, but that BA label/score sold me.

Hate an old beer. Particularly an IPA. Keep them fresh.

Beer tastings. Love them. Helps build a following.

Add in all the other aforementioned ideas/thoughts and...........

Here's to much success...........:cheers:

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2 hours ago, McLoofus said:

Great call about social media. I've seen a tweet and immediately hopped in the car more than once.

Moments like these are when I realize that I highly underutilize Twitter. 

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6 hours ago, ShocksMyBrain said:

So I got a promotion and healthy raise yesterday at the store as the new beer manager. My main goal right now is increasing beer sales. 

That said, what do you guys look for in your favorite beer stores that sets it above the rest? Keep in mind that our store is pretty small, so space is limited. We currently have 12 taps for growlers, a competitor went under and we/I am hoping to grab up a lot of their customers. 

Congratulations!

I'll keep mine simple. Knowledgable employees, which you are obviously ahead of the curve on. Most people like trying new things (at least I do) when I'm buying craft beer, but don't know the first thing about finding a beer that they will actually like. I love walking into a place, having someone ask me what I'm looking for, and then getting a suggestion for a beer I've never tried that I end up loving. I'll be loyal after that.

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2 minutes ago, Barnacle said:

Moments like these are when I realize that I highly underutilize Twitter. 

It can be an extremely powerful- and immediate- source of information. 

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2 hours ago, AUFAN78 said:

Congrats Shocks!

I am a customer service freak, so a few points:

  • listen to the customer
  • learn what they like
  • engage them, always
  • educate them and yourself/your team
  • enjoy the experience. The customer will take notice

Few other things in general:

I like to see the Beer Advocate score. Bought many a beer I knew nothing about, but that BA label/score sold me.

Hate an old beer. Particularly an IPA. Keep them fresh.

Beer tastings. Love them. Helps build a following.

Add in all the other aforementioned ideas/thoughts and...........

Here's to much success...........:cheers:

Sounds like we are on the same page, as I already do all of those things. We keep a low back stock, so our beer is almost always in date. 

I can’t decide if I want to hang shelf talkers from BA or not. But we do hang them for wine, so it might not hurt for some of the more exceptional beers. 

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2 hours ago, Barnacle said:

Congratulations!

I'll keep mine simple. Knowledgable employees, which you are obviously ahead of the curve on. Most people like trying new things (at least I do) when I'm buying craft beer, but don't know the first thing about finding a beer that they will actually like. I love walking into a place, having someone ask me what I'm looking for, and then getting a suggestion for a beer I've never tried that I end up loving. I'll be loyal after that.

How I usually approach a customer goes as follows. 

See a customer looking. 

“Can I help you find anything?”

”No, I think I’m good.”

”Okay give me a shout if you have any questions”.

If I still see them looking 5 minutes later, I’ll swing back around and start asking about what style they like so on and so forth. A lot of people are afraid to ask for help. If I get the cold shoulder again, I just leave them alone. Maybe ask them what they grabbed on the way out to show that I’m generally interested in what they’re buying because I usually am.

Other times:

”Hey, do you need any help?”

”Well I like blah blah from blah blah”

”Cool, well we have [insert 3 different suggestions, placing emphasis on my favorite]”

I’ve got customers now that will basically buy anything I tell them to because we’ve established that trust. 

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I will say that beer shoppers are the best people to strike up a conversation with. 

Followed by wine. They’re the easiest to upsell too. “Oh, you like this cab? Try this one for $5 more. Just buy ‘em both!”. Works 80% of the time.

And bourbon drinkers are just the worst.

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