UPDATED: 2/14/24

Over 2023, challenges in the American economy with inflation directly affected the price of many goods, including beer.

Indeed, the data seems to support that prices for craft beer have increased across major styles and formats.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Consumer Price Index for beer at home rose +2.4% year-over-year (YoY), higher than the +1.9% YoY increase reported in 2023. However, the report did show that the increase has slowed since January 2023, which recorded a +9% YoY increase.

Last year, Untappd reported that across all U.S. retailers from March 2022 to December 2022, the average price of American light lager (per 16oz draft) increased +3.3%, to $4.94, while this style in 12oz bottles, also increased +3.4%, to $3.91.

And if you thought this might just be unique to lagers, Untappd also analyzed price data for American IPAs. On draft, this style’s price increased +1.9%, to $6.88 in 16oz cans. And increased +3.7% in 12oz bottles to $3.97 over that ten-month period in 2022.

“Brewery taprooms have seen solid price increases across three styles we examined,” Smith wrote in the report. “Across all venue types, however, the lower priced American light lager saw the largest price increase on a percentage basis.”

He continues, “I’ve spoken with a number of independent brewers that were unsure about taking price increases in 2022 (some macro producers took two price increases). It appears, based on the pricing data we see from beers coming out of A-B InBev’s craft unit, that there is ample headroom for smaller producers to take more price in 2023.”

Alcohol Delivered gathered data on average case prices for a 24-pack of Bud Light and Miller Lite across the country in 2024. Their data showed the cheapest price at $16.43 in Illinois all the way to the highest at $33.62 in Alaska.

Overall, considering how to price your products this year is going to be one of the most important business decisions you make.

And it’s a tough thing to nail.

If you price too low, you leave money on the table. But if your product is too expensive, it won’t sell.

When it comes to pricing beer or cider, there are several things to consider. But first and foremost, you need to answer one important question: What type of business do you have?

Do you run a bar or restaurant offering on-site consumption? Are you a bottle shop that only offers to-go products? Do you provide on-site consumption and a selection of products to-go? Something else?

Before you can start to understand pricing, you need to think about what you sell. For instance, pouring beer on draft versus serving it in a can or bottle carries a different cost. With the average cost to serve a bottled beer at twenty-five percent and draft beer closer to twenty percent, draft beer might be your highest margin item, but might also come with added expenses for refrigeration and pouring equipment.

It can seem like a lot, but getting the price of your products right can mean more profitability for your establishment and a better bottom line.

And we’re here to help.

UPDATED: 2/2/24

You can brew the best milkshake IPA on the planet. But, if your beer label doesn’t catch the eye of the consumer and meet all the requirements mandated by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), your beer won’t stand out on the shelf. Or even make it to the shelf.

“A beer label is the number one way consumers will interact with your brand,” says Matt Tanaka, Founder of Stout Collective, a design-driven creative studio rooted in beer that designed over 500 beer labels last year alone. “In a world with 9,000+ craft breweries in the United States alone, you have a fraction of a second to catch a consumer’s eye on the beer shelf. It’s a really competitive space. The way to compete is with label design.”

To say it simply: Your beer label will determine if someone buys your beer.

“You really can’t overstate how important your brand is,” says Tim Corcoran, co-founder of Massachusetts-based Coastal Mass Brewing (nee Channel Marker Brewing), whose distinctive labels have set the tone for the brewery and consistently impress a loyal following. “Your can label designs are the first thing you should think of when it comes to a brewery’s branding, in addition to your logo.”

When considering something as important as designing the perfect beer label, there are several things that need your consideration, starting with legal compliance. From the visual design to why you can’t use the abbreviation IPA to pressure sensitive versus shrink sleeves, we’ll show you how to create the perfect beer label.

UPDATED: 1/26/24

In the last five years or so, the way we’ve tipped has changed. Today, many contactless and digital payment apps make it easy to add anywhere from a ten percent to even twenty-five percent tip to an order.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean that more Americans are tipping. Even as business has returned to a new normal.

While tipping at standard American sit-down restaurants has remained around 19.4 percent, Toast reports that an average tip for quick-service restaurants (and places like breweries) on their platform now only reaches 16.1 percent, down from seventeen percent in 2022.

Overall, Toast reports that tipping remained steady over the course of 2023.

According to a Pew Research survey, Americans report leaving a tip on average the most at sit-down restaurants (92%), when ordering food delivery (76%), and when buying a drink at a bar (70%). On the other hand, only 12% of Americans leave a tip at a fast-casual restaurant.

While most people are inclined to tip, others may need a little nod in the right direction. And while the aforementioned payment platforms, such as Toast, offer easy tipping options (66.6 percent of people using that platform will include a tip in their transactions), nothing replaces a good ole’ tip jar on the counter.

Whether you’re starting up a friendly competition, roping them in with cultural references and puns, or incentivizing with freebies, remind your customers to tip their bartenders by making it fun and engaging.

A good tactic to get tips going is to start the shift off with a few bills in the jar to remind guests this is a real need, kind of like an “everybody is doing it” subtle peer pressure. If you’re stuck on how to get the tips rolling in, check out thirty of the best tip jar ideas we came across for an emotional appeal, a little bit of humor, and clearing up local rivalries.

UPDATED: 1/19/24

Brewing great beer is important but if you can’t represent the soul of your brewery through your branding, no one will understand who you are. With over 9,700 breweries operating in the United States, your beer will only set you apart so much from the pack.

“How much better can your Hazy IPA be than the next guy?” says Ben Butler, former co-founder of the now-closed Necromancer Brewing and Top Hat, an award-winning design and marketing agency in Pittsburgh. “If two brands are sitting on a shelf right next to each other, you’re probably going to grab the one you’re more interested in. Branding now has the final say.”

For better or for worse, gone are the days of succeeding based on beer merit alone. In 2024, people want to hear the unique story that brought your company into the business. They want to connect with who you are as a brewery, learn about nuances that make you different, and understand your beliefs and values as a business.

But it can be challenging to answer the questions: Who are you? Who is your brand? And how can you visually represent your brewery in a few short words, colors, and illustrations?

We asked the experts at some of the top beer-focused design agencies around the country to share how they attempt to answer these questions, how to design a brewery logo and what makes the best ones work.

Untappd is the world’s largest community of beer enthusiasts with over 1o million registered users. At its core, Untappd is an app that invites people to socially share the beers they’re currently enjoying by “checking them in.” Curious about what your friends are drinking or where they’re hanging out? Just check out their Untappd profile.

In April 2021, Untappd hit over 1 billion check-ins worldwide, making it the premier social platform to engage with a community of dedicated craft beer drinkers.

And in 2022, the community registered its one billionth badge earned. What is a badge you ask? Well, for a brewery, beer business, taproom, or bar, one of the best ways to tap into this hyper-engaged community is through Untappd badges.

UPDATED 2/16/23

When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit in the early months of 2020 the most requested feature on the Untappd for Business platform was a way to allow customers to see food, wine, and cocktails by scanning a QR code.

According to an eMarketer report from Insider Intelligence, during the height of the pandemic (2020) smartphone users who scanned a QR code at least once during the calendar year surged to 65.7 million people. And while the rush to implement this technology has certainly slowed, businesses are continuing to turn to QR codes as a viable part of their business model.

Even three years later, touchless web and app-based menus remain extremely important, giving your customers quick and easy access to your menus.

These QR codes give a full contactless experience for your patrons. Whether through printed materials or digital menus, customers can safely scan a code and view any type of menu—beer, food, wine, or cocktail.

From a business perspective, QR codes and digital menus can help you save on printing and labor costs and even potentially drive your bottom line.

With the popularity of QR codes on the rise, it’s crucial to use this tactic to save money and better serve your customers.

Thanks to some creative thinking, there are a variety of ways to display QR codes throughout your establishment. From creative posters to simple table tents, here are the top nine ways to display your QR codes in your restaurant or bar.

UPDATED: 1/27/23

As bars, breweries, and even restaurants have evolved, writing menus on chalkboards has become a thing of the past. Today, digital menu boards have become a streamlined, easy way to display what’s on tap, driving customer engagement and saving your team valuable time.

Digital menu boards can make an impression on your customers, ultimately adding to your bottom line. As one of the latest trends in digital signage, these boards can give customers a sleek, modern way to read what you have on hand and in stock.

While many establishments use a good ol’ fashion TV to show their offerings, there are plenty of options that are both reasonably priced and high quality. In fact, there may be too many options. But if the number of TVs on the market seem daunting, don’t fret.

We’ve sifted through the multitude of options to show you which ones are the best to display your menus.

After all, if you’re choosing to showcase some of the now three million beers in Untappd’s database on your digital menu board (as of 2023), you’ll want the best, most reasonably priced display.

A few years ago, a beer without alcohol in the United States seemed crazy. But today, non-alcoholic beer has become a growing trend in the U.S. So much so that many American craft breweries have taken a stab at making their own versions of non-alcoholic beer.

Beverage e-commerce site Drizly reported that NA category shares rose twenty-four percent on the platform year over year compared to the same period in 2021. More than one hundred non-alcoholic brands including beer, wine, cider, and spirits now live on Drizly, a seventy percent increase from last year. In the United States specifically, Statista reported that non-alcoholic brands contributed to over $414 million in sales.

While on a global scale, leading global alcohol industry market research firm IWSR reported in its IWSR Drinks Market Analysis that volume of no- or low-alcohol beverages grew by thirty-one percent year over year in 2022.

Basically, all signs point to non-alcoholic beer trending, if not growing into something more.

As a result, over the past few years, many craft breweries have added innovative, flavorful non-alcoholic beers to their portfolios. And entirely non-alcoholic beer brands are emerging in the market.

For instance, major established brands like Brooklyn Brewery, Boston Beer Co., and Dogfish Head have all crafted their own NA beers.

And solely non-alcoholic beer producers such as Athletic Brewing Co. are changing the status quo.

We predict this beer trend will continue to grow and that soon Americans will be drinking non-alcoholic beer all year round. So now the big question becomes: Is it worth your brewery investigating and investing in starting a non-alcoholic beer line?

The appreciation that people have for a delicious dinner is one thing that will never change.

In fact, Forbes reports that by the end of 2022, “the food service industry is expected to hit $898 billion in sales, a $99 billion increase over 2021 and a $220 billion increase over that unprecedented 2020.”

If you’re a restaurant owner looking to reassess your menu offerings in order to give customers their next extraordinary culinary experience, a prix fixe menu is one of the simplest and most successful strategies.

Let’s guide you through the ins and out of the prix fixe menu, how to build one, and what makes it profitable.