The craft beer aisle is a magical place where we probably spend too much of our time. Gazing at all of the different options is the best way to discover what beer to try next. As you exam your options, have you ever thought about how a beer aisle should be organized?
In a Cincinnati craft beer Facebook group, this question was posed by the owner of a local craft beer and wine shop, Marty’s Hops And Vine. It garnered quite a few responses – more than I would have expected. So naturally, I wanted to extend that conversation to my readers.
There’s a handful of options on how a beer aisle should be organized; all with their pros and cons. Not all are ideal but each has some level of value.
Let’s review those and then at the end I’ll give my opinion of what I like.
The Basics
No matter where I go, I can almost guarantee that beer will be divided into three categories:
- Macro Beer
- Craft Beer
- Imports
This includes bottle shops, grocery stores and everything in between. And the beer in the craft beer section is everything that isn’t Budweiser, Miller, Michelob and Yuengling.
Poor Yuenling always gets placed with the macro lagers.
From there, the craft beer can be organized in a number of different ways.
Alphabetical
Let’s keep this simple, this method places the beer on the shelf in alphabetical order based on the brewery name.
I see this over and over again and is probably the most popular way to organize beer. However, I will note that I rarely see signage that tells customers that it is organized alphabetically.
Pros
- If you know who makes the beer you want, you’ll be able to find it easily
- The store owner/ employee can quickly help customers as well as stock the shelves
- Once explained, customers understand the system
Cons
- If you aren’t loyal to a specific brewery, it can be ineffective
- Staff can have a hard time recommending beers of similar styles since they are spread out
Region
There are certain areas that are known for producing great beer. And if you aren’t able to travel there, then you’re probably looking to pick up that region’s beer at your local shop.
For that reason, it seems like there are quite a few bottle shops that organize based on region. While it doesn’t address every concern, once understood there is an easy means of explaining the order.
Pros
- Great for those with a “dink local” focus
- Fans of import beers will easily be able to find beer from specific countries
- Encourages customers to buy beer from outside their own area
Cons
- Regional boundaries aren’t always clearly defined or understood
- Much like alphabetical, it can be ineffective if you aren’t committed to a specific region
- Many beer drinkers do not care where the brewery is located – they just want good beer
Random
This method may not even exist but I’ve been to a few bottle shops where there appears to be no organizational system. The beer is everywhere and occasionally you find a few beers by the same brewery next to each other.
It’s possible that they were using a system and I was unable to tell but if that’s the case then their “system” doesn’t work.
I’ll again point to the need for signage to help the customer navigate the extensive selection of craft beer.
Pros
- Encourages a “hunter” mindset as you think you may luck into something good
- Good chance you’ll look at something you never would have found otherwise
- Easy to stock as the beer goes where ever there is room for it
Cons
- Confusing for everyone – very hard to find a specific beer or brewery
- Managing inventory becomes very labor intensive
- Messy shelves discourages customers from purchasing
Style
It is not very common but there are times when I find a store that organizes their beer by style.
It is a really interesting method and appears to be more customer friendly than the other methods.
Most beer drinkers have a few styles that they prefer over anything else. And those are the styles they are looking for when shopping; so why not put all similar beer in the same area?
Pros
- Unique and customer friendly
- Customers are more likely to try a new beer within the same style
- Speed of shopping
Cons
- Some styles are too broad or have too many options (IPAs & Sours)
- More difficult for staff to stock and keep consistent
- Can appear to be randomly placed on shelf if signage is not clear
How I Would Organize A Beer Aisle
If I had control, I think there are a number of things I would do.
First off, I would continue the old way of separating Macro Lagers, Craft Beer and Imports. Customers are trained to look for this and I think it’s a solid way to organize on a high level.
From there, each of those three sections would be organized by brewery in alphabetical order. I would not divide based on region.
Next, I would utilize end caps or other specific shelves to feature specific styles. The styles featured would rarely change but the beer in that area would rotate.
And the beer found here would still be found alphabetically by brewery in the main beer area. IPAs, stouts, seasonals, etc are all types of beer that would have a special featured area.
Finally, I would have an area dedicated to local beer. It would not contain all local beer but rather feature popular or seasonal offerings. The rest of the local beer would be found in the main beer area sorted alphabetically. The local section would be upfront as supporting local is critical to the craft beer industry.
All of this would be supported with ample signage to ensure the customer understands.
Some beers would be located in multiple locations which can make the staff’s job harder but in the end the customer would be served the best.
I considered separating the real craft beer from those made by the macro beer companies but I felt like that would be confusing to most consumers. Not everyone tracks “who owns who” nor do they always care. That is part of the education not the organizational process.
How You Shop Vs How Breweries Market
Much of the way products are presented to us is based on the preference of that brand and/or the store selling it to you.
Which means it isn’t always presented in a way that is best for the consumer.
For example, breweries want all their beer placed together. This provides a large display that is easily seen and can encourage the customer to purchase multiple styles from them.
This is a disadvantage to breweries that only have one or two beers on the shelf as they can disappear amidst the breweries that have handfuls of beers to display.
But I don’t shop based on brewery and I have a feeling you don’t either. Yes, there are many times that I am looking for a specific beer but rarely a specific brewery.
I’ve never said, “I’m going to buy something from Sierra Nevada today.” But I have said, I’m in the mood for a stout which leads me to believe that having more style-based sections is the most customer friendly way to sell beer.
Final Thoughts aka Does This Even Matter?
I don’t own a craft beer shop or a grocery store so there are probably factors that I don’t understand or may be overlooking. For example, at grocery stores, there is the ability to pay for ideal placement on shelves.
What I do know is many customers know what beer they want to drink. They purchase a handful of different beers on a regular basis. It’s as easy as walking in, grabbing it and leaving.
However, when a customer wants to try something new, they want a craft beer aisle that is easy to understand and shop. Expanding your craft beer knowledge should be fun and a well thought out craft beer aisle can be a great resource for discovery.
A quick thank you to Jane from Marty’s Hops And Vines for creating the original conversation that sparked this article. If you are in Cincinnati, this is one of the best spots to pick up craft beer and wine as well as enjoy a great meal.
