Something for Everyone
No one is loyal to any one beer anymore, Siddle says. It used to be that if you drank Bud, that’s all you drank. Now people come into his brewery and want to try what’s new. They want hoppy, or a brew packed with bready malt characteristics. So, he—and others—constantly need to be ready with a drink people will like, and the same goes for spirits and wine.
Cisco has seen tremendous sales with its jalapeño pineapple-flavored vodka, and that has helped bring on new spirits that will appeal to an eager public down the line. It’s the beer, however, that is the most popular—and successful.
The brewery, distillery and winery staff must know the flavor in each product to point people—even self-proclaimed beer-only, wine-only or spirits-only consumers—toward another beverage. They draw comparisons with grains or tannins, yeast or hops, and take the time to educate consumers who usually leave with new knowledge and a new appreciation. The three beverages play off one another.
“We’ve been at this a long time, so we don’t put out something that we don’t enjoy,” Harman says.
Moersch concurs.
“If you can’t find something you like to drink here, you don’t like to drink.”
