Brewpub

Simply having great beer is no longer enough, and on-site pie is a hit any way you slice it. Using pizza as a prism, here are three operational approaches to drawing more customers with food.

Minnesota’s peculiar beer laws compelled Austin Jevne and Annie Henderson to spin off a contract-brewed brand distinct from their original brewpub. Turns out, the lemonade they made from those lemons tastes pretty sweet.

San Diego lamented the loss of Gordon Biersch’s consistently stellar lagers—until, about $8 million later, Puesto Cervecería opened in the same spot, with a new look, bright Mexican fare, and the same brewer and brewhouse as before.

In this era of stripped-down industrial taprooms and food trucks, Moody Tongue’s classy new Dining Room in Chicago offers $155 pairing menus. Behind the scenes: a brewer who thinks like a chef, and a chef who drinks like a brewer.

The cofounder of the Austin, Texas, mixed-culture brewery shares thoughts on how Jester King is growing and diversifying, balancing hospitality with production, and adjusting to shifting market demands.

While the term “brewpub” may once have described venues known more for their food, today’s leading edge brewpub operators are proving them to be a compelling outlet for creative expression in food and drink and a compelling business model.