As the country passes 8,000 operating breweries, the number of them opening secondary taprooms is growing with noticeable frequency. Some brewers who face the opportunity to expand would rather not open another brewery. The taproom model, basically an outpost for a brewery, has become a popular option because it gives a brewery a guaranteed account and a chance to grow a regional footprint, connecting with customers who want the brewery’s beer but might be just a little too distant to enjoy it regularly.
That’s the case with breweries such as Odell Brewing Co., which opened a taproom and small brewery in downtown Denver, a good 90-minute ride from its home in Fort Collins, Colorado. And the brewery recently announced plans for a second taproom in the city. Also in Colorado, Greeley-based WeldWerks Brewing Company is opening a taproom in Colorado Springs, more than 2 hours to the south. That town is also home to an Oskar Blues Brewery taproom.
This is, of course, nothing new. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. opened a taproom—the Torpedo Room—in Berkeley, California, more than 5 years ago as a way of having a focal point for its brewery in the Bay Area. Samuel Adams is planning a new location in tourist- and worker-heavy downtown Boston to help with visibility and add to the bottom line. Anheuser-Busch InBev has been busy adding taprooms based on their existing brands—especially 10 Barrel, Goose Island, and Golden Road—to help widen their footprint. Stone Brewing operates a taproom in Shanghai that is every bit as bombastic as the Southern California brewer is known for. All of these moves increase visibility for the overall brand and help brewers stay top of mind in an increasingly crowded marketplace.