Food

Sharing space in the brewery with compatible businesses can help bring in new customers and add to the overall experience—but there are challenges as well as opportunities.

By taking some new approaches to pairing beer and food, we can energize the craft-brewing scene and create the kinds of experiences that keep people coming back for more.

Most people who operate small breweries don’t want to go into the restaurant business—yet food is an increasingly important way to attract customers and increase beer sales. For small breweries considering what kind of food program might be the best fit, here are some lessons learned.

Nonalcoholic beer is a growing category, and some smaller breweries are getting into that space. However, doing it properly may entail much more study, planning, and compliance than you expect.

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.

From diversity at CBC to a brewery-led market hall with pet groomers, here are some happenings and announcements from around the industry.

From flavor fundamentals that anyone can follow to specific matchups of beer styles and dishes, the Neighborhood Restaurant Group’s Greg Engert leads a master course on pairing great food with great beer.

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.

A brewery could open its own kitchen. However, when you factor in the costs—hiring a chef, obtaining the right licenses, rent, ingredients, equipment, construction, and so much more—it’s a big hassle.

Some breweries are sharing their brands with food companies for mutual benefit.

A growing number of breweries that have long featured a rotating cast of food trucks are putting in place a more permanent situation.