The BARS Program Blog

On Tap: Compliance-Training and Craft Brewers

As part of a series of interviews with clients and partners, we caught up with Bill Young, global senior director of alcohol policy, Molson Coors Brewing Company, and a longtime ally of The BARS Program’s compliance-training platform. Among many topics discussed, we picked Young’s brain about the alcohol industry and his thoughts on shifting trends and potential areas for action.

Most notably, Young says, is how the craft brewery segment – made up of brewpubs, microbreweries, regional craft breweries and contract brewing companies – is dramatically changing the landscape of the alcohol industry. An increasing number of small and independent craft brewers are popping up across the country, and contributing to local, state and national income and economic opportunities, including employment and community connectedness. According to the Brewers Association for Small and Independent Craft Brewers, sales of craft beer increased 10 percent, up to $23.5 billion in 2016, and now account for nearly 22 percent of the $107.6 billion U.S. beer market. * And the Association goes on record stating the majority of Americans live within 10 miles of a craft brewer.

Young says while the growth and popularity of the craft brewery segment is undeniable, small local breweries are growing dependent upon public-facing taprooms for reliable income – the Brewers Association for Small and Independent Craft Brewers refers to this as “on-premise beer volume.” Young believes without taprooms many of the smaller breweries can’t afford to stay open because they struggle to get a route to market through beer distributors.

With this dependability comes an indisputable urgency for more regulation and compliance-training among brew masters, bartenders, servers and management teams. Young, who’s worked alongside alcohol distributors and retailers since 1994, believes this is especially true inside those taprooms.

Young advocates these breweries and taprooms look to establish a compliance-training program to ensure legal practices are followed for selling age-restricted products and to safe-guard against government-backed stings.

If you’re a brew master, bartender, server or member of a brewery’s management team and are you’re looking for a customizable training program to strengthen your brand or taproom’s reputation, make The BARS Program your go-to partner for ensuring your employees are properly trained on the government-backed rules and regulations unique to the states in which you operate. If you’re in the market for real-time, proactive, responsible compliance-training, or you want to strengthen your current training methodologies for selling age-sensitive products, contact The BARS Program at www.barsprogram.com/contact or call 1-877-540-5500.

Resources

Brewers Association for Small and Independent Craft Brewers

https://www.brewersassociation.org/statistics/national-beer-sales-production-data/

            https://www.brewersassociation.org/insights/tasting-rooms-part-solution/