IBS Announces Top Ten Brewpubs and Brewpub Groups
Brew Brothers in Reno breaks Wynkoop's record
August, 1999The Brew Brothers brewpub, located in the Eldorado Hotel and Casino in Reno, Nevada, recently claimed the title of the highest-selling brewpub in North America. The brewpub sold a record 6,108 barrels of beer during 1998, breaking the previous single-brewpub record held by Denver's Wynkoop Brewing Co. of 5,008 barrels. "I'm happy to congratulate Brew Brothers and pass the mantel of 'largest brewpub' to them," says Wynkoop's president John Hickenlooper.
How did Brew Brothers manage to sell so much beer--equal to 1,514,784 pints-- in one year, under one roof? Part of the answer lies in the fact that the brewpub is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In addition, the combined restaurant and brewery is located in a sky bridge connecting three popular hotels-- the 800-room Eldorado, the 1,800-room Silver Legacy, and the 2,200-room Circus Circus. "That amounts to quite a large amount of foot traffic passing by the brewery every day," says Brew Brothers head brewer Darren Witcher.
Eighty percent of the beer is sold on-site at Brew Brothers, which occupies half of the 12,000-square-foot sky bridge. The other 20 percent is sold at ten restaurants in the Eldorado Hotel, which is a limited liability company in partnership with the Silver Legacy Hotel.
As with any successful brewpub, the food aspect of the business is a critical component of Brew Brothers' continued growth. The company extends the "made fresh on-site" philosophy beyond their beer to include house-roasted coffee, house-made pasta, and an on-site bakery complementing an exhibition-style kitchen. The handcrafted and homemade products at Brews Brothers are a welcome exception from what most vacationers expect at a casino. In addition, the city of Reno's proximity to Northern California's beer-savvy consumers makes it an excellent resort town for a small brewery.
Brew Brothers' success is yet another example of the growing momentum of the U.S. brewpub industry. Brewpubs have exploded in popularity across the country, increasing in number from 300 in 1994 to 930 in 1999. Although new openings slowed from an average of 200 per year in 1995 through 1997 to 140 in 1998, brewpubs continue to benefit from a healthy market based on growing consumer interest in the pleasures of combining good food with fresh, flavorful, locally-brewed beers.
The list of the nation's top ten brewpubs reveals that popular brewing restaurants are not just a phenomenon of the West. As the attached table shows, the largest-selling individual brewpubs can be found in New York, North Carolina, Michigan, and Hawaii as well as in Nevada, California, and Colorado.
Company
Sales (bbls) % Change
1. Brew Brothers/Eldorado Hotel & Casino (NV)
6,108 +15
2. Lost Coast Brewing Co. (CA)
4,800 +18
3. Wynkoop Brewing Co. (CO)
3,958 -9
4. Mountain Valley Brewpub (NY)
3,800 +19
5. Southend Brewery and Smokehouse÷Charlotte (NC)
3,600 0
6. Big Buck Brewery & Steakhouse÷Auburn Hills (MI)
3,266 N/A
7. Monte Carlo Pub and Brewery (NV)
3,200 +3
8. Gordon Biersch÷Honolulu (HI)
2,844 -11
9. Rock Bottom Brewery÷Denver (CO)
2,820 -9
10. Gordon Biersch÷Las Vegas (NV)
2,720 N/A
From the Institute of Brewing Studies, Boulder CO.
