Best Practices: Why Private Events Matter to Avery Brewing

This article is the first of a series of Best Practice articles we’re cultivating from experts throughout the brewing industry.

Culture

At Avery Brewing we have what we call “Red Table Culture.” Red Table Culture is our internal, employee culture where after work employees gather to enjoy a beer (or two) around our red patio tables. The craft industry is about connection, community, and shared experiences, thus the time we share over beers fosters a sense of family and fellowship. For many folks sharing a beer is a means of participating in community: with friends and loved ones, with the brewer who made the beer, with the beer guru behind the bar, and other craft beer lovers.

At Avery we say that we are dedicated to, “inspiring a culture unified by the fervent pursuit of the perfect beer and perfect beer experience.” Through offering private events we are able to provide a more intimate beer experience for some of our biggest fans. People interested in hosting their event here typically have memorable experiences with us or our beers and want to continue creating memories at Avery.

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Experiences

We recognize that the beer experience is so important to our guests and staff that we are willing to dedicate an area for enhancing that experience. We utilize our brewhouse mezzanine for events as it provides a bird’s eye view of our entire brewing process. The mezzanine is truly a one of a kind, unique atmosphere. Guests are able to see the brewer making their beer, from mash to can, and can truly feel connected to the craft beer community. These events present us with opportunities to expand our community with groups of friends, family, or co-workers gathered to share life’s celebrations.

Hospitality

Hospitality is one of our key values at Avery, and it is embodied in each member of our teAm. Our staff does more than pour beer into a glass, they are all knowledgeable craft enthusiasts, passionate about sharing our Red Table Culture and love of beer. Private events provide them with a platform to do what they do best: offer world-class hospitality, educate customers, and create new Avery loyalists. Private events are fun for our staff too.

Organization

The way we have broken down costs for private events was to look at our cost to host an event (staff, beer, food) and how we could accommodate a variety of events. Our pricing structure is very a la carte. The cost for the space varies depending on the time of day, day of the week and season. The space we use for private events is open to the public when it’s not booked for an event, therefore it is at times revenue generating and we needed to account for that. We have two beer options, access to five or access to ten taps. No matter how many different beers the guest chooses they do get unlimited pours. Finally, food cost. We have three different tiers for food, a Craft Bites option (heavy hor d’oeuvres), Savory Eats (a BBQ focus), or a three course option of Craft Bites, Savory Eats and dessert. The style of service is all buffet, focusing on creating a mingling and social atmosphere. Beer and food are priced per person. We do have a minimum of $2,000 for a private event (which may include tax and gratuity). This means that any size group is welcome to have a private event as long as they meet that minimum. Our taproom and restaurant can accommodate groups up to 20 people, groups larger than 20 require the use of our private event space and booking system.

We are still in our first year of offering private events, with roughly four per month. It has taken a great deal of logistical work to ensure we have the resources to spread between private events and maintaining our regular business in the tap room and restaurant. We very much value the guests who come in everyday to enjoy our tap room and restaurant, therefore it’s important that private events do not get in the way of the regular flow of business. Every decision made around developing a private event program has revolved around the question, “How can we provide the best beer experience?” When we stick to our value of hospitality and our promise of pursuing the best beer experience we have been able to offer a fantastic event environment for people to share a purposefully crafted community experience, and we are honored to be participants!

This article is by Amy Newell-Large, the Hospitality Manager at Avery Brewing.

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