I heard a great story the other day. I had some business to attend to at the Sugar Bowl in Edmonton. And while we were talking I noticed that Wild Rose Alberta Crude Oatmeal Stout was on tap. I knew that it had earned temporary tap while I was in Halifax. That was good news, but it was only temporary. I half expected it to be gone by the time I was back – which would have been a sad thing since I think it is a lovely stout.
So I asked about it. I was told that it was selling really well, and so they decided to make it permanent. That is great news. But it gets better.
Two weeks ago they decided to drop Guinness, a long-time tap offering at their cafe. Their reason? Wild Rose was selling better and they thought that the two beer were just fighting each other. So they dropped the big boy because the little guy was beating it.
Nice!
I like this story for two reasons. First, it speaks volumes about the quality of the Sugar Bowl’s patrons (and its management, to be honest). When given a choice, they opted for the local version, which, in my opinion, is both fuller and tastier. Brand loyalty meant less than quality loyalty. And how rare is that in Canada?
But I think it speaks to something broader than just Alberta Crude vs. Guinness. Most of the beer market is about familiarity and trustworthiness. People gravitate to what they know. Guinness is the perfect example of a reliable brand. You know EXACTLY what you are getting from a pint of Guinness, and you can trust that it will be good. (Guinness is not a bad beer by any means. I am still quite comfortable ordering a pint of it when in the mood.) As a result it dominates its segment of the market.
Yet here is the fun part. Increasingly these days when a beer drinker is exposed to something new, and it finds a way to surpass the quality of the beer they know, they are willing to shift. That is what happened at the Sugar Bowl. They have a certain proportion of their clientele that are stout drinkers. In the past that meant they want their Guinness and would accept no alternatives. However, with a bit of prodding and maybe a free sample or two, they come to realize that other stout actually tastes better. And so the next time they stop by for a pint, they order the upstart rather than the old reliable. And before you know it, Guinness is getting axed and the upstart is the new stout champion.
A feel-good story worthy of a Rocky sequel.
This isn’t the first time this has happened at the Sugar Bowl. When the cask nights started a little over a year ago, the Sugar Bowl agreed to put Alley Kat’s Full Moon Pale Ale on tap for a month, to help promote the cask. Lo and behold they sold so much of it in that month that they realized they couldn’t take it off. It is now a permanent feature, much like Alberta Crude.
I realize this won’t happen at most bars – Sugar Bowl has a particular reputation that allows for more experimentation. Still, it makes me think that if more pub owners gave local craft brewers a chance, they would be pleasantly surprised at how well it sold. Most are too conservative and too blinkered by short term inducements to see the potential here. Hopefully that will change.
But for now I am pleased as Punch that I get to drink Alberta Crude anytime I want. I have bugged the Wild Rose folks for years to bring it to Edmonton. And now it is here. Plus I get the bonus of knowing it pushed out a multi-national corporation beer! Now that makes a pint go down smoothly.
August 29, 2011 at 10:52 AM
I was recently comparing sales of some of the major brands (with multiple package sizes) to Aprikat.
Aprikat is rapidly approaching sales levels of Heineken, Miller, Corona, Stella etc.
If you take it on an individual (6pk) basis, Aprikat is one of my top 10 products based on unit sales.
August 30, 2011 at 9:14 AM
That is fascinating. I wonder how their sales of Aprikat are in other stores? I also wonder who is buying it at your store? Is it beer geeks getting a six pack for their wives? Or is it a go-to beer for many beer people?
Thanks for the info!
August 29, 2011 at 6:31 PM
I wouldn’t completely agree that you always know what you are going to get with Guinness. My wife and I were at Boston Pizza the other day, and both ordered a Guinness (from a bottle, it wasn’t on tap). However, mine had a nitro widget while my wife’s did not. There was nothing on either bottle to indicate one way or the other. Say what you will about nitro widgets, I’ve come to expect it from Guinness. Fortunately this was a single bottle, but I’d be cheesed if I had bought a whole 6-pack and it didn’t have the nitro.
August 30, 2011 at 9:12 AM
Wow. I have never had that experience. I wonder if it was a mistake of some kind. I can totally see how that would affect the quality of the Guinness. I rarely drink Guinness from a bottle (because usually there is another bottled option). And I find that on tap it is pretty consistent.
September 7, 2011 at 3:10 PM
That is incredible news to hear especially because I had the same experience regarding the Oatmeal Stout about 5 years ago. I instantly loved it and felt it was much superior to Guinness. Over the last few years, I have repeated that many times, even to the folks at WR, so I am glad to hear that The Sugar Bowl has provided substantial proof. There are a few places in Calgary that now have the Oatmeal Stout on tap and it is nice to see Edmonton has one as well. A long long time ago, I used to live a few blocks from the Sugar Bowl but back then they didn’t carry all these excellent beers. My memory of that place was their their amazing cinnamon buns on sat mornings which used to get sold out pretty fast. But now, there is so much more to try at that place.
Thanks for this post.