RE: [mnbrewers] Fitger’s Brewhouse offers beer delivery

Cool! Do they deliver to St. Louis Park?? - Al Original Message: ----------------- From: Steve Daiken duvelhop(a)yahoo.com Date: Thu, 5 Jun 2008 07:10:19 -0700 (PDT) To: mnbrewers(a)yahoogroups.com Subject: [mnbrewers] Fitger’s Brewhouse offers beer delivery Fitger’s Brewhouse offers beer delivery Patrick Garmoe Duluth News Tribune Published Thursday, June 05, 2008 Fitger’s Brewhouse made a dream come true for generations of beer drinkers: a way to make the beer come to them. The brew pub is the first in Minnesota to begin delivering growlers — half-gallon sealed jugs of freshly made beer — to homes. Ideally, it plans to make daily and weekly routes through the city. Growlers to go filled with Lighthouse Golden beer chill in a refrigerator at the Fitger’s Brewhouse Beer Store in the Fitger’s Brewery Complex. [Amanda Odeski / News Tribune] RELATED CONTENT Thirsty yet? Patrick Garmoe Archive “Just exactly like the milkman. He’ll drop it off and take your empties away,” said Dave Hoops, brewmaster at Fitger’s Brewhouse. The growlers are $14 each, or $11 for a replacement. An introductory rate of $1 is being charged per delivery — regardless of how many growlers are purchased. “With today’s gas prices, that won’t stick around forever,” Hoops promised. You can order growlers online or by phone. Identification will be required upon delivery. The growlers also are available at a new store just beneath the pub and restaurant. After quietly launching the service a month ago, the company already has sped up delivery of the beer, because brewers found most people didn’t think to order it in advance. “They want it now,” Hoops said. So now it guarantees delivery of the growlers within 24 hours of an order, though immediate delivery is possible when a driver is available. The service grew out of a need to provide a place to fill and sell growlers separately from the bar area in the restaurant. “We decided to try it out, if for no other reason to push the boundaries,” said Tim Nelson, co-owner of Fitger’s Brewhouse. It’s just the latest step in the steady growth of the beer-making operation. Ten years ago, the pub made about 200 barrels of beer annually. That figure has grown steadily to 2,500 barrels last year, Hoops said. In tandem with the delivery service, the company opened a 900-square-foot store directly beneath the restaurant in the Fitger’s building. The beer store sells growlers, growler cozies, packs for carrying the growlers, pint glasses, Fitger’s Brewhouse T-shirts, hats, bike jerseys and other products. The expansion added one full-time position and three part-time positions, Nelson said. Bob DuVernois, president of the Minnesota Craft Brewer’s Guild and head brewer at Great Waters Brewing Company in St. Paul, said Duluth is ahead of most pubs in delivering the growlers. “No one’s really thought to pursue that,” he said. “They’re the first ones.” But DuVernois anticipates other brewers will follow Fitger’s lead. With Fitger’s essentially owning the market here, DuVernois expects the delivery option will pay off. But don’t overlook the most obvious reason for potential success, DuVernois said. “They make really good beer.” -------------------------------------------------------------------- mail2web.com – Enhanced email for the mobile individual based on Microsoft® Exchange - http://link.mail2web.com/Personal/EnhancedEmail