Welcome back to Klock Talk! This week, as promised, we’ll chat a bit about what a typical sales week looks like for a self-distributing microbrewery in Minnesota. We have the state roughly divided up into 6 regions and we divide those up into 4 weeks so we can remain consistent in our touches of each region every month.
The first week is a large, two-region week: Brainerd Lakes Area & St Cloud and International Falls & Bemidji; second week is another two-region week: All the Metro area and what we call Westworld (Perham, Park Rapids, Detroit Lakes, etc); week three is all the surrounding areas of the Range and everything in between including Hibbing, Virginia, Chisholm, Ely, Bigfork and Deer River; week 4 is Duluth, McGregor, and the Arrowhead region. If there’s a 5th week of the month, we take it “off.” Every week we do local touches which includes Grand Rapids, Coleraine, Cohasset, and Bovey.
Monday: Update keg, can, and NA sales sheets with current inventory that was done on Friday - some things are added, some come off. Check MN tax deliquincy list to make sure we are legally allowed to sell to the places we contact. Initial outreach of places that prefer phone calls, texts, or emails.
Tuesday: Stop in to accounts in the region that prefer stop ins or need checking in on to get eyes on what their inventory looks like, how it’s placed in the location and where, make sure it’s stocked and stored properly so we can make suggestions or reset anything that isn’t working for their location. Drop off samples and sales sheets at new liquor stores and restaurants.
Wednesday: Make another attempt at contacting places we haven’t heard from to make sure they get what they need for the next few weeks. Prep for deliveries the next day.
Thursday: Delivery day! Print the invoices and make a pick list, pack the Klock Box (and also the truck if it’s a double region week), pack coasters, tin tackers, tap handles and promo signage for accounts that may need them, map out the route, and take off for beer drops - Russ goes one direction, Tasha goes the other! Local sales touches are done by Andy stopping in to all places that require stops and Tasha texts the folks that prefer that method of communication. Enter all invoices for local accounts into QuickBooks.
Friday: Local deliveries! Print invoices, pick the orders, pack the Klock Box, deliver! Inventory is done to prepare for the next week.
Everyday: Entering invoices as orders come in, stay on top of inventory, inform the brewhouse of any kegs that may need to be made up (1/2bbl or 1/6bbl requests may need to be converted from 1/4bbls), figure out logistics of moving beer in cans and kegs with the Klock Box (van) and Old Blue (Andy’s truck).
It seems like a lot less work as I type it out for some reason but I promise we keep quite busy each week!
I teased a couple posts ago about some exciting news about beer and this week I can deliver on that! We are now doing small batch taproom exclusive beers!!! We’re excited to present to you our first official one: Driver Off The Deck - New Zealand Pilsner! NZ Pils are an up-and-coming new style of beer that combines a light body pilsner with a delicious tropical and citrus NZ hop twist! It is crisp, fresh, and slightly floral - very crushable for the summer! As for the name, I’m told it is a golf reference and Andy sent me the picture below for the promo of it. If you get it, I’m very happy for you to be in on it. If you don’t, that’s okay, neither do I, the beer is very tasty though.
Look for more new beers (or old favorites you haven’t tasted in awhile) to make appearances in the taproom in the near and far future!
Another exciting addition to the current taproom lineup is our release of In The Pines - Pale Ale with Juniper made with our friends Kyle & Amanda Lussier to celebrate the opening of their restaurant, The Pines, in downtown Grand Rapids VERY SOON! They are in the final stretch of renovations and installations of equipment and In The Pines will help fuel them across the finish line. You’ll be able to find In The Pines in The Pines imminently!
Okay, last announcement for the week! The cost of producing our THC seltzers has finally come down (insurance, testing, and emulsion) so we were able to lower the cost for you all! A 4 pack of THC seltzers in our taproom is now $18 (tax included)!
We hope you all have had a great week! Prost!
Upcoming Events:
Sunday, 6/8 All day: Board Games & Records Day
Tuesday, 6/17 6pm-8pm: Third Tuesday Trivia
Wednesday, 6/18 2pm-5pm: Northern Lights Mystic Market
Friday, 6/20 6:30pm-9pm: Judy Bingo & Marjie Shrimpton Sings Judy with the Judy Garland Festival
Saturday, 6/21 9pm: Iron Range Radiance Presents an Homage to Judy Garland
Sunday, 6/22: 8pm: Iron Range Radiance Drag Show
Beer (& Seltzer & NA) Drops 5/26-5/30 - Find Our Beer:
Local:
Cedar Creek Tavern
Hotel Rapids
Smoke on the Water
Pokegama Plaza Liquor
Dutch Room
Super One Liquor Grand Rapids
Super One Foods North
Ravenstone
38 Outpost
NoPo
Sugar Lake Lodge/Otis’s
McGregor, etc:
Mark’s Bar
Big Zandy Zorbaz
Willey’s
Duluth & Superior:
7 West Superior
Wussow’s Concert Cafe
27 Liquors
Woodland Liquors
Super One Liquor West Duluth
Super One Liquor Pike Lake
Dovetail Cafe
New Scenic Cafe
If you stuck around this long, thank you, and I will reward you with a couple of video outtakes from the golf shoot. Prost!