Say hello to the Columbus craft beer milkmen
With the plethora of subscription delivery services, it was only a matter of time before a beer-specific service became available.
Officially launched during Columbus Craft Beer Week in mid-May, Brewker connects Columbus-area residents to their favorite brews. The subscription-based company works with 13 breweries and currently serves residents in most zip codes touching Interstate 270.
Blake Gleaves, who co-founded Brewker with his friend, Dan Green, said the goal was to employ a tech platform to help customers support local breweries, giving them the opportunity to choose brews and also receive recommendations based on analytics.
“We’ve created this ecosystem of craft brewers,” he said.
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Brewker, which Gleaves and Green describe as a sort of “milkman” for beer, lets members pay for a weekly delivery of beer. Users can choose their six-packs, or the website will recommend some. As of now, Brewker can only deliver one type of beer per week (unless the six-pack is a variety pack). In the future, the goal is to allow members the capability to order different six-packs from the same brewery.
Subscription is separated into two tiers. In each tier, members pay the cost for their beer, which goes directly to the breweries, plus a $5 delivery fee, which goes to Brewker. The standard subscription, known as Bread Winners, gives members access to six-packs ranging in price from $11 to $16. The premium membership gives members access to a wider variety of brews, ranging in price from $14 to as much as $54 for a six-pack, though the majority run between $20 and $25.
Though members sign up for a subscription service, they do have the ability to opt out of specific weeks, Gleaves said.
“You pay for what you use,” he said.
Gleaves, who lived in Columbus for about four years before moving away, said he began thinking of a craft beer subscription service while building Dinner Club, a weekly subscription to local restaurants for Houston, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia. While that platform has since been paused, Gleaves began focusing on craft beer.
As he worked on his subscription services, Gleaves talked to Green, who also had experience running a subscription-based company. The more Gleaves heard about the idea for a beer-based subscription service, the more he liked it.
“It just really, instantly captured my imagination,” he said.
Gleaves had recently moved from Old Town East to Westerville. A platform that would help him easily access the breweries that he no longer lived near sounded appealing.
“The idea of Brewker really spoke to me,” he said.
In March of this year, Gleaves spoke in earnest to Green about teaming up to launch Brewker. The two co-founders did a soft launch of Brewker in early May and an official launch during Columbus Craft Beer Week.
Participating breweries include Land Grant, Seventh Son, Holy Trinity, Olentangy River Brewing, Endeavor, Derive, Nocterra, North High, and Jackie O’s. Spires Social, Antiques on High, Getaway Brewing, and Edison Brewing were slated to join soon. Crooked Can, Dankhouse, and Grove City Brewing are possible candidates.
Delivery areas now include the greater Columbus area, including areas as far north as Powell, as far east as Gahanna and Blacklick, as far west as Dublin and Hilliard, and as far south as Grove City. Outlying areas such as Delaware and Granville aren’t yet supported, but Brewker will add a specific zip code once 25 people from that area are waitlisted.
“It’s been received well,” Green said. “I think that people are excited about it.”
While Brewker works with many breweries that offer six-packs for retail sale, the subscription service also provides flexibility for companies that don’t offer retail products. Holy Trinity Brewing Co., for example, offers crowlers to Brewker members.
In this way, Green said, their business is helping breweries reach a wider audience.
“I think it’s an incredibly exciting part of what we do,” he said.
As Brewker continues to expand in Columbus, Gleaves said he and Green will look to prove their business model here and ultimately take it to residents and local breweries in cities such as Cleveland, Nashville, Tennessee, and Charlotte, North Carolina.
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