INDUSTRY TRENDS
Make Beer Geeks Freak (and Maybe a Sale) with Schwag Otherwise Collecting Dust
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f you sell beer, you’ve probably managed to gather all sorts of beer schwag along your journey. Your junk drawer may hold a keychain or two, a couple of pens and definitely a few beer openers. And, if your tavern goes back a few decades, there may be church-key openers because, if you didn’t have one, there was no way to pierce the lid of your beer can (unless, of course, you had handy an ice pick or screwdriver). Many bars are hiding beer treasures in every corner, drawer and backroom. Whether it’s by simply being in business or by not throwing out an obsolete neon sign, bar owners seem to have an ever-rotating collection of beer items. There are the neons in the basement that still work just fine. How about the forgotten signs or schwag from the local brewery that came from the previous owner? Or the box of tap knobs that have been replaced over the years? Then there’s the other random stuff — pocketknives, ashtrays (remember those?), and trinkets from distributors and delivery drivers.
Many bars are hiding beer treasures in every corner, drawer and backroom. www.tlw.org
Some stuff has simply been forgotten over the years and survived by luck. Here is a quick guide to identifying the valuable stuff you may have lying around your business just collecting dust. If you are cleaning house, it’s a general guide on what is best to recycle and what may have value for the beer geeks that collect it: Openers. The really old ones have a square opening cut into the side. Why? For adjusting the brightness of the carbide lamps on Model T cars! The chrome openers with the hook end are plentiful and worth a buck or two each. Taps. The oldest taps are called “ball taps” and have a flat metal face attached to a plastic or Bakelite body, which is about the size of a golf ball. Required by law, these were the standard in the 1930s and ‘40s. Later versions are double-sided and sometimes made of plastic or clear acrylic. In contrast, modern tappers can be dimensional and ornate in an effort to stand out on the tap line. All taps seem to be in demand, whether it’s for a home Kegerator or a hot-rod, gear-shift knob. Foam scrapers. If you’ve never heard of a foam scraper, you are not alone. They look like an oversized popsicle stick made of plastic. Once used to swipe the head off of a tap beer glass, foam scrapers typically have a beer brand imprinted on both sides. They were phased out by the Health Department in the early ‘50s. Hang onto them. Folks collect these. MAY/JUNE 2021
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