Beer Talk- Round Thirteen - Cheers to Three Tiers!

Imagine: You’re sitting on the patio at your favorite local pub with a few of your friends, sipping on a deliciously refreshing ice cold draught beer on the perfect summer day as a slight breeze blows by you catch the smell of some scrumptious BBQ wafting from the nearby grill. Sounds pretty good, right?! Well, do you ever stop and think about how that thirst quenching brew made it to your table? Let’s take a couple minuets to follow the three tier system!

Before we begin, you’ll need a little background on why the three-tier system was put in place. It all began pre-prohibition, when breweries would open Saloons and only sell the beer they brewed. They would entice consumers to stop at their bar by offering free lunches or other giveaways. As we all know this didn’t last long, because the suffrage movement gained momentum and prohibition started in 1920. It wasn’t until 13 years later, in 1933, that prohibition finally ended and the dry spell was over! With the end of prohibition, the three tier system took control to help regulate sales!

What is the three tier system? The three tier system consists of the brewer, distributor, and the retailer. First, the brewer makes the beer, then ships it to the distributor. The distributor then delivers the product to retailers in their territories. The three tier system ensures a wide selection of beers to consumers and safe and reliable products!

So let’s go a little further into the distributor tier of the three tier system! If you haven’t figured out by now, Doll Distributing, is the distributor tier. Our sales team stops into your favorite establishments to collect orders. They then send those orders back to our warehouse, where our team works diligently to build those orders onto our delivery trucks. From there, our delivery team takes the lead and ensures the product arrives safely at each location. Our teams rotate product to guarantee you are drinking fresh beer, they make posters so you know what the daily specials are, hang neon’s and other signage to make sure you know what beers are available, and they conduct fun promotions! We also conduct TIPS training courses to bartenders to help them serve safely to you, the consumer!

We teach the “perfect pour”. The perfect pour is an art. First, you must have a clean glass, then you tilt your glass at a 45 degree angle, pour the beer by targeting the middle of the slope of the glass. (Don’t be afraid to kick up that carbonation!). At the half-way point, make sure you bring the glass to a 90 degree angle and finish pouring straight down the middle. Your goal is to end with 1- 1 ½ inches of foam on the top of your glass. This will release the beer’s aromatics and enhance your experience!

Not only do we do all the above, but we also have a whole team dedicated to ensuring draught equipment is installed properly, all lines are clean, and your beer comes out of the faucet at the proper temperature and flow.

So next time you’re enjoying your favorite brew, stop for a second, and cheers your local distributor!