Why the Taproom

Warning… This is coming from an extraverted craft beer enthusiast who decided making beer should be his livelihood.

Why is a brewery taproom the best place to enjoy craft beer?

I’ve been enjoying brewery taprooms since I started drinking craft beer.  Craft beer plays a major role in my life.  My wife and I met in a taproom, and when we travel, brewery destinations are always a part of the journey. We attend beer festivals, often traveling to Denver for the Great American Beer Festival, and have even traveled to beer centric countries like Belgium and Germany for beer at its source. We frequently express our love for each other with the phrase, “I love you more than beer.” My wife taught me how to brew beer, and I’m still making it today.

I share this to make one thing clear: beer is an experience for me, not just an activity. That’s why the brewery taproom stands apart. It is designed to give the craft beer enthusiast the best experience through Quality, Selection, and Connection.

Quality is the most critical

Recently, a patron mentioned a negative experience they had with a beer at a restaurant. It was a beer they regularly enjoy, but it tasted off and even looked different. He watched it being poured, so he knew it was the correct beer, but something was wrong. I told him it was likely dirty beer lines.

At brewery taprooms, quality is central to everything we do. Here’s how we protect it:

• The beer is the freshest. Brewers closely track inventory and pull beer before it ages out.
• Beer lines are cleaned regularly. A common mistake in other establishments is tapping a new beer without fully rinsing remnants of the previous one.
• Beer pours at the correct flow rate. PSI is adjusted based on distance from the cold room to the tap, maintaining proper carbonation from keg to glass.
• Beer is consistently temperature controlled. Like food, time and temperature directly affect beer quality. Excess heat or prolonged storage can negatively impact flavor.

Selection is the next major reason to visit a brewery taproom.

Quality is essential, but to some extent it is assumed by the average consumer.

While many breweries have core beers that appear in retail accounts and are brewed for volume, the taproom offers a much wider variety of styles. Core beers help define a brand, but the taproom is where the creativity and artistry of the brewer shines. As a homebrewer, I made beers I wanted to drink; professional taprooms create a space where variety is king.

Our goal is to help beer drinkers discover beers they genuinely enjoy. From approachable lagers to lip-puckering sours—and of course a full spectrum of IPAs—the taproom provides options you simply won’t find elsewhere. If you find three out of thirty beers that you’d drink again, we’ve done our job. This exclusive selection is a major reason craft beer enthusiasts keep coming back.

The final reason brewery taprooms create the best beer experience is Connection.

In the service industry, this is often described as a “third space”—a comfortable place people regularly return to outside of home and work. A taproom should be engaging, welcoming, and even educational. We don’t employ order takers; we employ knowledgeable beer tenders who understand the product and the process behind it.

Taprooms are intentionally designed to support different experiences. Maybe you’re looking for TVs and a barstool for the big game. Maybe you prefer a table, a comfy couch, or an outdoor firepit. Some nights it’s board games, trivia, or music bingo. For me, some of the best moments come from striking up conversations with other beer drinkers and sharing a beer together.

Beer is social and flexible—that’s one of its greatest strengths.

A great taproom fosters engagement not only with the beer, but also with the people enjoying it. Whether you arrive with friends or come solo, the taproom should always feel inviting.

Now that I’ve made my case for the brewery taproom, I hope you’re thirsty and head to Three Wide Brewing. We’ve created an environment and a selection of beer not just for anyone, but for everyone. Hope to see you soon.

—Brian