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Beer Management

Your beer catalog is the foundation of your taplist. This guide covers everything you need to know about adding, editing, and managing your beer database.

Understanding Your Beer Catalog

What is the Beer Catalog?

Your beer catalog is your complete database of all beers your brewery produces or serves. Think of it as your digital beer encyclopedia that includes:

  • Complete beer profiles with detailed information
  • Searchable database for quick beer selection
  • Public sharing options to help other breweries
  • Historical records of all your beers

Beer Catalog vs. Tap Assignments

  • Beer Catalog = All your beers (past and present)
  • Tap Assignments = Which beers are currently pouring

You'll add beers to your catalog first, then assign them to specific taps when they're available.

Accessing Beer Management

From the Dashboard

  1. Log into admin - Access your brewery's admin interface
  2. Click "Add a New Beer" - Quick access from dashboard
  3. Or navigate to "Beers" - Full beer management interface

Beer Management Interface

The Beers page provides:

  • Search and filter tools for finding beers
  • Pagination for large catalogs
  • Add new beer functionality
  • Edit existing beers options
  • Beer details at a glance

Adding Your First Beer

Required Beer Information

When adding a beer, you'll need to provide:

Basic Information:

  • Beer Name - The official name of your beer
  • Brewery Name - Usually your brewery, but can be others if you serve guest beers
  • Style - Choose from comprehensive beer style list
  • Description - Detailed description of the beer

Technical Details:

  • ABV (Alcohol By Volume) - Percentage alcohol content
  • IBU (International Bitterness Units) - Bitterness level (0-100+)
  • SRM (Standard Reference Method) - Color rating (1-40+)

Visibility Setting:

  • Public - Other breweries can use this beer in their taplists
  • Private - Only available to your brewery

Step-by-Step Beer Creation

  1. Click "Add New Beer" - From dashboard or Beers page
  2. Enter beer name - Use the official beer name
  3. Select brewery - Usually your brewery name
  4. Choose beer style - Pick from the comprehensive style list
  5. Add description - Write engaging, detailed description
  6. Set ABV - Enter alcohol percentage (e.g., 5.2)
  7. Set IBU - Enter bitterness units (e.g., 45)
  8. Set SRM - Enter color value (e.g., 12 for amber)
  9. Choose visibility - Public or private
  10. Save beer - Add to your catalog

Beer Style Selection

The system includes comprehensive beer styles:

Traditional Styles:

  • IPA, Pale Ale, Stout, Porter
  • Lager, Pilsner, Wheat Beer
  • Sour, Saison, Belgian styles

Modern Styles:

  • Hazy IPA, Session IPA, Double IPA
  • Milkshake IPA, Fruit IPA
  • Pastry Stout, Barrel-Aged styles

Specialty Categories:

  • Experimental, Mixed Fermentation
  • Wild Ale, Gruit, Historical styles
  • Non-alcoholic options

Managing Your Beer Catalog

Finding Beers in Your Catalog

Search by Name:

  • Type beer name in search box
  • Real-time filtering as you type
  • Searches beer names and brewery names

Filter by Style:

  • Use style dropdown to filter
  • Shows only beers of selected style
  • Combine with name search for precision

Pagination:

  • Large catalogs automatically paginated
  • Navigate with page controls
  • Adjustable beers per page

Editing Existing Beers

  1. Find the beer - Use search or browse
  2. Click "Edit" - Opens beer editing modal
  3. Update information - Modify any beer details
  4. Save changes - Updates beer in catalog

What you can edit:

  • All beer information (name, style, ABV, etc.)
  • Description and technical details
  • Public/private visibility setting

Important note: If your beer is marked "public" and other breweries are using it, you may see a warning before editing to ensure changes don't negatively impact other users.

Deleting Beers

When you can delete:

  • Beer is not currently assigned to any taps
  • Beer is not being used by other breweries (if public)

To delete a beer:

  1. Find the beer in your catalog
  2. Click "Delete" - Confirmation required
  3. Confirm deletion - Permanent removal from catalog

Public vs. Private Beers

Private Beers

  • Default setting for new beers
  • Only your brewery can use this beer
  • Full editing control - change anything anytime
  • Complete privacy - not visible to other breweries
  • Available on all plans - Free, Basic, and Professional

Public Beers

  • Shared with community - other breweries can use
  • Helps other breweries - especially for guest beer situations
  • Limited editing - restrictions if other breweries are using it
  • Community benefit - builds shared beer database
  • Requires Basic or Professional plan - Not available on Free plan

License Requirements for Public Beer Sharing

Free Plan:

  • Can create unlimited private beers
  • Cannot create new public beers
  • Can still access and use public beers created by other breweries
  • Existing public beers remain public if you downgrade from a paid plan

Basic & Professional Plans:

  • Full access to create both private and public beers
  • Can share beer data with the community
  • Contribute to the shared beer database

When to Make Beers Public

  • Standard commercial beers - widely available beers
  • Guest beers - beers from other breweries you're serving
  • Collaborative brews - beers made with other breweries
  • Community benefit - helping smaller breweries access beer data

💡 Tip: If you're on the Free plan and want to share your beers publicly, upgrade to Basic to unlock beer library sharing and help build the community database.

Advanced Beer Management

Using Public Beers from Other Breweries

  1. Access beer selector - When assigning taps or adding beers
  2. Toggle to "All Public Beers" - Expand search beyond your catalog
  3. Search public database - Find beers from other breweries
  4. Select and use - Add to your taps without adding to your catalog

Benefits:

  • Access thousands of beers - from other breweries
  • Save time - don't recreate existing beer data
  • Accurate information - often provided by original brewery

Beer Data Best Practices

Complete Descriptions:

  • Include flavor notes, ingredients, brewing process
  • Mention food pairings or serving suggestions
  • Use engaging, customer-friendly language
  • Keep descriptions current and accurate

Accurate Technical Data:

  • ABV - Verify alcohol content is precise
  • IBU - Ensure bitterness level matches actual beer
  • SRM - Color rating should match visual appearance
  • Style - Choose most accurate style category

Consistent Information:

  • Use consistent naming conventions
  • Maintain uniform description formatting
  • Keep brewery names standardized
  • Update seasonal availability notes

Organizing Large Catalogs

Naming Conventions:

  • Use consistent beer naming
  • Include vintage years for special releases
  • Differentiate variants clearly (e.g., "IPA - Dry Hopped")

Regular Maintenance:

  • Update descriptions - Keep information current
  • Archive old beers - Remove discontinued beers
  • Verify accuracy - Check ABV, IBU, SRM periodically
  • Clean duplicates - Remove redundant entries

Troubleshooting Beer Management

Common Issues

Problem: Can't find beer in search Solutions:

  • Check spelling of beer name
  • Try partial name search
  • Clear filters and search again
  • Check if beer was accidentally deleted

Problem: Can't edit public beer Solutions:

  • Check if other breweries are using this beer
  • Contact support for assistance with shared beers
  • Consider creating new private version for your use

Problem: Beer style not available Solutions:

  • Look for similar style in list
  • Choose closest available option
  • Use "Other" or experimental categories if needed
  • Contact support to suggest new style additions

Data Entry Tips

ABV Guidelines:

  • Standard beers: 3-12%
  • Session beers: 3-5%
  • Strong beers: 8-15%
  • Enter as decimal (5.2, not 5.2%)

IBU Guidelines:

  • Light beers: 5-20 IBU
  • Balanced beers: 20-40 IBU
  • Hoppy beers: 40-80 IBU
  • Extremely hoppy: 80-100+ IBU

SRM Color Guidelines:

  • Pale beers: 2-4 SRM
  • Gold/Amber: 5-10 SRM
  • Brown beers: 15-25 SRM
  • Dark beers: 25-40+ SRM

Getting Help with Beer Management

Support Resources

  • Style questions - Reference beer style guides online
  • Technical data - Consult brewing records or lab results
  • System issues - Contact support through My Account page

Best Practices Summary

  1. Start with core beers - Add your flagship and regular offerings first
  2. Complete information - Fill in all fields for best customer experience
  3. Accurate data - Verify ABV, IBU, and SRM values
  4. Engaging descriptions - Write for customers, not brewers
  5. Regular updates - Keep catalog current with production changes

Ready to configure your taps? Once you have beers in your catalog, learn how to assign them to taps to start serving customers.