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On a weekday, people flocked to the not-quite-finished Craft Bru taproom to order beer in a new way. An invited crowd of beer testers received questionnaires that they had to fill out when ordering via an app on their phone. It wasn’t the beer they rated, but the new software system they used to order.
Craft Bru opens September 3rd at the Linc at Gray’s Station Building, 210 SW .11th St. in downtown Des Moines. Owners Tracey Schlüter and Dennis Dix serve a changing menu of craft beers from independent breweries across the Midwest.
But their secret sauce is an experiential beer ordering system.
Schlüter and Dix are software engineers who work with an app called Pour Choices they have developed to make the brewery business more intuitive and customer-friendly.
This is not the first partnership for the owners of Craft Bru, who together formed Cotellant Technologies Inc., based in Austin, Texas. They moved to Des Moines with the aim of opening Craft Bru at a beer crossing.
“We are in the middle of the country, but also right on I-35 and I-80. It’s a very nice place if you want to bring a variety of things from Iowa and a little outside of Iowa, ”Schlueter said. “And we knew it when we came here, but we’re learning more and more: Iowans like their beer.”
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Which types of beer they particularly like is the question the Schlueter and Dix app would like to answer. It not only enables customers to order via an online menu and pay by phone, but also to create a personal beer profile. Pour Choices users can rate beers privately, and the app will use an algorithm to rate their preferences and suggest new beers for them to try from the myriad of styles offered by the growing number of craft brewers.
The app will also be able to send notifications to users about seasonal or limited beers on tap at Craft Bru. Ultimately, Schlüter and Dix hope to make the software available to breweries across the country.
“We really want to create an independent craft beer ecosystem that really allows these small and independent breweries to thrive,” said Dix.
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The business partners traveled across the state and neighboring states to meet dozens of craft brewers looking for special beers and limited releases. With 60 taps, the menu changes constantly.
“We try to highlight beers that you would not necessarily find on the taps of other restaurants,” said Schlueter.
In addition to beer, Craft Bru serves selters, cider and non-alcoholic kombucha. Eventually it will also offer snacks and common foods like giant soft pretzels and sausage boards. Schlüter and Dix hope to create a sense of community around the space with special events, a terrace connected to the Des Moines cycle paths, and board games.
The taproom will be open every day. Free parking is available in the Linc at Gray’s Station parking lot.
“We just want to create an environment where it’s clean, the food is good, the beer is amazing, and the energy is high,” said Dix.
Elle Wignall covers the food for the register. Reach her at ewignall@registermedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ElleWignallDMR.
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