Profile: Bier Station
Bier Station, a favorite neighborhood destination, is thinking big.
All photos courtesy of Bier Station
In a time when restaurants and bars were forced to think small, this Waldo mainstay set out to dream big and build an online beer store unlike any they’d seen before. Keep reading as Bier Station owner, John Couture shares the store-building process and a few beers straight from the online store.
Tell me a little bit about how Bier Station came to be
My wife and my best friend's wife were both expecting our families' first babies, respectively, in 2006. They were kind enough to let my friend and myself go on a "fact-finding mission" to Europe before our kids were born. We both loved the European pub/brewery scene that was very walkable, neighborhood-oriented, and welcoming to families, which the U.S tended to be a bit more puritanical about. We toasted in a brewery in Cologne, Germany, that if we ever discovered a beer concept that we felt was viable, we agreed to go into business together. A few years later, I learned about the craft beer tasting bar/bottle shop concept that was the rage on the coasts but had yet to come to the Midwest. It blended a tavern environment with taps and food with a to-go beer store. We both thought it was a terrific concept and basically said, "What the hell? Life is short."
What has it been like operating in a pandemic? What challenges have you faced?
Oh, boy. I thought opening this place was challenging. The past year has been the roughest year emotionally and financially for the business -- that includes me and our staff. We took the very cautious approach to close down inside dining last March and we haven't opened it back up since. My philosophy was if I didn't feel comfortable bringing my family inside here to eat, I don't feel we should force our staff to work in those conditions. So, our only on-site business since March has been quick to-go beer sales inside, and some seating outside during nice weather. Honestly, we are very fortunate to have the patio space, which other businesses don't. It's going to be a rough haul this year for everyone in the industry, but I'm hopeful we can make it -- and I really hope others do, too, because KC had a great scene building pre-COVID. I think the key is to survive it to be creative and nimble businesswise.
What inspired this new online store?
Building an online store was an idea that had been gestating for years, but we never seemed to find the time to develop it. Then, COVID forced our hand to find alternate revenue streams to pay bills during the initial lockdown and in the months since our inside closed. An amazing, talented customer named Mike Richardson approached us out of the blue because he loved Bier Station and hated the idea of us closing due to COVID. He volunteered to build an online store with us and within a week, we had a very basic store and were even doing beer delivery. It was a ridiculously quick process and is due to Mike's wonderful generosity. After the first store was launched, we started to dream about what the best online beer store we could think of would look like. Nine months later, we debuted the new store, and we are extremely proud of it. We think it's unlike any other online beer store.
What's been your favorite part of launching the new online store?
I was so excited to see the beer order assembled by my mother in law during the testing phase. Our unofficial goal for the new store was to make it a store "where any person can find any beer for any occasion". We wanted everyone -- from super beer geeks to craft beer newbies -- to have a blast and be excited about finding new beers to fit their particular tastes. She said she spent almost an hour reading all about different beers on the site and put together a terrific 12 pack that was perfect for her, but really diverse style-wise. She even found a rhubarb beer because she found "rhubarb" as a tag and her mom had made fantastic rhubarb pie growing up. So, that was really fun and It was refreshing evidence that the store would work as we hoped.
I'm also really happy we added our food menu to the store in addition to beer. People love placing a food order along with beer and picking it up together at whatever time they set. Mike was an absolute saint when I threw that on him at the last second. It wasn't easy!
What goals do you have for Bier Station in 2021?
Besides surviving? We are actually trying to use this relative downtime the best we can and are considering some pretty major renovations. Hopefully, that will position us to come out of the gate strong when things start to open back up. We also want to keep developing the online store. We have a lot more ideas we haven't gotten a chance to test yet.
How do you decide what beers to stock? Any favorites we should look out for?
That's like asking me which of my daughters is my favorite. I personally think the Weizenbock style is very underrated and deliciously complicated. Weihenstephaner Vitus is a terrific example we have in stock.
As far as deciding on beers to order, we have a pretty extensive list of distributors we work with. Each one has a different portfolio of breweries. We know brands that tend to sell well here and we do a fair amount of research before we decide to bring a beer in. But, our basic philosophy is if the beer looks intriguing, we'll usually bring in a case or so and see how it sells. If it goes well, we keep ordering it. We also added a "Staff Picks" section to our store so customers who know our individual tastes can look for beers to try. We also plan to add customer beer picks soon, which I think will be a blast and really jives with the local vibe we integrated from Europe.
Looking for a new brew to try? Check out some of these local favorites and new releases - available now at Bier Station.
Decadent Orange Gusher
Hoppy, juicy, and perfect for warm weather - or drinking because you miss warm weather!
Torn Label House Brew
Roasty, toasty, and tastes like the first sip of coffee.
Stockyards Fox Trotter
A personal local fave and perfect for rainy days.
2nd Shift Bless This Mess Vol 2
Tastes like chocolate and peanut butter and pairs well with ice cream!
City Barrel Ninja Dust
Hazy, juicy, refreshing, and crushable.
Ommegang Neon Neon Rainbows
Fruity, tropical, and double the rainbows.
