Indeed Brewing grows 44% thanks to Pistacho Cream Ale
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For Indeed Brewing, pistachios are green in more ways than one.
Driving the news: At a time when most of Minnesota's craft breweries are struggling with declining sales, Minneapolis' Indeed Brewing grew by 44% between 2021 and 2022, according to state numbers.
How it happened: Two years ago, the brewery launched the Pistachio Cream Ale, which has become the hit beer for many Twin Cities drinkers.
- A few months later, it switched from being a self-distributor to hiring Hohenstein's to distribute its beer, which helped get the company's cleverly designed pistachio tap handle into more bars.
- But mostly, co-owner Tom Whisenand tells Axios, the beer's popularity has grown due to word of mouth.
Flashback: Whisenand realized that the new brew was going to be a major hit when a California woman showed up at the company's satellite taproom in Milwaukee.
- She had tried the Pistachio Cream Ale somewhere else and asked to buy the taproom's entire inventory of cans, which was six cases at the time. She packed them into a friend's car who drove them back to California for her.
By the numbers: The lightly hopped beer has quickly surpassed Indeed's Mexican Honey and Day Tripper as the brewery's top product, accounting for 30% of sales, Whisenand says.
Reality check: While he is enjoying the home run his crew hit with Pistachio Cream Ale, "it's almost worrisome" because if the beer were to lose its popularity it would be a massive hit to the company’s revenue.
- "We've had beers that were our number one seller that we don't make anymore."
What's ahead: The company uses its small Milwaukee brewery as a test kitchen for new varieties because "we're always working to be coming up with the next great thing," Whisenand adds.