Should the tap list be on the home page?

Yes. Put today's tap list or a link to it on the first screen, right next to the hours. People check it before they leave the house.

Do we need online ordering for cans and bottles?

Only if your state and your licenses allow it and you have staff to fill orders. Check with your own compliance person first, then add it as a second phase.

Should a distillery site have a store locator?

Yes, if you are in more than a handful of stores. A where-to-buy page by town answers the question every bottle fan asks.

Can our taproom staff update the event calendar themselves?

Yes. Build it so the calendar reads from a tool the staff already use, and the person running the event posts it the same day it is booked.

How long does a brewery website take to build?

A one-page site is quick once the photos and copy are in. A full site takes longer, mostly because of the store locator and booking pieces.

What should a brewery or distillery website do?

Most people who land on a brewery or distillery website are standing in a parking lot or planning a Friday night. Give them the answer fast and they show up.

What do visitors come to the site for?

They come for logistics first and the story second.

Hours and address. Today's hours, on the first screen, with a map link that works on a phone.
Where to buy. Which liquor stores, bars, and restaurants carry you, by town or zip code.
What is on tap or in stock. The current tap list, cans to go, bottles in the gift shop, and what just sold out.
Events. Trivia, food trucks, release days, private room bookings.
The story. The founders, the water, the barrels. People read it once they already like you.

I ran deep content strategy studies for Woodford Reserve and Herradura on how and why people approach different information on a liquor website. Different visitors want different things in a different order, and the site should be built around that order.

How should the age gate work?

One tap to confirm, remembered for the next visit, and gone. A gate that asks for a full birthdate on every page loses people before they see your hours. What your gate has to collect depends on your state and your distributors, so your own compliance person or attorney makes that call. My job is making whatever they require take two seconds.

Put the tap list, the food menu, and the event calendar somewhere the taproom staff already edit, and have the site read from it. That can be a shared spreadsheet, the point-of-sale system, or the tap list service you already pay for. If updating the menu needs a web person, it will be wrong by Thursday.

How do people find us on Google and in AI assistants?

Through your Google Business Profile, your hours, and plain pages that answer what people search for. "Brewery near me with food trucks" and "where to buy [your bourbon] in Minneapolis" are questions a page can answer. Keep the hours on the profile and the site identical, add your events and releases to the profile, and have a where-to-buy page that lists real stores. A Google Business Profile setup is $600, and an AI search check-up is $150.

What does a brewery or distillery website cost?

A one-page site with hours, tap list, where to buy, events, and a working age gate is $1,500. A full website with a store locator, event booking, private room inquiries, and the brand story starts at $6,000. Anything over $3,000 can be paid by the month across the months it takes, no interest. See brand and web for what is included.

Have you done this for drinks brands before?

Yes. At Olson I worked on the Phillips UV vodka site, which won a One Show Interactive Merit in 2002 (the case). I also worked on Schell's at Olson, did Grain Belt Premium work that got SIGGRAPH recognition, and ran the content strategy studies for Woodford Reserve and Herradura.

Answered by Jared Lukes, Minneapolis. Twenty-five years in brand, UX, and technology, currently holding fractional AI and technology seats at three companies. About Jared.