Getting a taste for delivery, folks stockpile booze and remodel to store it
It’s a trend some say could continue beyond the pandemic and have far-reaching effects on how residents organize their homes.
In mid-March, when the novel coronavirus triggered shutdowns and calls to stay home, Urban Grape, a wine, beer, and spirits shop in the South End, pivoted mostly to deliveries and shipping.
It turned out to be a smart move. Area alcohol merchants are reporting bulkier purchases since the region shut down. It’s a trend some say could continue beyond the pandemic and have far-reaching effects on how residents organize their homes. It’s one thing to take up shelf space in the fridge; it’s another to install an elaborate wine rack or a Kegerator.
“People are definitely making it worth the shipping or getting delivery,” Hadley Douglas, Urban Grape’s co-owner, said.
Craft Beer Cellar, which has locations in Newton and Belmont, has experienced much the same thing. “During the pandemic, we are seeing larger beer and wine orders,” Tatum Stewart, the chain’s chief operating officer, said via e-mail. “There has been an enormous upward trend of ordering online, phone orders, and delivery/curbside pickup requests.”
The evidence is not just anecdotal. National statistics on packaged consumer goods from IRi, a Chicago-based market research firm, suggest that even before purchasing shifted largely to delivery and curbside pickup, Americans were stocking up on booze during mad dashes to the store.
Plus the amount of alcohol that shoppers were purchasing during these trips also increased. The week that ended March 22, for example, saw a 27 percent annual increase in the amount of alcohol bought during a trip. The rest of March and much of April also saw increases, though not by as much as that peak.
And it looks like people are building — or at least considering — the home infrastructure for storing these bulk-bought IPAs and chardonnays. Wine Cellar Innovations, a Cincinnati-based company that designs and builds alcohol storage, including in the Boston area, has seen “a large surge in requests for wine storage,” according to Tony Wilkie, its vice president of operations. What’s more, clients have moved up their installation schedules to May after delaying them indefinitely in March.
Will all this pass post-pandemic? Will people opt less for elaborate storage and draft lines and go back to single-bottle and -package purchases on the way home from work?
“It’s hard to predict,” Urban Grape’s Douglas said. “I do think now that people have seen the convenience of having alcohol delivered to their door in a very fast and convenient way.”
What’s more, the pandemic’s economic effects might make these bulk orders for the home even more desirable financially versus having drinks out, said Andy Crouch, a Cambridge resident and publisher of the brewing industry newsletter Beer Edge. “That will also encourage people to probably avoid going out and spending $8 or $9 on a glass of beer as opposed to being able to get high-quality craft beer for less than a buck a can,” Crouch said.
It might even encourage more Boston-area tipplers to just make the stuff themselves.
The garage? That’s a nanobrewery now.
Jim Bowser, manager of South Shore Homebrew Emporium in Weymouth, said business is up 40 percent compared with the same time last year, as customers, new and returning, seek out deliveries and pickups of home-brewing and wine-making equipment and supplies.
“It’s people who are dusting off their brewing equipment that they haven’t used for five or six years because they’ve been so busy,” Bowser said. “And now they’re home going: ‘OK, I’m drinking a lot of alcohol. I need to make something to replace it and save a little money.’ ”
The pros and cons of buying a kegerator
Sure, you can buy a small fridge for your newly beefed-up tipple supply. But why not a home-kegging system — or kegerator —that you can refill again and again?
We reached out to kegerators.com, an Austin outfit that specializes in just that. Christian Lavender, its chief keg officer, directed us to the pros and cons of the in-home setups, as well as the different varieties, including standalone ones and those you can build into cabinets and counters.
Pros
They include cost savings in the long run — kegerators can start at several hundred dollars to purchase and start up — because owners can buy by the gallon and keep it fresh for weeks.
Kegerators are more environmentally friendly than constantly cycling through cans and bottles.
Cons
They can be complicated. Owners need to maintain clean lines and proper pressure.
There are key differences depending on what you want on draft. Beer, cider, mead, and sparkling wine will require carbon dioxide to dispense. Bubble-less wine? You’re going to need a mix of carbon dioxide and nitrogen.
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