What's the Difference: Taproom vs. Bar
Let's first define what River Hawk Brewing is before we determine what it is not.
River Hawk Brewing is a microbrewery, which means that we are a small, independently owned brewery/brewhouse that crafts and produces our own beer and wine. We have a 3.5 bbl brewing system that produces 108.5 gallons (or 868, 16 oz. pints of beer) in one brew batch (generally speaking, this a tiny, microscopic quantity compared to larger, commercial breweries). In addition to our brew system, we have 12 fermenters and can serve up to 16 different types of beer on any given day. Many small craft breweries are designed similarly to ours, where the focus is quality, not quantity.
Beer sampling and drinking may occur at the source of brewing. Many breweries, like ours, focus solely on beer making and do not involve a kitchen or an on-site restaurant. Therefore, breweries that share our same model and serve (at the site of brewing) alcohol only, and thereby the beer that they produce, are considered as having a taproom (the term refers to the area the beer is sampled or drunk, not the brewery/brewhouse as a whole). You may consider a 'taproom' this way as well: the beer served is tapped right from the source. You might also be familiar with the term, "brewpub" which actually refers to a brewery that also serves food and may serve various other beer brands, in addition to their own.
So, why not call it a "bar"? Well, a 'bar' typically refers to a place that sells spirits, beer and/or wine that they do not produce themselves and may offer a much different environment than that of a taproom. Our taproom features community tables and a relaxed environment. We encourage socialization, community engagement and offer beer styles, tastes and ingredients that you may not experience elsewhere. A taproom is meant to offer an experience in tasting site-brewed beer (and in our case, wine) that is meant to excite and engage beer lovers and non-beer lovers alike!
Whew, that was a lot of information!
To break it down simply:
Taproom = a place to taste and sample product from a microbrewery [typically] that produces its own beer in-house (you can interchange taproom to 'tasting room' when speaking of wine)
Bar = an establishment that serves spirits, beer and/or wine from various brewers, both commercial and craft, and typically do not receive beer from the source of production (meaning their beer/wine/spirits are distributed from a wholesaler)
Brewpub = a brewery that serves food
Of course there are grey areas in defining any drinking establishment, but we're keeping it simple here for the sake of learning and understanding. So, whether your next stop is a taproom, bar or brewpub, we hope you found this information helpful along your beer (or wine!) tasting journey.
Cheers!
River Hawk Brewing is a microbrewery, which means that we are a small, independently owned brewery/brewhouse that crafts and produces our own beer and wine. We have a 3.5 bbl brewing system that produces 108.5 gallons (or 868, 16 oz. pints of beer) in one brew batch (generally speaking, this a tiny, microscopic quantity compared to larger, commercial breweries). In addition to our brew system, we have 12 fermenters and can serve up to 16 different types of beer on any given day. Many small craft breweries are designed similarly to ours, where the focus is quality, not quantity.
Beer sampling and drinking may occur at the source of brewing. Many breweries, like ours, focus solely on beer making and do not involve a kitchen or an on-site restaurant. Therefore, breweries that share our same model and serve (at the site of brewing) alcohol only, and thereby the beer that they produce, are considered as having a taproom (the term refers to the area the beer is sampled or drunk, not the brewery/brewhouse as a whole). You may consider a 'taproom' this way as well: the beer served is tapped right from the source. You might also be familiar with the term, "brewpub" which actually refers to a brewery that also serves food and may serve various other beer brands, in addition to their own.
So, why not call it a "bar"? Well, a 'bar' typically refers to a place that sells spirits, beer and/or wine that they do not produce themselves and may offer a much different environment than that of a taproom. Our taproom features community tables and a relaxed environment. We encourage socialization, community engagement and offer beer styles, tastes and ingredients that you may not experience elsewhere. A taproom is meant to offer an experience in tasting site-brewed beer (and in our case, wine) that is meant to excite and engage beer lovers and non-beer lovers alike!
Whew, that was a lot of information!
To break it down simply:
Taproom = a place to taste and sample product from a microbrewery [typically] that produces its own beer in-house (you can interchange taproom to 'tasting room' when speaking of wine)
Bar = an establishment that serves spirits, beer and/or wine from various brewers, both commercial and craft, and typically do not receive beer from the source of production (meaning their beer/wine/spirits are distributed from a wholesaler)
Brewpub = a brewery that serves food
Of course there are grey areas in defining any drinking establishment, but we're keeping it simple here for the sake of learning and understanding. So, whether your next stop is a taproom, bar or brewpub, we hope you found this information helpful along your beer (or wine!) tasting journey.
Cheers!
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