Business & Tech
Move Over Mug; Beer Comes in Shots at Popular Westchase Watering Hole
Traditionally not thought of as a shot drink, beer is getting a new image at World of Beer in Westchase.
Whether you’re enthusiastically joining your friends in a round or emphatically shaking your head in disgust at the mere thought, everyone has a very specific view of shots.
Traditionally saved for the more adventurous drinkers, they’ve become more of a social norm in recent years, including bars that don’t even serve liquor.
Westchase’s own is among the establishments that have seen beer shots – which typically combine a fruit-tinged flavor with a beer higher in alcohol content – skyrocket in popularity.
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“Most people who come in…they’re always at least one round of beer shots on their tab,” said Dung To, product specialist at World of Beer.
The popular Westchase watering hole serves about 10 different varieties of five-ounce beer shots, ranging in price from $2 to $4. The raspberry-flavored Red Monk remains the biggest seller of the bunch.
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“Most of our servers have come from liquor bars so they’re used to pouring rounds of shots,” To said. “It shows that here people know how to have a good time.”
In fact, World of Beer’s 13 locations all specifically track sales of beer shots. For those who are curious, the current record is 350 in a single night at its Dr. Phillips location in Orlando.
Ironically, beer shots have remained a strictly word-of-mouth item. The bar doesn’t focus any marketing on them, allowing a more grassroots approach to take hold.
Whether or not beer shots will become a more apparent option to patrons remains to be seen, but if the current trend is any indication, the affordability and higher alcohol content of beer shots may give this particular beverage a clear edge.
“It’s not the first thing you think of,” said staffer Tara Carson. “But people order them all the time.”
Krystal Butherus of Tampa thinks that the social aspect of taking shots explains why beer shots are beginning to catch on.
“Shots are celebratory for sure. When you get your friends together, you definitely want to share the same experience," she said. "So a beer shot can do that.”