Pour BROS. Craft Taproom

What Pour BROS. Craft Taproom does

Pour Bros. Craft Taproom is a privately held, four-location craft beer taproom chain founded in 2016 by Nathan Monroe and Rob Mathisen in Peoria Heights, Illinois. The company pioneered the pour-your-own taproom concept in the state, operating self-serve tap walls where customers use prepaid cards to pour craft beer by the ounce, eliminating bartender wait times and enabling sampling across an ever-changing selection that exceeded 700 unique beers, ciders, and meads in its first year. The core technology — a card-activated pour wall with tablet interfaces displaying tasting notes — is supplied by third-party vendor iPourit, with the company's differentiation sitting in curation, community programming, and brand positioning rather than the dispensing hardware itself.

The business operates on a usage-based revenue model (per-ounce consumption) supplemented by a co-located food partnership with Slow Hand Craft BBQ at the Peoria Heights flagship, and recurring top-of-funnel marketing through the annual Courtyard Concert Series (free outdoor live music at Heritage Square), location-specific Facebook and Instagram channels, an email VIP list ("Pour Local"), and earned media including Peoria Journal Star, BrewedTV, and a five-episode Small Batch Sessions video series produced with LMV Productions. Geographic reach is confined to four Illinois markets — Peoria Heights, Champaign, Moline, and Bloomington — with the most recent unit openings in 2022.

Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer physical retail, serving craft beer enthusiasts, live music attendees, and community gathering groups across central Illinois. The company has not raised institutional funding, has no parent company or subsidiaries, and operates with a reported headcount of 7. Customer concentration is low given the consumer-foot-traffic model, and product extension opportunities (additional locations, replicated food partnerships, expanded content production) constitute the primary forward-looking levers.

Name

Pour BROS. Craft Taproom

Legal name

Pour Bros Craft Taproom

Website

https://pourbrostaproom.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Pour Bros. Craft Taproom is a privately held, four-location Illinois craft beer taproom chain founded in 2016 that pioneered the state's first self-pour taproom concept, serving craft beer enthusiasts with per-ounce self-serve beer walls and free live music events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Beer Taproom / Bar Services

NAICS

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Craft Beer Bars & Taprooms (THAFAEAG)

Keywords

• Craft beer taproom
• Self-serve beer wall
• Pour-your-own bar
• Craft beverage retail
• Live music venue

Headquarters

HQ city

Peoria Heights

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Craft Beer, Cider, Mead Sales: Customers pour beer by the ounce and pay per volume consumed. Over 700 unique beers were put on the pour wall during the first year. Also serves ciders, meads, and handcrafted cocktails.
2. Food Partnership - Slow Hand Craft BBQ: Restaurant partner Slow Hand Craft BBQ operates above Pour Bros. Peoria Heights location, providing food service and generating cross-patronage.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Pour Bros. Craft Taproom operates four Illinois taprooms where customers self-pour craft beer, cider, mead, and handcrafted cocktails by the ounce using a card-activated pour wall system. The offering centers on sampling an ever-changing selection of 700+ unique craft beverages and is complemented by free live music events (Courtyard Concert Series) and a smoked-meat food partnership at the flagship location.

Product overview

Pour Bros. Craft Taproom operates as a multi-location craft beer bar with a unique self-serve model. The core product is the Pour-Your-Own Revolution, where customers use a card-activated system to pour their own beer by the ounce at pour walls. They curate an ever-changing selection of over 700 unique craft beers, ciders, meads, and handcrafted cocktails. The experience is supplemented by live music offerings including the annual Courtyard Concert Series (free outdoor concerts) and Small Batch Sessions video productions. A food partnership with Slow Hand Craft BBQ provides dining options at the Peoria Heights location.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Small Batch Sessions: A collaborative project with LMV Productions featuring filmed and produced concert series showcasing local and regional musicians during the annual Courtyard Concert Series in Peoria Heights.

Products and services

• Pour-Your-Own Craft Beer Taproom Experience Self-serve craft beer, cider, mead, and cocktail experience where customers use a prepaid card to pour by the ounce at pour walls, with tablet screens providing tasting notes. Available to walk-in consumers across four Illinois locations.
• Courtyard Concert Series Free live music event series featuring local and regional musical acts every Saturday during summer months in the Heritage Square courtyard, available to taproom patrons and the general public.
• Small Batch Sessions Video Series A video content series produced with LMV Productions that captures intimate artist interviews and live performances from the Courtyard Concert Series, available for public viewing.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LMV ProductionscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Filmed and produced the Small Batch Sessions video series - five episodes showcasing the Courtyard Concert Series with intimate interviews and live performances during the 2018 season.
• Village of Peoria Heights Business Development DistrictcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGenerous sponsor of the Small Batch Sessions and supports the performing arts in Peoria Heights through the Business Development District.
• Heritage SquarecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerVenue partner for the Courtyard Concert Series. Provides the beautiful courtyard setting for Saturday night live music performances.
• CORE ConstructionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Small Batch Sessions video series supporting local performing arts.
• GrindstoneminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Small Batch Sessions video series supporting local performing arts.
• WTVPminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal public television station sponsor of the Small Batch Sessions series.
• Slow Hand Craft BBQcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRestaurant partnership with Chef Ryan Smith. Slow Hand Craft BBQ is located directly above Pour Bros. in Peoria Heights, providing midwestern-focused smoked meats. Represents a complementary food service partnership.
• BrewedTVminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner that featured Pour Bros. as 'A taproom unlike any other...you get to pour your own beer.' Interview and segment on BrewedTV.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Growler USA: Self-serve and growler-focused craft beer bar franchise. Comparable to Pour Bros.' self-pour mechanic and craft beer positioning but with a more standardized, franchise-driven model.

Direct peers

• The Brass Tap: Craft beer bar franchise offering premium draft beer selections and a casual upscale atmosphere. Comparable to Pour Bros. in craft beer focus and multi-unit small-format taproom model.
• HopCat: Multi-unit craft beer bar chain known for an extensive tap selection and beer-focused dining. Closely comparable to Pour Bros. in targeting craft beer enthusiasts across multiple regional markets.
• Beerhead Bar & Eatery: Multi-location craft beer and food concept emphasizing rotating taps and casual dining. Directly comparable to Pour Bros. in craft beer curation and casual hospitality positioning.
• World of Beer: Craft beer bar franchise offering rotating taps and a curated beer experience across multiple locations. Directly comparable concept to Pour Bros.' multi-location craft taproom model.
• Pour Taproom (Nashville): Self-pour beer taproom concept offering pay-by-the-ounce craft beer wall experiences. Directly comparable to Pour Bros.' core self-pour mechanic and craft beer positioning.
• Tap House Grill: Multi-unit craft beer and burger concept with deep rotating tap lists. Comparable to Pour Bros. in craft beer focus and casual taproom positioning across regional markets.

Broad incumbents

• Yard House: Large, established casual dining chain with 100+ taps of craft beer per location. Comparable in beer-rotation differentiation but operates at much larger scale and broader menu than Pour Bros.
• BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse: National casual dining chain with in-house brewery operations and broad beer selection. A broader incumbent comparable in combining craft beer with casual food service across many U.S. markets.

Others

• iPourit: Self-pour beer wall technology provider that powers Pour Bros.' tap wall system. A key infrastructure/ecosystem partner rather than direct competitor, but useful comparable for the self-pour category.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/PourBros.CraftTaproom
• Instagraminstagram.com/pourbrostap
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pour-bros.-craft-taproom

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pour BROS. Craft Taproom