Updated June 2026
A brewery or bar website needs five core pages to drive visits and revenue: a tap list (or drinks menu), hours and location, an events calendar, a private-events inquiry page, and an About page that communicates your vibe. Everything else is optional. The mistake most taproom owners make is skipping the private-events page — our research confirms it is the highest-ticket conversion in the category, yet most bar and brewery sites bury or omit it entirely.
This is based on GrowLocal's proprietary research into top-ranking local business websites, including bars, breweries, and taprooms across Austin, Denver, Phoenix, Charlotte, Nashville, and Tampa.
Below: the exact page set, the features that matter on mobile, how to stay found on Google, and what you can skip.
What pages does a brewery or bar website actually need?
| Page | Must-have? | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Homepage | Yes | 60-second "is this my kind of place?" decision — hours, vibe, CTA |
| Tap list / Drinks menu | Yes | Most-visited page after home; stale = customers walk to a competitor |
| Hours & Location | Yes | Needs its own page AND footer on every page; mobile tap-to-call |
| Events | Yes | Return-visit engine — trivia, live music, food trucks, releases |
| Private Events / Parties | Yes | Highest-ticket revenue; needs its own section with inquiry form |
| About / Our Story | Yes | Positioning — neighborhood, founding story, values, vibe |
| Contact | Yes | Inquiry fallback; can double as your private-events form |
| Shop / Merch | If you sell it | Requires real e-commerce infrastructure |
| Blog | No | Only worth it if you post regularly; thin blogs hurt more than help |
Seven pages. Five if you combine Contact + Private Events and fold Hours into the Homepage.
Every competitive bar and brewery site we analyzed includes all of these — with one consistent miss: private-event inquiries. Across our research into top-ranking bar and brewery sites, private-event booking is the highest-ticket conversion in the category, yet a significant share of analyzed sites give it no dedicated section or CTA. That is money left on the table by every competitor you are up against.
Does my tap list need to be editable without touching code?
Yes. This is the most important operational feature of a brewery website.
A tap list that goes stale — a beer listed that is no longer on — sends customers to a competitor who has current information. The practical question to ask any website platform: "Can my staff update the tap list from a phone in two minutes?" If the answer is no, you need a different platform.
Options range from a simple CMS-editable page (fast, no third-party dependency) to live Untappd integration that syncs automatically. Untappd for Business now offers its own website product with automatic menu sync — worth evaluating if you are already on Untappd and live accuracy is your top priority. A well-structured tap list page that someone updates weekly beats a live-sync integration nobody sets up correctly.
Our bar and brewery website breakdown shows what a clean, editable tap list page looks like in practice.
How does my brewery or bar website get found on Google?
Getting found on Google comes down to two things working together: your website and your Google Business Profile (GBP).
On your website:
- Your city name needs to appear naturally in page copy — not stuffed, just used the way you'd say it to a customer ("Charlotte craft brewery," "Denver taproom," "Austin happy hour")
- Hours and address need to be in plain HTML — not buried in an image or a JavaScript element Google cannot read
- Page speed matters: 66% of consumers use smartphones as their primary device for searching for local businesses (SOCi Consumer Behavior Index, 2024). A static, lean site loads in under a second. A slow plugin-heavy site can take four or five seconds on mobile — and that gap shows directly in rankings. See our full load-time data →
On Google Business Profile:
Your GBP is the entry point for "brewery near me" searches. It needs to be claimed, fully filled out, and kept current — especially hours, which change seasonally for most taprooms. We cover GBP setup for bars and breweries in full in Is Google Business Profile Enough for a Brewery?
GBP puts you on the map; your website closes the decision when someone taps through. Both are required.
Should a bar and a brewery have different pages?
The core page set is the same. A few things differ:
A craft brewery puts its tap list front and center as the primary product page, uses can/label photography as a core visual, and benefits from an Untappd follow button in the footer. Distribution-focused breweries add a "Where to Buy" or Beer Finder page.
A cocktail bar, sports bar, or neighborhood pub leans more on an events calendar (themed nights, DJ sets, sports schedules), surfaces happy hour details prominently — the highest-search-intent phrase for bar visitors who are not yet regulars — and leads with a vibe-first homepage that answers "what kind of crowd goes here?" before "what do you serve?"
Both need a private-event inquiry form, hours and location, real photography, and a fast, Google-visible site. The infrastructure is the same; the content emphasis shifts.
See our full bar and brewery website examples for what the best sites in both formats include.
Do I really need real photos?
Yes — and this one has no workaround.
Across our research into top-ranking bar and brewery websites, every site analyzed used 100% real photography. Zero stock images detected. The category is experience-driven. A stock photo of people clinking pints tells a visitor nothing about your taproom or your vibe.
You do not need a professional shoot to start. Can label art on a dark background plus a handful of authentic taproom photos taken on a modern phone are enough to launch. The only rule: no stock.
What trust signals should my site include?
Most of your competitors show none — which makes this easy to win.
Across GrowLocal's proprietary research into bar and brewery homepages, the majority of analyzed sites displayed zero awards, ratings, or review embeds. Adding even a handful of named customer quotes from your actual Google or Yelp reviews — displayed as a simple testimonials section — makes your site stand out immediately.
What works:
- Named customer quote carousels ("Best trivia night in Denver — Sarah K.") — more persuasive than aggregate star counts
- Practical visit-cues: dog-friendly, patio, tap count ("19 taps"), parking — these convert better than medals
- Press mentions if you have them
What does not work: a bare "Leave us a review" link. Use those reviews on the page.
What can I safely skip?
- Live chat. Your hours and an inquiry form handle the real questions.
- Online ordering. Only relevant if you sell merch or beer online — that requires real e-commerce infrastructure (Shopify, WooCommerce). Do not bolt online ordering onto a general website platform.
- Age-verification gates. Not legally required for informational sites. Most top-performing brewery sites skip it; it kills your first impression before anyone sees your hero photo.
- Reservations. Only relevant for restaurant-forward concepts. If you need reservations, use OpenTable, Resy, or SpotHopper and embed the link — do not build reservation logic into your website.
For what it all costs, see How Much Does a Brewery Website Cost?
Key takeaway: The highest-ROI addition to any bar or brewery website that does not already have one is a private-events inquiry page. Private-event bookings are the highest-ticket revenue line in the category — and across our research, most competing sites give them no dedicated section or form. A simple page with your space details, capacity, and a contact form is all it takes to start capturing inquiries your competitors are losing.
For more cross-trade context on what local business websites need, see GrowLocal website examples by trade.
Common Questions About Bar and Brewery Websites
What pages should every brewery website have?
At minimum: a homepage, tap list or drinks menu, hours-and-location page, events calendar, private-events inquiry page, About page, and contact form. That covers every revenue-driving use case — visits, events, and private party bookings — without unnecessary complexity.
Do I need live Untappd integration on my website?
Not necessarily. Untappd for Business offers a website product with live menu sync worth evaluating if you are already a subscriber. If not, a CMS-editable tap list page your staff updates weekly is faster to set up and has no third-party dependency. Either option beats a stale, unupdatable tap list.
How do I get found when people search "brewery near me"?
Two things: a fully optimized Google Business Profile (claimed, complete, and current) and a fast-loading website with your city name in natural page copy. 66% of consumers use smartphones as their primary device to search for local businesses (SOCi, 2024) — if your site is slow or your GBP is incomplete, you lose those searches before anyone clicks.
Does a brewery website need to show beer prices?
No — and most don't. Across GrowLocal's proprietary research into bar and brewery homepages, beer prices were hidden on every competitive site analyzed. The one exception is beer-club or mug-club membership pricing, where showing a number drives subscription sign-ups.
Can I rely on Instagram instead of a website?
Instagram handles discovery and community. A visitor who sees your Instagram and wants to come in will search for your hours, address, and tap list. If those are not on a fast, Google-indexed page, they may land on a competitor who has them. You need both — Instagram for community, a website for the conversion.
Do I need a web designer or can I use a website builder?
Depends on budget and control needs. Website builders (Squarespace, Wix) give you design flexibility for a monthly fee. Purpose-built brewery platforms (Taps+Tables, Untappd for Business) handle tap list sync with less general flexibility. GrowLocal builds fast, SEO-optimized static sites for local businesses — see our bar and brewery examples.