Inventory by store type

Inventory management for Shopify craft beer shops

Running a Shopify craft beer shop means juggling dozens of brands, pack sizes, and suppliers, all while beer keeps aging on the shelf whether it sells or not.

The inventory problems craft beer shops run into

  • Short shelf life on unpasteurized beer. Many craft beers lose freshness within months, so overordering ties up cash in stock that tastes worse by the time it sells.
  • Seasonal and limited releases. Oktoberfest, winter stouts, and summer shandies have short selling windows, and once the season passes the beer may sit unsold or need to be marked down.
  • Variant sprawl. A single brewery can offer the same beer in cans, bottles, 4-packs, 6-packs, and 12-packs, multiplying the number of SKUs you have to track and reorder separately.
  • Distributor allocation limits. Popular or rare releases are often allocated in small quantities per retailer, so you cannot always order the full amount your forecast suggests.
  • Mixed supplier types. You may buy from large regional distributors with set delivery days and from small local breweries with informal, slower fulfillment, which makes lead times inconsistent across your catalog.

Seasonality and demand

Craft beer sales follow clear patterns. Summer brings demand for lighter styles like lagers, pilsners, and shandies, while fall and winter bring pumpkin ales, Oktoberfest releases, and barrel-aged stouts. Holidays and big game days can spike sales for specific brands or styles for a short window. Because SteadyShelf's forecasting looks at your sales history including seasonality, it can help you prepare for repeat patterns like last year's Oktoberfest rush. But for brand new limited releases with no sales history, you will need to set your own order quantities based on judgment, since there is no past data to forecast from.

Suppliers, lead times and minimums

You will likely work with a mix of regional beer distributors, who often have set delivery schedules and require full case orders, and small local breweries, who may deliver directly and have more flexible but less predictable timing. Lead times vary widely: regional distributors often fulfill within about a week, while small breweries or special imports can take longer, especially around busy seasons. Case packs are typically fixed by the brewery, commonly in 6, 12, or 24 packs, and some distributors set minimum order sizes per brand or per delivery to make the trip worthwhile.

Worked example

Suppose you sell a local IPA in 6-packs and average 4 units a day. Your distributor has a lead time of 5 days, and you keep 2 safety days because deliveries are sometimes late. Your reorder point is 4 x (5 + 2) = 28 units. You want 10 days of cover on this fast mover, you currently have 20 units on hand, and you have 12 more on order. Your order quantity is 4 x (5 + 10) - (20 + 12) = 60 - 32 = 28 units, which you would round up to the nearest case pack your distributor requires, say 24-can cases, meaning you would order 2 cases (48 cans) to clear the minimum and cover the gap.

Try it with your own numbers in the reorder point calculator, or size your buffer with the safety stock calculator.

A simple system to start this week

  1. List every beer as a separate variant by size and pack count, not just by brand.
  2. Get real lead times from each distributor and brewery, since they often differ a lot.
  3. Set safety days higher for breweries with informal or slow order processes.
  4. Mark seasonal beers in your own notes so you do not reorder them out of season.
  5. Check case pack and minimum order sizes with each distributor before relying on suggested quantities.
  6. Walk the cooler and shelves regularly to catch aging stock that sales data alone will not show you.

How SteadyShelf fits craft beer shops

SteadyShelf can forecast demand per beer variant, tell you when to order from each distributor or brewery based on their lead time, and draft purchase orders rounded to case packs. It does not track expiry or brew dates, so you still need to watch freshness on the shelf yourself. It also will not manage allocations from distributors, so when a rare release is limited, you will need to adjust the suggested order quantity down to what you are actually allowed to buy.

$29/month flat, unlimited products and suppliers, 30-day free trial.

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More: inventory management by store type · inventory glossary · Stocky alternatives

FAQ

Does SteadyShelf track expiry dates or freshness on my beer?

No. SteadyShelf does not track lot numbers, brew dates, or best-by dates. You still need to check dates on the shelf and rotate stock yourself, or use a notebook or spreadsheet for date-sensitive beers. SteadyShelf will tell you when to reorder based on sales velocity, but it will not warn you that a specific case is about to expire.

How should I set up variants for the same beer in different pack sizes?

List each can or bottle size and pack format as its own variant, same as Shopify treats them. A 6-pack and a 4-pack of the same beer sell at different rates and often come from the supplier in different case configurations, so keeping them separate keeps your forecasts and order quantities accurate.

Can SteadyShelf help if my distributor has a minimum case order?

Case pack rounding does not fix a bad reorder point. If your reorder point is too low because lead time or safety days are off, rounding up to a case still means you run out before the new stock lands. Check your supplier lead time first, then let the case pack rounding adjust the final order quantity.

Let SteadyShelf do this math for every SKU

Order-by dates per supplier, seasonal forecasts and draft POs for your Shopify store. $29/month after a 30-day free trial.

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