Craft beverage producers
Books and taxes for bottle shops and craft beer stores.
A build-your-own six-pack, a rare release day that doubles your usual sales, growler fills poured from the same tap as a case sale, and a distributor invoice due in thirty days. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
August came in at $14,700. The barrel-aged stout release day alone brought in a third of that, and I kept it apart from a normal week so the month reads honestly.
- In-store register depositRetail beer sales
- Allocated release day salesRare and allocated releases
- Breakthru Beverage invoiceDistributor purchases
- State bottle deposit remittanceContainer deposits
- Cold storage cooler repairRefrigeration and cold storage
Why your books are different
A bottle shop's books go wrong around the deposit and the drop.
A generalist sees a store full of six-packs. Your business collects deposits that are not your money, builds mixed packs out of single cans priced differently, and lives for release days that do not look anything like a normal week. When the books do not know that, the month lies to you.
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1
Bottle and can deposits get treated as income
In states with a container deposit law, the deposit a customer pays is money you owe the state or a redemption program, not a sale. Counted as income, it inflates your real retail revenue.
What we doKeeps deposits collected and deposits remitted in their own lines as a liability, not income, so your real sales are never overstated. -
2
Mixed six-packs muddy the cost of goods
A build-your-own six-pack pulls single cans priced differently from a case, so figuring out what that pack actually cost to assemble takes more than a rough guess.
What we doTracks single-can and case costs so a mixed pack's actual cost is based on what went into it, not an average. -
3
A rare release day skews the whole month
A limited barrel-aged release or an allocated can drop can bring in more in one morning than a normal week, and comparing that month to a quiet one gives a false read on how the shop is really doing.
What we doFlags release-day spikes separately, so a big drop is read for what it is, not mistaken for a new normal. -
4
Growler fills and packaged sales get blended
Filling a growler from a tap carries a different margin than selling a packaged four-pack off the shelf, but rung through one category, you cannot tell which is actually the better business.
What we doKeeps growler fills in their own line, apart from packaged retail sales, so each one's real margin is visible. -
5
Distributor invoices get paid without tracking what is owed
Buying inventory on net-30 terms from a distributor means real money is owed the day the delivery arrives, not the day you pay the invoice. Without tracking it, it is easy to lose track of what is actually due.
What we doKeeps distributor invoices and payments matched up, so you always know what you owe and when.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a bottle shop or craft beer store.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Retail beer salesRegular in-store bottle and can sales.
- Rare and allocated releasesLimited release and allocated can drops, kept apart from normal sales.
- Growler and crowler fillsDraft beer filled to go, kept apart from packaged product.
- Tasting event feesPaid tastings and beer club events.
Money out
- Distributor purchasesInvoices from beverage distributors like Breakthru Beverage, on their payment terms.
- Container depositsDeposits collected from customers and remitted to the state or a redemption program.
- Refrigeration and cold storageCoolers and walk-in maintenance to keep the selection fresh.
- Draft system suppliesCO2, tap lines, and keg cleaning for growler fills.
- Staff wagesSales floor and tasting event staff.
- Point of sale and card feesRegister and online order processing costs.
- Store license and permitsRetail alcohol license and local permit fees.
What we watch for you
- Release day sales
What a big allocated drop brought in on its own, so it does not get mistaken for a normal week.
- Deposit liability
What you owe back on collected container deposits, so it is never confused with real sales.
- Growler versus packaged margin
Which one actually makes more per sale, so you know where to put your floor space.
- Distributor payables
What you owe distributors on open invoices, so nothing gets missed on net-30 terms.
Ask Gus
Things bottle shop owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
I flagged that release day as its own line, so you can see it was a one-time spike, not your new normal week. Good to know before you plan next month's orders around it.
No. What you collect in deposits is money owed back to the state or a redemption program, not a sale. I keep it as its own liability, not income.
No. You are selling beer that was already taxed by the brewery that made it, so federal alcohol excise tax does not apply to your store.
The tax side
The tax side of running a bottle shop or craft beer store.
Most of what goes wrong here is treating deposits and release-day spikes like ordinary sales, and losing track of what is owed to distributors.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Container deposits are not incomeMoney collected under a state container deposit law is owed back to the state or a redemption program, not revenue, and it should be tracked as a liability from the moment it is collected.
- Store fixtures and refrigerationCoolers, shelving, and draft systems can usually be written off the year you buy them. Section 179 expensing goes up to $2,560,000, and bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property placed in service after January 19, 2025.
- Retail inventory as cost of goodsWhat you paid distributors for beer only reduces taxable income when it actually sells, so an accurate count of what is on the shelf and in the cooler at year end matters.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operated bottle shops can take up to 20 percent of business profit off taxable income. It comes out right when retail, release-day, and growler sales are kept separate all year.
Deductions bottle shops and craft beer stores miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Distributor invoices
- Refrigeration and cooler repairs
- Draft system CO2 and tap parts
- Point of sale and card processing fees
- Retail alcohol license fees
- Store fixtures and shelving
- Growler and crowler supplies
- Tasting event supplies
- Product liability insurance
- Staff uniforms with your logo
- Security and camera systems
- Signage and store displays
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A bottle shop's year, kept every month.
Release days and seasonal beer styles pull demand around all year, but your return still comes due every April. Your team keeps you ahead of it. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, release-day sales from the past year get reviewed, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January no matter how big a release day got.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand at the height of summer release season, and whether a big drop changed the number.
- October
Before the holiday push
Before winter releases and holiday gift six-packs pick up, Gus looks at fixtures worth buying and anything to do before December.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for bottle shops and craft beer stores. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions bottle shop owners ask first.
Do bottle and can deposits count as our sales?
No. Deposits collected under a state container law are money owed back, not revenue. Gus keeps them as a liability, separate from your real sales.
Can Gus keep a big release day from skewing our numbers?
Yes. He flags release-day spikes as their own line, so a huge morning does not get mistaken for a new normal week when you plan ahead.
How does Gus handle mixed six-packs with cans priced differently?
He tracks single-can and case costs, so a build-your-own pack's real cost reflects what actually went into it, not a rough average.
Do we owe federal alcohol excise tax since we sell beer?
No. That tax applies to producers, and your beer was already taxed by the brewery that made it. It does not apply to your store.
We buy on net-30 terms from our distributor. Can Gus track what we owe?
Yes. He keeps invoices and payments matched up, so you always know what is due and when, instead of guessing from memory.
Our register and our growler fill sales have never been separated. Can Gus fix that?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them into retail, release-day, and growler sales from here forward, and the accountant checks it.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
More in craft beverage producers
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Cideries
- Craft distilleries
- Custom-crush & alternating proprietor wineries
- Homebrew & winemaking supply shops
- Kombucha brewers
- Meaderies
- Vineyards (grape growers)
- Brewpubs
- Coffee roasters
- Craft breweries & taprooms
- Liquor stores
- Non-alcoholic beverage brands
- Wineries & tasting rooms
- Arcade bars (barcades)
- Artisan cheese makers
- Bagel shops
- BBQ sauce & rub brands
- Beer gardens
- Candy & chocolate makers
- Charcuterie board & grazing table businesses
- Cigar lounges
- Commissary & shared commercial kitchens
- Cottage food producers
- Custom cake studios
- Dive bars & neighborhood taverns
- Farmers market vendors
- Food hall vendors
- Fudge & candy shops
- Honey producers & apiaries
- Hookah lounges
What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever