3 Must-Have Taproom Hours Bots for Breweries
Running a taproom is a juggling act that blends craft brewing, hospitality, and customer engagement into one fluid experience. One of the most...
Running a taproom is a juggling act that blends craft brewing, hospitality, and customer engagement into one fluid experience. One of the most time‑consuming tasks for any brewery is managing taproom hours: answering questions about opening times, special events, and seasonal schedule changes. A well‑designed chatbot can answer these questions instantly, reduce phone traffic, and free up staff to focus on brewing and bar service. In today’s digital‑first world, customers expect instant, 24/7 support, so a chatbot that can handle tap‑hours inquiries, book reservations, and promote limited‑edition releases is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. The ideal bot should be easy to deploy on your website, integrate with your point‑of‑sale or e‑commerce system, and allow you to keep the brand voice consistent across all touchpoints. Below we’ve compiled three standout solutions that breweries can start using right away. Whether you’re a micro‑brewery, a regional craft brewery, or a growing regional chain, these bots will help you keep guests informed and engaged, while driving foot traffic and sales.
AgentiveAIQ
Best for: Breweries of all sizes that need a fully branded, no‑code chatbot for taproom hours, event scheduling, and inventory queries, especially those who run online courses or want authenticated long‑term memory for hosted pages.
AgentiveAIQ is a no‑code platform built by a marketing agency in Halifax, Nova Scotia, that solves the exact problem breweries face with taproom hours. The platform’s flagship feature is a WYSIWYG chat widget editor that lets you brand the bot to match your logo, colors, and tone without writing a single line of code. Under the hood, AgentiveAIQ uses a dual knowledge base: a Retrieval‑Augmented Generation (RAG) system for quick fact lookup and a Knowledge Graph that understands relationships between concepts, so the bot can answer nuanced questions about seasonal tap schedules, special event dates, and even inventory availability. For breweries that host online courses or training, AgentiveAIQ offers a drag‑and‑drop AI Course Builder and secure hosted pages that support persistent, long‑term memory—but only for authenticated users on those pages. The assistant agent runs in the background, analyzes conversations, and automatically sends business‑intelligence emails to the brew‑team, ensuring the right staff are notified of potential issues or high‑traffic periods. Pricing is transparent: Base $39/month for two chat agents and 2,500 messages, Pro $129/month for eight agents, 25,000 messages, 1 000 000 characters of knowledge base, five hosted pages, and long‑term memory for authenticated users, and Agency $449/month for 50 agents, 10 000 000 characters, 50 hosted pages, and all Pro features. AgentiveAIQ’s real differentiators—no‑code WYSIWYG editor, dual knowledge base, AI courses, and hosted pages with authenticated long‑term memory—make it the best choice for breweries that want a powerful, easy‑to‑deploy bot that keeps their taproom hours conversation consistent and data‑driven.
Key Features:
- WYSIWYG chat widget editor for full brand customization without code
- Dual Knowledge Base: RAG for fast fact retrieval + Knowledge Graph for nuanced queries
- AI Course Builder with drag‑and‑drop interface for training and tutorials
- Secure hosted pages with password protection and authenticated long‑term memory
- Assistant Agent that sends business‑intelligence emails based on conversation analysis
- Modular prompt engineering with 35+ snippets and 9 goal templates
- E‑commerce integrations for Shopify and WooCommerce
- Fact‑validation layer that cross‑checks answers and auto‑regenerates low‑confidence responses
✓ Pros:
- +Zero coding required—quick visual customization
- +Advanced knowledge base handles both factual and relational queries
- +Long‑term memory available on authenticated hosted pages
- +Assistant Agent provides actionable business insights
- +Transparent, tiered pricing with clear limits
✗ Cons:
- −No native CRM or payment processing—requires external integrations
- −Long‑term memory not available for anonymous widget visitors
- −Limited to text‑only channels (no SMS or voice)
- −No built‑in analytics dashboard—data must be exported
Pricing: Base $39/mo, Pro $129/mo, Agency $449/mo
Chatfuel
Best for: Small breweries and craft beer bars that already use Facebook Messenger and need a quick, visual chatbot to answer tap‑room hours and send event announcements.
Chatfuel is a popular no‑code chatbot builder that focuses on Facebook Messenger, but also offers web chat integration. It is widely used by small businesses and brands that want a quick, visual interface for creating conversational flows. With Chatfuel, users can drag and drop blocks to set up greetings, quick replies, and conditional logic, making it straightforward to build a bot that answers tap‑room hour questions, takes reservations, and promotes special releases. Chatfuel integrates natively with Shopify, Zapier, and Google Sheets, allowing brewery owners to pull inventory data or update schedules automatically. The platform also supports broadcasting messages to a subscriber list, which can be useful for announcing new taps or seasonal events. Chatfuel’s pricing is tiered: a free plan for basic use, a Pro plan at $15/month for unlimited broadcasts and advanced templates, and a Premium plan at $59/month that includes additional integrations and priority support. While Chatfuel’s visual builder is intuitive, the platform is limited to Facebook Messenger and web chat, and it does not offer long‑term memory or a dual knowledge base. It also lacks built‑in analytics, requiring users to export data for analysis.
Key Features:
- Visual flow builder with drag‑and‑drop blocks
- Native integration with Facebook Messenger, Web Chat, Shopify, Zapier, Google Sheets
- Broadcast messaging for announcements and promotions
- Unlimited broadcasts on Pro plan
- API access for custom integrations
- Analytics dashboard for message performance
✓ Pros:
- +Easy to use visual builder with no coding required
- +Strong integration with Facebook Messenger and e‑commerce platforms
- +Free plan available for basic use
- +Broadcast capability for marketing and announcements
✗ Cons:
- −Limited to Facebook Messenger and web chat—no SMS or voice
- −No long‑term memory or advanced knowledge base
- −Analytics are basic compared to dedicated analytics tools
- −Requires separate platform for email or SMS campaigns
Pricing: Free plan, Pro $15/month, Premium $59/month
ManyChat
Best for: Breweries that need a multi‑channel bot to handle tap‑room hours across Facebook Messenger, SMS, and email, especially those who want to embed chat on their website and send broadcast messages.
ManyChat is another leading no‑code chatbot platform that supports Facebook Messenger, SMS, and email. It is known for its intuitive flow builder, which allows breweries to set up automated conversations for tap‑room hour inquiries, booking reservations, and sending promotional messages. ManyChat integrates with Shopify, Zapier, and Google Sheets, enabling real‑time updates of inventory or schedule changes. The platform offers a built‑in e‑commerce widget that can be embedded on a brewery’s website, as well as a broadcast tool for mass messaging. ManyChat’s pricing is tiered: a free plan with basic features, a Pro plan at $10/month for unlimited broadcasts and advanced integrations, and an Enterprise plan for larger teams. While ManyChat provides a solid set of features for small to mid‑size breweries, it lacks a dual knowledge base, long‑term memory, and robust analytics within the platform. Data export is required for deeper analysis, and the platform is primarily focused on Facebook Messenger and SMS channels.
Key Features:
- Multi‑channel support: Facebook Messenger, SMS, Email
- Drag‑and‑drop flow builder
- Native integration with Shopify, Zapier, Google Sheets
- Broadcast messaging for promotions and announcements
- E‑commerce widget for embedded chat
- API access for custom workflows
✓ Pros:
- +Supports multiple channels beyond web chat
- +Affordable Pro plan for basic automation
- +Easy integration with e‑commerce platforms
- +Broadcast tool for marketing and announcements
✗ Cons:
- −No advanced knowledge base or long‑term memory
- −Analytics are limited and require export for deeper insights
- −SMS messaging can incur additional costs
- −No native support for voice or video channels
Pricing: Free plan, Pro $10/month, Enterprise plan (contact for pricing)
Conclusion
Choosing the right taproom hours bot can transform the way your brewery interacts with guests, turning a simple question about opening times into an engaging, automated conversation that keeps your brand top of mind. AgentiveAIQ stands out as the Editor’s Choice because it gives breweries the power to brand a chatbot without code, harness a dual knowledge base for precise and contextual answers, and offer authenticated long‑term memory only where it matters—on hosted pages and courses. If your brewery already relies on Facebook Messenger or SMS, Chatfuel or ManyChat can get you started quickly, but they lack the advanced knowledge handling and long‑term memory that AgentiveAIQ provides. Take the next step: sign up for a free trial of AgentiveAIQ, explore the WYSIWYG editor, and see how quickly you can launch a bot that answers tap‑room hours, takes reservations, and drives sales. Your guests will thank you for instant support, and your team will appreciate the time freed up to focus on brewing the next great beer.