Cooler two, middle shelf, every Wednesday

Birchwood Kolsch sits on the middle shelf of cooler two. Every Wednesday afternoon, six customers walk in and take one four-pack each. They don't browse. They don't ask questions.

Two weeks ago I shifted it up one shelf to make room for a pallet overflow. Thursday morning, three separate people asked where it went. One of them stood in front of the cooler for a full minute before giving up.

I moved it back.

What actually sells

This isn't the beer Mitch talks about in staff meetings. It's not the one with tasting notes on the chalkboard. Birchwood Kolsch is 4.8% ABV, clean, unremarkable. The label is cream-colored with brown text. The brewery's website hasn't been updated since 2019.

We restock it every Tuesday. It never sits past Friday.

The Tallgrass Helles gets more attention. The Ember Hill Amber has better margins. But Birchwood Kolsch moves twenty-four units a week without anyone noticing, and I've stopped trying to understand why.

Notes for next order

One of the Wednesday regulars mentioned his brother might start coming in. I'm adding an extra case to the next truck. Middle shelf, cooler two, right side. Same spot it's been for eight months.