Fair questions.
The ones every operator asks on the first call — and a few from the other side of the bar.
Yes. California distinguishes fermented beverages from distilled spirits by production method — fermentation versus distillation — not by flavor or format. Novel is fermented with natural flavors and never distilled, so it falls within what your beer & wine license already authorizes. We provide compliance documentation to every account during onboarding.
Yes — 15.9% ABV, in line with a typical stirred or shaken cocktail. This isn't a low-proof compromise; it's the real thing, made a different way.
We install the equipment, train your team, and you pour for 60 days with no commitment and no minimums. If it's not moving the needle, we pick everything up and part as friends.
That's Option 2: our compact Tabletop Tap System — roughly a $5,000 setup — installed at no cost for your trial. Afterward, the monthly lease is fully waived whenever you hit a 3-keg minimum, and you only pay the proportional difference in slower months. After 24 qualifying months, the equipment is yours.
Smart scales under every keg track pours in real time, and billing syncs with Toast and Square. You pay for what actually pours — no counting inventory, no surprises.
Speed and consistency. A perfect cocktail in ten seconds with zero bartender variance means faster service during rushes and cocktail margins from staff who don't need cocktail training. Several full-bar and event venues use Novel exactly this way.
We do. Line cleaning, scale calibration, and any hardware issues are on us for as long as we're pouring together.
Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo counties today, with Los Angeles next. If you're outside the area, get in touch anyway — the route map is growing.
Like the cocktail, and nothing else — that's the point. The fermented base is deliberately clean and neutral, so what comes through is ripe mango and smoke, blackberry and ginger, passion fruit and bubbles.
A clean fermented base, real fruit, and natural botanicals — nothing distilled, nothing artificial doing the heavy lifting. Venues receive full product documentation, so ask your bartender anytime.
On tap at select Central Coast venues now. Follow along on the blog for new tap announcements — or ask your favorite local spot to reach out to us.