QR Codes for Breweries and Taprooms: Print Once, Edit Forever
A keg blows at 7:40 on a Friday and your printed tap list is now wrong. Someone updates the chalkboard, maybe, but the 500 coasters you ordered in March and the laminated table tents still point at a beer that's gone. That's the standard failure mode of print in a taproom: the lineup changes faster than anything you can send to a printer.
A ScanTrail QR code fixes the timing mismatch. The code you print encodes a permanent short link, and the destination behind it is whatever you say it is — you can change it anytime, from your phone, in seconds. Print the code once on coasters, table tents, window clings, or the corner of the menu board, then point it at your Untappd menu, the tap list page on your site, or a Google Doc you edit from behind the bar. When the lineup changes, you update a link, not a print run.
You also get to see how the code is actually used: scans per day, a time-of-day histogram, device breakdown, country, and referrer. If nobody scans the coasters but everybody scans the table tents, you'll know before you place the next print order.
Create your dynamic QR code
Free to start · no card required · takes about 30 seconds
When a keg blows, you edit a link — not your print order
Every ScanTrail dynamic code redirects through a permanent short link, so the printed code never goes stale. Point it at any page you can edit (Untappd, your website's tap list, a Google Doc), or swap the destination entirely — from the beer menu to a tap takeover event page, then back on Monday. Every coaster and table tent you've ever printed updates at once.
Find out which placements actually get scanned
Create a separate code for coasters, table tents, and the window cling, and each one gets its own scan counts, a time-of-day histogram, device split, and country data. You'll see whether the Friday night crowd uses the code at all, and which placement earns a spot in the next print run. Pro adds CSV export if you want the raw numbers.
Print files that hold up at any size
Download your code as SVG or PNG. SVG scales cleanly from a 2-inch coaster to a sandwich board without going blurry, so one file works for the whole print order. On Pro you can set custom QR colors to match your branding instead of settling for black-on-white.
Nothing for customers to install
Any phone camera scans the code — no app. Redirects are served from Cloudflare's edge network, so the hop from scan to your menu is quick even on taproom WiFi.
How to set it up
- Sign up free at forever-scan.com. The free plan includes 3 dynamic codes — enough for a tap list code, an events code, and a spare.
- Create a dynamic code and set its destination to a page you can keep current: your Untappd menu, your site's tap list, or a Google Doc.
- Download the code as SVG or PNG. Use the SVG for anything larger than a coaster so it stays sharp.
- Send it to your printer — coasters, table tents, window clings, merch. The code itself never changes, so print in whatever bulk gets you the good price.
- When the lineup changes, edit the destination from your phone. Every code you've ever printed points at the new page immediately.
Common questions
A keg just blew mid-shift. How fast can the menu update?
If your code points at a page you edit anyway — Untappd, your website, a Google Doc — you just update that page and you're done; the QR code needs no change. If you want to swap the destination itself (say, from the tap list to a special event page), edit it in the ScanTrail dashboard from your phone and the next scan goes to the new page.
Do customers need an app to scan the code?
No. The built-in camera on any recent iPhone or Android phone reads it and opens the link directly.
What happens if I stop paying for Pro?
You drop to the free plan, which keeps 3 dynamic codes redirecting — so your printed coasters and table tents don't break. The free plan shows the last 7 days of analytics instead of full history, and drops custom colors and CSV export.
What does it cost?
The free plan has unlimited static QR downloads (no account needed), 3 dynamic codes, and 7 days of analytics. Pro is $1/month or $10/year and gets you 1,000 dynamic codes, full analytics history, custom QR colors, and CSV export. For most taprooms that's one line item below the cost of a single coaster reprint.
Can I make a WiFi QR code for the bar too?
Yes — there's a free WiFi QR generator at forever-scan.com/tools/ that runs entirely in your browser, no account needed. One honest caveat: WiFi codes are static, since the password is encoded in the code itself. If you change your WiFi password, that one does need a reprint. There's a vCard generator at /tools/ as well if you want a contact card code for your sales or events contact.
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Create your dynamic QR code
Free to start · no card required · takes about 30 seconds