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May 18, 2015
Kansas City, MO
Brew Talks Kansas City 2015
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Brew Talks KC: Duvel Moortgat’s View of the Evolving Craft Landscape

Simon Thorpe presents at Brewbound Session, Boston
Simon Thorpe presents at Brewbound Session, Boston

The beer business has changed radically over the last five years and, while it’s impossible to know how the landscape will develop over the next five, one thing is certain: continued evolution is inevitable.

To better understand how the beer segment could look in 2020, Brewbound has asked Simon Thorpe, the president of Duvel Moortgat USA, to share his view of the ever-evolving craft landscape at today’s Brew Talks meetup, being held at Boulevard Brewing at 5:00 P.M.

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At a time when beer segment has ceded share to wine & spirits, craft beer has been a bright spot, offering consumers a unique product and a new drinking experience every time they belly up to the bar. It’s brought volumes back to the category, prompting small breweries to invest behind continued growth opportunities.

With demand for more flavorful, handcrafted products on the rise, breweries across the country have raced to build the infrastructure needed to keep pace with growth. Regional and national players have embarked on multi-million dollar brewery expansions, added millions of barrels of capacity and grown into new markets in an effort to better serve demand. At the same time, thousands of entrepreneurs have entered the fray, opening small breweries all across the country.

And with nearly every craft enterprise enjoying double-digit growth, private equity firms and multi-national beer corporations have started acquiring brands. So how is that increased investment altering the competitive landscape? And what happens if (or when) category growth slows? Will those craft brewers that have doubled down and built new breweries still be able to fill their tanks? And if not, how will that impact category dynamics?

During Monday’s talk, Thorpe will share his perspective on a wide-range of issues, including increased merger & acquisition activity, growth management strategies, overcapacity concerns and the threat of a craft bubble. Brew Talks attendees will also hear from Central State Beverage Company’s Jon Poteet, who will share insights from helping to make Boulevard one of the best-selling beers in Kansas City.

Beer industry professionals are invited to join us in Boulevard’s Muehlebach Suite (2501 Southwest Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64108) at 5:00 p.m. The first panel discussion will begin at 5:30 p.m.

About Brew Talks

Since hosting our first event in the basement of a craft beer bar in Boston in 2013, the meetup series has developed into a multi-city tour where beer industry professionals can come together inside of some of the country’s most recognizable craft breweries and share business insights with one another. In less than two years, we’ve hosted 19 meetups, in 15 U.S. cities, and connected with thousands of individuals from all tiers of the industry. The events are also broadcast globally via a free live stream.