Beer Marketer’s Insights’ Craft Brew News senior editors Chris Shepard and David Steinman join the Brewbound Podcast to discuss the biggest beer industry stories of 2021. These include the sale of Bell’s Brewery to Kirin-owned Lion Little World Beverages, the parent company of New Belgium Brewing; ongoing fallout from the revelation of widespread instances of sexual harassment, assault and discrimination; and shifting perceptions of craft beer among consumers.
On one of the final Brewbound podcasts of 2021, Jeff Carroll, general manager of Avalara for Beverage Alcohol, joins the Brewbound team to discuss his predictions for 2022, from e-commerce growth and evolution to state DTC shipping changes (or lack thereof).
With Brewbound Live 2021 in the rearview mirror, the team recaps what happened in Santa Monica both on and off the stage, including Firestone Walker co-founder David Walker’s keynote speech, a data deep dive on Gen Z, and panel discussions featuring independent hard seltzer makers, beer buyers at popular national chains, and leaders in the middle tier.
Brewbound’s 2021 award winners and class of rising stars were announced today during the multimedia trade publication’s annual business conference in Santa Monica, California.
We’re excited to reveal the Brewbound Pitch Slam 13 semi-finalists and judges. We’ve narrowed down the semi-final pool to 12 companies. The chosen semi-finalists produce a wide range of alcoholic beverages.
The world’s largest can manufacturer, Ball Corp., alerted clients that it will increase the minimum order for printed cans to five truckloads per SKU starting January 1, and the company will no longer offer warehousing for orders. Brewers Association chief economist Bart Watson joins the Brewbound Podcast to provide context on the fallout for craft brewers.
Just how big of a deal is the sale of Bell’s to Lion Little World Beverages? The Brewbound team along with 3 Tier Beverages founder Donn Bichsel Jr. and Castle Island Brewing founder Adam Romanow discuss the transaction. Plus, Romanow offers insights into opening a second taproom location in South Boston — such as how foot traffic varies throughout the day in Castle Island’s suburban taproom vs. its new one in the city –and the brewery’s booming contract brewing business.
National beer writers Kate Bernot and Dave Infante join Brewbound’s Justin Kendall, Jess Infante and Zoe Licata for a special “Beer Byliners” crossover special. Topics include the Brewers Association’s 2022 event vaccine requirement, the disparity in available capital for different brewing ventures, Boston Beer’s entry into the Finnish Long Drink space, labor issues at contract brewer City, the “Great Resignation,” and Elvira “Mistress of the Dark.”
Agustin Ruelas and Ray Ricky Rivera join the Brewbound Podcast to discuss how the SoCal Cerveceros homebrew club is helping build a pipeline of professional brewers. Ruelas and Rivera share their own aspirations, including Ruelas’ Brewjeria Company in Pico Rivera and Rivera’s contract brewed Norwalk Brew House brand and self-distribution business.
On the heels of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States’ annual convention in Austin, Chris Swonger, the trade group’s president and CEO, joins the Brewbound Podcast to discuss the growth of ready-to-drink spirits-based canned cocktails, and the organization’s efforts to even the tax rates for RTD products with beer, as well as efforts to add direct-to-consumer sales privileges and much more.
Bump Williams Consulting’s Dave Williams and Brian “B.K.” Krueger share insights on the state of the craft beer business in the off-premise three-quarters of the way through 2021. The conversation covers how retailers are allocating shelf space, packaging trends including 19.2 single-serves and variety packs, the focus coming to the hard seltzer space and much more.
Beverage producers have faced an unending onslaught of supply chain challenges in 2021. With three months left in the year, how should breweries and beverage companies be planning for 2022? The leadership team from Agrowgate, a firm focused on helping mid-sized beverage companies navigate procurement and supply chain issues, joins Brewbound Frontlines to discuss the issues now facing beverage makers and strategies for working through them.
With national sales meetings and annual business plan presentations ongoing, the Brewbound team reconvenes to discuss new products on the way from major craft producers Sierra Nevada and Firestone Walker — including a lifestyle tea brand, fruit beers and a hard seltzer.
After an eventful National Beer Wholesalers Association annual convention in Las Vegas, the Brewbound team debriefs on all of the middle tier issues discussed over the last week.
