Brewbound Podcast

After a week of good (dare we say sunny?) vibes in Philadelphia, the Brewbound team regrouped to put a bow on the 2026 Craft Brewers Conference (CBC). Jess, Zoe and Justin discussed the overall feel of this year’s event compared to the previous two CBCs in Indianapolis and Las Vegas, as well as the Brewers Association attempting to change the narrative around craft beer. They discuss president and CEO Bart Watson’s nudge to tell some of the more positive stories around craft beer, and his own attempts during the State of the Industry speech.Plus, the trio explored RNDC’s fire sale this week, as the distributors struck deals with Martignetti for 11 control state markets and Columbia Distributing for certain wine and spirits brand rights in Washington and Oregon, as well as an agreement in Alaska. Then, we bring you a trio of Pennsylvania-centric interviews, starting with a check in with Carbon Copy co-founder Brendon Boudwin on the Philadelphia brewery’s less pretentious approach compared to some legacy craft brewers.After that, we shift gears with snippets of interviews recorded during Brewbound’s happy hour at Love City Brewing. In the first chat, Brewers of PA executive director Hannah Ison explained the guild’s work to modernize the state’s malt beverage tax credit program, which would allow craft breweries that have made facility upgrades or equipment purchases to sell those credits to other Pennsylvania producers or gain extensions. The show wraps up with Love City Brewing co-founder Kevin Walter’s take on modern craft drinkers and how the brewery is pulling those drinkers into its taprooms with niche events.