Brewbound’s Most Listened To Podcast Episodes of 2024

The Brewbound Podcast in 2024 featured a mix of interviews with industry heavyweights, analysis and a new roadshow component with stops at the California Craft Beer Summit in Sacramento, the Craft Brewers Conference in Las Vegas and the National Beer Wholesalers Association’s Annual Convention in San Diego.

The most-listened-to episodes of 2024 touched on leadership changes in the industry, conversations from the road and major events and strategizing.

Here’s a look back at the most popular Brewbound Podcast episodes of the year, in reverse order. Links are in the headlines for those who want to catch up.

10. Diving into Early Year Bev-Alc Data Trends with 3 Tier Beverages

3 Tier Beverages’ Mary Mills and Stephanie Roatis parsed the early year data, including positive cider trends in convenience, non-alc beer growth, hard seltzer rationalization and much more.

They also dug into the growing trend of private label hard seltzer and whether anyone can break through the hard coffee curse.

Plus, the Brewbound team discussed the potential strike at Anheuser-Busch InBev’s U.S. breweries (note: this was recorded before the tentative agreement was reached), and they played Another Round or Tabbing Out on the chances of Michelob Ultra challenger brands staking a claim of the better-for-you beer market.

9. Road Reports, Private Equity Deals and More Leadership Changes

The early part of 2024 is always packed with travel to industry conferences. In this late January episode, Brewbound reporter Zoe Licata shared her experience at this year’s CiderCon in icy Portland, Oregon.

Meanwhile, both Zoe and Brewbound managing editor Jess Infante offered takeaways from the Beer Industry Summit in San Diego resort city Coronado.

As always, the team broke down the biggest news of the week, including a craft-on-craft deal in New England, a private equity firm selling part of its stake in Mikkeller, a CEO change at Sapporo-Stone Brewing, another Heineken exec joining Lagunitas’ c-suite and an update on the bidding for Anchor.

Plus, listener-favorite game Another Round or Tabbing Out centered around the return of the Coors Light train for the Super Bowl.

8. Ding Dong, Drizly is Done; Plus, Scanning the Craft Scans

Uber said goodbye to e-commerce alcohol delivery platform Drizly in March. Brewbound editor Justin Kendall and weekend newsletter writer Sean McNulty discussed the decision and why it’s another blow for brewers.

Plus, the duo discuss full-year 2023 craft beer scan data, the narrative (or lack thereof) for craft heading into 2024, and why the early read wasn’t great. Other topics include New Jersey finally giving the state’s craft breweries a break, Tilray wilding out with new products and Lawson’s trying to get the low-ABV Beach Party started.

7. MikMak’s Rachel Tipograph on the Post-Drizly Bev-Alc E-Commerce Landscape

In the wake of Drizly’s shut down, MikMak founder and CEO Rachel Tipograph analyzed what’s next for beverage-alcohol e-commerce.

In the conversation, Tipograph explained why many alcohol producers were caught off guard by the announcement and who she expected would pick up the market share once held by Drizly.

6. Firestone Walker Details Its House of Brands Strategy

Firestone Walker’s marketing approach for the 805 brand has featured black-and-white short films of athletes and artists as part of its Authenticos partnership program.

CMO Dustin Hinz and brand director Hannah Barnett explored the marketing approach for the Paso Robles, California-based craft brewery’s biggest brand, 805, and how it plays with the company’s wholesalers. The two also discussed how that approach differs from the rest of its portfolio, including Cali Squeeze, Mind Haze and the F Brands.

5. How a Las Vegas Wholesaler is Prepping for the Super Bowl

How do wholesalers in the Super Bowl’s home city prep for the biggest football game of the year?

Breakthru Beverage Nevada beer division VP Deacon Nauslar shared when preparations began, how much of a bump the distributor is expecting, how the event will compare to a Formula 1 race earlier this year, and how the biggest football game of the year measures up to a normal week servicing Sin City.

New Orleans, you’re next.

4. How to Make a Summer Shandy Work Year-Round

Molson Coors-owned Leinenkugel’s made flagship Summer Shandy a year-round offering this year. Leinenkugel’s president Tony Bugher and John Leinenkugel hopped on the podcast to share why the company made the move and what it meant for the brand.

The conversation took place months prior to Molson Coors shutting down the Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin-based facility, laying off more than 50 workers and transferring the remaining Leinenkugel’s production to Milwaukee. Those moves appeared to blindside the Leinenkugel family, who had brewed beer in Chippewa Falls for 157 years.

The Leinie Lodge and pilot brewery in Chippewa Falls remain open.

3. What Even Happened in 2023?

Fellow beer industry journalists Kate Bernot and Christopher Shepard joined the Brewbound team to recall the bev-alc/non-alc crossover brand madness of 2023, craft beer’s stormy seas and a potentially grim outlook for draft beer sales.

The conversation isn’t all doom and gloom, as the crew discussed positive developments in taproom hospitality and non-alcoholic beer options.

Little did anyone know what 2024 would bring.

2.  Topa Topa, Match Point and That’s Delicious Financials on What’s Working For Craft

The Brewbound team’s road trip to Sacramento for the California Craft Brewers Association’s Craft Beer Summit led to several conversations with California craft brewers, including a three-pack of chats with leaders from Topa Topa Brewing and Match Point Brewing, as well as the founder of That’s Delicious Financials.

Topa Topa founder and CEO Jack Dyer explained the importance of Chief Peak IPA to the brewery’s business and why it’s the beer he’s always thinking about.

Match Point Brewing co-founder Simon Chen shared the Albany-based brewery’s path to opening a taproom and also making connections with consumers in his hometown.

And That’s Delicious Financials founder Drew Kearns expressed optimism about the craft brewing industry, as well as the most difficult conversations he’s hearing on the financial side of the business.

1. An Exit Interview with Naomi Neville of Allagash Brewing

2024 brought a lot of change at top craft breweries across the country, including Allagash Brewing.

Naomi Neville departed the Portland, Maine-headquartered craft brewery after 14 years of leading and building its sales team and helping turn the brewery into a regional powerhouse led by Allagash White.

Neville reflected on her experience building the Allagash brand and dished on where she sees the segment going and what’s next for her.

Neville ended up leaving the beer industry and is now the program director for the Maine Center for Entrepreneurs.

The Brewbound Podcast in 2024 featured a mix of interviews with industry heavyweights, analysis and a new roadshow component with stops at the California Craft Beer Summit in Sacramento, the Craft Brewers Conference in Las Vegas and the National Beer Wholesalers Association’s Annual Convention in San Diego.