Brewbound Podcast

Garage Beer’s new owner, Andy Sauer, and VP of marketing, Corey Smale, join the Brewbound team to discuss taking over the craft lager brand following a deal with Kentucky’s Braxton Brewing earlier this year. Sauer and Smale share how they’re building the brand, expanding to new markets, speaking to consumers and creating and nurturing the brand’s voice. The Brewbound team also breaks down the latest legal news in the beer space, including a lawsuit among Tree House owners and the dismissal of a shareholder lawsuit against Boston Beer amid the slowdown in Truly Hard Seltzer trends. The team also play Another Round or Tabbing Out on the growing number of craft doomsday stories. Listen above and on all popular podcasting platforms.

National Beer Wholesalers Association chief economist Lester Jones joins the Brewbound Podcast to explain why he’s bullish on the beer category despite the current economic climate. “It’s important to divide the short-term impacts versus the long-term impacts,” Jone said. “What’s happening short-term with the relationship between beer prices and gas prices and rent and interest rates, and ‘Am I going to lose my job tomorrow’ and other stuff, with what do we see down the line. And I am still incredibly optimistic about beer and the beer space for what’s coming because there’s so much opportunity here.” Plus, Jess and Justin discuss a nightmarish week, recap Brew Talks, and break down the latest headlines, including Night Shift’s CO2 woes, the last gasp of Stone and Molson Coors’ legal fight, Maui’s plans to acquire Modern Times and more. Listen to the episode above and on popular platforms such as iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Have questions, feedback, or ideas for podcast guests or topics? Email [email protected].

Following the Brewers Association’s (BA) annual Craft Brewers Conference, general counsel Marc Sorini and federal affairs director Katie Marisic join the Brewbound Podcast to discuss the trade group’s legislative agenda and what’s on the regulatory horizon for the craft beer industry. The conversation centers on the spirits industry’s push to achieve parity between spirits-based, ready-to-drink (RTD) canned cocktails and beer, both in taxation and market access. Although equivalization has been making headlines lately, it’s nothing new, Sorini said. “We’ve seen in 20 years the palette has shifted and if the palette shifts to places where beer is disadvantaged, where beer isn’t going to play, it’s a very existential threat to not just a small number of companies but all of our members,” he said. This year, the BA is emphasizing its focus on the USPS Shipping Equity Act (H.R.3287/S.1663), which would allow the postal service to ship alcoholic beverages the way that private carriers such as UPS and FedEx do. The legislation would only apply in states where direct-to-consumer shipping of bev-alc products is currently legal. “The Postal Service was built to send mail to all of us, and the private carriers don’t always necessarily fulfill that role, or if they do, it might be cost prohibitive,” Marisic said. “We would like to see the Postal Service be allowed to compete in that market.” In addition to their conversation with Marisic and Sorini, the Brewbound team also hosts Selling Craft Beer’s Sean McNulty to discuss recent news including Boston Beer’s Canadian cannabev, Minnesota finally freeing the growler and Anderson Valley’s vow not to raise price for six months. Listen to the episode above and on popular platforms such as iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Have questions, feedback, or ideas for podcast guests or topics? Email [email protected].

Modern Times is on the edge of entering receivership to begin a court-ordered sale process. Jack O’Connor, a partner with Sugar Felsenthal Grais & Helsinger in Chicago, joins the Brewbound Podcast to explain the process. “Banks are in the ‘getting paid business.’ They want to recoup the investment that they’ve made,” O’Connor said. “In this case, generally speaking, if you’re looking to conduct a going concern sale, your bank is there being supportive, hopefully saying this is a management team that can take us forward as long as we can find a buyer. What it does mean is that they don’t necessarily trust the company to repay its loan or make it whole on terms that it likes.” The Brewbound team also discusses the latest news, including the latest Stone legal wranglings, CBC and more. Listen to the episode above and on popular platforms such as iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Have questions, feedback, or ideas for podcast guests or topics? Email [email protected].

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is scrutinizing sports sponsorships struck by bev-alc producers and distributors. How can brewers play in this space without running afoul of the government agency? McDermott Will & Emery’s Alva Mather and Nichole Shustack offer their opinions on the Brewbound Podcast. “There’s a reason the TTB is focused on sponsorship deals at large venues,” Mather, the head of McDermott Will & Emery’s Alcohol Regulatory & Distribution Group, said. “I don’t have a crystal ball, but I will tell you from where I sit that is absolutely going to continue to be an area of focus for them.” Shustack, legal counsel with McDermott Will & Emery, added that suppliers and wholesalers really should be wary of “pouring rights.” “So there’s pouring rights and then there’s advertising rights,” she explained. “And where we’re seeing suppliers and wholesalers get tripped up is when those two kind of cross over.” Listen to the episode above and on popular platforms such as iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Have questions, feedback, or ideas for podcast guests or topics for the new year? Email [email protected].

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. The team also hits the latest news, including a big wholesaler acquisition in Ohio, comments to the Department of the Treasury by Reyes and others, lawsuits over terminations in New York, and questions over PepsiCo’s entry into alcohol distribution. The conversation then turns to Constellation Brands’ lack of reliance on hard seltzer. Listen to the episode above and on popular platforms such as iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. New episodes of the Brewbound Podcast are published every other Thursday. Check Brewbound’s upcoming events schedule for future podcast episodes and streaming video programming. Email [email protected] with questions and feedback.

The Brewbound team and leaders from Dogfish Head, New Belgium and Bell’s will do something refreshingly novel: talk about beer (no, not hard seltzer). During the final Brew Talks meetup of 2021, Dogfish Head co-founder Sam Calagione, New Belgium CEO Steve Fechheimer and Bel’s executive vice president Carrie Yunker will discuss strategies for their brewers’ flagships and core offerings, such as 60 Minute IPA, Fat Tire Amber Ale and Two Hearted Ale. The second Brew Talks conversation will discuss how brands can forge meaningful connections with legal drinking age members of Generation Z. Panelists include Crowns & Hops co-founder Teo Hunter, New Belgium senior brand manager Dave Knospe and COOP Ale Works marketing director Mary Ann Caram. The Brewbound team also discusses Deschutes’ new partnership with the Pac-12 Conference, a lawsuit minority shareholders have filed against New Glarus Brewing and CEO Deb Carey, and Los Angeles-based hard seltzer brand Nectar’s leveraging of TikTok. Listen to the episode above and on popular platforms such as iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. New episodes of the Brewbound Podcast are published every other Thursday. Check Brewbound’s upcoming events schedule for future podcast episodes and streaming video programming. Email [email protected] with questions and feedback.