Brewbound Podcast

The Brewbound team reunites to dish on the 2023 Craft Brewers Conference (CBC). Jess, Justin and Zoe discuss the Brewers Association’s state and federal ambitions, the beer trade groups’ union against canned cocktail market access and tax breaks, and trade practice reform. The team also recaps the 2023 economic impact of Russian River’s Pliny the Younger, wholesaler consolidation and plays a game of “Another Round or Tabbing Out,” featuring fake c-suite jobs, beer made with tulip petals and chicken-flavored beer. Listen to the conversation on popular podcast platforms, including iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Have questions, feedback or ideas for the podcast? Email [email protected].

This week’s Brewbound Podcast rebroadcasts two Brew Talks conversations from the 2023 Craft Brewers Conference. The first is an introduction to the National Black Brewers Association (NB2A), a newly formed trade group. Executive director Kevin Asato, Harlem Brewing founder Celeste Beatty and Black Frog Brewery owner Chris Harris share the NB2A’s mission and vision, explain the challenges Black and Brown brewers face receiving capital and stress the importance of mentorship. Then, three brewery leaders share their experiences with expanding their taproom presences in out-of-state markets. Monday Night Brewing’s Jeff Heck, Hi-Wire Brewing’s Adam Charnack and Weathered Souls Brewing’s Marcus Baskerville share their strategies, offer advice to others considering similar expansions and lay out the potential pitfalls. Plus, Brewbound’s Justin Kendall and Zoe Licata share their early takeaways from CBC, straight from the convention floor in Nashville. Listen to the conversations on popular podcast platforms, including iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Have questions, feedback or ideas for the podcast? Email [email protected].

Rhinegeist co-founder Bryant Goulding and interim CEO Adam Bankovich explain the change in leadership at the Cincinnati craft brewery that led to Bankovich’s promotion. They share their vision for the brewery’s next phase and how to tap into its full potential. Goulding shares his experience in trying to step back from the day-to-day operations of the brewery and let others take the brewery to the next level. Bankovich, who joined Rhinegeist as chief commercial officer in October 2022, dives into what he’s learned during his first six months at the brewery and why it’s OK to be vulnerable. “We’re a much larger company than we were 10 years ago, stating the obvious, so some of the things really do need to have a little more rigor and discipline behind them,” Bankovich said. “That being said, it’s always been important to me to add a level of transparency and understanding so people understand the why behind what we’re doing, so that’s been my focus over the past six months. “This complex, diverse company that we have here, everybody needs to take a pause and know that what we did for the past 10 years isn’t what’s going to take us to the next 10, and it’s worth re-evaluating things and asking questions and figuring out what else we can do together,” he continued. Goulding and Bankovich also define “geistiness,” a word used to describe the Rhinegeist spirit of embracing individuality, ambition and creativity. Listen to the conversation on popular podcast platforms, including iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Have questions, feedback or ideas for the podcast? Email [email protected].

Brewers Association president and CEO Bob Pease previews the 2023 Craft Brewers Conference, which will be held May 7-10 in Nashville. Pease offers tips to first-time attendees, shares his message to craft brewers as the segment matures, and offers his perspective on small brewery mergers and acquisitions and craft’s conflicting growth drivers. Listen to the conversation in the episode above, and on popular podcast platforms, including iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Have questions, feedback or ideas for the podcast? Email [email protected].

Photo credit: Jose Manchola Finback Brewery co-founder Basil Lee shares how the New York craft brewery is preparing for the 2023 Whale Watching festival in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Plus, Lee discusses plans to expand with another taproom in Long Island City and a farm brewery and building a diversified portfolio with spirits and coffee. The Brewbound team also reviews the Brewers Association’s rankings of the top 50 craft breweries by volume for 2022, Allagash’s move to Reyes in SoCal and parts of the Bay Area and new products coming out soon. Listen to both conversations in-full in the episode above, and on popular podcast platforms, including iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Have questions, feedback or ideas for the podcast? Email [email protected]

Jeffrey Stuffings, co-founder of Jester King, discusses a bill in the Texas Senate that would fine businesses $10,000 for hosting “sexually oriented performances” – which includes drag events, if people under age 18 are present or on public property – and shares why the Austin, Texas-based brewery is encouraging its followers to oppose it. Although the proposed law does not apply to establishments that are 21+, many breweries and restaurants that host drag shows are family-friendly and would like to stay that way. Stuffings explains how Jester King has built an inclusive space and why he sees the legislation as an example of “fear of the other.” Dave Infante, editor of independent drinks newsletter Fingers, joins the conversation to share why brewery owners hosting similar events need to be prepared for potential backlash in this overheated political environment. The Brewbound team also breaks down the latest headlines, including conservatives’ call to boycott Bud Light following the brand’s influencer activation with Dylan Mulvaney, a influencer who documents her life as a transgender woman; Deschutes’ big bet on non-alcoholic beer; recent small brewery mergers in California; and Mikkeller ceasing ops in the U.S. and BrewDog shutting its Pittsburgh outpost. Listen to both conversations in-full in the episode above, and on popular podcast platforms, including iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Have questions, feedback or ideas for the podcast? Email [email protected]

The Lost Abbey is in the process of scaling down the business. Tomme Arthur discusses the process of growing by getting smaller, the opportunities he sees ahead for the Southern California-based brewery and the evolution of the craft brewing industry. Plus, the Brewbound team discusses Diageo shutting down its production brewery in Maryland, layoffs at Drizly, the Federal Trade Commission investigation into Southern Glazer’s and craft beer dads on TikTok. Listen to both conversations in-full in the episode above, and on popular podcast platforms, including iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Have questions, feedback or ideas for the podcast? Email [email protected]