Brewbound Podcast

Brewers Association VP of marketing and communications Ann Obenchain joins this week’s Brewbound Podcast to discuss how the trade group reimagined the Great American Beer Festival (GABF). The refreshed GABF takes place Thursday through Saturday in Denver, and attendees should expect a more experiential feel this year, Obenchain explained. She acknowledged that past GABF events were nearly indistinguishable in look with the blue and yellow color scheme and lines of booths serving beer. For 2024, the geographic or alphabetical lineup of booths are gone, replaced with six experiential areas and a product lineup that goes beyond beer to include cider, hard seltzer, ready-to-drink canned cocktails and more, Obenchain said. The meet-the-brewer area returns, but this year’s GABF will lean into the season with a Halloween-themed area called “Fright” that will include scare actors, decorations and giant LED inflatables, and a section called “Prost” with Oktoberfest vibes, including a biergarten, stein-holding contests and German oom-pah bands. Other areas include “Score,” with live sports played on televisions and foosball; “Blast Off,” a space-themed area; and “Chill,” with live music. Adding to the experience will be Lucha Libre, the pro wrestling style originated in Mexico starring masked wrestlers. All of this is aimed at appealing to younger, experience-seeking attendees who have been the majority of GABF goers in recent years, Obenchain said. The goal is to keep them coming back and get them interested in craft beer. She added that over the last seven years, GABF attendees have skewed younger, with the majority of attendees in the key 21- to 34-year-old demographic. Obenchain also discusses the addition of beyond beer offerings to the GABF lineup; the Paired add-on, beer-and-food pairing event; and what’s new with the GABF Awards. Listen here or on your preferred podcast platform.

On a special bonus episode of the Brewbound Podcast, we talk a lot about lagers and marketing. First, Jack Hendler and Joe Connolly discuss their book – Modern Lager Beer: Techniques, Processes and Recipes – and producers’ growing interest in craft lagers. Hendler is one of the co-founders of Jack’s Abby, a Massachusetts-based lager brewery, and Connelly is the brewery’s sales director. Then, Von Ebert Brewing’s Sam Pecoraro dishes on the Portland, Oregon brewery’s increased focus on lager, takeover of the former Ecliptic Brewing space and its five taproom locations. The show wraps with an interview with Not Your Hobby Marketing Solutions’ Julie Rhodes talking shop on marketing, including the importance of personal connections and native digital marketing campaigns. Listen here or on your podcast platform of choice.

Following a flood of news last week, the Brewbound team recaps the latest major headlines, starting with the billionaire founder of Chobani acquiring Anchor Brewing. Justin, Jess and Zoe share whether they foresaw this scenario playing out. Following the Anchor talk, they dig into the rumors of a potential acquisition of Boston Beer by Suntory. The news wraps with a conversation on Monster Brewing’s shutdown of the Deep Ellum brewery and taproom in Texas. The show also features a 3-pack of interviews with: Monday Night Brewing co-founder and CEO Jeff Heck on operating multi-state taprooms; Dan Imdieke and Jason Pratt, the new owners of Cicerone, on their future plans for the certification program; And Rob Day on the importance of marketing, especially in a maturing craft beer market. Listen above or on your podcast platform of choice.

Russian River co-owner Natalie Cilurzo joins the Brewbound Podcast On Location at the California Craft Beer Summit to discuss the 20th anniversary release of Pliny the Younger triple IPA, with festivities starting this weekend. Cilurzo discusses creating an experience that brings back repeat customers, its economic impact and Pliny babies. She also shares the strategy behind the Pliny for President quarterly releases, the growth of lager in the Russian River portfolio and much more. Calicraft founder and CEO Blaine Landberg and marketing director and brewmaster Thomas Vo share how the brewery is expanding beyond beer with the Bloom line of fruit-forward offerings. They also explore their own-premise expansion strategy and share a wild pre-pandemic story. Plus, the Brewbound team breaks down the latest news, including layoffs at Cigar City, a new CMO at New Belgium and Deschutes’ national plans for non-alcoholic beer. The team also plays Another Round or Tabbing Out on a pricey Voodoo Ranger and Tombstone collab and Hard MTN Dew’s attempts to be abducted by aliens. Listen here and on all popular podcast platforms.

Firestone Walker CMO Dustin Hinz and brand director Hannah Barnett explore the marketing approach to the Paso Robles, California-based craft brewery’s biggest brand, 805, as well as its portfolio of other brands, including Cali Squeeze, Mind Haze and the F Brands. Hinz and Barnett break down Firestone Walker’s Authenticos partnership program and how the black-and-white film work the brand does with its ambassadors plays with wholesalers. Plus, the Brewbound team reviews the latest news, including Iowa’s Big Grove Brewery taking a majority stake in non-alcoholic, THC-infused sparkling water brand Climbing Kites and the union strike at Molson Coors’ Fort Worth facility. The team also plays Another Round or Tabbing Out on the Brewers Association’s decision to pause Homebrew Con and shift activities to the Great American Beer Festival. Listen here and on all popular podcasting platforms.

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.

More signs of the times keep coming in the beer industry, with consolidations, expansions, production shifts and IP sales. Jess, Zoe and Justin reconvene to discuss the latest industry shakeups at Made by the Water, Young Lion, Other Half, RiverWalk, Ipswich and Anchor. Plus, the team shares whether they’ll be participating in Drinksgiving/Blackout Wednesday and looks at the latest Circana convenience store scans, with New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA passing Molson Coors’ Blue Moon Belgian White. The show wraps with a game of Another Round or Tabbing Out on the influx of new non-alcoholic beer brands from regional breweries and large-scale marketing activations in the wake of Heineken’s big F1 spend at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Listen above and on all popular podcast platforms.