Brewbound Podcast

Craig Purser, president and CEO of the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA), joins the Brewbound Podcast to preview highlights of the trade group’s upcoming 87th annual convention and product showcase, taking place September 29-October 2 in San Diego. Purser discusses the NBWA’s legislative priorities, metamorphosis into a beer and beverage distribution group, and top concerns for the association’s members. Plus, the Brewbound team breaks down recent news, including insights for connecting with Gen Z from Zoe’s trip to the Stout Collective’s BOPP Beer Design Conference, a look at IPA’s dollar share across the country and the forthcoming non-alc Michelob Ultra Zero. Listen here or on your podcast platform of choice.

Several new high ABV offerings are on their way to convenience store doors in 2025. The Brewbound team discusses the latest slate of offerings from Molson Coors that trades on three of their established brands: Blue Moon Extra, Topo Chico Max and Simply Spiked Bold. The team ponders the timeliness of new singles hitting convenience and the prospects for these. Jess, Zoe and Justin also discuss the latest news, including JuneShine’s non-alcoholic kombucha play, job openings at the Brewers Association and California Craft Brewers Association and why the numbers say your brewery will likely survive. Plus, deep thoughts on greetings and F1. Listen here or on your preferred podcast platform.

What legal issues should be on brewers’ radar? Nichole Shustack and Isabelle Cunningham from the bev-alcohol practice team at law firm Nutter, McClennen and Fish join the Brewbound Podcast to share what to watch out for this year and beyond. The team discusses the impact of non-alcoholic brands crossing over into bev-alc, direct-to-consumer sales, potential regulations on adult non-alcoholic beverages and other state legal updates. Plus, the Brewbound team reconvenes to break down the latest headlines, including Colorado’s Left Hand Brewing’s efforts to raise money for a brewery platform, another sale of San Francisco’s Magnolia Brewing and BeatBox Beverages’ big deal with Shaquille O’Neal. Listen here or on your preferred podcast platform.

Following a long July 4 holiday weekend, the Brewbound team shares how they celebrated Independence Day. Jess provides a Jersey Shore report, including whether there was enough Surfside supply. Zoe shares the results from her July 4 darty on how newer beverages such as Surfside, Sun Cruiser, The Beast Unleashed, and Happy Thursday performed with the under 30 crowd. She also notes the prevalence of High Noon in Boston’s party districts. Then the conversation turns to social media platform TikTok opening its platform to beverage-alcohol advertisements. Jess explains why now and what bev-alc companies should consider. The team also discusses non-alcoholic beer maker Athletic Brewing’s $50 million equity financing round and rumored valuation.   Listen here or on your preferred podcast platform. And please like, rate, review and subscribe to the podcast and hit the notification bell to make sure fresh episodes keep hitting your feeds.

The Brewbound team catches up on the latest news, including Allagash’s first foray into non-alcoholic adult beverages with Hop Water. Justin, Jess and Zoe discuss why this seems on brand for the Portland, Maine-based craft brewery, and why it may be a better entry point than NA beer. Jess then shares why some cannabis users say they are drinking less, with a lot of caveats. Zoe shares her experience at the Boston Celtics victory parade and thoughts on C’s guard Derrick White’s duck boat adventures. Zoe also breaks down her feature on the state of hard kombucha. The show wraps with a conversation on whether the spicy trend has fully taken hold in bev-alc. Listen here or on your preferred podcast platform.

Donn Bichsel Jr. and Mary Mills, leaders from beverage consultancy 3 Tier Beverages, share why data with the top 15 brewers removed can reveal true market opportunities and pitfalls, why brewers should also have a total-beverage alcohol perspective and which packages are trending. Then, New Belgium Brewing lead research and development brewer Kelly McKnight explains the Voodoo Ranger maker’s strategy for new products, why new IPAs flow under the Voodoo umbrella and much more. Plus, Justin and Zoe review the latest headlines, including people moves at Sierra Nevada, BrewDog and Great Lakes. They also discuss how Wisconsin Brewing is carving a niche within the non-alcoholic beer space with a Harley-Davidson branded beer.   Listen here or on your podcast platform of choice.

Bump Williams Consulting’s Dave Williams and Brian “BK” Krueger explore Q1 beer category trends, the stickiness of 2023’s shifts caused by the Bud Light fiasco, the creep up of pricing, regional cider growth and the dampening of Dry January but continued growth of non-alc beer. They also share what they’re watching for the remainder of the year. Plus, the Brewbound team reports from the floor of the Craft Brewers Conference in Las Vegas and recap the first day of the largest meeting of craft brewers. Jess, Justin and Zoe also recap the new strategic alliance between Black-owned breweries Full Circle and Crowns and Hops. Listen here and on all popular podcast platforms.