Brewbound Podcast

On one of the final Brewbound podcasts of 2021, Jeff Carroll, general manager of Avalara for Beverage Alcohol, joins the Brewbound team to discuss his predictions for 2022, from e-commerce growth and evolution to state DTC shipping changes (or lack thereof). Carroll predicts continued growth in the e-commerce channel as online shopping for alcohol becomes more normalized across generations of 21+ adults. In particular, marketplaces such as Drizly and Instacart that connect consumers to licensed retailers will continue to expand their reach. “Not only do you see the spikes in volume and sales, but you also see the spikes in investment – Drizly being one of the the recipients – but there’s been billions of dollars that have poured into some of these companies,” Carroll said. More than half (54%) of online alcohol shoppers in the U.S. made their first purchase during the pandemic, Carroll said, citing drinks research firm IWSR. “That tells me that the attitudes and behaviors are changing, and there’s new buyers out there to be had,” he said. The team also runs down recent beer news, and shares an exciting Brewbound team announcement! 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 about every week. Email [email protected] with questions and feedback.  

Bump Williams Consulting’s Dave Williams and Brian “B.K.” Krueger share insights on the state of the craft beer business in the off-premise three-quarters of the way through 2021. The conversation covers how retailers are allocating shelf space, packaging trends including 19.2 single-serves and variety packs, the focus coming to the hard seltzer space and much more. The Brewbound team also discusses the recent controversy over the Mikkeller Beer Celebration Copenhagen festival and what the fallout might mean for future beer festivals. 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 nearly every week. Email [email protected] with questions and feedback.

With the annual Brewbound Live business conference less than two weeks away, the Brewbound team shares the schedule for the two-day event during the latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast. Brewbound Live on December 14 and 15 will feature discussions from New Belgium CEO Steve Fechheimer, Denizens Brewing co-founder Julie Verratti and market research firm Nielsen and Nielsen CGA, as well as panel discussions with leaders from retailers (goPuff, Walgreens), emerging beverage companies (Five Drinks, Lone River Beverage Company, Cann, Future Proof) and more. The conference will also delve into mental health issues in the beer industry, with psychiatrists and authors Carlin Barnes and Marketa Wills, and Allagash Brewing HR director Celine Frueh and Hidden Springs Ale Works co-owner and psychotherapist Jacqueline Warner Garman. Day One will wrap with a happy hour and networking opportunity with industry leaders, including Tomme Arthur (the Lost Abbey, Port Brewing, The Hop Concept, Tiny Bubbles), Sinead Carey (Wine Warehouse), Dharma Tamm (Rogue Ales & Spirits), Donn Bichsel Jr. (3 Tier Beverages) and more. The conference will wrap up December 15 with a toast, featuring business leaders who have made a difference in 2020, including Allagash founder Rob Tod, Crowns & Hops founders Benny Ashburn and Teo Hunter, Border X and Mujeres Brew House founders David and Carmen Favela, Brewability founder Tiffany Fixter and Beer Kulture president and CEO Latiesha Cook. Brewbound Live is free for subscribers to Brewbound.com. Also on this post-Thanksgiving episode of the podcast, the Brewbound team discusses Thanksgiving eve trends and the latest headlines. Listen to the episode above, or find it on popular platforms such as iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. New episodes of the Brewbound Podcast are published every other Thursday. Email [email protected] with questions, comments or suggestions for future shows and guests.

As Denizens Brewing prepared to open its second location in Maryland’s Riverdale Park neighborhood earlier this year, co-founder Julie Verratti was “staring down the reality of not knowing what you don’t know.” The company’s new 12,000 sq. ft. production brewery and taproom, which features a 30-barrel brewhouse, enables Denizens to produce about 10 times more beer than it did in 2018. The expanded brewing capacity also comes with additional distribution opportunities throughout Maryland, northern Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Working with wholesaler partners was something Verratti wasn’t as familiar with, however. Prior to the opening of its Riverdale Park location, Denizens had self-distributed all of its beer. But with extra brewing capacity and more beer to sell, the company needed to evolve. So Verratti got to work vetting and selecting distribution partners. Her process? “Interviewing a lot of distributors; asking other distributors what they thought of other distributors; asking retailers what they think; asking breweries what they think, and narrowing it down from there,” she said. In episode 44 of the Brewbound Podcast, Verratti discusses her experience opening a second brewing location, and explains why the company structured its debt around reasonable growth projections. She also dives into the topic of diversity and inclusion within the brewing industry and shares strategies for reaching a more diverse set of consumers. Listen to episode 44 of the Brewbound Podcast above, as well as on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, and Soundcloud. New episodes of the Brewbound Podcast, which is co-hosted by Chris Furnari and Justin Kendall, are published every Thursday. Episode 45 will be released on Thursday, July 18. For questions, comments or suggestions, please email [email protected]. Show Notes: 0:00 – 15:30: Chris Furnari and Justin Kendall introduce episode 44 and recap their Fourth of July vacations. 15:30 – 46:05: Furnari and Kendall interview Denizens Brewing co-founder Julie Verratti 46:05 – 1:14:07: Furnari and Kendall share takeaways from the interview, select their four-pack of all-time summer blockbusters, and do some “dumb journalist math.”

Once a runaway train powering full-steam ahead toward 100,000 barrels, Chicago’s Revolution Brewing has found it more difficult to grow in recent years as an increasing number of new breweries in its own backyard have forced the company to get more tactical. “Just in our patch of Logan Square, the amount of new brewpubs and taprooms and breweries that have opened up is impressive,” Revolution chief commercial officer Donn Bichsel said on episode 31 of the Brewbound Podcast. “It’s no longer neighborhood by neighborhood. It’s become block by block.” According to Bichsel, it’s “challenging” to figure out where Revolution “fits in” in a Chicagoland market in which more than 160 breweries operated during all of or part of 2018. “It’s always difficult to try to maintain truth in what you’re doing, and maintain our ethos and our overall culture [and] feel that we’ve got,” he said of growing to become one of the largest craft beer manufacturers in the region. “You need to be something different to just about every retailer, and in a certain sense, each of our consumers as well,” he added. Creating unique experiences, establishing creative partnerships and getting back to the tried-and-true strategies of selling beer in higher volumes helps. “We have to be greater partners and really understand what it is they’re missing, and what we can bring to the table,” Bichsel said of his interactions with retailers. In episode 31, Bichsel discusses how Revolution Brewing is dealing with industry headwinds and shares his outlook on the future of craft. He also shares how the company is staying relevant in a crowded marketplace, and how it intends to succeed over the long-term. Listen to episode 31 of the Brewbound Podcast above, as well as on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, and Soundcloud. New episodes of the Brewbound Podcast, which is co-hosted by Chris Furnari and Justin Kendall, are published every Thursday. Episode 32, featuring Sebago Brewing co-founder Kai Adams, will be released on Thursday, April 18. For questions, comments or suggestions, please email [email protected]. Show Notes: 0:00 – 14:50: Furnari and Kendall introduce episode 31, discuss the latest news and share their initial CBC 2019 highlights 14:50 – 49:30 Furnari and Kendall interview Donn Bichsel 49:30 – 56:21: Furnari and Kendall share their takeaways from the interview

Fergal Murray spent 31 years with Diageo Ireland, as both a Guinness master brewer and a global brand ambassador. During that time, he poured perfect pints of the iconic Irish Dry Stout for former President Barack Obama, Queen Elizabeth II, Jimmy Fallon, and Tom Cruise, among many other international dignitaries and celebrities. But his brewing industry expertise stretches far beyond the draft handle. Over the course of his more-than-three-decades career with Diageo, Murray worked alongside the global marketing and sales teams to help drive awareness of the Guinness brand, and to educate wholesalers and retailers across the world. These days, Murray is consulting for small breweries and distilleries across the world, most notably with Wachusett Brewing in Westminster, Massachusetts. On a recent trip to the U.S., Murray stopped by the Brewbound offices to chat about building brands on-premise, the emerging non-alcoholic beer trend, and the tug of war between the desire to satiate consumer demand for innovative products with the need to hone and perfect core recipes. “Every high-performance something or other comes out with something new with an improvement,” he said. “Brewer — tell me what you’ve done to make your beer better.” In episode 21 of the Brewbound Podcast, Murray discusses the changes to the American beer scene that he’s witnessed during his long career in beer, his latest collaboration with Wachusett and innovations that could drive future category growth. Also in this episode: Brewbound editors Chris Furnari and Justin Kendall share their takeaways from the 16th Annual Beer Business Daily Summit in San Diego. Listen to episode 21 of the Brewbound Podcast above, as well as on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, and Soundcloud. New episodes of the Brewbound Podcast, which is co-hosted by Furnari and Kendall, are published every Thursday. Episode 22, featuring Russian River Brewing co-owner Natalie Cilurzo, will be released on Thursday, February 7. For questions, comments or suggestions, please email [email protected].

Constellation Brands chairman of beer Bill Hackett has spent more than three decades growing sales of imported Mexican beer in the United States. When he began building the Corona brand in 1984, the market for imported beer in the U.S. was just 8 million barrels. Last year, about 34 million barrels of imported beer was sold in the U.S., and 23 million of those barrels were imported from Mexico. Much of that growth can be attributed to Hackett, and others who have worked on the Corona brand over the years. So what’s his secret to scaling a brand that, in many cases, consumers didn’t even know they wanted? “I went into market and I just started asking questions,” he said. After surveying retailers and drinkers about Corona, Hackett identified a target demographic and built a marketing plan around what consumers believed were the brand’s key differences. “Very simply stated, what we did was developed the marketing, positioning and the advertising, basically reading back to consumers what they were telling us about the beer,” he said. In episode eight of the Brewbound Podcast, Hackett discusses the strategies that have allowed the Corona brand to flourish in the U.S. over the last three decades, and how he sees the beer market evolving in the years to come. Hackett also talks about the taproom phenomenon, the importance of brand building at a time when 7,000 craft breweries are fighting for mindshare, and what he drinks when he’s not tipping back a pint of beer. Also in this episode: Brewbound editors Chris Furnari and Justin Kendall share the latest news and run down segments. Listen to episode eight of the Brewbound Podcast above, as well as on iTunes. The episode is also available on Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, and Soundcloud. New episodes of the Brewbound Podcast, which is co-hosted by Furnari and Kendall, are published every Thursday. Episode eight, featuring Victory Brewing co-founder Bill Covaleski, will be released on Thursday, November 8. For questions, comments or suggestions, please email [email protected].