Brewbound Podcast

Red Bus Brewing owner Erik Schmid is candid about what changed his mind about adding hard slushies to the Folsom, California-based craft brewery’s summer menu: “bottom line.” In Episode 2 of the Brewbound Podcast’s Learning Lounge: Taproom Tactics series, Schmid shares that since Red Bus purchased a slushie machine, the fruity drinks have become 10% of Red Bus’ beverage sales and 5% of its overall business. He described their popularity from May through September as a “pleasant surprise,” attracting consumers who wouldn’t otherwise visit the brewery and offering others an alternative to beer. Schmid walks through pricing, margin and profitability, production and the flavors that work best, plus how long the slushie machine took to pay for itself. Plus, Justin, Jess and Zoe recap the latest headlines, including RNDC’s planned layoffs in California ahead of its September exit and recent brewery closures and acquisitions. The trio also play Another Round or Tabbing Out on the trend of hard sports hydration drinks. Listen here or on your preferred podcasting platform. Catch up on Episode 1 of the Learning Lounge with Death of the Fox co-founder Chuck Garrity sharing how coffee has become the dominant part of the brewery’s business.

When Death of the Fox Brewing Company opened eight years ago, co-founder Chuck Garrity wanted to make sure its Clarksboro, New Jersey-based taproom stayed busy day and night. So to “maximize” Death of the Fox’s taproom investment and utility, the company launched by also offering coffee service, Garrity shared during the first edition of the Brewbound Podcast’s Learning Lounge: Taproom Tactics series. Offering coffee was part of a total beverage mindset that covered an overlap between beer drinkers and coffee connoisseurs, while adding a revenue stream in one of the strictest operating environments for craft brewery taprooms. Building an on-site roastery during the COVID-19 pandemic was “a game changer” for the business due to taproom shutdowns. It’s now become the dominant portion of the brewery’s business. “When we first opened, beer was about 75%, 80% of our sales,” he said. “Now, flash forward eight years later, coffee, in terms of the total company, is about 70% of our sales. Beer is about 20% to 25%.” Garrity added that the brewery’s beer sales are still strong, and he’s confident that “beer’s not going anywhere.” But his philosophy is to “follow where the river takes you, don’t fight against the current,” and Death of the Fox’s customers were telling him that while they liked the combination of beer and coffee, they really loved the coffee. Listen here for more from Garrity on Death of the Fox’s mix, growing the coffee side of the business amid strict restrictions on beer and advice for adding an attractive coffee menu. Before this week’s featured interview, Jess, Zoe and Justin break down what Barrel One Collective’s acquisition of Greater Good Imperial Brewing Company brings to the platform. And the trio play Another Round or Tabbing Out on 1990s nostalgia seeping into CPG, with more waterbed and Jelly shoes talk than you’d expect. Editor’s Note: If your brewery has implemented taproom tactics that are creating new revenue streams, reach out: [email protected]. We’d like to hear from you.

How can you get the most out of your supply chain relationships? Communication is key, and not just when the headwinds hit. Matt Potts, founder of Normal, Illinois-based Destihl, and Ron Schroder, Briess director of marketing, share how they’re navigating supply challenges and how craft brewers can mitigate issues by maintaining lines of communication. Potts also explains why Destihl has supplemented its own growth with partner brands, including the Wrexham Lager, Hanson Brothers’ Mmmhops IPA, an Evel Knievel-branded beer and NIL beers, including with the University of Illinois Fighting Illini. Plus, U.S. Beverage VP of brand development Kris Sjolander explains the importer and platform’s sales and marketing partnership program. He also dives into what opportunities U.S. Beverage’s contract brewing process offers to potential partners in the U.S. and beyond. U.S Beverage’s partners include Uinta, Woodchuck Cider, Moosehead, Captain Lawerence and several others. Sjolander shares why he believes U.S. Beverage excels at distributor management, how the company is expanding its national accounts presence to meet its partners’ needs and what types of brands benefit the most from partnering with the firm. Before the conversations, Brewbound editor Justin Kendall and managing editor Jess Infante break down Tilray Brands’ latest leadership shuffle and taproom closure, as well as quick thoughts on White Claw’s dominance of hard seltzer and cutting its vodka-based canned cocktail line. Jess and Justin play Another Round or Tabbing Out on the elders’ latest Generation Z gripe: forming a single-file line at the bar. They also talk about the Voodoo Ranger-Malört collaboration, Roulette IPA, where consumers risk getting a Malört-inspired IPA in a 6-pack. Listen here or on your preferred podcasting platform.

Merchandise remains an important piece of Rhinegeist Brewery’s business, and the Cincinnati brewery is leveling up under the guidance of merchandise director Jenny Morrissey. Morrissey and Rhinegeist VP of marketing Tracey Ireland share the evolution of the company’s merch strategy from “marketing tool” to an individual business unit aimed at forging emotional connections with the brewery’s fans. After peaking in the late 2010s, Rhinegeist’s merch business started to decline. Morrissey, who joined the company a year ago, has brought a fashion background and a disciplined approach to the business, from assortment planning to limited drops. Morrissey and Ireland share how they’re engaging Rhinegeist’s diverse customer base, from out-of-town visitors to the brewery’s Cincinnati taproom, to its home market “super fans.” “We’re trying to get as many skull drop T-shirts on as many people as possible for every occasion,” Morrissey said. Morrissey and Ireland discuss efforts to re-engage fans with new products via event-driven and limited-time offerings and monthly product drops. “We’re exploring doing a lot more illustration, a lot more nods back to Cincinnati heritage and just having a lot more fun with it, a lot more humor,” Morrissey said. “And then driving sales with scarcity, essentially, and keeping our assortment fresh. It’s such a good lever to pull to just keep things fresh, keep people coming back to check what we have that’s new.” The conversation covers trend spotting, sourcing inspiration, brand partnerships and tapping into a collector community. Morrissey and Ireland also explain why creating emotion is key to breaking through with consumers. Plus, they share when to cut bait on slow-moving inventory. Ahead of the interview, the Brewbound team talks through Republic National Distributing Company’s (RNDC) exit from California. Plus, the trio play Another Round or Tabbing Out on the creation of family-friendly spaces, and Almanac CEO Damian Fagan’s distaste of the word “taproom.” Listen to the strategy session here or on your preferred podcasting platform.

When Brewers Association (BA) staff economist Matt Gacioch is asked whether craft brewers are optimistic or pessimistic, his response is “brewers are realistic.” “They are understanding that this is a new environment that they are operating in,” Gacioch said during the latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast. “Mid-April 2025 is very different than mid-April 2015.” Gacioch, who is in his first year as a full-time employee of the BA, described a maturing and challenging craft beer market for a variety of factors, from consumer consumption shifts to increased competition and variety to economic pressures and tariffs. “The way that consumers and markets don’t like uncertainty, small business owners really don’t like uncertainty,” he said. “That is the environment that we’re in right now. There’s a lot of products that go into beer making and [the] operating of a brewery [that] can be bought from within the U.S., but the supply chain is so complex and so global that certain tariffs are going to have an impact on pricing of brewery inputs. “So not being able to plan too far into the future because of how things have been changing so quickly has made it really tough for brewery owners to make great beer and feel like they can make a solid business plan for the year and years ahead,” he continued. Which brings us to the 2025 edition of the Craft Brewers Conference taking place in Indianapolis next week (April 28-May 1). Gacioch anticipates that many of the conversations inside and outside of the Indiana Convention Center will center on those factors and strategies for pushing forward, including his own seminar (1:15 p.m. ET Tuesday, April 29) discussing case studies from breweries who tapped into growth drivers in 2024. Gacioch also touches on new breweries making this year’s top 50 craft list, potential opportunities and challenges for breweries adding food service and why he’s excited for CBC. Plus, more conversation about kicking field goals than you’d expect. But first, the Brewbound team recaps the latest news, including the BA’s recent webinar on tariffs and the NBWA and Fintech’s Q1 2025 webinar on beer category sales trends. Justin, Jess and Zoe play Another Round or Tabbing Out on copycat designs infiltrating the hard lemonade and iced tea space, with a hat tip to Fingers’ Dave Infante. Listen here or on your preferred podcast platform. Read More: Brewbound’s Guide to the 2025 Craft Brewers Conference Craft Brewers Conference Heads to Indianapolis Amid Industry Headwinds, Organizational Changes at the Brewers Association A Round With … BA Board Treasurer Audra Gaiziunas, Part 1 CBC 2025 Pre-Conference Reading List

What’s going on in the country’s second-densest craft beer state? The Brewbound team hit the road to Portland, Maine, to find out. While in town for the New England Craft Brew Summit, Brewbound managing editor Jess Infante and senior reporter Zoe Licata checked in with 3 leaders to take the pulse of Maine’s formidable (and cheerfully collaborative) craft scene. This special Maine-centric episode kicks off with Maine Brewers’ Guild executive director Sarah Bryan. Bryan dishes on the hottest topics impacting Maine brewers right now – including concerns over decreased tourism from Canada – as well as goals for her second year as executive director. “A huge strategic goal of ours is to re-stitch-together a sense of pre-COVID[-19] camaraderie in the industry,” Bryan said. “It’s very easy for breweries to feel like they’re on an island, there’s always something more to be done, the work is never finished, there’s never quite enough hands, you can never make enough beer and there’s never enough storage. … Being in this role has impressed on me how deserving these breweries are of working channels of communication, creating pathways for them to work together.” The team then chats with Thirsty Pig owner Allison Stevens about the craft beer bar and changes she witnessed in how the craft industry is operating, including distribution consolidation and shrinking sales teams. She also gives tips for how breweries can be the best partners for Thirsty Pig and other retail accounts. Then, Orange Bike Brewing co-founder and CEO Tom Ruff chats about the origins of the gluten-free-dedicated craft brewery, and how the venture has opened his eyes to the amount of consumers looking for GF options, and the impact the availability of diverse beer options has on connecting the community. Brewbound editor Justin Kendall also joins the episode to discuss some of this week’s California-centric headlines, including the formation of Sunset Distributing in LA and San Diego and the sale of Anderson Valley Brewing. Listen here or on your preferred podcast platform, and please subscribe to and rate the show.

January 2025 was a record month for non-alcoholic (NA) beer in grocery stores. NA beer claimed a 4.2% share of beer grocery sales during the month, according to NIQ food store data shared by Bump Williams Consulting. The Brewbound team discusses how Dry January shook out, plus why industry leaders are bullish on regional cider; how the dots connect between the Consumer Price Index for beer at home outpacing overall inflation and beer’s 2024 summer slump; and who is keynoting the Brewers Association’s Craft Brewers Conference in Indianapolis. Plus, Justin, Jess and Zoe play Another Round or Tabbing Out on a surprise bev-alc platform and the We Love LA collaboration beer effort. Listen here or on your preferred podcast platform.