Brewbound Podcast

While defending shelf space remains important, suppliers need to make sure they’re also retaining lucrative display, floor, promotional and feature space, Bump Williams Consulting (BWC) president Dave Williams and VP of business development and portfolio strategy Brian “BK” Krueger shared in the latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast. “That’s what really multiplies anything that you have on the shelf,” Krueger said. Beer brands’ display losses aren’t just coming from competitors within the category – they’re coming from other mega alcohol categories and even non-alcoholic (NA) beverages. “If you look at what’s on the floor on display now, it’s less alcohol across the board,” Krueger said. “You’re seeing more of the sodas, more of the flavor, more of the Olipops, more of the Poppis that are getting that space that used to be 50-, 60-case stacks of beer or seltzer or craft or domestic or import. “Now, it’s gone, it’s out of the mix,” he continued. “And the frequency has also eroded away as well.” Williams stressed that suppliers need to maintain alignment with their wholesaler and retailer partners to protect that space, which will be key to winning in the future. That alignment comes from being present in the market to maintain those relationships. In their conversation with Brewbound senior reporter Zoe Licata, Williams and Krueger also discuss first-half 2025 trends in detail with a few reality checks along the way. “It hasn’t gotten notably worse, but it hasn’t also gotten markedly better,” Williams said of early year trends. “The reality [is] that beer and malt in particular based products, that consumer isn’t coming back around in large droves. “I don’t expect volume to come back in any meaningful way,” he continued. “There are certainly some individual winners … I think a lot of behaviors from consumers right now are drawing people outside of the beer/malt world. They’re slowing down their frequency of consumption or volume that they’re consuming when they do go out and make a purchase at the package store. Krueger and Williams also share how craft brewers are leveraging other areas of bev-alc for growth, what’s contributing to flavored malt beverages’ (FMB) struggles this year and whether consumers are making pricing-based decisions. Plus, the Brewbound team reconvenes to discuss Jim Koch’s return as CEO of Boston Beer and Michael Spillane’s forthcoming exit after 16 months. Justin, Jess and Zoe explain why the CEO change felt out of left field, what it means for Koch to return to power after 24 years and how the conversation around internal candidates is being framed. Listen here or on your preferred podcast platform.

The team at 3 Tier Beverages breaks down hot trends in bev-alc heading into the summer selling season on the latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast. 3 Tier Beverages founder Donn Bichsel, consultant Danelle Kosmal and CGA VP Matthew Crompton share a complete look at trends in the off- and on-premise, including continued momentum for non-alcoholic beer, hard juice’s rocketing growth and the growing simplicity movement within craft. “The biggest opportunity for this summer and within the next year is just engaging new consumers and creating new drinking occasions,” Kosmal said of NA beer. Kosmal also covers why craft lagers are working, how flavored lagers such as lime are performing and what opportunities still exist in the space. Bichsel cautions craft brewers against playing the pricing game with mainstream lager brands. “When most of your revenue is coming from 4-packs, 6-packs and you start playing in the 12-packs, 15s, 18s, 24s, I think you’re chasing a losing proposition,” he said. “You’ve got to be very careful or be prepared to have a high price and just give up some of your turns.” Kosmal and Crompton explore why ABV and style remain among the key factors driving consumer purchases. They also cover the three pillars of innovation growth – NA beer, flavor and craft line extensions – and explain why flavor is leading the way within new products, led by AriZona’s Jumex Hard Nectar. Before the conversation, Brewbound editor Justin Kendall and senior reporter Zoe Licata analyze 2024 craft brewery production data, which the Brewers Association released last week, including New Belgium leapfrogging Anheuser-Busch InBev’s craft portfolio, big losses for Boston Beer, big gains for Athletic Brewing and the regional craft breweries leveling up. Listen here or on your preferred podcasting platform.

Brewers Association (BA) president and CEO Bart Watson entered the Brewbound Podcast studio last week fresh off stage from giving his State of the Industry speech at the 2025 Craft Brewers Conference (CBC). Watson discussed key takeaways from his speech, including why the 4% volume decline for craft last year wasn’t everyone’s experience, as 43% of craft breweries found growth last year. “You can have a number where yes, the middle it is negative, but there’s still lots of people on the positive side,” Watson explained during a conversation with Brewbound’s Jess Infante and Justin Kendall on the Brewbound Podcast. Watson also discussed why the growing number of closures has hit the long-tail of craft breweries – those making fewer than 500 barrels of beer – the hardest. “Running a small business is hard,” Watson said. “They’re just on the smallest line of, ‘OK, the landlord changes the rent when our lease is up.’ … Main Street gets torn up because the city is doing construction. It disrupts our traffic.’ “A 2,000-barrel brewery is going to have resources and options to weather that; a 500-barrel brewery might not,” he continued. “Those are members that we’re trying to think about how we help, how we drive foot traffic and what we can do to improve their conditions.” The conversation touches on several topics, including: How the BA is advocating for its members with the Trump administration in Washington, D.C., and why it’s important for brewery owners to connect with lawmakers; Why full-strength spirits are being added to the Great American Beer Festival and how that’s manifesting in a way to support BA members; Whether the event could move away from Denver in the future; Why there is a perception versus reality issue with consumers when it comes to the flavors that craft offers beyond IPA; And his overall read on the vibe of CBC. Ahead of the interview, the Brewbound team also discusses recent headlines, including Rhinegeist’s NA beer venture and Tilray CEO Irwin Simon’s honest thoughts on the company’s stock price. Plus, the team plays Another Round or Tabbing Out on the commercialization of B.O.R.G.s, and Zoe dishes on her motorsport adventures. Listen 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

Tariffs and economic uncertainty were hot topics during the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States’ (DISCUS) annual meeting in late March. BevNET spirits editor Ferron Salniker joins this week’s Brewbound Podcast to share the scuttlebutt from the meeting, including trends to watch, distributor consolidation and supplier jumps to beer distributors. Plus, Justin and Zoe share their experiences after attending Bell’s Oberon Day in Kalamazoo, Michigan. They also break down the latest craft-on-craft deal activity in Colorado with new partnerships between Left Hand-Dry Dock and Wilding Brands-Great Divide. The show wraps up with Another Round or Tabbing Out on breweries revamping existing brands, including a taste of Sierra Nevada’s transformation of Big Little Thing into a hazy imperial IPA. Listen here or on your preferred podcast platform.

World Brewing Alliance CEO Justin Kissinger dishes on the global beer market, non-alcoholic beer trends, the rise of West African ancient grain fonio and emerging markets. In addition, Kissinger dives into the dietary guidelines that are under review and may be revised. He also shares his favorite places in the world to drink beer. Plus, the Brewbound team recaps the latest earnings reports from Boston Beer, Monster and Anheuser-Busch InBev, including standout quotes from Boston Beer founder Jim Koch. And Another Round or Tabbing Out returns with the recent news that some major brewpub chains will begin selling domestics and imports. Listen here or on your preferred podcast platform.

In a very special crossover episode, BevNET managing editor Martín Caballero joins the Brewbound Podcast to break down the blockbuster Celsius/Alani Nu deal. Marty discusses what energy deals usually mean for the beer distributors that built the acquired brands, current trends in non-alc energy and functional drinks and what brewers can learn from the space. Then, Jess and Zoe get into recent beer news, including Brown-Forman’s upcoming move to the Reyes network in California; proposed legislative changes in Georgia, Idaho and Maryland; and an upcoming departure from the Michigan craft scene (we miss you already, Carrie). Listen here or on your preferred podcast platform.