Brewbound Podcast

Just how big of a deal is the sale of Bell’s to Lion Little World Beverages? The Brewbound team along with 3 Tier Beverages founder Donn Bichsel Jr. and Castle Island Brewing founder Adam Romanow discuss the transaction. Plus, Romanow offers insights into opening a second taproom location in South Boston — such as how foot traffic varies throughout the day in Castle Island’s suburban taproom vs. its new one in the city –and the brewery’s booming contract brewing business. The crew also discusses Allagash’s 2022 strategy and whether Castle Island would play in popular packaging formats such as variety pack and 19.2 oz. cans. 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.

National beer writers Kate Bernot and Dave Infante join Brewbound’s Justin Kendall, Jess Infante and Zoe Licata for a special “Beer Byliners” crossover special. Topics include the Brewers Association’s 2022 event vaccine requirement, the disparity in available capital for different brewing ventures, Boston Beer’s entry into the Finnish Long Drink space, labor issues at contract brewer City, the “Great Resignation,” and Elvira “Mistress of the Dark.” Note: This podcast contains saucy language. Also, this podcast was recorded prior to the announcement of the agreement to sell Bell’s Brewery to Lion Little World Beverages. 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.

Agustin Ruelas and Ray Ricky Rivera join the Brewbound Podcast to discuss how the SoCal Cerveceros homebrew club is helping build a pipeline of professional brewers. Ruelas and Rivera share their own aspirations, including Ruelas’ Brewjeria Company in Pico Rivera and Rivera’s contract brewed Norwalk Brew House brand and self-distribution business. The Brewbound team also dishes on Halloween Drizly sales, the closure of Stone Brewing’s Napa outpost, and Chicago’s Pilot Project helping entrepreneurs break into the beer business. 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.

On the heels of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States’ annual convention in Austin, Chris Swonger, the trade group’s president and CEO, joins the Brewbound Podcast to discuss the growth of ready-to-drink spirits-based canned cocktails, and the organization’s efforts to even the tax rates for RTD products with beer, as well as efforts to add direct-to-consumer sales privileges and much more. Swonger outlines the trade group’s priorities heading into 2022 and dishes on the organization’s recently released Luxury Brand Index, which tracks top shelf products that retail for $50 or more for a 750 mL bottle. Also in this edition of the podcast, the Brewbound team analyzes Boston Beer Company’s Q3 earnings report, including the $133 million in costs the company took due excess and out-of-code Truly Hard Seltzer. The team also hits the top headlines, including Deschutes’ planned closure of its tasting room in Roanoke, Virginia; Reyes’ acquisition of Powers Distributing in Michigan; and a proposed excise tax increase on alcoholic beverages in Massachusetts. 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 national sales meetings and annual business plan presentations ongoing, the Brewbound team reconvenes to discuss new products on the way from major craft producers Sierra Nevada and Firestone Walker — including a lifestyle tea brand, fruit beers and a hard seltzer. The team also discusses a recent report from Goldman Sachs’ Bonnie Herzog following the c-store focused NACS trade show that highlighted seltzers and beyond beer offerings from Constellation Brands, Anheuser-Busch, Molson Coors and Boston Beer. The conversation then turns to the closing of Due South, the acquisition of Catawba and a bunch of openings. Dusty Rhodes also makes a squeaky appearance (apologies). 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 almost weekly. Email [email protected] with questions and feedback.

After an eventful National Beer Wholesalers Association annual convention in Las Vegas, the Brewbound team debriefs on all of the middle tier issues discussed over the last week. The team also hits the latest news, including a big wholesaler acquisition in Ohio, comments to the Department of the Treasury by Reyes and others, lawsuits over terminations in New York, and questions over PepsiCo’s entry into alcohol distribution. The conversation then turns to Constellation Brands’ lack of reliance on hard seltzer. 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 every other Thursday. Check Brewbound’s upcoming events schedule for future podcast episodes and streaming video programming. Email [email protected] with questions and feedback.