Brewbound Podcast

The Brewbound Podcast in 2024 featured a mix of interviews with industry heavyweights, analysis and a new roadshow component with stops at the California Craft Beer Summit in Sacramento, the Craft Brewers Conference in Las Vegas and the National Beer Wholesalers Association’s Annual Convention in San Diego. The most-listened-to episodes of 2024 touched on leadership changes in the industry, conversations from the road and major events and strategizing. Here’s a look back at the most popular Brewbound Podcast episodes of the year, in reverse order. Links are in the headlines for those who want to catch up. 10. Diving into Early Year Bev-Alc Data Trends with 3 Tier Beverages 3 Tier Beverages’ Mary Mills and Stephanie Roatis parsed the early year data, including positive cider trends in convenience, non-alc beer growth, hard seltzer rationalization and much more. They also dug into the growing trend of private label hard seltzer and whether anyone can break through the hard coffee curse. Plus, the Brewbound team discussed the potential strike at Anheuser-Busch InBev’s U.S. breweries (note: this was recorded before the tentative agreement was reached), and they played Another Round or Tabbing Out on the chances of Michelob Ultra challenger brands staking a claim of the better-for-you beer market. 9. Road Reports, Private Equity Deals and More Leadership Changes The early part of 2024 is always packed with travel to industry conferences. In this late January episode, Brewbound reporter Zoe Licata shared her experience at this year’s CiderCon in icy Portland, Oregon. Meanwhile, both Zoe and Brewbound managing editor Jess Infante offered takeaways from the Beer Industry Summit in San Diego resort city Coronado. As always, the team broke down the biggest news of the week, including a craft-on-craft deal in New England, a private equity firm selling part of its stake in Mikkeller, a CEO change at Sapporo-Stone Brewing, another Heineken exec joining Lagunitas’ c-suite and an update on the bidding for Anchor. Plus, listener-favorite game Another Round or Tabbing Out centered around the return of the Coors Light train for the Super Bowl. 8. Ding Dong, Drizly is Done; Plus, Scanning the Craft Scans Uber said goodbye to e-commerce alcohol delivery platform Drizly in March. Brewbound editor Justin Kendall and weekend newsletter writer Sean McNulty discussed the decision and why it’s another blow for brewers. Plus, the duo discuss full-year 2023 craft beer scan data, the narrative (or lack thereof) for craft heading into 2024, and why the early read wasn’t great. Other topics include New Jersey finally giving the state’s craft breweries a break, Tilray wilding out with new products and Lawson’s trying to get the low-ABV Beach Party started. 7. MikMak’s Rachel Tipograph on the Post-Drizly Bev-Alc E-Commerce Landscape In the wake of Drizly’s shut down, MikMak founder and CEO Rachel Tipograph analyzed what’s next for beverage-alcohol e-commerce. In the conversation, Tipograph explained why many alcohol producers were caught off guard by the announcement and who she expected would pick up the market share once held by Drizly. 6. Firestone Walker Details Its House of Brands Strategy Firestone Walker’s marketing approach for the 805 brand has featured black-and-white short films of athletes and artists as part of its Authenticos partnership program. CMO Dustin Hinz and brand director Hannah Barnett explored the marketing approach for the Paso Robles, California-based craft brewery’s biggest brand, 805, and how it plays with the company’s wholesalers. The two also discussed how that approach differs from the rest of its portfolio, including Cali Squeeze, Mind Haze and the F Brands. 5. How a Las Vegas Wholesaler is Prepping for the Super Bowl How do wholesalers in the Super Bowl’s home city prep for the biggest football game of the year? Breakthru Beverage Nevada beer division VP Deacon Nauslar shared when preparations began, how much of a bump the distributor is expecting, how the event will compare to a Formula 1 race earlier this year, and how the biggest football game of the year measures up to a normal week servicing Sin City. New Orleans, you’re next. 4. How to Make a Summer Shandy Work Year-Round Molson Coors-owned Leinenkugel’s made flagship Summer Shandy a year-round offering this year. Leinenkugel’s president Tony Bugher and John Leinenkugel hopped on the podcast to share why the company made the move and what it meant for the brand. The conversation took place months prior to Molson Coors shutting down the Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin-based facility, laying off more than 50 workers and transferring the remaining Leinenkugel’s production to Milwaukee. Those moves appeared to blindside the Leinenkugel family, who had brewed beer in Chippewa Falls for 157 years. The Leinie Lodge and pilot brewery in Chippewa Falls remain open. 3. What Even Happened in 2023? Fellow beer industry journalists Kate Bernot and Christopher Shepard joined the Brewbound team to recall the bev-alc/non-alc crossover brand madness of 2023, craft beer’s stormy seas and a potentially grim outlook for draft beer sales. The conversation isn’t all doom and gloom, as the crew discussed positive developments in taproom hospitality and non-alcoholic beer options. Little did anyone know what 2024 would bring. 2.  Topa Topa, Match Point and That’s Delicious Financials on What’s Working For Craft The Brewbound team’s road trip to Sacramento for the California Craft Brewers Association’s Craft Beer Summit led to several conversations with California craft brewers, including a three-pack of chats with leaders from Topa Topa Brewing and Match Point Brewing, as well as the founder of That’s Delicious Financials. Topa Topa founder and CEO Jack Dyer explained the importance of Chief Peak IPA to the brewery’s business and why it’s the beer he’s always thinking about. Match Point Brewing co-founder Simon Chen shared the Albany-based brewery’s path to opening a taproom and also making connections with consumers in his hometown. And That’s Delicious Financials founder Drew Kearns expressed optimism about the craft brewing industry, as well as the most difficult conversations he’s hearing on the financial side of the business. 1. An Exit Interview with Naomi Neville of Allagash Brewing 2024 brought a lot of change at top craft breweries across the country, including Allagash Brewing. Naomi Neville departed the Portland, Maine-headquartered craft brewery after 14 years of leading and building its sales team and helping turn the brewery into a regional powerhouse led by Allagash White. Neville reflected on her experience building the Allagash brand and dished on where she sees the segment going and what’s next for her. Neville ended up leaving the beer industry and is now the program director for the Maine Center for Entrepreneurs.

Stout Collective founder and CEO Matt Tanaka walks us through expected design trends for 2025, including why he believes mascots and maximalism will be a feature of beer labels in the new year. Tanaka also breaks down the goals and experience of Stout Collective’s BOPP Beer Design Conference, held annually in Chicago. He shares how his firm tries to keep the conference fresh and the conversations uninhibited. But first, Brewbound reporter Zoe Licata shares insights from the Beer Marketer’s Insights summit in New York City. Zoe recaps New Belgium CEO Shaun Belongie’s energetic presentation, highlighting the addition of Mini Ripper 7.5 oz. cans of Voodoo Ranger Juice Force and Tropic Force, the occasion smaller cans are meeting, the launch of alcoholic sports drink LightStrike, some shade for amber ales and an admission that the reformulated Fat Tire didn’t go well. Listen here or on your preferred podcast platform.

How is beer doing at the halfway point of 2024? Brewbound reporter Zoe Licata shares highlights from not one, but two mid-year beer reports. Zoe breaks down the Brewers Association’s mid-year craft report, as well as a total beer overview from the National Beer Wholesalers Association and Fintech halfway through 2024. Plus, Zoe and Brewbound editor Justin Kendall discuss the latest earnings reports from Boston Beer and Tilray Brands, including nuggets on Twisted Tea and Truly’s hold on Boston’s portfolio and improvements in Shock Top’s trends. Justin also relays his experience on the Voodoo Ranger pirate ship and spotting Stone Brewing co-founder Greg Koch’s graphic novel at San Diego Comic-Con. Listen here or on your preferred podcast platform.

Burial Beer Company’s Doug Reiser discusses the culmination of a three-year project to open a rooftop wine bar for the company’s Visuals wine brand in Asheville, North Carolina. For Burial, it’s about creating “immersive experiences” at its venues, Reiser explains. He discusses reviving once-abandoned spaces, how the company got into beer and then moved into the wine space and how much overlap there is between the company’s beer drinkers and wine consumers. But first, Jess, Zoe and Justin also discuss the key pieces Anchor Brewing is going to need in its resurrection. They also discuss the effectiveness of Brooklyn Brewery’s European ad campaign, and pour over Voodoo Ranger’s scans trends, with some brands in decline and others still on the ascent. 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.

This week’s Brewbound Podcast features a 3-pack of conversations from the California Craft Beer Summit. Topa Topa founder and CEO Jack Dyer discusses what’s working for the fast-growing, Ventura-based craft brewery. Then, Match Point Brewing co-founder Simon Chen shares the Albany-based brewery’s path to opening a taproom and also connecting with consumers in his hometown. Finally, That’s Delicious Financials founder Drew Kearns explains why he’s optimistic about the craft brewing industry, as well as the most difficult conversations he’s hearing on the financial side of the business. The Brewbound team also reviews the latest headlines, including positive beer category trends and Tilray Brands’ Q3 earnings report. On Another Round or Tabbing Out, Jess and Justin answer whether they’d buy a $1,300 fridge for their cross-category chilling needs. Then Zoe shares why it might be lemon’s time, if it ever isn’t. Listen here and on all popular podcast platforms.

Ray Latif of the Brewbound Podcast interviews Andy Diacetis, North American Sales Manager for Lallemand Brewing. He discusses Lallemand’s role as a global manufacturer of yeast and bacteria for various industries. Andy highlights industry trends, including a focus on non-alcoholic beverages and juicy double IPAs. He discusses Lallemand’s commitment to innovation, citing the successful launch of Elona, a yeast strain for low and non-alcohol beer production. He teases a new product to be unveiled at an upcoming industry event, the Craft Brewers Conference (CBC), showcasing Lallemand’s collaboration with brewing partners. Andy expresses his passion for his job, which involves visiting breweries, collaborating with partners, and innovating in the industry. He invites those interested in Lallemand Brewing to visit their website or contact him directly. Andy Diacetis graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in Fermentation Science in 2001. He spent six years working at BridgePort Brewing Company – three years as a brewer and three years as the Brewery Microbiologist. In 2007 he started selling filtration equipment which led him to starting a mobile wine filtration business which was sold in 2023. Andy also co-founded 503 Distilling which was one of the first RTD cocktail companies in Oregon. During this time, he was the Technical Sales Rep for Enartis for four years selling enological products to wineries in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. In 2022 he started his most recent position as the Regional Sales Manager in North America for Lallemand Brewing. Supported by decades of long-standing industry experience, an extensive support network, and strong technical expertise, Lallemand Brewing is positioned to help your brewery achieve its growth and quality goals. Beyond unparalleled global technical support and expertise, we offer an extensive range of products, services, and education. Whether you are a startup, a global leader in beer production, or anywhere in between, we have something for you. At Lallemand Brewing…We Brew With You™ !