Brewbound Podcast

Naomi Neville is departing Allagash Brewing after 14 years of leading and building its sales team. She has helped turn the Portland, Maine-headquartered craft brewery into a regional powerhouse and the Allagash White brand into a flagship with relevance across the country. Neville shares her experience building the Allagash brand, reflects on the last decade-plus of craft and dishes on where she sees the segment going and what’s next for her. The Brewbound team also discusses the latest news, including Anheuser-Busch’s taproom closures and craft strategy, the growing issues between breweries and landlords, and beer’s relevancy problem. Jess, Zoe and Justin also play Another Round or Tabbing Out on the latest Super Bowl ad fare from A-B. Listen here and on all popular podcasting platforms.

Fellow beer industry journalists Kate Bernot and Christopher Shepard join the Brewbound Podcast 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 discusses positive developments in taproom hospitality and non-alcoholic beer options. Listen to the conversation above and on popular podcast platforms, including Apple, Google Play and Spotify. Send questions, feedback or ideas for the podcast to [email protected].

AriZona Hard Tea VP of sales Lou Fabiano joins the Brewbound Podcast to discuss the opportunity for the hard tea challenger brand as it attempts to cut into Boston Beer Company’s 90% stranglehold on the market with Twisted Tea. Fabiano shares how AriZona has grown to 2.5 million cases this year and why he believes the brand could eventually hold 20-25% share of the segment in the future. The Brewbound team also breaks down the latest news, including the Brewers Association’s year-end recap and NIQ’s latest consumer insights. Plus, the trio plays Another Round or Tabbing Out with a focus on CPG’s encroachment on bev-alc. Listen above and on all popular podcasting platforms.

More signs of the times keep coming in the beer industry, with consolidations, expansions, production shifts and IP sales. Jess, Zoe and Justin reconvene to discuss the latest industry shakeups at Made by the Water, Young Lion, Other Half, RiverWalk, Ipswich and Anchor. Plus, the team shares whether they’ll be participating in Drinksgiving/Blackout Wednesday and looks at the latest Circana convenience store scans, with New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA passing Molson Coors’ Blue Moon Belgian White. The show wraps with a game of Another Round or Tabbing Out on the influx of new non-alcoholic beer brands from regional breweries and large-scale marketing activations in the wake of Heineken’s big F1 spend at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Listen above and on all popular podcast platforms.

Hard tea and spritzer brand Loverboy is getting into the non-alcoholic space with a pair of 6-packs: lemon iced tea and white tea peach. Loverboy SVP of sales Derek Hahm and SVP of commercial strategy Todd Anderson discussed the launch of the brand, and how it will be incorporated into the Bravo reality series. Hahm and Anderson also discuss Loverboy’s goals in the hard tea category, the advantage of working with a Bravolebrity and Loverboy’s strategy of working with beer wholesalers. Listen to the conversation on popular podcast platforms, including Apple, Google Play and Spotify. Send questions, feedback or ideas for the podcast to [email protected].

It’s National Cider Month and the team at Seattle-based Schilling Hard Cider is “excidered.” Co-founder and CEO Colin Schilling, CCO Eric Phillips and EVP of marketing Rachel Thomas join the Brewbound team to discuss the cidery’s participation in National Cider Month, as well as its debut at the Great American Beer Festival and a retail activation with Whole Foods. To mark the fourth annual National Cider Month, Thomas led the development of a brand agnostic website with drinker education and an events page for participating cideries. October was selected for National Cider Month because it’s also National Apple Month. “It’s harvest season, apples are on folks’ minds, and if you look at the data over the last couple years [cider sales] over indexes naturally anyway,” Colin Schilling said. “That’s because of the harvest season, the change in weather. People are looking for a beverage like cider. So it’s really the perfect time to do it. “We’re so excited this year to be able to bring along so many other folks in our industry and give other people a platform,” he continued. Plus, Zoe, Justin and Jess break down recent headlines – including Molson Coors’ Happy Thursday hard refresher, the Beer Institute’s annual meeting and Duvel USA’s 2024 innovation slate – and sample hop-infused chocolate during Another Round or Tabbing Out. Listen to the conversation on popular podcast platforms, including Apple, Google Play and Spotify. Send questions, feedback or ideas for the podcast to [email protected].

Eagle Park Brewing co-founder Max Borgardt discusses acquiring and reviving legacy brand Milwaukee Brewing Company (MKE). The Wisconsin craft brewery acquired MKE’s brands and recipes a year ago. Borgardt gives an update on the integration of the two brands and plans for the future. Plus, Jess, Zoe and Justin break down the latest news, including draft challenges, inflation outpacing at-the-brewery sales and Tilray closing its deal for eight craft beverage brands from Anheuser-Busch. Listen to the conversation on popular podcast platforms, including Apple, Google Play and Spotify. Send questions, feedback or ideas for the podcast to [email protected].