Brewbound Podcast

Isaac Arthur and Cody Fague, the founders of Indianapolis-headquartered CODO Design, break down the beer branding trends to watch in 2022 and beyond, following the release of their annual branding trends review. Arthur and Fague offer insights into brand refreshes, design and packaging trends, brand architecture and much more. Listen to the episode below or on popular platforms such as iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Follow this link to read CODO’s 2022 Beer Branding Trends,  or listen to their overview podcast here, followed by a Q&A podcast here. Have questions, feedback, or ideas for Brewbound Podcast guests or topics? Email [email protected].

Leaders within the craft cider industry break scan data misconceptions and share how regional cideries are growing in 2022. American Cider Association executive director Michelle McGrath, Schilling Cider co-founder and CEO Colin Schilling, Swilled Dog Hard Cider & Spirits co-founder and CEO Brooke Glover, and ANXO Cider co-founder and president Sam Fitz discuss the state of the industry, convergence trends, retail gains and much more. This interview was originally released as an exclusive to Brewbound Insiders, as part of the Frontlines video series. Also in this episode, the Brewbound team counts down to the 2022 Craft Brewers Conference, discusses Truly Vodka Seltzer, and bids farewell to Beer Institute president and CEO Jim McGreevy. Listen to the episode above and on popular platforms such as iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Have questions, feedback, or ideas for podcast guests or topics? Email [email protected].

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.

Expect drastic shifts in off-premise sales data from week to week moving forward as we begin to cycle the pandemic-driven stock-up period from 2020, NielsenIQ VP of beverage alcohol practice Danelle Kosmal cautioned during the latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast. Kosmal joined the Brewbound team to discuss why 2019 might be a fairer comparison for 2021 numbers, what she’s watching for moving forward, and when the numbers might begin to normalize. On that last point, don’t expect normalization until 2022 and even then, it’ll be a “new normal.” “It’s going to take us a good year or two to figure out what that balance is going to be,” Kosmal said. “How much of the old life of bars and restaurants are we going to go back to? And how much of the new habits that we’ve learned to embrace over the past year will continue?” Kosmal also discusses trends in hard seltzer, where seltzer consumers are coming from, and the growth of ready-to-drink canned cocktails. 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.

With the annual Brewbound Live business conference less than two weeks away, the Brewbound team shares the schedule for the two-day event during the latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast. Brewbound Live on December 14 and 15 will feature discussions from New Belgium CEO Steve Fechheimer, Denizens Brewing co-founder Julie Verratti and market research firm Nielsen and Nielsen CGA, as well as panel discussions with leaders from retailers (goPuff, Walgreens), emerging beverage companies (Five Drinks, Lone River Beverage Company, Cann, Future Proof) and more. The conference will also delve into mental health issues in the beer industry, with psychiatrists and authors Carlin Barnes and Marketa Wills, and Allagash Brewing HR director Celine Frueh and Hidden Springs Ale Works co-owner and psychotherapist Jacqueline Warner Garman. Day One will wrap with a happy hour and networking opportunity with industry leaders, including Tomme Arthur (the Lost Abbey, Port Brewing, The Hop Concept, Tiny Bubbles), Sinead Carey (Wine Warehouse), Dharma Tamm (Rogue Ales & Spirits), Donn Bichsel Jr. (3 Tier Beverages) and more. The conference will wrap up December 15 with a toast, featuring business leaders who have made a difference in 2020, including Allagash founder Rob Tod, Crowns & Hops founders Benny Ashburn and Teo Hunter, Border X and Mujeres Brew House founders David and Carmen Favela, Brewability founder Tiffany Fixter and Beer Kulture president and CEO Latiesha Cook. Brewbound Live is free for subscribers to Brewbound.com. Also on this post-Thanksgiving episode of the podcast, the Brewbound team discusses Thanksgiving eve trends and the latest headlines. Listen to the episode above, or find it on popular platforms such as iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. New episodes of the Brewbound Podcast are published every other Thursday. Email [email protected] with questions, comments or suggestions for future shows and guests.

The Brewbound Podcast is back. After taking a hiatus from new episodes during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Brewbound Podcast returns with a new format, moving away from how-I-built-this-style interviews to bring you fresh takes and context on the latest news stories from executives, entrepreneurs and experts. In our first roundtable discussion, Brewbound editor Justin Kendall and reporter Jess Infante are joined by: Tomme Arthur, the co-founder of the Lost Abbey, the Hop Concept, Port Brewing and now Tiny Bubbles in San Diego; Caitlin Braam, founder of Yonder Cider and co-founder of the Source Cider in Seattle; And Bourcard Nesin, a beverage analyst at Rabobank and the co-host of the Liquid Assets podcast. On this week’s episode, the crew discusses the joint venture between Yuengling and Molson Coors; the U.S. Department of Justice approving Anheuser-Busch InBev’s acquisition of Craft Brew Alliance; a bleak report on the state of the industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic; and the reality of e-commerce sales trends. Listen to the first episode of the revamped Brewbound Podcast above, or find it on popular platforms such as iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. New episodes of the Brewbound Podcast are published every other Thursday. Email [email protected] with questions, comments or suggestions.

“Death by 1,000 cuts.” That’s how Deschutes Brewery founder Gary Fish describes craft beer’s current competitive landscape, as more venerable, regional breweries, such as his 30-year-old Bend, Oregon-based company, compete with a cohort of more than 7,500 small craft breweries. To Fish, the “800 pound gorilla” Deschutes is going up against is no longer Anheuser-Busch InBev, but these thousands of small, local breweries. So how does an established regional player such as Deschutes — the 10th largest craft brewing company in 2018, according to the Brewers Association — stay ahead of the horde? “The way to compete, from our perspective, is through innovation,” Fish told his company’s wholesalers last month during a national sales meeting in Portland. “It’s getting in front of them. Increasing the amount, the frequency and the volume of our conversations with our consumer, and listening to what they’re providing us, so we can get them the flavors, the concepts, the brands that they truly value.” For Deschutes, like many other brewers, innovation is taking the company to avenues beyond beer, with plans to launch Modified Theory, a new line of flavored malt beverages inspired by trends in craft cocktails and mixology, next year. Asked if he ever thought Deschutes would morph into a “beverage company,” Fish said he’s never ruled anything out. “I spent a lot of the last 32 years paralyzed by fear, so the idea that we would morph into this, I never thought negatively about it, but I also never thought that we’d be more than a beer company,” he said. “We make our own cider, we have our own whiskey, we have already become an adult beverage company, much more than just a beer company. So whether or not it was predicted, we’re already there. So the transition to some of these more than beer products seems a very natural one at this point.” In Episode 3 of the Brewbound Podcast’s second season, editor Justin Kendall leads a panel discussion with Fish, Pacific Northwest general manager Chris Hudson, regional sales director Stacy Denbow and former Columbia Distributing chairman Ed Maletis. They discuss Deschutes’ evolution into a beverage company, how difficult it is to get mindshare and focus in 2019 and giving consumers what they want. Listen to Episode 3 above, as well as on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, and Soundcloud. New episodes of the Brewbound Podcast are published Thursdays. For questions, comments or suggestions, please email [email protected].