Brewbound Podcast

Can a letter writing campaign save Deschutes’ co-branded Kirkland Signature Helles, the same way Brewbound's Jessica Infante saved her childhood zoo? The Brewbound team and weekend newsletter writer Sean McNulty discuss the end of the cult favorite lager on the latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast, including an outpouring of somber reactions to the news. Brewbound editor Justin Kendall recaps his conversation with Deschutes CEO Peter Skrbek and why he’s not sweating the decision as the company’s portfolio is growing. But could a public show of support from Costco members flip the decision? Jess shares that it worked for her hometown zoo. The team also shares their personal July 4 experiences, including a view from the Jersey Shore, and the mixed results by channel for the World Cup and surge of imported beer. Brewbound senior reporter Zoe Licata also explains why quality is a default expectation for consumers now, and shouldn’t be a marketing talking point in 2026. 

Athletic Brewing co-founder and CEO Bill Shufelt is “the most excited” he’s felt since founding the dedicated non-alcoholic (NA) beer brand.On the latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast, Shufelt shared what’s driving his hyped feeling, with a foundation he and co-founder John Walker laid about a decade ago. That foundation is built on a team of 300 co-workers, bicoastal brewing facilities, a strong distribution base for its core beers, a slate of new products hitting retailers and marketing campaigns beginning to ramp up.“I’m very bullish on the long-term health and growth of the category and our part in growing that,” Shufelt said. “It was very hard to get non-alcoholic beer from zero to 2% of beer, but there are actual retailers in the U.S. [where] non-alcoholic beer is touching up against 20% of their beer sales.”Those retailers lend credence to Shufelt’s belief that NA beer can be a much bigger part of the beer category. Shufelt explained that consumers are very early in the NA beer discovery curve, with the vast majority unaware how the product has changed in the last decade. Even with the stage set for growth, Shufelt acknowledged that Athletic still has work to do for the company and the segment to reach some of his loftier goals. For Athletic in particular, which holds around 22% of the NA beer segment, distribution remains its biggest opportunity. “In independents, no matter how much our distributors smile at us and tell us we’re a priority, we’re in like 10% of their independents,” Shufelt said. “And I can go into stores in almost any state in the country and look at a shelf that is controlled by our distributor that has five-plus non-alcoholic beer products on it, and Athletic will have none. There’s just such untapped distribution out there still.”For now, Shufelt is focused on driving Athletic and NA beer forward. But could the future include an IPO? An Athletic led by someone else? Shufelt said it’s possible, but he doesn't want to be on the outside looking in on an opportunity he was one of the few people to see.Before the interview, Justin, Jess and Zoe discuss the latest headlines, including the mixed results craft brewers are seeing from the World Cup, the American Cider Association co-locating its 2027 CiderCon conference with the Brewers Association’s Craft Brewers Conference, the closure of Nebraska’s largest craft brewery and the top new products of so far this year.

One of the hottest beer companies in the U.S., along with a budding THC-infused beverage entrepreneur, join the latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast in back-to-back interviews.Garage Beer owner Andy Sauer shares upcoming plans for the fast-growing lager brand, including the introduction of Home Depot-style buckets and stubby bottles. Garage Beer is riding a growth wave, posting 193% year-over-year gains in 2025, to 220,000 barrels of beer. Garage ranked as the 12th-largest craft brewery last year, but the company has intentionally kept “craft” out of its messaging. Sauer discusses striking the balance in marketing with celebrity owners Jason and Travis Kelce and some of the more off-the-wall campaigns the brand has deployed through its writer’s room approach to marketing. But first, Julie Rhodes, co-founder of THC-infused beverage brand Kick Fizz, explains how she’s preparing for the federal government’s November ban of most THC drinks. Rhodes, who also runs consulting firm Not Your Hobby Marketing Solutions, digs into creating an occasion-focused brand, the misconceptions about infused beverages and the challenges small producers face at retail. Before the interviews, Justin, Jess and Zoe discuss the Brewers Association’s 2025 production data release. They discuss the top 10 brands that posted growth last year and jockeying among them.

As middle-tier M&A dominos fall this summer, National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) president and CEO Craig Purser joins the latest Brewbound Podcast to discuss the tectonic shifts in the distribution landscape following Republic National Distributing Company’s (RNDC) fire sale.Purser is part of a double-shot of interviews this week, including Aeronaut director of programming Deepa Chungi, who shares how the Massachusetts craft brewery created a booming events business.First, Purser offers insights into what middle-tier consolidation means for small producers and distributors and how the power structure has been reshaped with mega spirits distributor Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits picking up Anheuser-Busch InBev’s distribution rights in major markets. Purser also explains what he believes the intoxicating hemp beverage industry needs to do to help get lawmakers onboard and potentially avert the ban coming in November. Then, Chungi explores the keys for small breweries looking to add private and public events to their businesses, and why events such as “Pitch a Friend” and Dungeons & Dragons have led to packed nights in Aeronaut’s taproom. Plus, the Brewbound team discusses the demise of Schlitz, the closure of Minneapolis’ Bauhaus Brew Labs and a helluva partnership for Mike’s Dirty Lemonade. 

After a week of good (dare we say sunny?) vibes in Philadelphia, the Brewbound team regrouped to put a bow on the 2026 Craft Brewers Conference (CBC). Jess, Zoe and Justin discussed the overall feel of this year’s event compared to the previous two CBCs in Indianapolis and Las Vegas, as well as the Brewers Association attempting to change the narrative around craft beer. They discuss president and CEO Bart Watson’s nudge to tell some of the more positive stories around craft beer, and his own attempts during the State of the Industry speech.Plus, the trio explored RNDC’s fire sale this week, as the distributors struck deals with Martignetti for 11 control state markets and Columbia Distributing for certain wine and spirits brand rights in Washington and Oregon, as well as an agreement in Alaska. Then, we bring you a trio of Pennsylvania-centric interviews, starting with a check in with Carbon Copy co-founder Brendon Boudwin on the Philadelphia brewery’s less pretentious approach compared to some legacy craft brewers.After that, we shift gears with snippets of interviews recorded during Brewbound’s happy hour at Love City Brewing. In the first chat, Brewers of PA executive director Hannah Ison explained the guild’s work to modernize the state’s malt beverage tax credit program, which would allow craft breweries that have made facility upgrades or equipment purchases to sell those credits to other Pennsylvania producers or gain extensions. The show wraps up with Love City Brewing co-founder Kevin Walter’s take on modern craft drinkers and how the brewery is pulling those drinkers into its taprooms with niche events. 

How did craft close out Q1 in scans? In this episode, the Brewbound team convenes to discuss the early read on trends in off-premise retailers with the first three months of 2026 in the books. The conversation shifts to the latest platform builders, as Oklahoma City’s Coop Ale Works and Dallas’ Four Corners Brewing have created the Frontier Beverage Collective. Meanwhile, Abita Brewing Company is rechristening itself as the Abita Beverage Group, targeting 170,000 barrels this year, and potential mergers and acquisitions. Then the focus turns to new BrewDog owner Tilray Brands’ Q3 earnings report and future plans with the Scottish craft beer brand in the fold. Justin, Jess and Zoe discuss BrewDog’s identity without its “punk” ethos, which now includes a residency in the Hamptons. The show wraps with a conversation about the “Daycap,” following a Business Insider story on bev-alc brands targeting daytime occasions via some creative marketing to younger LDA consumers. . Is this really a thing with Gen Z? Listen here or on your preferred podcasting platform.

The pack mentality isn’t going away anytime soon in craft brewing. The Oregon Beverage Collective (OBC) – the tie up of Crux Fermentation Project, Cascade Lakes Brewing, Silver Moon Brewing, Goodlife Brewing and Tumalo Cider – launched a couple of weeks ago as one of the latest additions to this crowd. OBC president Andy Rhine joined the latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast to share how those five brands are looking to build strength in numbers Rhine explained that OBC’s formation wasn’t out of necessity even in a Pacific Northwest market facing challenges through distributor consolidation. Instead, the collective’s foundation was built via long-time relationships among brewery owners in Bend. And it was those relationships that led to Rhine acquiring Crux in a separate deal from founders Larry Sidor and Paul Evers. Even with a portfolio of five brands and efforts to consolidate production, sales and marketing, Rhine said maintaining each brand’s “unique identity” will be key to the future of the collective. The conversation also covered Rhine’s view of OBC’s future and whether more members will be added to its ranks. Before the interview, Justin and Zoe break down the latest headlines, including the fallout from Dry January, the Brewers Association’s 2025 financial results, Tilray’s licensing deal with Carlsberg, the Left Hand Collective’s newest member and the Supreme Court’s ruling on reciprocal tariffs. Listen here or on your preferred podcast platform.