Brewbound Podcast

2025 marks a milestone year for Lawson's Finest Liquids and its flagship Sip of Sunshine IPA. How will the Vermont craft brewery celebrate? CEO Adeline Druart shares details on the latest Brewbound Podcast.    Druart, who took over as CEO in June 2023, shares the keys to keeping Sip growing, including a commitment to cold-chain distribution. She also discusses the crossover of her previous life in...

Super Bowl LIX (59) kicks off on February 9 in New Orleans. What's life like for the Anheuser-Busch distributor in one of the country's biggest party towns ahead of one of the beer industry's biggest days?    Brandon Frederick, VP of sales; Greg Naquin, director of off-premise sales; and Kris Cutrell, director of on-premise sales walk through the preparations for the game, the expectations placed...

Hurray's Girl Beer won Brewbound's 2024 Pitch Slam competition during the Brewbound Live business conference last month in Marina del Rey, California.    Founder Ray Biebuyck joins the Brewbound Podcast to discuss how Hurray's Girl Beer is working to reclaim the term "Girl Beer," the brand's post-ironic, satirical and humorous vibe and why it's attempting to create a discourse about women and beer...

A tough year for craft. Big changes at the Brewers Association. A billionaire saving Anchor from the abyss. Looming dietary guidelines for alcoholic beverages …   2024 was a whirlwind.   To wrap up the year that was, the Brewbound team is joined by Christopher Shepard, senior editor of Beer Marketer's Insights, and Dave Infante, author of the Fingers newsletter and a contributing editor and column...

New Belgium Brewing resumed brewing at its Asheville, North Carolina-based production facility this week for the first time since Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc on the region and shut down the brewery's operations.    It was a significant stoppage for the company as the Asheville brewery accounted for around 40% of New Belgium's total output. In the wake of the hurricane, the brewery was flooded w...

Leaders of the newly former Barrel One Collective shared their vision for the new platform, which was formed from the merger of Harpoon Brewery's parent company Mass. Bay Brewing and Smuttynose's home of FinestKind Brewing.    Harpoon co-founder and CEO Dan Kenary and FinestKind CEO Steve Kierstead explained how the platform came together, how open they are to adding to the collective and the type...

This week's Brewbound Podcast features a pair of interviews with 2024 Brewbound Award Winners. Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster Garrett Oliver shares why fonio is a game-changing ancient grain for brewers. Brewbound named Brooklyn's Fonio Rising series of beers its 2024 Best New Product.    Plus, Breeze Galindo, director of operations of the Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing & Distilling, di...

Incoming Brewers Association (BA) president and CEO Bart Watson joined the Brewbound Podcast this week to share how he's approaching the new role with the trade group.    Watson, the BA's VP of strategy and membership, was named as the successor to long-time leader Bob Pease , who will retire on January 3. Watson will take the post on January 6.    On the podcast, Watson explains how the trade gro...

The Brewers Association has tapped Bart Watson to lead the trade group for small and independent brewers, following the planned retirement of Bob Pease. The Brewbound team breaks down the choice and the challenges ahead for Watson in his new role, as well as the larger industry after last week's release of the "Year in Beer" report.    Plus, Jess, Zoe and Justin share highlights of the Brewbound L...

Brewbound revealed the winners of its 2024 awards during the Brewbound Live business conference this week in Marina del Rey, California.   This week's Brewbound Podcast features interviews with three of those award winners: The 2024 Craft Brewery of the Year, Coronado Brewing Company; The 2024 Large Brewery of the Year, Narragansett Beer; And the 2024 Beyond Beer Company of the Year, Surfside. Cor...

The Brewbound returns from Thanksgiving breaks to discuss the pre-turkey day news dump, including Molson Coors' agreement to purchase the intellectual property of Cruz Blanca and why the Mexican-inspired, Chicago-produced brand is now on the clock.   Jess, Zoe and Justin also break down the results of the Brewers Association's board election and why this one was a bit out of the ordinary.    The c...

After a packed news week, the Brewbound team breaks down the latest headlines, including leadership reorganization and staff cuts at the Brewers Association, an impending CEO change at Heineken-owned Lagunitas Brewing and Sapporo-Stone ceasing exports for the craft beer brand.    Jess, Zoe and Justin also preview the Brewbound Live business conference coming up December 11 and 12 in Marina del Rey...

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 conversatio...

This week the Brewbound Podcast crossed the 200th episode milestone. Insider's Week in Beer newsletter writer Sean McNulty joins to celebrate.   The Brewbound team recaps the latest headlines, including the Lord Hobo-Lone Pine merger, the Beer Institute's Annual Membership Meeting, layoffs at Molson Coors' remaining craft production facilities and Monster's Q3 financial results.    Plus, the gang...

Highland Brewing owner and CEO Leah Wong Ashburn provides an update on how Asheville, one of the country's great craft beer cities, is recovering in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.    Last weekend, Highland brewed its first beer since the hurricane cut a path of destruction through Western North Carolina. Ashburn shares the steps the brewery took to return to operations, starting with ensuring...

The Brewbound team dives into the top stories in the beer business, including the "strategic partnerships" made by Maui Brewing parent company Craft 'Ohana to hand off leadership of Modern Times Beer's daily operations and hospitality businesses.   The team also discusses Boston Beer's latest earnings report, which one analyst called "messy," the performance of Twisted Tea and a write down on craf...

Chula Vista Brewery co-founder Tim Parker shares how meditation, mindfulness and taking care of your mental health can help your business on the latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast.    Parker discusses his personal journey, how he and his wife Dali have struck a better work-life balance and much more.    Plus, the Brewbound team covers the latest news, including a brewery that is backing away...

Lester Jones, chief economist and VP of analytics at the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA), joins the Brewbound team to discuss the importance of the on-premise, and how tides may be shifting in draft beer's favor. The conversation was recorded in San Diego during the NBWA Annual Convention and Product Showcase.    Brewbound editor Justin Kendall and reporter Zoe Licata also recap the r...

In this Brewbound interview, host Ray Latif sits down with Alexis Guetzlaff, Director of Marketing for Beer and Non-Alcoholic Beverages at O-I, one of the largest global producers of glass packaging. With over 15 years of experience in the packaging industry, Alexis delves into how glass is becoming the go-to packaging solution for brands aiming to offer a premium, sophisticated consumer experienc...

Brewers Association VP of marketing and communications Ann Obenchain joins this week's Brewbound Podcast to discuss how the trade group reimagined the Great American Beer Festival (GABF).   The refreshed GABF takes place Thursday through Saturday in Denver, and attendees should expect a more experiential feel this year, Obenchain explained. She acknowledged that past GABF events were nearly indist...

The 87th Annual NBWA Convention wrapped up earlier this week, and the Brewbound team recaps the themes of this year's event.    Jess, Zoe and Justin break down the buzzy topics, including a push to support the on-premise channel (especially draft beer), the growing presence of intoxicating hemp beverages and how those products should get to market, and some unexpected things creating headwinds for...

Kimberly McKinnish, SVP and chief operating officer of the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA), joins the Brewbound Podcast to preview Making Moves 2024, taking place October 1-2 in San Diego immediately following the NBWA's 87th annual convention.    Making Moves, now in its third year, is a collaborative effort from the NBWA's Building Relationships and Empowering Women (BREW) and the A...

Craig Purser, president and CEO of the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA), joins the Brewbound Podcast to preview highlights of the trade group's upcoming 87th annual convention and product showcase, taking place September 29-October 2 in San Diego.   Purser discusses the NBWA's legislative priorities, metamorphosis into a beer and beverage distribution group, and top concerns for the as...

Several new high ABV offerings are on their way to convenience store doors in 2025. The Brewbound team discusses the latest slate of offerings from Molson Coors that trades on three of their established brands: Blue Moon Extra, Topo Chico Max and Simply Spiked Bold.    The team ponders the timeliness of new singles hitting convenience and the prospects for these.    Jess, Zoe and Justin also discu...

Cambridge Brewing Company (CBC) founder Phil Bannatyne joins the Brewbound Podcast to discuss the recent announcement that the Massachusetts brewpub will shut its doors in December after 35 years in business. Bannatyne shared his thoughts on the brewpub segment, the team's next steps and how many CBC alumni are scattered across the industry. Plus, the Brewbound team covers recent California craft...