Brewbound Podcast

In episode 31 of the Brewbound Podcast, Donn Bichsel discusses how Revolution Brewing is dealing with industry headwinds and shares his outlook on the future of craft. He also shares how the company is staying relevant in a crowded marketplace, and how it intends to succeed over the long-term. Show Notes:   0:00 – 14:50: Furnari and Kendall introduce episode 31, discuss the latest news and share t...

In episode 30 of the Brewbound Podcast, NBWA chief economist Lester Jones explains how the NBWA's monthly "Beer Purchaser's Index" can help predict future industry trends, and how beer professionals can use it to make more informed decisions. He also explains his "cognitive beer dissonance" theory, and gives us all a reason to believe that the industry is actually pretty healthy. Show Notes: 0:00...

In episode 29 of the Brewbound Podcast, Brewbound editors Chris Furnari and Justin Kendall chat with Allagash founder Rob Tod about how the addition of canned packages will transform the Allagash business in the years to come, how the company is repositioning itself off-premise, why it invests disproportionately in quality-control measures and how it approaches innovation without chasing trends. S...

In episode 28 of the Brewbound Podcast, BA chief economist Bart Watson shares his early 2018 analysis and discusses the circumstances that have led to an increasing number of brewery closures in recent years. He also answers questions about the BA's revised craft brewer definition, and the possible future impact of legal recreational cannabis on the alcohol segment. Show Notes: 0:00 – 17:50: Chris...

In episode 27 of the Brewbound Podcast, Fort Point Beer Company founder Justin Catalana shares his plan to grow the company's revenue to as much as $22 million in 2019, while hiring another five dozen employees. He also discusses the pros and cons of self-distribution, why the company takes a debt-averse approach to financing growth, and how it builds strong core brands at time when breweries and...

In episode 26 of the Brewbound Podcast, recorded in February, Monday Night Brewing co-founder Jeff Heck discusses the company's recruiting and hiring processes, interviewing and onboarding new employees, the company's culture, and how the executive team encourages employees to take ownership over certain aspects of the brewery's operations.   Show Notes:  0:00 – 10:20: Chris Furnari and Justin Ken...

In episode 25 of the Brewbound Podcast, Bissell Brothers co-founder Peter Bissell shares his company's origin story and discusses brand building, the future of "line culture" in craft beer, how the company is introducing its beer to new consumers at a secondary brewery in northern Maine, and why he looks outside of the beer industry for inspiration, among other topics. Show Notes: 0:00 – 09:35: Fu...

In episode 24 of the Brewbound Podcast, which was recorded at the end of 2018, Chris Jackson and Patrick Delves discuss Seismic's sustainability efforts, what it's like to sell beer in wine country, early entrepreneurial lessons they've learned, and how the emerging cannabis industry could disrupt the alcohol sector, among other topics. Also in this episode: Brewbound editors Chris Furnari and Jus...

In episode 23 of the Brewbound Podcast, Jason and Todd Alström sit down for a discussion about the business of beer festivals, the future of print journalism within beer, A-B InBev's investment in competitor beer ratings website RateBeer, and what it's like to be at the center of a controversy that is unfolding on the BeerAdvocate forum. Also in this episode: Furnari and Kendall discuss forthcomin...

In episode 22 of the Brewbound Podcast, Russian River Brewing co-owner Natalie Cilurzo sits down for a wide-ranging conversation that examines the process of managing debt, buying out investors, building a $50 million brewery, exploring industry trends and more. Also in this episode: Brewbound editors Chris Furnari and Justin Kendall discuss Anheuser-Busch's Super Bowl LIII commercials and Sierra...

In episode 21 of the Brewbound Podcast, Murray discusses the changes to the American beer scene that he's witnessed during his long career in beer, his latest collaboration with Wachusett Brewing and innovations that could drive future category growth. Also in this episode: Brewbound editors Chris Furnari and Justin Kendall share their takeaways from the annual Beer Business Daily Summit in San Di...

In episode 20 of the Brewbound Podcast, House Beer founder Brendan Sindell discusses his company's value proposition, its distribution and growth strategy, the challenges and opportunities of selling a single product offering and why his investors remain interested in the beer category despite declining volumes. Also in this episode: Brewbound editors Chris Furnari and Justin Kendall discuss Super...

In episode 19 of the Brewbound Podcast, Josh Landan talks about his time building the Saint Archer brand and the lessons he learned as a first-time entrepreneur. He also discusses the differences between building a beer company and a non-alcoholic beverage company. Also in this episode: Brewbound editors Chris Furnari and Justin Kendall discuss the early 2019 headlines and storylines. Furnari and...

In episode 18 of the Brewbound Podcast, Tony Yanow discusses the circumstances that led to the sale of Golden Road, and what his goals are for the Artisanal Brewers Collective. He also talks about the state of the craft beer market, the consumer shift toward supporting hyper-local businesses, and how he evaluates beers that are sold in his pubs. Also in this episode: Brewbound editors Chris Furnar...

In episode 17 of the Brewbound Podcast, Brewery Ommegang president Doug Campbell discusses the Brut IPA trend, how Brewery Ommegang plans to help build awareness around the new style, and the challenges of building an entirely new product category. He also discusses strategies for executing successful partnerships – such as the one Ommegang had with HBO and the Game of Thrones series – as well as...

In episode 16 of the Brewbound Podcast, Brooklyn Brewery CEO Eric Ottaway discusses his company's global partnership strategy, shrinking international opportunities for U.S. craft breweries, growing consumer interest in low- and no-alcohol products, and the overall state of the beer business. Also in this episode: Brewbound editors Chris Furnari and Justin Kendall discuss the latest news, includin...

In episode 15 of the Brewbound Podcast, Woods Beer Co. founder Jim Woods discusses his company's shift from a distribution-focused business model to a retail-minded operation. He also talks about the difficulty of trying to build a new product segment – in his case yerba mate-infused beer – and the challenges small breweries face now that thousands of competitors have flooded the space.   Also in...

In episode 14 of the Brewbound Podcast, Michael Kurson and Neil Quigley, the founders of Briggs Hard Seltzer, discuss their offerings – which are made with 100 percent real fruit -- the emerging spiked seltzer category, and the opportunities they see for a higher-end brand in the market. Also in this episode: Brewbound editors Chris Furnari and Justin Kendall share the latest news, including detai...

In episode 13 of the Brewbound Podcast, Dan Kopman, the co-founder of The Saint Louis Brewery, discusses his experience launching and building Schlafly Beer in the early days of craft beer, the amount of change that's occurred in the industry since the early 1990s – and the impact that's had on the three-tier system -- and he also shares lessons for other beer entrepreneurs. Also in this episode:...

In episode 12 of the Brewbound Podcast, editor Chris Furnari interviews Jake Maddux, owner of The Brewer's Table in Austin, Texas. During the interview, Maddux discusses how The Brewers' Table is redefining food and beer pairings, how he fortuitously found his way into the beer industry, and why he is hell-bent on winning a James Beard Award. Episode 12 also features a conversation about the 2018...

In episode 11 of the Brewbound Podcast, editor Chris Furnari interviews Hugh Sisson, the founder and managing partner of Heavy Seas Beer in Baltimore, Maryland. In the mid-'80s, Sisson successfully lobbied the Maryland General Assembly to pass legislation required to open a brewpub in Maryland, and he opened the state's first pub brewery, called Sisson's. In 1994, he left Sisson's to launch Clippe...

In episode 10 of the Brewbound Podcast, Brewbound editors Chris Furnari and Justin Kendall interview Independence Brewing co-founder Amy Cartwright. Throughout the conversation, Cartwright discusses her entrepreneurial journey, explains how the craft beer landscape in Texas has changed since Independence opened in 2004, and shares her thoughts on consumer purchasing habits.   Cartwright also discu...

In episode nine of the Brewbound Podcast, Brewbound editor Justin Kendall interviews Victory Brewing co-founder Bill Covaleski. In episode nine of the Brewbound Podcast, editor Justin Kendall interviews Victory Brewing co-founder Bill Covaleski, who explains how the company's growth strategies have evolved as the craft beer category has become more competitive. Throughout the conversation, Covales...

In episode eight of the Brewbound Podcast, editor Chris Furnari interviews Constellation Brands' beer division chairman Bill Hackett, who talks about building the Corona brand in the United States. Throughout the conversation, Hackett discusses how the beer industry has changed since he started with Pabst Brewing Company in 1976, the strategies that have allowed the Corona brand to flourish in the...

In episode seven of the Brewbound Podcast, editors Chris Furnari and Justin Kendall discuss Texas' confusing direct-to-consumer sales laws with Hops & Grain Brewing founder Josh Hare. Throughout the conversation, Hare explains his path to becoming a brewery entrepreneur, how he's financed the company's growth over the last seven years, and why current Texas alcohol laws make it difficult for upsta...