Get Hoptimized Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Just back from CBC 2025, Chris delivers his candid assessment of the expo. Was the shared booth experiment a success? What were the real conversations happening on the floor regarding costs and innovation? From the rise of THC to the tech taking hold, and even the surprising popularity of West Coast pilsners, Chris breaks down the key industry trends and offers his unfiltered thou...

Send us Fan Mail Join us as we dive deep with John Szymankiewicz of the Beer Law Center! In this episode, John tackles the critical legal questions surrounding the booming THC beverage market and other evolving trends in the craft industry. Learn why solid employee policies and adapting to trends are non-negotiable for success. For more information on John and the Beer Law Center, head over to htt...

Send us Fan Mail Grant Pearce, founder of Live Tap List, explains how his software streamlines menu management for breweries. Inspired by his brother's struggles, Grant created Live Tap List to centralize menu updates across digital displays, websites, and print, while also integrating with POS systems. At the Craft Brewers Conference (CBC), he will demonstrate the software's flexibility...

Send us Fan Mail This episode of the "Get Optimized" podcast features Ryan Halleman of Apex Group 360, who provides insights into the craft beer industry and the upcoming CBC 2025.  Ryan discusses his excitement exhibiting at CBC 2025, which He views as the "Super Bowl of craft beer." He anticipates a shift in focus at this year's event, with more emphasis on cost reductio...

Send us Fan Mail In this podcast episode, Chris interviews Ricky Wojcik of Perfectly Dosed, a Chicago-based company specializing in hemp emulsions. They discuss the growing market of THC-infused beverages, particularly in states where cannabis is legal, and how these products are appearing in regular retail stores.  Ricky also shares his excitement about attending the Craft Brewers Conference (CBC...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Get Hoptimized Podcast, Chris interviews Ross Stensrud, co-founder of TapWyse, about the Craft Brewers Conference #CBC 2025 and how TapWyse helps breweries boost revenue through mobile apps. They discuss taproom maximization, industry trends like alternative beverages, and the benefits of membership programs.  Ross also provides advice for first-time CBC att...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we dive into the upcoming Craft Brewers Conference (CBC), known as the "Super Bowl" of brewing events, with Dan Klasen from the Beverage Federation. Dan shares his valuable insights for navigating CBC, especially for first-timers and growing breweries. We discuss the evolving brewing industry, including the rise of contract brewing and alternative bevera...

Send us Fan Mail In this interview, we are speaking with Ross Stensrud, Co-Founder of TapWyse. His company builds apps for breweries that add revenue streams and improve customer communication. We’ve had the chance to see the data for ourselves and speak with Ross on multiple occasions about the work TapWyse is doing – we like what we see! So we asked Ross onto the show to answer questions about w...

Send us Fan Mail This monthly edition of the podcast is all about answering YOUR questions on digital marketing and craft beer.  This month, we're talking about:  Why Your Reach on Instagram Posts is Low Recently How To Structure Ads for Multiple Locations Should You Care About Email Marketing What is Up With TikTok Lately Want to get your questions answered next month? Shoot us an email at p...

Send us Fan Mail If you're headed to Vegas for CBC, here's your local's guide to finding great drinks and eats. The Las Vegas Strip is massive, with many tantalizing options for any palate. You won’t have any trouble finding world-class restaurants and bars named after celebrities. This guide isn’t for that.  This is for folks looking for local secrets and undercover gems. If you’re...

Send us Fan Mail We're joined by Derek Smith, a Brewery Consultant with Small Batch Standard, to discuss profitability for breweries in 2024 and beyond. Derek and his team are doing incredible work helping breweries break down their finances into specific "business units" and then analyze profitability from there. This conversation is packed with valuable insight into how that works...

Send us Fan Mail This monthly edition of the podcast is all about answering YOUR questions on digital marketing and craft beer.  This month, we're talking about:  Marketing a brewery in a remote location Tips for promoting a seasonal beer garden  Which website builder to use for your brewery Want to get your questions answered next month? Shoot us an email at podcast@gethoptimized.com.  --- F...

Send us Fan Mail This monthly edition of the podcast is all about answering YOUR questions on digital marketing and craft beer.  This month, we're talking about:  Meta/Facebook account violations and how to get out of them Spam Messages within Meta Manager Best practices for sharing marketing assets Want to get your questions answered next month? Shoot us an email at podcast@gethoptimized.com...

Send us Fan Mail This monthly edition of the podcast is all about answering YOUR questions on digital marketing and craft beer.  This month, we're talking about:  Where to get the most bang for your buck with digital marketing right now Whether or not you should use cloud storage systems  Promotional timelines for events like Valentine's Day and Super Bowl  Want to get your questions ans...

Send us Fan Mail Really excited to chat Label and Package Design with a pro like Jillian. She's got a TON of experience and has done work for some great brands like Central Waters, Omni, and Lagersmith. Whether you are working with designers or doing design yourself, there is a lot to glean from this interview.  Learn more about Jillian and her company, Elbongürk, at www.elbongurk.com  --- Fo...

Send us Fan Mail When I hear "app," I usually cringe a little bit. There are seemingly a million of them out there and it's hard to find anything that actually works... But I tell you what, a new-ish app called Crackem has actually proven some success. Founded by Aubrey Perry on the heels of the pandemic, Crackem is helping breweries 4X their return on investment into their program...

Send us Fan Mail A website is one of the most essential components of a marketing strategy, but building one can be downright painful. So how can you better navigate the process?  We're joined by website expert Marcus Ohanesian, Founder of Perfect Evolution, to discuss website design and how to better plan for the process yourself. Marcus has over a decade of experience building websites and...

Send us Fan Mail We recently had a neat conversation about T-90 pellets. More specifically about their efficiencies… and inefficiencies. Our good friend Chris Holden chimed in on the topic. He is the dude heading up sales and marketing for The Hop Guild up in New York. So if you're a brewer, you're going to be fascinated by what Chris has to say about ways you can save money, produce mor...

Send us Fan Mail We've got a story for you. It starts with a couple of buddies who met in college, graduated, and then decided to start a brewery together. Since then, they have grown the brewery to be quite a staple in their community. In fact, their beer is served around the world, including in Virginia. New York, the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, and even New Zealand. So what started out a...

Send us Fan Mail Andrew Coplon joins us to answer some questions about the upcoming Craft Beer Professionals Connects Workshop in Milwaukee this June. Their event is very different from other conferences/expos, and we wanted to uncover what actually makes it so unique. Andrew answers a ton of questions and shares a little secret about the event that you won't find online. To register and lear...

Send us Fan Mail We FINALLY get to talk about NA beer! Our Guest, Alan Lapoint from 1820 Brewing, geeks out with us. We talked about branding, the brewing process, and how the e-commerce business model works for Non-Alcoholic beer. For all our listeners, 1820 is offering 20% off on their website when you use the code Gethop20 . Just head to 1820brewing.com and get some of their amazing N/A beer sh...

Send us Fan Mail We get an insider preview of the Craft Brewers Conference in Nashville this May. Ann Obenchain, Marketing & Communications Director for the Brewers Association, joins us. She answers questions about how to make the most of your conference experience, where to find the best Nashville hot chicken, and more.  Learn more about CBC and register at www.craftbrewersconference.com ---...

Send us Fan Mail We're joined by Kary Shumway of Craft Brewery Financial Training to talk about how to better control costs in 2023. A very timely episode considering the current economic climate. Even if we weren't dealing with a recession or inflation, the insights from Kary on this topic are still really useful.  If you are looking for more financial insight, head to Kary's websi...

Send us Fan Mail An article from Marketing Brew about Dry January trends data raises some questions about the hype vs. participation of Dry January.  We take a look at the data ourselves and give an analysis. Then, we take a look at Google Trends data for Valentine's Day, Super Bowl, and St. Patrick's Day.  Reference: https://www.marketingbrew.com/stories/2023/01/25/how-alcohol-brands-ar...

Send us Fan Mail This week, we're changing things up with the podcast format. We'll be reviewing a few pieces of news relevant to the craft beverage industry and marketing. Links to the articles discussed in this episode can be found on our blog at gethoptimized.com.  News This Week:  - Buddhist sue over beer name - Drinkers might be less price sensitive than we thought - Fat Tire has a...