The True Craft Podcast

We’re back with one final Friends of SBS episode before Season 3 releases next week. In this episode, we’re joined by the Chief Economist of the Brewers Association , Bart Watson. We talk about breweries charging their worth, how direct-to-consumer is coming into play, and Bart gives us his thoughts on the current state of the industry along with some future trends to keep your eye on. Enjoy!

We’ve brought up this name quite a bit on the podcast...  We believe Ekos is the quintessential software for craft beverage businesses. That’s why we are super excited to welcome the guest for this week’s edition of Friends of SBS. Today we’re talking with CEO of Ekos, Josh Mckinney. Josh tells us how Ekos found and filled a void in the industry, the biggest challenges of working in multiple count...

We’re back with one last edition of Office Hours before we drop some guest content in anticipation of Season 3. Breweries are no strangers to the concepts of generalization versus specialization. So today’s episode is all about niche firms and specialization. We’re talking with another superstar here at SBS, Michelle Ryan , a Brewery Accountant and Tax Specialist. Having worked at a generalist fir...

As you may or may not know, both Small Batch Standard and The True Craft Podcast operate entirely remotely. And of course, due to recent events, working remotely has never been more relevant and practical.    Today's episode of Office Hours is all about remote work.  We’re joined by one of our many stellar Brewery Accountants, Allie Donovan . We talk about what the pandemic has shown us about work...

We want to continue to peel back the curtains here with another look into some of our internal processes, and another edition of Office Hours. Office Hours' primary goal is to share the value and insight of the many extraordinary people who keep the gears turning here at Small Batch Standard. And this time around, we’re talking to our Onboarding Manager, Derek Smith . Derek gives us an introductio...

We’re still recording and putting on some finishing touches on Season 3, so in the meantime here’s another episode of Office Hours with our COO Tom Miller. In Episode 7 of Season 2 , Chris and Jen spoke with Matt Katase about the true definition of the term culture, and all of the things that come with cultivating a healthy brewery environment.  And today, we’re diving even deeper into the concept...

Season 2 has officially come to a close!  We couldn’t be more thankful to our guests, listeners, and of course Jen Febre, our amazing Season 2 co-host. In the final episode of our second season, Chris and Jen take a look at what we learned throughout the past nine episodes.  They talk about Doug from Societe and barrel aging, Buckstin Brewing and their small town success, Four Saints and their tec...

This episode is all about family-run breweries. Jen starts us off by discussing what led her to opening a family-run brewery, what her family was up to before MacLeod opened, and how she’s avoided nepotism. Then we bring in our guest for this episode, Brian Avery from Brävery Brewing Company out of Lancaster, California. Brian tells us what motivated him and his family to start a brewery, what for...

Today’s episode is all about the rebirth of draught. Jen sits this one out as MacLeod is currently focused on taproom sales, so Chris starts this episode off with a talk about decision making. Then we bring in our guest for the episode, Chris Smith, co-founder of The Virginia Beer Company out of Williamsburg, Virginia. We talk about Virginia Beer Co’s packing split pre and post covid, cooperage ar...

Today we’re exploring the concept of brewery culture. We start with a quick overview of Jen’s bagpiping skills, how to see eye to eye with your founders, and we take a look at what we’re really talking about when we use the word culture.  Then we bring our guest for this episode, Matt Katase from Brew Gentlemen out of Braddock, Pennsylvania.  Matt explains the dynamic culture of a brewery experien...

Today we have something a little different for you. Chris starts the episode off by diving into the topic of case equivalents (CE’s). He covers what CE’s even are, the number of CE’s your sales rep should aim for, and how that changes if you’re self-distributing or going through a distributor. Then we bring in Matthew Wallace from Oliphant Brewery out of Somerset, Wisconsin. We discuss the use of...

Jen starts the episode off by telling us her top leadership priorities, what happens when lines are crossed or too many drinks are had, and we take a deep look at accountability in the brewery. Then we bring in our special guest for the episode, Karlos Knott, owner of Bayou Teche Brewery out of Arnaudville, Louisiana. We talk about when to hit the switch and assign a shot caller, Karlos talks abou...

Today’s episode we’re diving into the deep topic of operations. Jen starts us off by telling us why she considers her number one job to be the “team-picker”, plus a short history of MacLeod’s portfolio. Then, we bring in our guest for the episode, Joel McClosky, CEO and Founder of Four Saints Brewing Company out of Asheboro, North Carolina He tells us his biggest challenge when it comes to operati...

Coming from an advertising background, our Season 2 co-host Jen is a true expert when it comes to marketing a brewery. And that’s exactly the topic covered in this week's episode. Chris and Jen start things off by discussing what makes a successful logo, Jen tells us about MacLeod’s early direct mail marketing campaigns, and why it’s so important to start posting on social media long before openin...

Today’s guest is an industry expert specializing in brewery and craft beverage insurance. Having worked with over 150 breweries throughout his career, it’s easy to see why he’s a fountain of craft insurance knowledge.   In this episode, we’re talking with Certified Insurance Counselor Kyle C. Rheiner from CraftBrewingInsurance.com and The Beer Mighty Things Podcast . He gives us an inside look at...

It’s now been over a year since COVID-19 shook up the world. In this episode, we’re taking a retrospective look at the pivoting and ingenuity of the brewing industry, as we believe we’ll be able to learn from this for years to come. Our season 2 co-host Jen Febre from MacLeod Ale starts off by giving the perspective of an LA brewery, how they navigated the early shut down, and how they’ve coped wi...

After much anticipation… Season 2 is here! We’re super excited to finally share our new season with you, and to announce our Season 2 co-host, Jen Febre, Owner and CEO of MacLeod Ale out of Los Angeles, California. Chris starts us off with an epic monologue, then Jen takes us through the early years of the brewery, including what led her to the industry, how she leveraged the name MacLeod, and the...

Before we drop season 2 we have one more Friends of SBS segment. This one features Kary Shumway, the mastermind behind Craft Brewery Financial Training . Chris and Kary talk brewery management software, when to take the plunge and start using it, and metrics that should be top of mind for all brewery owners. Kary also shares his background, how he started financial training in the craft industry,...

We’ve got one more segment we’d like to share with you before we drop season 2. We’re calling it: Friends of SBS. The purpose of this segment is to showcase the expertise and knowledge of our peers and colleagues in the craft industry.  In our first edition of FOSBS , we welcome someone who’s constantly spreading the word on why good beer matters, Jeremy Storton from Good Beer Matters .  Chris and...

Today, we have another killer edition of Office Hours for you. We brought out the brains behind the operation, our COO Tom Miller, to talk about the processes that keep the gears turning.  Chris and Tom discuss methodology for establishing a vision and translating it into language that can be easily understood. They also explore tactical issues such as setting goals, tracking progress, and creatin...

We have something special for you while we put the finishing touches on Season 2...  Introducing: Office Hours , a new segment featuring Chris and the Small Batch Standard team, giving you a peek under the hood at the internal conversations we have within the (remote) walls of our firm. The purpose of Office Hours is to give you a peek under the hood of SBS, and to record some of the conversations...

One whole season down! We couldn’t be more thankful to our guests, listeners, and of course our co-host, Brandon Skall. In the final episode of the first season of The True Craft Podcast , we take a casual look at some of the things we’ve learned over the past nine episodes. We talk about Kings County Distillery pivoting to hand sanitizer, Hyperion’s inclusion marketing, leveraging technology with...

If there’s one thing constantly on every brewery owner's mind, it’s profit. Craft and community go hand-in-hand, but community can’t survive without cash. And in this episode of The True Craft Podcast , we discuss profit in the brewery. Brandon and Chris start off by comparing profit margins in taproom and distribution models, navigating price increases, and Brandon’s philosophy on utilizing debt....

We’ve watched in amazement this past year as brewery after brewery have pivoted out of draft and into cans. But this transition is far from a “set it and forget it” situation. An increase in packaged offerings has created an increase in aluminum demand, and in this episode of The True Craft Podcast , we discuss the potential aluminum shortage faced by craft breweries. Brandon shares how DC Brau ha...

Humans have been brewing beer for thousands of years. Needless to say, the industry has seen it’s fair share of technological improvements, which seem to jump further and further ahead each year, all in an attempt to make life in the brewery a little bit easier. That’s why this episode of The True Craft Podcast is all about technology. Brandon gives us the perspective of an automated brewhouse, th...