Thirsty Business Podcast

In this episode of Thirsty Business Podcast , Jen Hauke and Phil Thomas sit down with Beer Institute President and CEO Brian Crawford for a wide-ranging conversation about the forces shaping the future of beer, hospitality, and the businesses that depend on them. From the Beer Institute's "It's Me Beer" and "Stand With Beer" campaigns to the relaunch of the CHEERS Act, Brian explains why advocacy...

What does it take to build a business that survives nearly 200 years? In this episode of Thirsty Business Podcast , Jennifer Hauke sits down with Jennifer Yuengling , sixth-generation owner and operator of Yuengling , America's oldest brewery. From its founding in 1829 to navigating Prohibition, economic downturns, changing consumer tastes, and modern expansion, Yuengling's story is one of resilie...

What happens when one of the fastest-growing beer brands in the world starts treating beer like a food product instead of “just beer”? In this episode of Thirsty Business Podcast, hosts Jen Hauke and Phil Thomas sit down with Zoe Riccio of Athletic Brewing to break down the science, systems, and obsessive quality control behind modern non-alcoholic beer. From food safety and microbiology to draft...

Every great pint starts long before the pour. In this episode of Thirsty Business, Guinness ambassador Ryan "Wags" Wagner joins Jen Hauke for a fascinating conversation about beer quality, draft systems, faucet cleaning, nitrogen pours, and the unseen work that shapes every guest experience. From the role of a well-maintained draft system to the science behind a perfect Guinness pour, Ryan explain...

There’s the version of the beverage industry most people see from the outside… and then there’s the version insiders actually live in every day. In this first episode of Thirsty Business Podcast , hosts Jen Hauke and Phil Thomas sit down with Jenn Litz-Kirk, Director of Content at Beer Business Daily and host of Beer Net Radio, to unpack what’s really driving beer, RTDs, and beverage alcohol right...

What happens when you bring together decades of Detroit beverage industry experience, underground install stories, and the kind of jobsite chaos you can only learn the hard way? On this episode of Thirsty Business Podcast , Jen is joined by her brother Phil Thomas, her husband Drew Hauke, and guest Jim Bonnell, owner of World Beverage and a veteran beverage technician who spent his entire career i...

There’s a version of the beverage industry most people see from the outside… and then there’s the version that actually built it. In this special episode of Thirsty Business Podcast , Jen Hauke sit down with his dad, Chuck Thomas , a veteran of the beverage dispensing industry whose career spans over five decades across Hudson Industries, Michigan Carbonic, Leonard Syrups, Berg Liquor Control Syst...