Brewbound Podcast

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Learning Lounge: How Coffee Fortified Death of the Fox's AM/PM Business Jul 02, 2025

Show notes

When Death of the Fox Brewing Company opened eight years ago, co-founder Chuck Garrity wanted to make sure its Clarksboro, New Jersey-based taproom stayed busy day and night. So to "maximize" Death of the Fox's taproom investment and utility, the company launched by also offering coffee service, Garrity shared during the first edition of the Brewbound Podcast's Learning Lounge: Taproom Tactics series. Offering coffee was part of a total beverage mindset that covered an overlap between beer drinkers and coffee connoisseurs, while adding a revenue stream in one of the strictest operating environments for craft brewery taprooms. "My goal was to always have an on-site coffee roastery," Garrity explained. "So to be able to produce and roast the coffee in the same way that we produce fresh beer for the brewery. In the same respect, we're doing that with the coffee. To me it just made sense in terms of a business model." Building an on-site roastery during the COVID-19 pandemic was "a game changer" for the business due to taproom shutdowns. It's now become the dominant portion of the brewery's business. "When we first opened, beer was about 75%, 80% of our sales," he said. "Now, flash forward eight years later, coffee, in terms of the total company, is about 70% of our sales. Beer is about 20% to 25%." Garrity added that the brewery's beer sales are still strong, and he's confident that "beer's not going anywhere." But his philosophy is to "follow where the river takes you, don't fight against the current," and Death of the Fox's customers were telling him that while they liked the combination of beer and coffee, they really loved the coffee. Listen for more from Garrity on Death of the Fox's mix, growing the coffee side of the business amid strict restrictions on beer and advice for adding an attractive coffee menu. Before this week's featured interview, Jess, Zoe and Justin break down what Barrel One Collective's acquisition of Greater Good Imperial Brewing Company brings to the platform. And the trio play Another Round or Tabbing Out on 1990s nostalgia seeping into CPG, with more waterbed and Jelly shoes talk than you'd expect.

Deep Diving California's Distribution Shakeup and the RNDC Fallout Jun 25, 2025

Show notes

With Republic National Distributing (RNDC) winding down distribution operations in California ahead of September 1 exit and consolidation continuing among craft wholesalers, this week's Brewbound Podcast explores the fallout of both in the Golden State. Ferron Salniker, BevNET spirits editor, and Dave Infante, founder of the Fingers boozeletter, join Brewbound's Justin Kendall and Jessica Infante to look back on how one of the top distributors in the country's California business crumbled, the effect on smaller bev-alc producers in RNDC's book and the trickle-down effect on craft brewers. They also explore multistate distributor Hand Family Companies' entry into the state through the acquisitions of three craft-focused wholesalers – Stone Distributing, Classic Beverage and Scout Distribution in Los Angeles – and the formation of Sunset Distributing. Plus, Brewbound senior reporter Zoe Licata and Justin chat about her recent feature on the hard refresher trend and Gen Z's aversion to carbonated beverages.

From Malt to Partner Brands – Growing with Supply Chain Allies with Destihl, Briess and U.S. Beverage Jun 18, 2025

Show notes

How can you get the most out of your supply chain relationships? Communication is key, and not just when the headwinds hit. Matt Potts, founder of Normal, Illinois-based Destihl, and Ron Schroder, Briess director of marketing, share how they're navigating supply challenges and how craft brewers can mitigate issues by maintaining lines of communication. Potts also explains why Destihl has supplemented its own growth with partner brands, including the Wrexham Lager, Hanson Brothers' Mmmhops IPA, an Evel Knievel-branded beer and collegiate beers, including with the University of Illinois Fighting Illini. Plus, U.S. Beverage VP of brand development Kris Sjolander explains the importer and platform's sales and marketing partnership program. He also dives into what opportunities U.S. Beverage's contract brewing process offers to potential partners in the U.S. and beyond. U.S Beverage's partners include Uinta, Woodchuck Cider, Moosehead, Captain Lawerence and several others. Sjolander shares why he believes U.S. Beverage excels at distributor management, how the company is expanding its national accounts presence to meet its partners' needs and what types of brands benefit the most from partnering with the firm. Before the conversations, Brewbound editor Justin Kendall and managing editor Jess Infante break down Tilray Brands' latest leadership shuffle and taproom closure, as well as quick thoughts on White Claw's dominance of hard seltzer and cutting its vodka-based canned cocktail line. Jess and Justin play Another Round or Tabbing Out on the elders' latest Generation Z gripe: forming a single-file line at the bar. They also talk about the Voodoo Ranger-Malört collaboration, Roulette IPA, where consumers risk getting a Malört-inspired IPA in a 6-pack.

BevBoost's Secret to Fresher Beer Jun 11, 2025

Show notes

How can brewers preserve freshness and extend their beer's shelf life without breaking the bank? Upslope Brewing founder Matt Cutter believes he's found the answer with BevBoost, a Colorado company that has developed a patented dual-chambered widget that the company says is "food-safe, recyclable insert that holds fresh flavor compounds, functional ingredients, vitamins or even mood-enhancing additives such as THC and CBD, and unleashes them right when a carbonated drink is cracked open." In the latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast, Cutter explains why his attempts to maintain an IPA's flavor led to the founding of BevBoost and gives Brewbound editor Justin Kendall and managing editor Jess Infante a third-grade science lesson. He also shares his expectations for adding shelf life to beverages, how others interested in adding the widgets to their beverages can integrate them into their systems and why he believes BevBoost is prepared to scale and meet demand. Upslope is prepared to be the guinea pig with the release of Hop-Boosted IPA, which it celebrated last week at a party that featured side-by-side taste comparisons. Before the interview, Justin, Jess and Brewbound senior reporter Zoe Licata discuss the latest M&A activity in Colorado, where Wilding Brands has added decade-old Denver brewery Station 26 to its roster and Ska Brewing has been sold to two families in the beer distribution business. Plus, in this week's edition of Another Round or Tabbing Out, Zoe explains why anxiety may not be what's driving Gen Z to close out their tabs after every order.

Inside Rhinegeist's Merch Strategy – Emotional Hooks, Limited Drops and Loyal Fans Jun 04, 2025

Show notes

Merchandise remains an important piece of Rhinegeist Brewery's business, and the Cincinnati brewery is leveling up under the guidance of merchandise director Jenny Morrissey. Morrissey and Rhinegeist VP of marketing Tracey Ireland share the evolution of the company's merch strategy from "marketing tool," to an individual business unit. After hitting its peak in the late 2010s, Rhinegeist's merch business started to decline. Morrissey, who joined the company a year ago, has brought a fashion background and a new approach to the business, from assortment planning to limited-time offerings. Morrissey and Ireland share how they're working to engage Rhinegeist's diverse customer base, from out-of-town visitors to the brewery's Cincinnati taproom, to its home market "super fans." "We're trying to get as many skull drop T-shirts on as many people as possible for every occasion," Morrissey said. Morrissey and Ireland discuss efforts to re-engage fans with new products via event-driven and limited-time offerings and monthly product drops. "We're exploring doing a lot more illustration, a lot more nods back to Cincinnati heritage and just having a lot more fun with it, a lot more humor," Morrissey said. "And then driving sales with scarcity, essentially, and keeping our assortment fresh. It's such a good lever to pull to just keep things fresh, keep people coming back to check what we have that's new." The conversation covers trend spotting, sourcing inspiration, partnering with brands and tapping into a collector community. Morrissey and Ireland also share why creating emotion is key to breaking through with consumers. Plus, they share when to cut bait on slow-moving inventory. Ahead of the interview, the Brewbound team talks through Republic National Distributing Company's (RNDC) exit from California. Plus, the trio play Another Round or Tabbing Out on the creation of family-friendly spaces, and Almanac CEO Damian Fagan's distaste of the word "taproom."

3 Tier Beverages on Key Bev-Alc Trends for Summer 2025 May 28, 2025

Show notes

The team at 3 Tier Beverages breaks down hot trends in bev-alc heading into the summer selling season on the latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast. 3 Tier Beverages founder Donn Bichsel, consultant Danelle Kosmal and CGA VP Matthew Crompton share a complete look at trends in the off- and on-premise, including continued momentum for non-alcoholic beer, hard juice's rocketing growth and the growing simplicity movement within craft. "The biggest opportunity for this summer and within the next year is just engaging new consumers and creating new drinking occasions," Kosmal said of NA beer. Kosmal also covers why craft lagers are working, how flavored lagers such as lime are performing and what opportunities still exist in the space. Bichsel cautions craft brewers against playing the pricing game with mainstream lager brands. "When most of your revenue is coming from 4-packs, 6-packs and you start playing in the 12-packs, 15s, 18s, 24s, I think you're chasing a losing proposition," he said. "You've got to be very careful or be prepared to have a high price and just give up some of your turns." Kosmal and Crompton explore why ABV and style remain among the key factors driving consumer purchases. They also cover the three pillars of innovation growth – NA beer, flavor and craft line extensions – and explain why flavor is leading the way within new products, led by AriZona's Jumex Hard Nectar. Before the conversation, Brewbound editor Justin Kendall and senior reporter Zoe Licata analyze 2024 craft brewery production data, which the Brewers Association released last week, including New Belgium leapfrogging Anheuser-Busch InBev's craft portfolio, big losses for Boston Beer, big gains for Athletic Brewing and the regional craft breweries leveling up.

NB2A's Kevin Asato on Supporting Black Brewers in Tough Times; Yonder Cider's Caitlin Braam Speaking to Many Audiences May 27, 2025

Show notes

National Black Brewers Association (NB2A) executive director Kevin Asato explains how obstacles have mounted for the trade group's members as diversity, equity and inclusion efforts have come under fire during the Trump administration. "The beautiful thing is, I was Black yesterday. I'm Black today. And god willing I wake up tomorrow, I'll be Black tomorrow," he said. "The point being, just because there isn't a tagline like DEI available, doesn't mean our challenges and our need for diversity and our need to help our Black brewers in this space has gone away. Nothing has changed. Not a single thing has changed for our space here." Asato shares with Brewbound managing editor Jess Infante how the NB2A is supporting its 86 Black-owned brewery members and its nearly 400 overall members during a special bonus edition of the Brewbound Podcast. He also explains why equipment donations have been key for up-and-coming Black breweries, teases ancient grain fonio's potential inclusion in Volume 3 of the Black is Beautiful collaboration efforts and talks about why some retailers are doubling-down on diverse brands. Following the conversation with Asato, Yonder Cider founder Caitlin Braam joins Brewbound senior reporter Zoe Licata to explain how experimenting with events at her brand's taproom has broadened her hard cider brand's consumer base. A shared taproom partnership with craft beer brand Bale Breaker has also helped Yonder breakthrough with new audiences, she explains. It's all about "not being exclusive" and "making spaces and places for various audiences, not just one." "There isn't just one audience for your brand. There are many. And you have to find ways to talk to them each individually," she said. Both conversations were recorded during the 2025 Craft Brewers Conference in Indianapolis.

Lagers, IPAs and National Parks with Sierra Nevada and New Trail at CBC May 21, 2025

Show notes

Leaders from Sierra Nevada and New Trail discuss their craft portfolios, innovation, packaging and recent wins during the 2025 Craft Brewers Conference. Sierra Nevada chief commercial officer Ellie Preslar and chief brewing officer Brian Grossman sit down with Brewbound editor Justin Kendall for a chat about new offering Pils, Pale Ale's limited edition National Parks packaging and Big Little Thing's recent glow-up. Then, New Trail chief operating officer Mike LaRosa joins Brewbound managing editor Jessica Infante for a chat about the fast-growing Pennsylvania brewery's volume gains, IPA-heavy innovation slate and debut on the Brewers Association's top 50 list. But first, Jess and Zoe break down all the beer industry news, including distributors' not-so-sunny outlook on the category as we enter summer, DoorDash's findings that more people want booze delivered to their homes and the latest brands to leave RNDC in California. They also discuss new Masshole Light Lager in depth and reveal appreciations for greater Boston's gruff reputation and … seagulls.

The Future of Hops: New Varieties and Technologies from Clayton Hops May 21, 2025

Show notes

Brian Clayton, CEO of Clayton Hops, discusses the company's growth to four farms in New Zealand and their innovative hop products. He highlights their Amplifire™ pellets and oil, which boost flavor and aroma, increase beer yields, and offer environmental benefits like a low carbon footprint due to direct oil extraction from wet hop cones. These products are ideal for cold-side applications and also work well in hop waters and non-alcoholic beers.

Clayton also shares their rapid processing of T90 hop pellets, achieving completion within seven days of harvest. The company is introducing new hop varieties in partnership with Plant & Food Research, with commercial availability expected in 2025, offering unique "kiwi" flavors for brewers. Despite a 10% US tariff, the favorable foreign exchange rate helps maintain affordability. He invites interested parties to learn more and order through their website, which includes an e-commerce platform for US customers.

Live from CBC – Right Proper's Leah Cheston and Hi-Wire's Adam Charnack May 14, 2025

Show notes

Craft Brewers Conference conversations continue on the Brewbound Podcast with a pair of interviews featuring Right Proper Brewing co-owner and Brewers Association board chairwoman Leah Cheston and Hi-Wire Brewing co-owner Adam Charnack. Cheston and Brewbound managing editor Jessica Infante discuss Executive Order Me a Beer – Right Proper's pay-it-forward program to support laid off federal employees with beers and networking – and the unique experiences of parents in the beer industry. Charnack discusses the recovery process of Hi-Wire's flagship location in Asheville in the wake of Hurricane Helene with senior reporter Zoe Licata. In addition, Zoe and Jess discuss the last gasp of Q1 earnings season, the cooler selection at Zoe's parents' most recent gathering and Instacart's new party platform, Fizz.

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