Brewbound Podcast

The decade-long consent decree that allowed Anheuser-Busch InBev’s (A-B) MegaBrew merger with SABMiller to go forward expired in July, removing guardrails that had been placed on the world’s largest beer manufacturer by the Department of Justice to ensure competition in the marketplace.Chris Jones, managing director of Central Market Strategies, joins this week’s Brewbound Podcast to explore what competition looks like in a post-consent decree beer industry.Jones argues the consent decree did its job, creating a competitive environment that allowed new brands over the last decade such as Athletic Brewing, Mark Anthony Brands’ White Claw and Boston Beer’s Truly Hard Seltzer to become category leaders in non-alcoholic (NA) beer and hard seltzer, respectively, while also preventing A-B “from using its massive size as the world’s largest brewer to disrupt the market.”WIth the consent decree’s guardrails down, including the removal of an independent monitor who maintained compliance by handling claims of interference and coercion, there now exists “a lot more risk in the system of this market power and abuses of market power that could result from the size and scale of the largest brewer,” Jones said.Going forward, it will be important to track national market share in an already “highly concentrated market” and middle-tier consolidation in the years ahead, he added.Listen to the full conversation with Brewbound managing editor Jessica Infante here.Before the conversation, Brewbound editor Justin Kendall and senior reporter Zoe Licata join Jess to run through the latest news, including Lawson’s Finest Liquids’ first NA beer, what distributors say is on their cut lists, a distributor territory swap in the Northeast and “warm beer takes” on the latest NFL beer marketing.

How can a new brand make a splash in the increasingly crowded ready-to-drink waters? A winning combination of differentiated flavors, artistic packaging and a willingness to work the market day in and day out. That’s what has been working for Lake Hour, according to CEO Michelle Ivey, this week’s featured guest. Ready-to-drink (RTD) canned cocktail brand Lake Hour launched three years ago amid the segment’s meteoric rise. Its co-founders – actor Wyatt Russell and film producer Rich Peete – had no prior beverage experience, and tapped Ivey, an industry vet, as CEO in late 2025.“I was blown away with the brand that they built, the fact that they had built this beautiful feeling of family and slowing down and the lake concept,” Ivey said. “Once I tried it, I realized it was one of those, ‘actually’ brands that when you take a sip, you're like ‘Wow, actually, this is great. This tastes so good.’ And so, I was so impressed with what they did and what they built two years in as startup founders that have had no experience in the industry.”Lake Hour recently entered Texas via Reyes Beverage Group-owned Capital Reyes Distributing. Being a young brand in the book of one of the largest bev-alc distributors in the country isn’t daunting for Ivey, because she sees securing mind share and growing the brand as Lake Hour’s job.“That is the brand's responsibility – distributors don't build for you,” she said. “You have to build for you. You have to earn that attention and you do that through proper investment in the market, in my opinion. You have to invest in the sampling, the retail execution, on-premise activation, your social media and consumer awareness and proper field support.Ivey acknowledged that “probably sounds really boring, because it's not magic.” “You have to just be there daily and do the everyday work that it takes to build and sell your brand,” she said. Before the interview, the Brewbound team discusses recent headlines, including a proposed reprieve for intoxicating hemp beverages, how many retailers sold out of various bev-alc products during the World Cup and how Anheuser-Busch InBev views itself relative to spirits giants. Listen here or on your preferred podcast platform.

Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC) is leaving a big unpaid tab. The distributor filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week, with liabilities between $1 billion and $10 billion, and more than 100,000 creditors.In this episode of the Brewbound Podcast, Brewbound editor Justin Kendall and senior reporter Zoe Licata dive into the bankruptcy filing, as well as the fallout, with many suppliers left wondering if they’ll ever get paid back.Justin and Zoe also catch up on the other big headlines, including the Brewers Association’s (BA) 2026 mid-year report, with projected craft volume declines of 4%. They discuss why the news isn’t all bad – with a majority of respondents reporting growth – and why it’s not all good.The conversation shifts to Boston Beer’s second-quarter results and Sun Cruiser’s growing importance to the company’s bottomline. They also explore Boston’s growing fast-follower innovation strategy, including Rally Dog, a potential hard sports drink challenger brand. Plus, they touch on if beer companies might be walking back their opposition to the spirits industry’s equalization efforts.Finally, seasonal creep is here and real as pumpkin beers are already popping up on store shelves.It’s a quick, fun recap of the latest news. Listen here.

The Magic of Airport Beers with Experience Threee’s Liz EinhornThe pre-flight beer ranks high on many people’s lists of simple pleasures, but what does it take for that beer to end up in a pint glass?Experience Threee founder Liz Einhorn joins this week’s episode of the Brewbound Podcast to discuss the complexities of beer service in airport concessions. She shares the pros and cons of brewery-branded, airport taprooms and what it takes to secure (and keep) a draft line in a busy airport bar.Before the interview, Justin and Jess break down the latest beer industry headlines, including a lawsuit between Ballast Point’s owners over allegedly ill-gotten business loans, new leadership at the National Black Brewers Association and James Watt’s second attempt to buy back BrewDog. Listen here or on your preferred podcast platform.

Best Day Brewing founder and CEO Tate Huffard believes the modern non-alcoholic (NA) beer movement is now in its second wave – one characterized by “belonging.”“What we see now is that non-alcoholic beer belongs on menus, it belongs in beer sets,” Huffard said on the latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast. Best Day was made for NA beer’s second wave in which coolers on boats in the summer are stocked with NA and alcoholic beer and fridges at parties also include both options, Huffard said. “All of these beer occasions warrant a great non-alcoholic beer and yet part of the magic is unpacking and uncovering these new occasions that deserve a beer,” Huffard said. “Case in point for me is a lunch beer.”The first wave – driven by the rise of Athletic Brewing Company – helped normalize NA beer and remove the penalty box elements of old-school offerings, Huffard explained. “I give those guys an incredible amount of praise for creating an environment where people could participate in the category and it wasn’t weird,” he said. “And the concept of non-alcoholic craft beer was born in that first wave.”The second wave is about growing the pie, expanding grocery baskets and taking NA beer’s share upward from 2% to 10% and beyond, Huffard said. In the episode, Huffard discusses Best Day’s 30% distribution growth this year and retail expansion, finding luck in craft brewery taprooms, navigating the disruption caused by the launch of Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Michelob Ultra Zero and much more. But first, the Brewbound team also catches up on the latest news, including July 4 scans, exec moves at New Belgium and a Jersey banner plane and patio tent update.

Can a letter writing campaign save Deschutes’ co-branded Kirkland Signature Helles, the same way Brewbound's Jessica Infante saved her childhood zoo? The Brewbound team and weekend newsletter writer Sean McNulty discuss the end of the cult favorite lager on the latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast, including an outpouring of somber reactions to the news. Brewbound editor Justin Kendall recaps his conversation with Deschutes CEO Peter Skrbek and why he’s not sweating the decision as the company’s portfolio is growing. But could a public show of support from Costco members flip the decision? Jess shares that it worked for her hometown zoo. The team also shares their personal July 4 experiences, including a view from the Jersey Shore, and the mixed results by channel for the World Cup and surge of imported beer. Brewbound senior reporter Zoe Licata also explains why quality is a default expectation for consumers now, and shouldn’t be a marketing talking point in 2026. 

Days ahead of the Fourth of July holiday, the Brewbound team catches up on beer prices – at home and across the pond – and how Independence Day is stacking up as a heat wave sets in for much of the country.Zoe shares just how different beer prices are in the U.K., learned from her experience seeing Harry Styles and buying drinks at Wembley Stadium. Jess offers an eye on the skies from the Jersey Shore, where only one bev-alc company is flying banner ads over the beaches so far (and it isn’t a beer company). And Justin breaks out the latest grocery circular for a big meat-and-beer promo in Iowa. The trio discusses the latest headlines, including Allagash’s new Maine-centric ad campaign, the World Cup’s impact and just how much Boston misses the Tartan Army and why now is the right time for ready-to-drink (RTD) brands to explore a sale.