Brewbound.com today announced the first stop during a week-long West Coast tour for its Brew Talks event series, which will kick off on Tuesday, July 23 at The Lost Abbey in San Marcos, Calif. The free educational and networking meetup for craft beer industry professionals will feature two panel discussions with a number of San Diego-area craft beer entrepreneurs.
The evening’s feature panel will take an in-depth look at the mature but growing San Diego craft beer market and the equilibrium that exists between competition and collaboration. Speakers will include The Lost Abbey’s own Tomme Arthur, Stone Brewing’s director of Southern California sales, Chad Heath, and Tom Nickel, the owner of O’Brien’s Pub. Together, the trio will discuss the increasingly competitive environment for craft in San Diego, the ability for existing breweries to continue growing share and the opportunities that exist for new startups.
Earlier in the evening, a panel discussing the pitfalls of starting a brewery will include Modern Times Beer founder Jacob McKean, Bagby Beer Company founder Jeff Bagby, and Shawn DeWitt, the co-owner of Coronado Brewing Company. Together, the three will discuss the immense challenges of launching a new beer company in today’s crowded marketplace. Dialogue will range from how to attract investor partners to brewery site selection and will be a must-see for any brewery-in-planning.
Brew Talks San Diego will be held inside The Lost Abbey brewery, located at 155 Mata Way, Suite 104, in San Marcos, Calif. Guests are invited to arrive for a pre-event networking session, which begins at 5 P.M. PST. Brew Talks will begin at 5:30 P.M. and a variety of Lost Abbey/Port Brewing beers will be available for purchase throughout the evening.
About Brew Talks:
The Brew Talks event series provides beer industry professionals with an intimate opportunity to network and discuss the business of craft in beer-friendly locales. Prior discussions have included the decision-making process behind brewery expansions, the challenges of earning local tap handles and the strategies for working more effectively with distributors. All Brew Talks events are broadcast globally via a free live stream for those unable to attend.
The West Coast Tour will also include stops at Golden Road in Los Angeles. on July 24, Two Beers Brewing in Seattle on July 25 and Widmer Brothers Brewing in Portland, Ore. on July 27.