We’re pleased to announce that every speaker presentation and panel discussion from Brewbound Session Winter 2014 is now available for viewing on BevNET Food and Beverage University (FBU). This year’s Brewbound Session video playback includes over five hours of insight into the marketing, branding and distribution of craft beer.

During last week’s Brewbound Session in San Diego, Calif., Boulevard Brewing founder John McDonald confessed to the audience that, after 25 years in the beer business, he’d become somewhat disengaged. “I was a little bit a part of the problem to keep going and growing,” he admitted.

Twenty by ’20 no doubt has a nice ring to it. In these parts, those figures are self-explanatory. In case you’ve had your head buried in the mash for a while, the mirroring numbers refer to the goal, as oft repeated by the Brewers Association, for craft to own 20 percent of the overall beer market by the year 2020. At last week’s Brewbound Session, Craft Brew Alliance CEO Andy Thomas implored the industry, to think about the future, as he does, in terms of barrels.

We’re less than 24 hours away from a sold out winter edition of the Brewbound Session, being held on Dec. 4 at the Paradise Point Resort & Spa in San Diego, and we’ve still got some final program notes to announce. Grab a beer – this one is jam-packed with updates.

Brewbound is pleased to invite all Brewbound Session attendees to the official Brewbound Session welcome reception on Wednesday Dec. 3, the evening before Brewbound’s bi-annual business conference at the Paradise Point Resort & Spa in San Diego. Sponsored by Davis Wright Tremaine LLP and Moss Adams LLP, this year’s welcome reception will be hosted at Modern Times Beer, located at 3725 Greenwood St., San Diego, Calif.

Brewbound is pleased to announce that Green Flash Brewing co-founders Lisa and Mike Hinkley will speak at the upcoming Brewbound Session, being held in San Diego on Thursday, Dec. 4. In a conversation with Brewbound editor Chris Furnari, the Hinkley’s will discuss Green Flash’s national distribution strategy and explain the impetus for expanding the company’s brewing operations to the east coast.

The preliminary agenda for Brewbound Session San Diego is now available. The full-day conference, which will be held on Dec. 4 at the Paradise Point Resort & Spa, will feature a wide array of speakers and topics, including conversations on merger & acquisition activity in craft beer, current consumer trends, and, as always, insight into distribution and retail strategies for craft brewers.

Brewbound is excited to announce that David Walker, the co-founder of Firestone Walker Brewing Company, will be speaking at the Dec. 4 Brewbound Session. Walker will explain the strategic decisions that have helped Firestone grow into a top-20 craft brewery, discuss his vision of the future, and examine how the company will navigate a crowded an increasingly competitive craft landscape going forward.

Brewbound is pleased to announce Craft Brew Alliance CEO Andy Thomas will speak at the upcoming Brewbound Session, which will be held in San Diego on Thursday, Dec. 4. Thomas will share his vision of a mature craft beer category. In his presentation, Thomas will address the important questions that, ultimately, will determine how much craft is able to grow.

The Startup Brewery Challenge, Brewbound’s bi-annual business pitch competition, will return for a third edition at the Dec. 4 Brewbound Session in San Diego, Calif. Presented by Craft Brew Alliance, the Startup Brewery Challenge gives new U.S. craft breweries a chance to show off their business plans, sample a beer and receive immediate feedback from an expert judging panel.

Brewbound is excited to announce that attendees of the Dec. 4 Brewbound Session in San Diego will have a unique opportunity to gain key consumer insights from Lester Jones, the chief economist for the National Beer Wholesalers Association. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience in applied economics, Jones will explain how craft beer can continue to stay relevant in a crowded marketplace.

Brewbound Session Winter 2014, a full-day conference on the business of craft beer, is just around the corner. If you haven’t already registered, there are limited seats remaining so please don't delay.

Brewbound is delighted to announce that Christian McMahan, the managing partner at Smartfish Group, an east coast marketing, creative and design agency, will be speaking at the Dec. 4 Brewbound Session in San Diego. McMahan, who has served in executive marketing roles for Heineken USA and Diageo, currently works with a number of small and regional craft beverage companies, helping to define their branding and marketing strategies.

Brewbound is pleased to announce its first speaker for the upcoming Winter Brewbound Session, being held in San Diego on Thursday Dec. 4: Boulevard Brewing founder, John McDonald.

Brewbound San Diego ‘14 – a one-day conference focused on the business of craft beer – will be held on December 4th in San Diego at the Paradise Point Resort. You can save $100 by signing up now with the early registration discount.

Traveling to San Diego for Brewbound Session? Discounted hotel rooms at the event venue, Paradise Point, are available for the first week of December using Brewbound’s room block. The bungalow-style rooms offer gorgeous bay views and are conveniently located at the site of the conference.

Earlier this month, over 170 beer industry professionals descended upon San Diego, Calif. to take part in the fifth Brewbound Session. Now, attendees can relive the day through our various photo galleries.