Commons Brewery founder Michael Wright started his career in beer as more of a licensed hobbyist -- a “one man show, on a one barrel system located in [my] garage," as he describes it. “To my surprise, I was actually able to get licensed in the garage,” he told attendees during last week’s Brew Talks meetup in Portland, Ore. “What I had lacking was any sort of a plan.”

How do you deliver more beer to more people? That’s the number one question craft brewery entrepreneurs are currently wrestling with, said Karmen Olson, Craft Brew Alliance’s senior manager of emerging business. Speaking to more than 130 beer industry professionals during Wednesday night’s Brew Talks meetup, held at Providence Park in Portland, Ore., Olson provided a glimpse into CBA’s new emerging business unit, which seeks to invest in and form “strategic partnerships” with small U.S. craft breweries.

Brewbound is pleased to announce that Michael Wright, the founder of The Commons Brewery, will join tomorrow’s Brew Talks PDX meetup to share his entrepreneurial lessons from building a small artisan craft brewery in one of the country’s most competitive beer markets. Wright, who launched The Commons Brewery out of his garage in 2010, will discuss his experience of patiently scaling The Commons Brewery, share his business philosophy and outlook on the continued growth of the craft segment.

We’re just 48 hours away from Brew Talks PDX, being held on Wednesday Aug. 19 at Providence Park in Portland, Ore., and it’s finally time to reveal this month’s featured speakers. Rogue Ales president Brett Joyce, Columbia Distributing president Mark Walen and Rob Maletis, the owner and president of Maletis Beverage, will join Brewbound assistant editor Dave Eisenberg in a conversation about the dynamic Portland beer scene. CBA’s senior manager of emerging business, Karmen Olson, will also discuss how the company approaches partnerships with smaller breweries.

After connecting with nearly 200 beer industry professionals at our Brew Talks CBC event earlier this year, we knew we had to get back to Portland, Ore. for another evening of business discussion and networking. That’s why we’re so excited to announce our return to the City of Roses on August 19 for round 2 of Brew Talks, this time hosted by Widmer Brothers Brewing at the home of the Portland Timbers -- Providence Park.