To close out the Brew Talks West Coast Tour last week, a panel of publicans in the San Diego area discussed the myriad challenges of building relationships with both brewing partners and customers. Sitting on the panel held at Stone Brewing Co.’s Liberty Station restaurant was Scott Slater, founder of Slater’s 50/50, Scot Blair, founder of Hamilton’s Tavern, and Tom Nickel, owner of O’Brien’s Pub.

During the final stop of last week’s Brew Talks West Coast Tour, Brewbound had the opportunity to examine a variety of beer industry trends with Lost Abbey partner Tomme Arthur. Among other top-of-mind issues, Arthur tackled quality concerns, rotating tap handles, and franchise laws.

Craft brewers talk a fair amount about building a footprint in a chain account. But at least one chain account, 167-store Fresh & Easy, is much more focused on keeping its craft beer selections as local as possible, rather than looking for chainwide one-size-fits-all offerings. That perspective, which takes its cue from new CEO Jim... Read more »

During the second stop of this week’s Brew Talks West Coast Tour, Tom McCormick, the executive director of the California Craft Brewers Association, provided an update on raft of legislative issues that, if passed, will impact the way small brewers operate. In a moderated discussion at Sudwerk Brewing in Davis, Calif., Brewbound editor Chris Furnari... Read more »

It’s no secret that Oregonians have quite the affinity for locally produced craft beer. Of the 1.4 million barrels of beer the state’s brewers produced last year, 500,000 were sold to Beaver State drinkers alone. During the first stop of the Brew Talks West Coast Tour, which was held at Portland’s Breakside Brewery on Monday,... Read more »

You already know the numbers: Nationally, there are more than 3,000 craft breweries and in California, more than 450 beer companies are fighting to earn retailer attention. And with an abundance of high-quality brews to choose from, craft-savvy grocery chains are beginning to refine their sets, dedicating space to the most profitable and highest velocity... Read more »

Brewbound.com is pleased to announce live video streaming of its Brew Talks West Coast Tour, a traveling meetup series for beer industry professionals. The first stop during the week-long tour will take place on Monday, July 14 at Breakside Brewing’s production facility in Milwaukie, Ore.. The live broadcast will take begin at 5:30 P.M. PST and... Read more »

Brewbound will travel to Sacramento next Tuesday, July 15, to host Brew Talks, an educational and networking meetup for beer industry professionals. The event, which will be hosted at Sudwerk Brewing Co., will feature two panel discussions on the business of craft beer. Brewbound editor Chris Furnari will sit down with Tom McCormick, the executive director of the California Craft Brewers Association (CCBA).

Brewbound today announced the first stop during its weeklong Brew Talks West Coast Tour, which will kick off on Monday, July 14 at Breakside Brewery’s Milwaukie production facility, located just 15 minutes from downtown Portland, Ore. During the event, Craft Brew Alliance CEO Andy Thomas and Brewbound editor Chris Furnari will examine a variety of... Read more »

The Brew Talks West Coast Tour will make its first stop at Breakside Brewing’s production brewery, located at 5821 SE International Way in Milwaukie, Ore. Brew Talks will also be held at Sudwerk Brewing in Davis, Calif. on Tuesday, July 15, and Angel City Brewery in Los Angeles on Wednesday, July 16. A fourth stop at Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens at Liberty Station is scheduled for Thursday, July 17.

The Brewbound crew will once again be hitting the road this summer, taking its Brew Talks traveling meetup series to the West Coast for a weeklong tour that will make stops in Portland, Ore., Los Angeles and San Diego. At each location, Brewbound editor Chris Furnari will moderate discussions on the business of craft beer with well-known brewers and distributors.

Brew Talks San Diego will be hosted by: Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens (LIBERTY STATION) Agenda (All times are PST): 5:00 PM — 5:30 PM: Welcome beers and networking 5:30 PM — 6:00 PM: Tomme’s Take: Tomme Arthur, Partner, The Lost Abbey 6:00 PM — 6:15 PM: Beer Break 6:15 PM — 6:45 PM: On-Premise Retail Panel... Read more »

Brew Talks Los Angeles will be hosted by: Angel City Brewery and Public House 216 South Alameda St., Los Angeles, CA View Larger Map Agenda (All times are PST): 5:00 PM — 5:30 PM: Welcome beers and networking 5:30 PM — 6:00 PM: The Environment for Craft in LA: Nick Anderson, Sales & Marketing, Angel City Brewery;... Read more »

Brew Talks Sacramento will be hosted by: Sudwerk Brewing Co. 2001 2nd St., Davis, CA View Larger Map Attendees can park in the restaurant parking lot and enter through the front of the restaurant. The banquet room is located in back of the restaurant. Agenda (All times are PST): 5:00 PM — 5:30 PM: Welcome beers... Read more »

Brew Talks Portland will be hosted by: Breakside Brewery 5821 Southeast International Way, Milwaukie, OR 97222 View Larger Map Agenda (All times are PST): 5:00 PM — 5:30 PM: Welcome beers and networking 5:30 PM — 6:00 PM: Exploring Beervana – Scott Lawrence, Founder, Breakside Brewery; Mike Gorman, President, Rev. Nat’s Hard Cider; Brady Walen, Brand Manager, Widmer Brothers... Read more »