We at BevNET — the parent company of Brewbound — owe an apology to our podcast listeners, readers, and members of the community we serve. The intent of the Brewbound podcast is to engage in discussion and illumination of various aspects of the unfolding craft beer story. What our hosts said about influencers in that episode was inappropriate and offensive to our listeners and community, as well as the people who were mentioned by our hosts by name.
The beer industry, and our coverage and support for that industry, has prospered and grown from the contributions of women brewers, women connoisseurs, and women beer drinkers. Our hosts’ attitude failed to convey our respect, as an organization, for these contributions.
We apologize sincerely and with heavy hearts. As an organization, we are hurting and embarrassed, and are reflecting on our values and processes to see that we are ensuring that everything we do respects and represents them.
We are putting the Brewbound Podcast on hiatus immediately as we evaluate the future of the program as well as make adjustments to our production process to ensure that nothing like this happens again.
We will also be editing out the offensive “banter” portion of Brewbound Podcast episode #44 from our podcast site, leaving only the main interview, which we believe reflects the values and intention for which the Brewbound Podcast is intended: as a fair, respectful and inclusive resource for the industry.
Our inbox and ears are open to hear the thoughts of our listeners, our readers, beer industry influencers, and other members of the community. We would like to hear from you at feedback@brewbound.com
Sincerely,
John Craven, Founder & CEO, BevNET.com, Inc.
Jeff Klineman, Editor-in-Chief, BevNET.com, Inc.