Leaders from Dogfish Head, Buffalo Wild Wings and Tamarron Consulting will explore national draft trends and the opportunities during Brewbound’s Brew Talks meetup in Denver on Thursday, September 21.
Brew Talks will take place from noon to 3 p.m. MT at Cervantes Masterpiece (2637 Welton St., Denver, CO, 80205) prior to the start of the first session of the Great American Beer Festival. Tickets are available now, and include two beer tickets and light appetizers.
On-premise draft has historically been an important piece of business for craft brewers, accounting for 30% of distributed draft and serving as a brand building theater. However, draft has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, Brewers Association chief economist Bart Watson shared during the trade group’s midyear survey. Watson estimated that 2023 distributed draft volume is 2 million barrels below historic trends.
Through the halfway point of 2023, distributed draft volumes are stalled at the same level of 2021, down around -30% year-over-year. Changing consumer habits, shorter operating hours and increased to-go business and at-the-brewery sales have all contributed to the declines.
Dogfish Head co-founder Sam Calagione, Buffalo Wild Wings director of beverage strategy and innovation Jason Murphy and Tamarron Consulting co-founder and president Lori Scheiffler will come together to offer insights on the trends, potential solutions to bringing draft back and the long-term potential impacts if current trends hold.
Additional conversations will be shared in the coming weeks. Speakers include Hops & Pie owner and chief beer buyer Drew Watson, Ska Brewing president and co-founder David Thibodeau and Colorado Brewers Guild executive director Shawnee Adelson. More speakers will be announced soon.
A portion of the proceeds will go to the Colorado Brewers Guild. Tickets cost $29 for brewery workers, wholesalers, retailers and trade group employees and include two beers and light appetizers. Tickets for suppliers and service providers cost $199.
Brew Talks is presented by Dogfish Head. Supporting sponsors include the Reyes Beer Division, Encompass, and The E-Premise Group. Supplier and service companies interested in sponsoring Brew Talks should reach out to Bryce McDonald at bmcdonald@bevnet.com.
About Brewbound
Published by BevNET.com Inc., Brewbound is a leading multi-media industry trade publication providing comprehensive information about the beer space, analysis of industry trends and in-depth interviews with industry leaders. In addition to providing daily news coverage, Brewbound gathers entrepreneurs and executives to exchange ideas, discuss the state of the industry and share strategies for succeeding in beverage alcohol via a series of nationwide meetups, multi-day business conferences, live-streamed shows and podcasts.
About Brew Talks
Since hosting our first event in the basement of a Boston craft beer bar in 2013, Brewbound’s Brew Talks meetup series has developed into a multi-city tour in which beer industry professionals gather at well-known industry events to share business insights. The program provides members of the beer community with an opportunity to come together for in-depth discussions on the business of beer and beyond. Brew Talks is also broadcast globally via a free live-stream.