Brewbound Live

The digital marketplace has become a vital part of many bev-alc brands’ marketing and connection to consumers, and has an impact on both digital and brick-and-mortar sales.

As craft beer enters a new uncharted era, leaders of established breweries shared how they keep decades-old flagship brands fresh and relevant for new generations of drinkers during the Brewbound Live business conference last month in Marina del Rey, California.

Amid a sea change of top positions within craft this year, leadership at Rhinegeist Brewery explored the transition at the top of the Cincinnati, Ohio-headquartered craft brewery at the 2023 Brewbound Live business conference in Marina del Rey, California.

New hard tea and hard lemonade brands continue to populate shelves, while the No. 1 hard tea brand continues to grow its share, despite being more than 20 years in the game.

Chief economists Bart Watson (Brewers Association) and Lester Jones (National Beer Wholesalers Association) spent much of the past couple years staving off fears of a recession and preaching about how beer is “economically resilient.”

The beer distributor route-to-market has served fourth category brands like BeatBox and Stateside Vodka’s Surfside hard tea and lemonade, but getting in front of the right buyers in the fast-changing category is still “messy.”

Convenience stores were a bright spot for the beer category in 2023, with dollar sales in the channel up +5.2% for the first 11 months of the year, according to market research firm Circana. To share insights on how suppliers can make inroads in the channel, Extra Mile Convenience Stores category manager for alcoholic beverages Michelle Abdollah and Bump Williams Consulting VP of analytics and insights Dave Williams shared the stage at Brewbound Live.

Ty Gilmore, president of Tilray Brands’ U.S. beer division, estimated that he receives around two to three calls a day from potential sellers looking to join the Canadian cannabis firm’s craft brewery platform.

The cider segment has long been dominated by a small sampling of national brands which shape the industry’s perception of the segment’s overall performance. But regional cider brands tell a different story; one of growth, product diversity and changing consumer perspectives.

With nearly 9,500 breweries operating in the U.S., the surest way to stand out is to have a strong and authentic brand identity.

Some leading brewers have found success by sprouting new branches on their brands’ families trees, and in some cases, those branches have outgrown elder sibling brands. To discuss how their companies have found success with offshoots, Constellation Brands’ Modelo brand family VP Greg Gallagher, Firestone Walker CMO Dustin Hinz and Sierra Nevada brand director Kyle Ingram took the stage at the Brewbound Live business conference in Santa Monica, California.

Compensation requirements, government checks and generational laziness have all been blamed for why many companies are struggling with staffing shortages and the “Great Resignation.” But above all, workplace culture is the biggest factor when it comes to hiring and retaining employees, Schilling Cider CEO Colin Schilling said during Brewbound Live last month in Santa Monica.

Forming a healthy relationship with a distributor is one of the most beneficial things a brewer can do to ensure long-term success. What do distributors expect from their supplier partners? How can both work together to achieve goals? Scout Distribution CEO and co-founder Jeff Hansson and Reyes Beer Division VP of craft and innovation Jessica Muskey shared insights and offered advice for suppliers during the Brewbound Live business conference in Santa Monica, California.

Danelle Kosmal, VP of research for the Beer Institute; Jon Berg, VP alcohol industry thought leadership at NielsenIQ; and Danny Brager from 3 Tier Beverages provided a reality check with context on the state of the beverage alcohol industry during the Brewbound Live business conference.