Brewbound Podcast

The Brewbound Podcast is an extension of Brewbound’s leading B2B beer industry reporting, featuring interviews with beer industry executives and entrepreneurs, along with highlights and commentary from the weekly news. New episodes are released every Thursday. Send comments and suggestions to podcast@brewbound.com.

From Blueberries to Boom Season: Baxter and Orono’s Maine Strategy 03/18/2026

From Blueberries to Boom Season: Baxter and Orono’s Maine Strategy Maine’s craft brewing industry has always punched above its weight despite being among the smallest in population. The state ranked second in breweries (14.3 per 100,000 21+ adults) and economic impact per capita, and third in gallons (9.8) per 21+ adult in 2024, according to Brewers Association data. That outsized impact along with the state’s robust tourism business gives Maine craft brewers a unique perspective on the industry’s ebbs and flows. The latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast features two of those voices – Baxter Brewing president Jenn Lever and Orono Brewing co-owner Abe Furth – in separate conversations recorded during the New England Brew Summit. Both are also Maine Brewers Guild leaders and board members. Up first, Lever explained what it’s like to navigate a business when seven months account for the lion’s share of volume. “We’re so proud to represent Maine year-round, but we also recognize the challenges that come when your population quadruples for less than half of the year,” she said. “You’ve gotta be ready to activate and react as quickly as possible to that summer season. “The people that come to Maine the first time, it’s never their last time.” Lever also touched on how Baxter’s mix shifts during the busy season, the loss of Canadian tourism amid strained international relations and why blueberry-flavored offerings have become big business for the company. Then, Furth discussed why guild participation remains important. He also shared why operating in a college town allows him to peer into the future and plan accordingly, and explained the importance of working through innovation plans with the brewery’s distributors to find products that fill real whitespace in their portfolios. Before the interview, Justin and Jess recap Tilray’s purchase of BrewDog’s U.S. assets and the future of the platform. They also look at some not great shipment numbers to start the year and some not-so-bad scans. /episode/index/show/brewbound/id/40531540

A Changing of the Guard at Oxbow 03/11/2026

42 North on Delivering a Total Guest Experience; Plus Tilray Acquires BrewDog’s UK Operations 03/05/2026

The Oregon Beverage Collective Finds Power in Numbers 02/25/2026

Reinventing Home Brewing: How Pinter Is Bringing Draft Beer Home 02/23/2026

A Supplier’s Guide to Middle-Tier Consolidation 02/18/2026

Long Drink Face & Brand Soul: CEO Evan Burns on Winning the US Market 02/11/2026

A Decade of Craft and Community: Inside the 10th Annual New England Craft Brew Summit 02/10/2026

Monday Night Brewing Founders on Knowing the Right Time to Make a Leadership Change 02/04/2026

Monday Night Brewing Founders on Knowing the Right Time to Make a Leadership Change Monday Night Brewing co-founder and CEO Jeff Heck had an Office Space moment a couple of years ago after returning from a three-month sabbatical in the South of France. “When I came back, I realized the company was generally doing great,” he said, adding he had a moment straight from the movie’s famous meeting-of-the-Bobs scene and asked himself: “What is it that you say you do here?” “If you can leave your job for three months and things are generally fine, it’s worth asking what would you do here,” Heck explained. “I’ve just never wanted to be the old guy who comes in with a newspaper and puts his feet up on the desk because he’s 80 years old and just wants to be at the office. I like working. And I like having something meaningful to do.” That moment spawned the beginning of a succession plan for the CEO role, which transferred to Monday Night co-founder Joel Iverson last month. On the latest Brewbound Podcast, Heck and Iverson shared that their eventual succession plan was a reflection of Monday Night leaders’ overarching cultural philosophy of working to make their jobs irrelevant and identifying the coworkers next in line to take the reins. “That’s true for everyone – from our general managers at each of our six locations to our production team – ‘Hey, if someone gets hit by a bus tomorrow, who is it that’s ready to step into your role?’” Heck said. “And the answer is not always clear, but if there’s not a clear answer, your job is to start working on that. “The reality is that we’ve never had a concrete, explicit plan for what transition looked like,” he continued. “But the core was how do we make sure we’re culturally and missionly aligned across our leadership team so that in the event that Joel, Jonathan and I all went down in a plane crash that there would still be torchbearers for what we want to be as a company and a brewery if we’re long gone.” Getting there took Monday Night 12 years, Heck and Iverson shared. In the episode, they discussed how they eventually arrived at a transition plan, the importance of the culture they’re built at the brewery and their vision for the future. Before the interview, Justin, Jess and Zoe discuss the latest bev-alc news, including the re-emergence of hard sodas, the Great American Beer Festival’s move outdoors and surprisingly positive scans to open the year. /episode/index/show/brewbound/id/39998320

Minneapolis’ Insight Brewing on Supporting a Community in Crisis 01/28/2026

How pFriem Family Brewers and New Trail Win the Home Games 01/21/2026

What the New Dietary Guidelines Mean for Bev-Alc 01/14/2026

The Year in Booze News 01/07/2026

Anderson Valley Brewing’s Jason McConnell on Taking the Reins of a Beloved Brand 12/30/2025

A Brewbound Live Recap, Plus Karl Strauss CEO Chris Cramer 12/17/2025

A SoCal Vibe Check with Pizza Port’s Jill Olesh 12/09/2025

The Lost Abbey’s Tomme Arthur on Turning Surviving Into Thriving and California's Real Estate Squeeze 12/03/2025

Smog City’s Laurie Porter on the Life in the Middle 11/26/2025

Smog City’s Laurie Porter on the Life in the Middle Smog City Brewing co-founder Laurie Porter is a prepper. Even during craft’s days of double-digit growth in the middle 2010s, Porter, who calls herself “an incurable optimist,” was eyeing a future when that growth wouldn’t be there. So Porter and her husband, Jonathan Porter, built Torrence, California-based Smog City with diversified revenue streams – distribution, exports to international markets, four taprooms with over-the-bar sales and an intentional cap on production around 10,000 barrels – that allow the company to shore up its business if things go sideways. “At our level, between the 5,000 and 12,000, 13,000 barrel, a lot of our revenue is built off the taproom, direct-to-consumer, which has a little bit higher profit margin, it helps us float that wholesale,” Porter says in the latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast, recorded on location at the California Craft Beer Summit. “So if wholesale is struggling or we’re seeing dips and changes in seasons and customer changes, we have a little bit more buffer.” Porter admits that Smog City has looked at what life would be like as a 15,000-barrel brewery but has been "apprehensive to break that” ceiling due to the loss of the ability to pivot, flex and manage costs. “When you hit 15,000 barrels, you are playing so deep in the chain world because it’s all about volume,” she explained. “Chain can be very fickle. It can be really difficult to maintain. A beer buyer changes and boom, you’re off the shelf. And that’s now, whatever, 450 barrels of beer for that one style of beer that you had committed to that grocery, and it’s gone. And you can’t just predict it.” In the interview, Porter discusses the pressures on LA locations, consumers heading back into taprooms, the impending closure of its Steelcraft Long Beach facility after a decade due to being unable to extend the lease and the launch of a new restaurant concept in December to replace it. Before the interview, Jess, Zoe and Justin cover the latest news, including the Siebel Institute of Technology’s planned exit from Chicago and move to Montreal; Athletic Brewing’s big 2025 and new products coming in 2026; and a Gen Z take on the rumored Anheuser-Busch InBev acquisition of BeatBox. /episode/index/show/brewbound/id/39173520

Lagunitas CEO Bernardo Spielmann on Green Shoots and Party Legends 11/19/2025

Lagunitas CEO Bernardo Spielmann on Green Shoots and Party Legends Nearly a year on the job, new-ish Lagunitas CEO Bernardo Spielmann is seeing opportunities for the legacy California craft beer brand. Those opportunities include expanding Lagunitas Hazy IPA from a draft-only release to package, building on the successful launch of 9% ABV Hazicus Maximus hazy IPA, which now boasts 20,000 points of distribution, and revamping the packaging for non-alcoholic hop water Hoppy Refresher. On the latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast, Spielmann shares that it’s also about listening to consumers, who demanded the return of seasonal Unrefined Shugga’, the 10% ABV strong ale that returned this year as a national play in bottles and club packs. Spielmann tells Brewbound managing editor Jess Infante that the goal is to see what resonates and respond quickly. “More and more as the craft segment matures, we’re going to have to be sharper per channel, per market, per SKU how you want to build your proposition,” he said. “There will be a rationalization and that’s the expected approach. We need to facilitate that for retailers but also our distributors. It’s also part of our strategy to be very sharp on how we launch or roll out innovations and the tradeoffs.” Spielmann also discusses the beer category’s need to bring back socializing and capture those occasions. He explains how Lagunitas is doing its part with its “Party Legend” brand activation, which celebrates consumers who are the life of the party. But first, Brewbound editor Justin Kendall and managing editor Jess Infante discuss the sudden closure of Rogue Ales & Spirits and why the shuttering of a top 50 craft brewery is jarring for the public and industry. They also dig into the rumored sale talks of party punch maker BeatBox to Anheuser-Busch InBev. Jess and Justin also share their experiences, including a visit to Tree House’s country club/golf course/taproom and the scuttlebutt from the California Craft Brewers Association’s Summit and the Iowa Craft Brewers Guild’s I-Best meeting. /episode/index/show/brewbound/id/39100170

Mark Anthony President David Barnett on White Claw's Consistency 11/12/2025

Mark Anthony President David Barnett on White Claw's Consistency Flavored malt beverages (FMBs) and hard seltzers have had a bright red 2025, but those declines haven’t fazed Mark Anthony Brands, which continues to find growth in the segments where others have faltered. In this episode of the Brewbound Podcast, Mark Anthony Brands president David Barnett details how the bev-alc company is “doing better than most” in today’s challenged marketplace. He spoke about the company’s highlights with Brewbound editor Justin Kendall, in a conversation recorded at the National Beer Wholesalers Association’s (NBWA’s) Annual Convention in Las Vegas. “We, in 2025, are the No. 2 dollar share gainer of all of beer,” Barnett said. “If you look at the top 30 beer brands in America, which represent 81% of the total beer industry, there’s only nine of them that are actually growing dollars, and we have three of the nine: White Claw, [Mike’s] Harder and Cayman Jack.” Barnett said the company doesn’t necessarily make business decisions based on overall segments trends or what’s happening in scans, but instead focuses on how to strengthen its own portfolio and lineup of brands. That includes White Claw Hard Seltzer, which now has 67% share of the hard seltzer segment, according to Barnett. Mark Anthony has been able to maintain a dominant share of hard seltzer, and even bring consumers back to White Claw who may have drifted away, due to “the quality of the product in the can,” he said. “And staying really consistent,” he added. “We’ve done some innovation over the years, some have worked, some haven’t, but we’ve got ourselves now in a really … simple focused portfolio strategy on White Claw.” Ahead of the conversation, Brewbound senior reporter Zoe Licata chats with BevNET managing editor Marty Caballero about the latest hemp news, and how an advancing spending bill could put a halt to the intoxicating hemp beverage industry. /episode/index/show/brewbound/id/39013340

High Rise Founder Matt Skinner’s National Ambitions for Intoxicating Hemp Beverage Brand 11/05/2025

Building Community & Knowledge: CCBA’s Kelsey McQuaid-Craig on the California Craft Beer Summit 11/03/2025

Lester Jones on Beer’s ‘Moneyball’ Play; Carbliss Founders on Their Under-the-Radar Heater 10/29/2025

Lester Jones on Beer’s ‘Moneyball’ Play; Carbliss Founders on Their Under-the-Radar Heater Bars, restaurants and social gathering spaces are beer’s “moneyball” opportunity, National Beer Wholesalers Association VP of analytics and chief economist Lester Jones shares during the latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast. Jones is the first of two interviews this week. Adam and Amanda Kroener, the founders of spirits-based cocktail brand Carbliss, also join this week’s podcast to share their slow approach to brand building and goal of becoming a national brand. First, Jones explains why the on-premise channel remains the key to unlocking wins for brewers. “We can go looking for home runs all day long, but at some point, you’ve got to have the base hitters,” Jones said. “You gotta have the guys when they step up to the plate, you’re gonna move the game forward.” While placements in off-premise chains such as Walmart, Kroger, HEB, 7-Eleven and others are analogous to home runs, getting a tap handle is a solid base hit on the way to scoring, and brewers shouldn’t lose sight of those singles. Jones also discusses why he believes craft beer’s funk is potentially ending, why the ethanol pie was cut too many ways, how beer is competing for dayparts and why beer needs to bring fun and socializing back. Then, the Kroeners discuss their methodical approach to brand building and why it has worked for the family-owned and run Midwestern-based canned cocktail brand. They also dish on Carbliss’ entry into warm weather markets such as Florida and being one of the most successful brands that people have never heard of. “The fun part is, when we come out to places like Vegas, if you’re not in the industry, you’ve never heard of us,” Adam says. “But at the same time, if you’re looking at the Circana or Nielsen data, we’re a top three, four, five brand in dollars. So it is a fun, cool thing to be this biggest thing that some people have never heard of.” Before the interviews, Justin, Jess and Zoe recap the latest industry news, including Brooklyn Brewery outsourcing sales to U.S. Beverage, BeatBox’s forthcoming Chillitas line, Surfside’s lawsuit against Anheuser-Busch InBev over Skimmers hard tea and George Clooney joining the non-alcoholic beer game. /episode/index/show/brewbound/id/38833220

Threes Brewing’s Josh Penney on the Lager Renaissance and Craft’s Resilience 10/22/2025

Wrapping Up 2025 GABF & NBWA Annual Convention; Plus, Rebecca Maisel Interview 10/15/2025

Innovation in Beer Distribution: NBWA’s Dave Christman on Tech, Data & The Future 10/10/2025

Tonya Cornett on Her Journey from the World's Largest Brewer to One of the Smallest 10/08/2025

How Surfside Will Ride The Wave This Fall 10/01/2025

AleSmith Turns 30 with Party Tricks, Espresso Martinis and Big Contract Volumes 09/24/2025

The Summer Scans Turned Unpretty 09/17/2025

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