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Brewbound Podcast

Brewbound

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.

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Thursday · 1 hr 5 min
How Outlaw is Weaponizing Price, with CEO Ari Opsahl
You can't compete on price with big beer. That warning has echoed through the beer industry for several years. It's one that Outlaw Light Beer has ignored, going guns blazing with "shock-and-awe" prices of its light lager 12-packs. On the latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast, Outlaw CEO Ari Opsahl explains how the company makes the math work "screaming hot deals," such as a $2.30 12-pack ,and why Outlaw has chosen price disruption as a strategy. "It's not simply a low-priced strategy," he explained. "There's a lot of different things that go into it. No. 1 is … beer by design should be affordable. Unfortunately, most of the macro players that play in the domestic space have taken price on domestic beer and whether you're talking the premium category, the subpremium category, they've taken price to a point where you can easily, as a consumer, make a decision for the exact same price point over to a bottle of Tito's Vodka or even a good bottle of rum or even a good bottle of whiskey. "And when you start pushing consumers to make that decision, I think we're seeing that in the numbers. You look at macro beer performance and generally it's down." Opsahl explains why price promotion is more cost effective than traditional sampling to drive trial or forging pricey sports marketing partnerships. Before the interview, Brewbound's Justin Kendall and Jessica Infante hit the latest headlines, including Voodoo Ranger's 2027 playbook, Tilray's business streamlining, RationAle's goal to grow and sell and Jester King's search for investors or a buyer.
October 28 · 1 hr 1 min
Girl Beer's Ray Biebuyck on Bridging the Gaps and Winning in Hard Seltzer Sets
On the precipice of a massive rollout, Girl Beer founder Ray Biebuyck joined the Brewbound Podcast to discuss wholesaler selection, product placement, social-first marketing and the brand's first major sports partnership with the WNBA's Dallas Wings. The fruit-forward flavored lager has found that it's more at home among hard seltzers than the beer aisle, Biebuyck explained. Girl Beer targets legal-drinking-age (LDA) women drinkers, who are more often shopping for beyond beer products. "We find that getting that consumer over to beer, what it takes is placing directly in the set where they're going to," Biebuyck explained. Before the featured interview, the Brewbound team discusses recent beer industry headlines, including bev-alc's run at spooky season, Boston Beer's Q3 earnings results and Mark Anthony's forthcoming RefreshAde.
October 21 · 42 min
A Very Energized Cross-Over Product
In this era of cross-beverage convergence, anything is possible, even a beer-flavored energy drink. Nutrabolt SVP of marketing Emily Hoyle joined the Brewbound Podcast to discuss, All Hopped Up, the limited-edition offering from energy brand C4. Hoyle, a Pabst Brewing alumna, explained C4's strategy behind the citrusy, beer-flavored, non-alc beverage, which the company designed to be "really accessible to a lot of different people." Before the interview, the Brewbound team discusses Stone Brewing founders Greg Koch and Steve Wagner's plans for their former brewery's former flagship location in Escondido, California; hard sports drinks' potential 2027 ceiling, according to Circana; and final takeaways from the National Beer Wholesalers Association's Annual Convention.
October 14 · 49 min
Why Stadium Partnerships can be the 'Ultimate Sampling Weapon' with Two Robbers' Vivek and Vikram Nayar
Two Robbers Spirits Co.'s partnership with the Philadelphia Eagles is helping the 7-year-old company fly. On the latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast, Two Robbers founders Vivek and Vikram Nayar share how partnerships with Philadelphia pro sports teams have helped raise their local profile and increase rate of sale in off-premise retailers. "It's sort of like the ultimate sampling weapon being able to sell in the stadium," Vivek said. "People talk about how valuable sampling is, but it's even more valuable if someone pays for your product to try it and enjoys it that way." Two Robbers is entering Year 2 of its sponsorship with the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles, a deal that allows them to leverage the Eagles' marks on packaging. The Nayars are planning to open up their portfolio playbook this year, introducing single-serve cans featuring the Eagles' logo exclusive to on-premise retailers starting this month. Vivek and Vikram go deep on their long-term vision for sports partnerships and explain how the company's pivot from hard seltzer to spirits-based cocktails future proofed the business. They also explain why they believe there's room for multiple brands to compete in the category, even in a ready-to-drink stronghold such as Philadelphia. Before the interview, the Brewbound team catches up on their travels, with road reports from the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) Annual Convention and the Great American Beer Festival (GABF). Brewbound editor Justin Kendall, managing editor Jessica Infante and senior reporter Zoe Licata offer takeaways from the first day of the NBWA's biggest meeting of the year, including a strong push for franchise law protections and more ironclad contracts with producers, along with the conspicuous lack of hemp talk on the first day. Plus, Jessica shares her firsthand experience at the revamped GABF, including what worked for the outdoor festival, what didn't and what we're hearing might be next. The team also covers the big deal of the last week: Constellation Brands' acquisition of SpikedAde for $75 million, with a five-year performance-based earnout that could add $278 million to the sale price. They explain why Constellation dipping its toe into M&A is the bigger story even as hard sports drinks dominate headlines.
October 7 · 47 min
How a Tech Firm is Trying to Make ABP Season Not Feel like Groundhog Day
As far as we know, Bill Murray has never worked for a brewer or a distributor, but employees of both have probably identified with Phil Connors, the character he played in Groundhog Day who was forced to relive the same day over and over. Tech firm Groundhog thinks it has eliminated the recurring sameness of the annual business plan (ABP) process with collaborative software that ensures brewers and distributors are aligned and able to follow through on objectives. On the latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast, founders Chris Russell and Eric Rabinovitz share the pain points they're trying to solve and how they plan to streamline the process to avoid that Groundhog Day feeling when brands and distributors meet months later. Before the interview, Brewbound's Justin Kendall and Jessica Infante recap the latest news, including Diageo's plans to shutter the Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Baltimore, Mars backing away from its BuzzBallz collab, the end of the FTC's price discrimination probe into Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits and Deschutes' entry into hard sports drinks.
September 30 · 43 min
Stateside's Matt Quigley on Super Lyte Summer as Hard Sports Drinks Explode
How do you balance two brands that are runaway successes? Stateside Brands president Matthew Quigley explained on the latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast how the maker of vodka iced tea brand Surfside is juggling the addition of Super Lyte, a non-carbonated hard sports drink (vodka + ade). From a marketing perspective, Stateside has created dedicated teams for each brand, he explained. On the sales side, the company has built a national accounts team and stable of state managers who, after two years, finally have the bandwidth to take on another brand. The result is another brand in Super Lyte that is being dubbed the drink of the summer, while Surfside is on pace to sell 13 million cases this year, Quigley shared. Meanwhile, Super Lyte is expected to sell four million cases by year's end, making it the largest spirits-based ready-to-drink (RTD) launch of all time, he added. "It shot the lights out in our core in Pennsylvania, Jersey, New York," he said. "It just went gangbusters and it's still doing incredibly, incredibly well." Stateside is now pushing Super Lyte into 40-plus states to gain a "first-mover advantage" with a host of new challenger brands entering the hard sports drink segment, Quigley said. The target now is for both brands to cross the 25-million-case threshold. "If they both get over 25 million cases, which is like High Noon's highwater mark, I'm a happy guy," Quigley said. "I think I've done my job. Time will tell." Ahead of the interview, Brewbound's Jessica Infante and Zoe Licata breakdown the the latest headlines, including: Samuel Adams front of house workers' successful unionization effort; Mark Anthony's termination of Coors Distributing in the Denver metro; The end of Stateside's lawsuit against Anheuser-Busch InBev over its Skimmers brand. The duo also tackles the NFL's crackdown on player celebrations pantomiming drinking a beer (or juice).
September 23 · 55 min
Inside the Intoxicating Hemp Beverage Business as Federal Ban Nears
Intoxicating hemp beverages as they appear now may vanish from the market in mid-December. A looming federal ban was delayed a month, but the industry hasn't slowed down amid the existential threat. BevNET and Nosh senior reporter Lukas Southard joins the Brewbound Podcast to give a pulse check on the market, alternatives that may be in play if a ban goes into effect and why some states may ignore the ban altogether. "When people are being realistic … most of them concede that the December 12th deadline will pass without regulatory being in place," Southard said. "And that brands and stakeholders in this industry are gonna need to at least bide their time into 2027 until some type of regulatory framework is put into place." Before the interview, the Brewbound team discusses the latest news, including C4's beer-flavored energy drink; Kroger pulling Red Bull from shelves, Tilray's positioning of BrewDog as an Ohio craft beer brand and the Shock Top-Spirit Halloween candy corn beer collab.
September 16 · 26 min
A Black Rose, a Big Money Resolution and Bleak Scans
On the latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast, the team analyzes the tectonic shifts in the bev-alc market in the last week, including: Constellation Brands giving Coors Distributing Company the proverbial black rose, with plans to terminate their relationship in the next 30 days, and the odds of its portfolio heading to the Reyes Beverage Group, which entered Colorado earlier this year; Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits paying $12.5 million to resolve a federal probe into bribes given to retail chain grocery buyers; Underwhelming Labor Day off-premise scans; A major equipment manufacturer shuttering its brewing division; And more industry upheaval. Brewbound's Justin Kendall, Jessica Infante and Zoe Licata also ponder the creation of the Two-Zie, a double koozie from mid-strength beer maker Dad Strength.
September 9 · 46 min
Von Ebert's Dashawn Agbonze on Failing in Safe Spaces and the Importance of Brewing Education
Von Ebert Brewing brewer Dashawn Agbonze sees himself as the "fun police" – a badge he wears proudly, much like the German brewers that he admires. "I'm always like, 'Why are we doing this?'" Agbonze said on the latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast. "Ultimately, like the Germans, I don't believe in magic. I need an explanation. Let's talk it out. Part of that is, let's train people so that everyone can see the same vision and we have the same goal because we know exactly how to get there." Agbonze, a two-time Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing and Distilling (MJF) scholarship awardee, shares his journey climbing the ranks of the brewing industry and why he believes education is critical for up-and-coming brewers. "The education is important because it enables you to be in a controlled space to fail," he explained. "You're not putting a business on the line. You don't have employees with families that you have to risk in order to learn that 'Hey, a clean tank would make the beer that you want,' or 'Hey, contamination via your canning line can happen,' or how to solve these problems in a safe space." Failures in a learning environment become key lessons in training the next generation of brewers, Agbonze shares. Before the interview, the Brewbound team discusses the latest news, including a major departure from Whole Foods' bev-alc team, an update on Pabst's stolen beer, the Beer Institute's latest beer supply data and FIFCO USA's new owner and new/old name. Brewbound managing editor Jessica Infante also shares highlights from her trip to Asheville for the annual business planning meetings at Highland Brewing and Sierra Nevada.
September 2 · 28 min
Hard Sports Drinks, Industry Layoffs and Pabst's Stolen Beer
The summer selling season wraps up this weekend with Labor Day Monday, and one of the hottest segments of the summer has been hard sports drinks. Brewbound editor Justin Kendall and senior reporter Zoe Licata dive into the fast-growing segment and how their views have shifted on it over the last year. They look at who is leading the segment now and new entrants looking to fast-follow, including Boston Beer Company. The duo also recap several rounds of layoffs, including Sapporo USA's wind-down of the Stone Brewing-branded locations in Escondido, California; Mark Anthony's integration of the Finnish Long Drink and coming sales team cuts; and Diageo's ongoing $1.2 billion restructuring effort hitting its NYC headquarters. Plus, Justin and Zoe discuss low-ABV beers (and Justin cracks Sierra Nevada's new Go-Two IPA) and Pabst's viral stolen beer marketing campaign.
August 26 · 1 hr 6 min
Dave Infante on Diageo's Cuts, Garage Beer's Data Center Cooling Plan and BuzzBallz and Pop-Tarts' Boozy Collab
Fingers boozeletter author Dave Infante joins the Brewbound Podcast to deep dive Diageo's ongoing restructuring and workforce slashing under CEO Sir Dave Lewis (aka "Drastic Dave" for his reputation for making big cuts at previous stops). Infante shares insights from his reporting and conversations with Diageo employees, many of whom wondered why the Guinness and Johnnie Walker maker was so slow to adapt to the modern bev-alc competitive landscape. "The frustration that I heard from current and former Diageo employees was mostly about why weren't we doing this before we had to start laying everyone off," Infante tells Brewbound editor Justin Kendall and managing editor Jessica Infante (no relation). "You don't have to get to this point before you start pivoting to RTDs." The trio also hit recent headlines, including Garage Beer and Liquid Death tapping into the real world animosity around data centers and BuzzBallz's recent Pop-Tarts partnership. Jessica offered a theory on the BuzzBallz-Pop-Tarts team up: "Kids aren't eating Pop-Tarts. You know who's eating Pop-Tarts? Sad, elder millennials who can't afford anything else and want a tiny treat. The moms who would be out marching on the capitol up in arms against this aren't feeding that to their kids." "They're the ones who are intrigued by the BuzzBallz Pop-Tarts that they saw on Instagram," Dave adds. "That's definitely going into their Stanley tumblers," Jess says.
August 19 · 29 min
Do We Need Another NA Version of a Legacy Beer Brand?
Does every beer need a non-alcoholic (NA) analog? The Brewbound team discusses on the latest episode of the Brewbound Podcast. As Molson Coors prepares to launch an NA version of Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy, Brewbound editor Justin Kendall questions whether the product is trend chasing or if consumers are clamoring for it. Managing editor Jessica Infante gets White Claw Zero flashbacks, while senior reporter Zoe Licata offers a different perspective after exploring NA ciders. The trio also analyze recent headlines, including: Samuel Adams taproom workers' plans to unionize and Boston Beer's response, so far; And B3 Beverage's "complicated" partnerships, with a deal for Yards Brewing going forward and others falling through.
August 12 · 42 min
The Beer Industry's New Era of Competition
The decade-long consent decree that allowed Anheuser-Busch InBev's (A-B) MegaBrew merger with SABMiller to go forward expired in July, removing guardrails that had been placed on the world's largest beer manufacturer by the Department of Justice to ensure competition in the marketplace. Chris Jones, managing director of Central Market Strategies, joins this week's Brewbound Podcast to explore what competition looks like in a post-consent decree beer industry. Jones argues the consent decree did its job, creating a competitive environment that allowed new brands over the last decade such as Athletic Brewing, Mark Anthony Brands' White Claw and Boston Beer's Truly Hard Seltzer to become category leaders in non-alcoholic (NA) beer and hard seltzer, respectively, while also preventing A-B "from using its massive size as the world's largest brewer to disrupt the market." WIth the consent decree's guardrails down, including the removal of an independent monitor who maintained compliance by handling claims of interference and coercion, there now exists "a lot more risk in the system of this market power and abuses of market power that could result from the size and scale of the largest brewer," Jones said. Going forward, it will be important to track national market share in an already "highly concentrated market" and middle-tier consolidation in the years ahead, he added. Listen to the full conversation with Brewbound managing editor Jessica Infante here. Before the conversation, Brewbound editor Justin Kendall and senior reporter Zoe Licata join Jess to run through the latest news, including Lawson's Finest Liquids' first NA beer, what distributors say is on their cut lists, a distributor territory swap in the Northeast and "warm beer takes" on the latest NFL beer marketing.
August 5 · 37 min
CEO Michelle Ivey Dives Into Lake Hour's Strategy
How can a new brand make a splash in the increasingly crowded ready-to-drink waters? A winning combination of differentiated flavors, artistic packaging and a willingness to work the market day in and day out. That's what has been working for Lake Hour, according to CEO Michelle Ivey, this week's featured guest. RTD canned cocktail brand Lake Hour launched three years ago amid the segment's meteoric rise. Its co-founders – actor Wyatt Russell and film producer Rich Peete – had no prior beverage experience, and tapped Ivey, an industry vet, as CEO in late 2025. "Once I tried it, I realized it was one of those, 'actually' brands that when you take a sip, you're like 'Wow, actually, this is great. This tastes so good,'" Ivey said. "And so, I was so impressed with what they did and what they built two years in as startup founders that have had no experience in the industry." Before the interview, the Brewbound team discusses recent headlines, including a proposed reprieve for intoxicating hemp beverages, how many retailers sold out of various bev-alc products during the World Cup and how Anheuser-Busch InBev views itself relative to spirits giants.
July 29 · 23 min
RNDC's Unpaid Tab, Craft's Mid-Year Number and Boston Beer's Rally Dog
Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC) is leaving a big unpaid tab. The distributor filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week, with liabilities between $1 billion and $10 billion, and more than 100,000 creditors. In this episode of the Brewbound Podcast, Brewbound editor Justin Kendall and senior reporter Zoe Licata dive into the bankruptcy filing, as well as the fallout, with many suppliers left wondering if they'll ever get paid back. Justin and Zoe also catch up on the other big headlines, including the Brewers Association's (BA) 2026 mid-year report, with projected craft volume declines of 4%. They discuss why the news isn't all bad – with a majority of respondents reporting growth – and why it's not all good. The conversation shifts to Boston Beer's second-quarter results and Sun Cruiser's growing importance to the company's bottomline. They also explore Boston's growing fast-follower innovation strategy, including Rally Dog, a potential hard sports drink challenger brand. Plus, they touch on if beer companies might be walking back their opposition to the spirits industry's equalization efforts. Finally, seasonal creep is here and real as pumpkin beers are already popping up on store shelves. It's a quick, fun recap of the latest news. Listen here.
July 22 · 55 min
The Magic of Airport Beers with Experience Threee's Liz Einhorn
The pre-flight beer ranks high on many people's lists of simple pleasures, but what does it take for that beer to end up in a pint glass? Experience Threee founder Liz Einhorn joins this week's episode of the Brewbound Podcast to discuss the complexities of beer service in airport concessions. She shares the pros and cons of brewery-branded airport taprooms and what it takes to secure (and keep) a draft line in a busy airport bar. Before the interview, Justin and Jess break down the latest beer industry headlines, including a lawsuit between Ballast Point's owners over allegedly ill-gotten business loans, new leadership at the National Black Brewers Association and James Watt's second attempt to buy back BrewDog.
July 15 · 40 min
Best Day's Tate Huffard on Fitting Into Non-Alc Beer's 'Belonging' Phase
Best Day Brewing founder and CEO Tate Huffard believes the modern non-alcoholic (NA) beer movement is now in its second wave – one characterized by "belonging." "What we see now is that non-alcoholic beer belongs on menus, it belongs in beer sets," Huffard said on the latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast. Best Day was made for NA beer's second wave in which coolers on boats in the summer are stocked with NA and alcoholic beer and fridges at parties also include both options, Huffard said. "All of these beer occasions warrant a great non-alcoholic beer and yet part of the magic is unpacking and uncovering these new occasions that deserve a beer," Huffard said. "Case in point for me is a lunch beer." The first wave – driven by the rise of Athletic Brewing Company – helped normalize NA beer and remove the penalty box elements of old-school offerings, Huffard explained. "I give those guys an incredible amount of praise for creating an environment where people could participate in the category and it wasn't weird," he said. "And the concept of non-alcoholic craft beer was born in that first wave." The second wave is about growing the pie, expanding grocery baskets and taking NA beer's share upward from 2% to 10% and beyond, Huffard said. In the episode, Huffard discusses Best Day's 30% distribution growth this year and retail expansion, finding luck in craft brewery taprooms, navigating the disruption caused by the launch of Anheuser-Busch InBev's Michelob Ultra Zero and much more. But first, the Brewbound team also catches up on the latest news, including July 4 scans, exec moves at New Belgium and a Jersey banner plane and patio tent update.
July 8 · 26 min
Pour One Out For Deschutes' Kirkland Helles; Plus, World Cup, July 4 and Jersey Shore Chatter
Can a letter writing campaign save Deschutes' co-branded Kirkland Signature Helles, the same way Jess saved her childhood zoo? The Brewbound team and weekend newsletter writer Sean McNulty discuss the end of the cult favorite lager on the latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast, including an outpouring of somber reactions to the news. Justin recaps his conversation with Deschutes CEO Peter Skrbek and why he's not sweating the decision as the company's portfolio is growing. But could a public show of support from Costco members flip the decision? Jess shares that it worked for her hometown zoo. The team also shares their personal July 4 experiences, including a view from the Jersey Shore, and the mixed results by channel for the World Cup and surge of imported beer. Zoe also explains why quality is a default expectation for consumers now, and shouldn't be a marketing talking point in 2026.
July 1 · 29 min
Shootin' the Breeze Ahead of the Fourth
On the latest Brewbound Podcast episode, the Brewbound team catches up on how Independence Day is stacking up as a heat wave sets in for much of the country. Hot Topics: U.K. beer prices vs. the U.S., and other across-the-pond observations from Zoe's trip to London; Jersey Shore banner plane ads, which have been heavily skewed toward 1 brand, according to Jess' on-the-ground reporting; July 4 beer promos, such as a meat-and-beer deal spotted in IA by Justin; And other quick hits, including Allagash's new Maine-centric ad campaign, the impact of the World Cup on beer and why now is the time for hot RTD brands to explore a sale.
June 25 · 34 min
Kilts, Bagpipes and Lots of Lagers – How Hendler Family Brewing Welcomed World Cup Fans
Mass Appeal Draught House and Grille opened on the eve of the kick-off of FIFA World Cup 2026 at its neighbor, Gillette Stadium. Hendler Family Brewing co-founder and CEO Sam Hendler joined the Brewbound Podcast to discuss how the multi-branded taproom handled an influx of guests, what Scottish fans prefer to drink (Jack's Abby House Lager) – and what they're not drinking. "The majority of the audience who's been down there on game day has been the international fan base, and House Lager has been consistently the No. 1 seller, and it's not particularly close," Hendler said. "We're selling 6 or 7x the House Lager than we are of the top-selling IPA in that taproom right now." Hendler shared insights into the World Cup-driven boost at the company's Night Shift taprooms and beer gardens and how they prepared their brands (Jack's Abby, Wormtown, Masshole Light and Sloop) to stand out in the trade during this high visibility time. In the Boston area, hosting the World Cup and thousands of spectators who have come to support their teams has been a boon for the hospitality industry, particularly beer distributors and breweries. "On the ground, the atmosphere has been fantastic. People have been showing up, people are having a great time, and they're drinking a lot of beer as it goes on," Hendler said. "There's been so much talk in beer about winning occasions that are beyond what the beer occasion has always been, and the industry still obviously needs work to do on that, because the World Cup, unfortunately, won't last for 365 days a year forever. But it's clear that beer is a winner for this occasion, and it's been absolutely fantastic." Before the interview, Justin and Zoe discuss the results of the Brewers Association's annual Harris Poll of consumers' views on craft beer, recent developments in the ongoing collapse of Republic National Distributing Company and a first impression of Keystone Light Apple.

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