124: Taking on Big Beer With Outlaw Light CEO Ari Opsahl
transcript
show notes
What does it take to challenge the giants of domestic light beer?
In this episode of Business of Drinks, we talk with Ari Opsahl, CEO of Tivoli Brewing and Outlaw Light, about building a new light beer brand in one of the most entrenched categories in beverage alcohol.
Outlaw Light is taking aim at the biggest names in beer — Bud Light, Coors Light, Busch Light, Natty Light — with a strategy that runs counter to much of the industry’s premiumization playbook. Instead of asking consumers to trade up, Ari argues that light beer needed to get back to what made the category powerful in the first place: affordability, drinkability, and mass appeal.
That pricing story is at the center of Outlaw’s David-and-Goliath strategy. While the macro brewers have continued to raise prices, Ari saw an opening for a brand that could deliver a quality light beer at a price that felt fair to consumers. But as he explains, competing with big beer is not just about liquid or price. It means taking on decades of distributor relationships, chain-store influence, stadium sponsorships, planogram control, and what he calls the “golden handcuffs” that protect incumbent brands.
Ari also gets into the unglamorous realities of scaling fast. In just a few years, Outlaw has grown from a Colorado launch to more than 1 million case equivalents annually, with ambitions to reach roughly 3 million cases in 2026. But getting there means executing across chain resets, distributor alignment, pricing, scanning, floor displays, sampling, and field sales — the operational details that often determine whether a brand actually wins at retail.
We discuss:
• Why affordability can be a disruptive strategy in a category dominated by legacy brands
• How Outlaw Light is trying to win without a Super Bowl-sized marketing budget
• Why distributor “golden handcuffs” make challenging big beer so difficult
• How chain placements only matter if the brand can execute at store level
• Why Outlaw invested in field sales and sampling while many brands pulled back
• Why persistence — hearing “no” again and again — may be the most important founder skill of all
For anyone building, scaling, or trying to disrupt a legacy drinks category, this episode is a sharp look at how a smaller brand can find an opening against giants — and what it really takes to turn that opening into growth.
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Erica Duecy, co-host: Erica Duecy is founder and co-host of Business of Drinks and one of the drinks industry’s most accomplished digital and content strategists. She runs the consultancy and advisory arm of Business of Drinks and has built publishing and marketing programs for Drizly, VinePair, SevenFifty, and other hospitality and drinks tech companies.
Scott Rosenbaum, co-host: Scott Rosenbaum is co-host of Business of Drinks and a veteran strategist and analyst with deep experience building drinks portfolios. Most recently, he was the Portfolio Development Director at Distill Ventures. Prior to that, he was the Vice President of T. Edward Wines & Spirits, a New York-based importer and distributor.
Caroline Lamb, contributor: Caroline is a producer and on-air contributor at Business of Drinks and a key account sales and marketing specialist at AHD Vintners, a Michigan-based importer and distributor.
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