The American three-tier distribution system can be a bit of a confusing beast to comprehend, with different rules in each state and more variances than any individual human could ever remember. Good friend of the show Kevin Abbott of Barrel of Monks in Boca Raton, FL joined Cee for a deep dive into the three-tier system and how it works, why they decided to close Odd Breed Wild Ales, why so many breweries are closing in Florida, why it's so tough to make money in the beer industry, how distributors split up territories and why their contracts are for life in Florida, how to select the best retailers and licensees for your brand, and why making great beer just isn't enough. They got into two boozy gems from Barrel of Monks - Trip Sitter Barrel-Aged Barleywine (from their 7th anniversary) and Parade of Souls Imperial Stout. This was packed with jewels - enjoy!

 

BAOS Podcast

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One of our most watched videos on YouTube is about the life of a craft beer sales rep, and strangely it's something we've never explored at length on the podcast before. Micah Overton of Lilypad, a "CRM crafted for beverage suppliers and distributors to stay organized and sell more liquid", joins Cee to talk about a day in the life of a beer sales rep, the difference between self-distributing and having distributor partners, how a sales rep decides where to go every day, how to approach current or potential clients, his experience with wholesalers, the pros and cons of the 3-tier system, some fun stories from his days as a sales rep, and why and how technology can help beer sales teams do their job. Micah provided some killer Florida brews for the session - BarrieHaus Beer Co. Bublina Czech-style Pilsner, Angry Chair Vodnik Czech-inspired Pilsner, Coppertail Hop Quest Cold IPA, and Hidden Springs Ale Works A Hot Dog Is Most Definitely A Sandwich. This was fascinating - cheers!

 

BAOS Podcast

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Ayr, Ontario is an unlikely town to find some of the best beer and spirits in the province, but the lords at Willibald have been taking care of the community for years now. Cam and Gordo joined Cee and Nate to catch up on what's been happening with them for the last two years, why they chose their Hell Lager as their flagship and the thinking behind the move into 12-packs, the importance of travel for inspiration, the LCBO strike and their thoughts on it, the optimal time frame to drink their IPAs, the popularity of their seltzers, why Copenhagen is one of the best cities in the world for beer and coffee, and their love for barleywines. The fellas got into some killer brews: Hell Helles Lager, Lazer Land Pale Ale, City Slicker IPA, Ill Gotten Gains Double IPA, and Vesterboro Barleywine with Prolog Coffee. This was a gem - cheers!

BAOS Podcast

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One of the most important aspects of marketing in craft beer in recent years is Social Media. We've spoken about it at length via the original The Business of Marketing Craft Beer three-part podcast series, but we figured it was time to really dive deep into all things social. Tiffany Alexis, Co-Founder of both BAOS and High Season Co., joins Cee to get into the origins of the Business of Beer season, how they've created relationships with beer brands and businesses via social, examples of breweries and businesses both doing social really well (and some doing it kinda terribly), best practices for Social Media (content pillars, hashtags, Reels, metrics, Stories, algorithms), AI tools, and Influencer Marketing. They both got into some great bevos - Perennial Artisan Ales Pils, Willibald Fruit Punch Seltzer, Kahnawake x BAOS Podcast x Nathan Does Beer x Beerism x Vox & Hops Fake NewZ, and Willibald Strawberry Seltzer. As mentioned in the episode, here are all the helpful links:   Social Strategy Video + Downloadble Template: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-nDgTm82As ManyChat (automation software): https://manychat.com/product/instagram?utm_campaign=HIGHSEASON and use code HIGHSEASON at checkout for a free month of their Pro plan How To Sell On Instagram: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y91bT520Xt4 SubMagic (caption software): https://submagic.co?via=highseason and use code HIGHSEASON at checkout for 10% discount Canva (design software): https://partner.canva.com/highseason High Season YouTube Membership: https://bit.ly/HSInsidersYT

BAOS Podcast

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At thirty-seven years in the game - that's right, 37 years - Etobicoke's Great Lakes Brewing are certified OGs and are essentially unstoppable. Face of the brand (among other more important things) Troy Burtch joined Cee and Nate to chat about their approach to craft beer over the decades, how craft beer in Ontario has changed, the impact of Gen-Z drinking less alcohol, the importance of the LCBO to their strategy, the future of craft beer in Ontario with grocery and convenience, why American and WCIPAs are underrated, how creating experiences is the secret sauce and why they listen to the customer. They got into a gang of killer GLB brews - Premium Lager, Over My Dad Body Pilsner, Canuck Pale Ale, Octopus Wants To Fight IPA, Karmadelic IPA, VAVROOOM! New England IPA, and Haze Mama. Phenomenal convo - cheers! 

BAOS Podcast

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Prince Edward County is one of Ontario's most exciting craft beer scenes, and the jewel of PEC is Slake Brewing - both for its view and quality brews. Co-Founder and Brewer Nick joined Cee and Nate to chat about beers that you don't have to think about (ie No Thinkies), their barrel program and why they dialled it back, their approach to beer, hop contracts, how they've diversified their taproom offerings, the connection between Ontario craft brewers, their incredible view, why their canned beers last so long, and why they're so popular with Quebec drinkers. They got into a bunch of killer brews - Yellow Flowers Table Beer, Whisper Grapefruit Gose, Mosey Pilsner, Hatch Pale Ale, Slow Slow IPA, and Darren The One-Eyed Cat Barrel-aged Sour. This was amazing - cheers!

BAOS Podcast

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Ottawa's Tooth & Nail is both one of Ontario's most heralded and more underrated breweries at the same time. They've made our Top 10 Breweries in Ontario list every year due to their incredibly well-crafted beers, and it's a crime that we waited three years to catch up with Matty. Cee and Nate chatted with Matt about how they got their initial traction via Vim & Vigor, why he doesn't dry hop Pilsners, why foam is essential in beer, when beer stopped being a hobby, how they came up with their Extra Pale Ale, Matt's desert island beers, his love for Belgian beers and his collab project with Bim of Godspeed, why Centennial might be the GOAT of hops, and the importance of educating the consumer. They got into Grace & Gratitude Whole Cone Saaz Hop Lager, Vim & Vigor Pilsner, Exile Extra Pale Ale, Valor Classic Saison, Rabble Rouser India Pale Ale, and Fortitude Stout. This was impeccable - cheers!

BAOS Podcast

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The second episode of our new season, The Business of Beer, brings in the Co-Founders of the breweries represented in Episode #1. Jeff Talmey of Town and Andrew Silver of Fine Balance join Cee and Nate to chat about the current state of the craft beer industry, being a boutique craft brewery versus a growth-oriented craft brewery, the pros and cons of selling craft beer in the LCBO, brewing and selling flagships or mainstays versus producing one-off releases every week, the different distribution options (bars, indie bottle shops, LCBO, grocery, The Beer Store), selling kegs to craft beer bars versus regular bars, and the variation of ingredient costs. They got into some gems from both breweries - Town Quick One Lager, Fine Balance x Heist Bankroll Italian Pilsner, Town Outside Jokes Pale Ale, and Fine Balance Wander Double IPA. This was jam-packed with gems - cheers!  

BAOS Podcast

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While Quebec was slow to enter and embrace the haze game, they've delivered on a level that has made the province some of the best producers of the style in the country. Montreal's Messorem Bracitorium opened in the summer of 2019 and the fanfare was immediate - clearly the hazeboiz and hazegirlz were ready for something local that paralleled their US faves. Co-Founder and Graphic Designer Marc-André joined Cee and Nate to chat about what's been happening since Messo's last podcast appearance in early 2020, how their lager program has become a massive part of the business, why their attention to detail has made them who they are, the pushback they received from local breweries, how important their merch has been to the brand, how they've upgraded their space and created one of the best patios in the city, and how they've been building their name internationally via collabs and festivals. They got into Il Fut Un Temps: Indulgent Mexican Lager, Il Était Une Fois : Sécheresse Helles Lager, Destin Certain IPA, and Temporalis #0017 Double IPA. Such a fire chat - cheers! 

BAOS Podcast

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Welcome to our brand new season, The Business of Beer! This whole thing started in early 2024 when Cee and Tiff did a pod focused on why so many craft breweries are closing, and that led to a whole slew of episodes focused on varying aspects of the craft beer industry. These episodes became so popular with guests reaching out to be on the pod to not talk about their own brewery that the team figured it'd make more sense to kick off a dedicated season.    We're setting it off with two phenomenal taproom managers - Caitlyn of Town Brewery and Jamie of Fine Balance joined Cee and Nate to get into the misconceptions of what taproom managers actually do, the pricing of retail beer, changing consumer habits in the taproom, the popularity and importance of new releases vs flagships, taproom challenges, the value of merch for a brewery, hospitality and the value of great service, Google reviews and the Untappd effect on breweries. They cracked a series of killer brews - Town Square Wheels Hazy IPA, Town Easy Tiger Non-Alcoholic Lager, Fine Balance Trailhead American Pale Ale, Fine Balance Spicy Water (Raspberry), Town Hot Knives Hazy DIPA, Town Local Hero Non-Alcoholic IPA, Fine Balance x Slake Mountview Farmhouse, and Fine Balance Spicy Water (Peach). This was a brilliant way to launch a new series - enjoy!  

BAOS Podcast

Subscribe to the podcast on YouTube | Website | Theme tune: Cee - BrewHeads