With more high-quality beer available than ever before, great beer alone is no longer enough to stand out. Guests may come for the beer, but they return for how they are treated. This session explores the critical role hospitality plays in shaping guest perception, driving repeat visits, and turning casual visitors into loyal brand advocates. Designed specifically for breweries and taprooms, the talk reframes hospitality as a core business strategy—one that influences reviews, word-of-mouth, and long-term growth. Attendees will leave with practical insights into how intentional service, staff engagement, and guest experience design can become a brewery’s most powerful competitive advantage.

Taylor is a 25 year hospitality industry professional beginning with a summer job cooking breakfast at a small-town diner where he grew up, and ending as the Executive Chef of Drakes Brewing Company, bringing the simple philosophy that brewery food can be better than it needs to be. Now, as a Solutions Consultant at GoTab, he leverages that lifetime of firsthand experience with the day-to-day realities of hospitality and the challenges operators face at every level. His deep operational background and culinary training help hospitality teams learn to focus on customer sequence, reduce friction, and improve customer experience and profitability. Driven by a passion for creating great guest experiences, Taylor works closely with brewery taprooms, beer gardens, and hospitality operators to remove operational noise and let teams focus on what matters most—the customer.

Join us in person for CBP Connects Chicago

June 15-17, 2026

Come get inspired, leave with actionable strategies: https://cbpconnects.com/

In today’s competitive market, simply producing high-quality beer is often no longer enough to secure sustained growth. Many forward-thinking breweries are strategically diversifying their product portfolios, expanding into high-growth categories such as hard cider, spirits, wine, RTDs, can cannabevs.

While this expansion opens up exciting new revenue streams, it simultaneously introduces a new set of operational, financial, and regulatory challenges. The question for many producers is: where do we even begin?

Industry experts Alex and Aaron with lead a discussion focused on demystifying the diversification process and will guide attendees through the critical considerations required when integrating an entirely new product line into an established brewery operation.

The session with specifically focus on how production software, like Ollie and Ekos, can act as the cornerstone for a successful transition. We’ll focus on key areas such as streamlining procurement for new ingredients and packaging, adapting the production process, ensuring financial accuracy, and managing sales efficiency.

Don’t let complexity slow your growth. Learn how to successfully expand your portfolio while maintaining efficiency and compliance.

Alex was born & raised in North Carolina. He is an alumni of Grimsley High School and UNC-Wilmington, and currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is a former swimmer and grilling enthusiast. His first craft beer was Natty Green’s Freedom IPA, and North Carolina beer holds a special place in his heart. Alex has spent 9 years with Next Glass, and currently is a Solutions Consultant supporting the Producer Solutions team. While coming from outside of industry initially, Alex brings valuable experience after thousands of conversations with brewery owners around the world.

Aaron Keefner is happily approaching his 14th year in the craft beer industry, having started out in marketing with Goose Island in early 2012. He eventually moved to an operations role in wholesale support in order to gain experience on both the production/operations side, as well as the knowledge already obtained via marketing/sales. After 5.5 years he found himself at Revolution Brewing running their specialty beer program, including their celebrated Deep Wood barrel-aged program, as well as spearheading the rollout of their small batch program. In 2019 he assumed the role of Executive Director of Brewery Operations with More Brewing Company helping them expand and open their production facility in Huntley, IL and planning of a 3rd facility in Bartlett, IL. With his leadership, More was able to weather the storm of the pandemic and grow 600% in a span of just under 3 years. At the end of 2022, Aaron assumed his current role as a Solutions Consultant with Next Glass, serving as a product expert on Ollie & Ekos, ERP/CRM softwares for beverage production.

Join us in person for CBP Connects Chicago

June 15-17, 2026

Come get inspired, leave with actionable strategies: https://cbpconnects.com/

What makes a good lager?

How do we make a good lager?

Join us as we explore the various methods used to craft high-quality lager, breaking down the classic techniques to help you choose the best approach for your best beer.

Nathaniel Ferguson is one of the owners of Escarpment Laboratories, A yeast manufacturer in Guelph, Canada, where they focus on teaching about yeast fermentation. Additionally, Nathan has been a professor at Niagara College for over 10 years, teaching in the Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Program.

Join us in person for CBP Connects Chicago

June 15-17, 2026

Come get inspired, leave with actionable strategies: https://cbpconnects.com/

Brewhouse design decisions have long-term consequences. Layout, drainage, flooring, access, and workflow choices made early can either support efficient operations or create daily friction that is expensive to fix later. In this session, we’ll bring together an architect, a flooring specialist, and experienced brewery operators to walk through real-world brewhouse design dos, don’ts, and practical recommendations. The focus is not on theory or perfect builds, but on what actually works once the tanks are full, the floors are wet, and the brew team is trying to get through a long day safely and efficiently.

This conversation features:

• Chris Klein (Cascade Floors)
• Curtis Holmes (Alaskan Brewing)
• Dustin Hauck (Hauck Architecture)

Join us in person for CBP Connects Chicago

June 15-17, 2026

Come get inspired, leave with actionable strategies: https://cbpconnects.com/

As breweries grow, the role of the owner or senior leader shifts. You’re no longer just managing people, you’re managing the people who manage people. And that comes with a whole new set of challenges. This session focuses on how to support, coach, and hold your managers accountable in a way that builds trust, creates consistency, and takes some weight off your shoulders.

You’ll hear from brewery owners and leadership experts on how they set clear expectations, create simple systems for communication and feedback, and identifying what great management actually looks like inside a brewery. Join us to walk away with practical ways to develop stronger leaders, address issues earlier, and build a management layer that helps your business run better day to day.

This conversation features:

• Bailey Borzecki (Golden Hour Consulting)
• Clay Keel (Keel Farms Agrarian Ale and Cider)
• Jake Keyes (Skydance Brewing)

Join us in person for CBP Connects Chicago

June 15-17, 2026

Come get inspired, leave with actionable strategies: https://cbpconnects.com/

We can’t wait to share beers and see you in person in Philadelphia. We kick off CBC Week with our Welcome Party on April 20 at Yards Brewing Company.

RSVP: https://craftbeerprofessionals.org/philly-rsvp/

In this conversation, we will be joined by several of our event partners to discuss how to best plan for CBC, the importance of in-person events, and how to make it a success. Don't miss tips by a couple Philly locals and strategies to make the most of the conference.

This conversation features:

• Dana Martin (Yards Brewing Company)
• David Poimboeuf (WHC Lab)
• Evan Blum (BrewedAt)
• Pulkit K. Agrawal (Beer30 by the 5th Ingredient)

Join us in person for CBP Connects Chicago

June 15-17, 2026

Come get inspired, leave with actionable strategies:

https://cbpconnects.com/

Self-distribution gives breweries the opportunity to take control of their growth, margins, and brand experience. It also comes with unique challenges. BrewMan has helped Breweries across the globe self-distribute successfully. In this presentation we will share a practical, insight-driven advice designed to help breweries build and run an effective self-distribution operation with confidence.

This session explores the key elements of successful self-distribution, from optimizing customer data and to setting up smart delivery routes. Attendees will gain a clear understanding of how to balance sales, logistics, and compliance while maintaining consistent service and product quality.

BrewMan shares real-world experience and proven strategies to help breweries improve efficiency, avoid common pitfalls, and develop a distribution model that supports long-term growth. The presentation focuses on actionable ideas, whether you are launching self-distribution for the first time or refining an established approach.

Ideal for brewery owners, managers, and sales teams, this session provides the knowledge and practical tools needed to make self-distribution a sustainable and profitable part of your business. Attendees will leave with a clearer roadmap for strengthening their distribution strategy and expanding their market reach.

James Gardner is the CEO of Premier Systems Ltd, the developer of BrewMan brewery management software used by hundreds of breweries worldwide. With a strong background in brewery technology and operations, James is very hands-on and works closely with brewers to help them streamline production, distribution, stock control, and business management through practical software solutions.

Premier Systems has been providing specialist business software for the brewing industry for decades, with BrewMan offering integrated tools for inventory management, TTB reporting, CRM, and distribution planning.

James is passionate about helping breweries operate more efficiently and grow sustainably, combining industry knowledge with technology to support brewers of all sizes.

Join us in person for CBP Connects Chicago

June 15-17, 2026

Come get inspired, leave with actionable strategies: https://cbpconnects.com/

Stay up to date with CBP: http://update.craftbeerprofessionals.org

If you're an established Brewery Owner, Operator, or Investor and find yourself asking either "How do we get profitable?" or "How profitable can we get?" you'll find exactly those answers in this session.

With a wide range of different brewery types and sizes, true apples-to-apples comparisons are rare, and many owners end up flying blind, running the business with a finger to the wind. Instead, in this session we’ll use our Brewery Benchmarks Model, built on data from our work with 285+ breweries across the country, to give clarity on the most important financial benchmarks brewery owners need to know.

By the end of the session, you’ll know how you compare to your peers, where your biggest profit opportunities are, and how to avoid the mistakes most common to your model. Our goal is to help eliminate the guesswork, so you can make confident decisions and run a profitable business, regardless of size, age, or market conditions.

Chris Farmand got his start in 2010 helping a new brewery build its back-office systems, a firsthand look at how complex running a brewery can be. That experience led him to found Small Batch Standard. He’s worked with more than 200 breweries, helping them uncover profit through outsourced accounting, tax compliance, and benchmark consulting. Chris holds a BS in Business Finance from the University of Florida and an MBA from the University of North Florida, and is an active member of both the AICPA and FICPA.

Join us in person for CBP Connects Chicago

June 15-17, 2026

Come get inspired, leave with actionable strategies: https://cbpconnects.com/

The American Craft Beer Hall of Fame is proud to announce its 2026 group of inductees. This highly anticipated event will celebrate the trailblazers, innovators, and visionaries who have made significant contributions to the craft beer movement in the United States.

The American Craft Beer Hall of Fame was established to recognize and celebrate those who have significantly contributed to the evolution of craft beer in the United States. From brewers to advocates, to educators and entrepreneurs, the Hall of Fame honors individuals and organizations whose dedication and innovations have shaped the American craft beer landscape through the decades.

For more information, please visit the Hall's website:

https://www.americancraftbeerhalloffame.com/

In our “What’s Going on in…” series, we partner with State Guilds to spotlight current successes, challenges, and trends in their beer communities. There’s so much we can learn from each other, and these conversations are designed to give you valuable insights that can be applied in your own state.

Next up: Arizona

This conversation features:

• Andrew Bauman (Arizona Craft Brewers Guild)
• Mitch Penney (Parry's Pizzeria and Taphouse)
• Ryan Whitten (8-Bit Aleworks)

Join us in person for CBP Connects Chicago

June 15-17, 2026

Come get inspired, leave with actionable strategies: https://cbpconnects.com/