In today's podcast we hear from Bart Watson, chief economist for the Brewers' Association. 

Bart is a self-described "stats geek, beer lover, and Certified Cicerone®." And he holds a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.  So, the Beer Data Doctor is in the house. 

In our conversation we dig into the 2021 beer data and get Bart's key takeaways, trends, and outlook for the coming year. We also talk about "craft's leaky bucket" and how brewers can use this concept to maintain or grow market share. 

Key Topics 

• 2021 beer trends and outlook for 2022
• Bart's key takeaways from the 2021 data
• The state of big seltzer (and craft seltzer)
• On-premise outlook 

Resources

• Bart's articles on benchmarking data, survey results, and packaging trends
• The Finance Newsletter for Craft Breweries

Ready to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.

In today's podcast we talk contract brewing with Brewmaster Mitch Steele from New Realm Brewing.  Mitch shares what the contract brewing process looks like, the contract terms you need to know, and how to structure pricing.

Key Topics

• Contract brewing tracking data 
• How to structure contract brewing pricing 
• The key steps in the contract brewing process 
• Lessons learned, mistakes to avoid, in contract brewing

Resources

• Learn more about New Realm Brewing Company
• Contact Mitch for info on their contract brewing services: [email protected]
• Subscribe to the Finance Newsletters for Craft Breweries

Ready to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.

In today's podcast you'll hear the audio version of the Taproom Success monthly Q&A.

In this session, Andrew Coplon and I discuss a wide range of topics, including best practices and lessons learned from taproom owners and managers.

Key Topics Covered

• 2022 beer industry look ahead: packaging trends, seltzer outlook, on-premise business, and overall beer consumption rates. 
• Focus on taproom key metrics: 2022 Most important measurements.
• Financing update: Market trends to share for taproom owners looking to expand or purchase equipment. 
• Taproom staffing issues? Tips to help, and best practices from Lady Justice Brewing about looking outside the box for candidates

Resources

• Learn more about the Taproom Success Membership
• Sign up for the free Craft Brewery Financial Newsletter

Ready to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.

In today's podcast we hear from Lester Jones, chief economist for the National Beer Wholesalers Association.

Lester provides a recap of 2021 and his outlook for the beer industry in the year ahead.

In our conversation we dig deep into the data and review the key topics for beer wholesaler owners and managers:

• Total beer consumption in the US
• Packaging trends, and the outlook for cans, bottles and draft
• Forecast for on-premise business
• Past, present and future of seltzers

Lester also shares his favorite beer industry reads, and provides tips to use US Census data, labor statistics, and TTB reporting to better analyze your market.

Subscribe Free to the weekly Craft Brewery Financial Newsletter

Ready to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.

Today we talk brewery financing and get an update on the state of the lending industry with Jason Sleeman, VP of Craft Beverage Lending for United Community Bank.

Jason shares his perspective on the current state of the market,  financial relief packages, and the inner workings of how the loan process works.

Key Topics

• Banking behind the scenes: What you really need in order to get a loan
• Loan processing times: 45 days to 14 months...tips to get approved faster
• How to build your team of brewery professionals (insurance, legal, accounting, banking)
• An update on mergers in craft beer
• Jason's favorite sources for beer news and information

Resources

• Podcast: Expansion Financing 
• Learn more about United Community Bank

Sign Up for the FREE and World Famous Craft Brewery Financial Training Newsletter

Ready to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.

In today's podcast you'll hear the audio version of the Taproom Success Membership monthly Q&A call.  

In this discussion, Andrew Coplon and I talk about a wide variety of topics ranging from contingency planning for taprooms to how to build relationships among your front/back of house taproom staff. 

Key Topics

• How to reward and motivate your taproom employees 
• Team building tactics to help drive more revenue through your taproom
• How to use accountability and a proven system to build your financial plan

Resources

• Craft Brewery Professionals Live Event: Feb 2022
• Learn more about the Taproom Success Membership

Sign Up for the World Famous (and FREE) Craft Brewery Financial Training Newsletter

Ready to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.

Today we are going to talk about goal setting and New Year's Resolutions. We'll talk about a framework you can use to create goals that stick.

We'll look at systems, models, and techniques you can use to set your goals and achieve them in 2022.

Key Topics

• Business Plan Goals...Start with your Core Values (what do you stand for?)
• Financial Plan Goals
• SWOT Analysis
• Process vs. Outcome Goals
• The 3 Step Secret Weapon for 2022 (Eliminate, Automate, Delegate)

Resources

• Learn more about the book Re-Work by Jason Fried from Basecamp
• Tim Ferriss on a technique to become more productive in 2022
• Learn more about the Craft Brewery Business Plan course

Sign up for the FREE and World Famous Craft Brewery Financial Training Newsletter

Ready to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.

In today's podcast we hear from Kim McKinnish, CFO and SVP of the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA).

Kim and I talk about a wide range of topics including the mission of the NBWA, membership benefits,  NBWA's Next Generation Leadership Group, and the newly launched BREW initiative, Building Relationships and Empowering Women.

We also discuss the current state of the beer industry, best practices and business lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Key Topics

• How wholesalers can use financial skills to navigate challenges in the market
• The BREW Initiative: Building Relationships and Empowering Women
• Industry consolidation: Key factors behind wholesaler acquisitions

Resources

• Learn more about the BREW Initiative
• NBWA Membership Benefits
• Nex Gen Leadership Conference

Sign Up for the World Famous (and FREE) Beer Business Finance Newsletter

Ready to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.

Preston Andreini is a firefighter, first responder and now he's opening up his own brewery: Red Engine Brewing.

And if that's not enough, he's started his own podcast to share lessons learned with others who may want to start their own brewery.

In this podcast, Preston and I walk through the details of creating a startup brewery financial plan. Preston talks through the obstacles he faced while creating his plan, and shares how he overcame these challenges.

Key Topics

• Using "Knowns and Assumptions" when starting your plan
• The simple magic of the "Sources and Uses" schedule
• A tactical approach to build up your sales, margin, and operating expenses

Resources

• Learn more about Red Engine Brewing
• Check out Preston's podcast: Built and Brewed

Sign Up for the Free and World Famous Craft Brewery Financial Training Newsletter

Ready to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.

What if there was a place where you could learn everything about starting a new brewery? And what if that place was online, accessible to anyone, and totally free?

No need to think about the 'what ifs' because Laura Lodge and attorney Candace Moon have built such a place, and they call it StartABrewery.com.

In today's podcast you'll hear from Laura Lodge about why she co-founded StartABrewery.com, who the site is for, and what resources you'll find there. 

Key Topics Covered

• Tips on where to begin: Starting points for starting a brewery
• The four stages of StartABrewery.com: Plan, Act, Open, Grow
• Fundamental principles for your distribution contracts and relationships

Resources

• Learn more about StartABrewery.com
• Check out Laura's book Distribution Insight for the Craft Brewer
• Need a REAL business plan for your brewery? Check out the Brewery Business Plan course

Sign Up for the FREE and World Famous Craft Brewery Financial Training Newsletter

Ready to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.