Craft Brewery Financial Training Podcast

Cash flow is what determines whether a brewery survives and grows. In this episode, we break down the core fundamentals of cash flow management and share practical strategies you can use immediately to gain control, avoid crunches, and build a stronger financial foundation for your brewery.

Key Results You’ll Get from Listening:

• A clear understanding of the difference between profit and cash flow and why it matters
• Practical steps to avoid cash crunches before they happen
• The core KPIs that directly impact liquidity and financial stability
• Simple systems to improve collections, inventory management, and spending discipline
• A framework for making better day-to-day decisions that strengthen cash flow and long-term growth

Resources

Get the Brewery Profit Brief - actionable tips to improve cash flow today.

Today’s episode is brought to you by BevCap. At Beer Business Finance, we talk a lot about installing systems that improve profitability and health insurance should be no exception. BevCap helps beverage companies apply the same discipline they use across the rest of the P&L to employee benefits, helping create smarter plans, more visibility into costs, and significant savings over time. To learn more visit BevCapManagement.com. 

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 this episode, I sit down with Aaron Gore, VP of Sales & Marketing at Beer30, to talk about the upcoming American Craft Beer Hall of Fame induction ceremony  and what today’s high-performing breweries can learn from the legends of our industry.

We explore how leading breweries are using data management not just to “keep records,” but to gain a true competitive edge. 

From tighter inventory control and margin visibility to AI-powered forecasting and smarter decision-making, data discipline is separating the breweries that survive from those that thrive in a maturing market.

Aaron also shares insights on three major initiatives coming soon from Beer30  and what they signal about the future of operational intelligence in craft beer.

✅ Actionable Takeaways

1️⃣ Treat Data as a Strategic Asset — Not Just Recordkeeping
High-performing breweries don’t just collect data — they structure it, review it consistently, and use it to drive pricing, production planning, inventory control, and profitability decisions.

2️⃣ Build a Single Source of Truth
Disconnected spreadsheets and siloed systems create confusion. The best breweries integrate accounting, production, and inventory data so everyone operates from the same numbers.

3️⃣ Use AI as an Assistant, Not a Replacement
AI tools can help analyze trends, forecast demand, flag anomalies, and generate insights faster — but they work best when clean, organized data feeds them. Garbage in, garbage out still applies.

4️⃣ Create a Weekly Data Review Rhythm
Competitive breweries establish weekly operational and financial huddles where key metrics are reviewed, variances are discussed, and decisions are made quickly — before small issues become big problems.

5️⃣ Invest in Systems That Scale with You
Whether it’s inventory management, production planning, or forecasting tools, investing in scalable systems early allows breweries to grow efficiently instead of rebuilding their back office every few years.

Resources

• Connect with Aaron - [email protected] 
• Get the Brewery Profit Bulletin - tips, tactics and strategies to build a more profitable brewery

Today’s episode is brought to you by BevCap. At Beer Business Finance, we talk a lot about installing systems that improve profitability and health insurance should be no exception. BevCap helps beverage companies apply the same discipline they use across the rest of the P&L to employee benefits, helping create smarter plans, more visibility into costs, and significant savings over time. To learn more visit BevCapManagement.com. 

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 this episode, I sit down with Chris Farmand of Small Batch Standard, a brewery accounting, tax and advisory firm that works with breweries across the country, to talk about one thing every brewery owner cares about: profit. 

We kick things off with a preview of Chris’s all-day Brewery Profit Workshop at the 2026 Craft Brewers Conference (Monday, April 20th), where he’ll dive deep into taproom performance, distribution strategy, and practical ways to unlock more profit in your business.

From there, we zoom out and tackle some of the biggest strategic issues facing breweries today — the pros and cons of contract brewing, what’s really happening in brewery mergers and acquisitions, and how forward-thinking operators are creatively converting underutilized production space into high-margin event venues. 

This conversation is packed with insights for breweries looking to adapt, optimize, and build a more profitable business model in a maturing market.

Key Takeaways

• Taproom Profit is Still King
  Why maximizing retail sales, optimizing labor, and dialing in guest experience remains one of the most powerful levers for margin expansion.
• Distribution Strategy Requires Discipline
  The importance of understanding true margins by channel — and when distribution helps (or hurts) your bottom line.
• Contract Brewing: Strategic Tool or Risky Shortcut?
  A practical look at when contract brewing makes sense, when it doesn’t, and the financial implications owners often overlook.
• M&A Activity Is Evolving
  What’s driving brewery mergers and acquisitions in today’s market — and what owners should consider before buying, selling, or partnering.
• Repurposing Production Space for Higher Margins
  How breweries are converting excess capacity into event space, private rentals, and hospitality experiences to capture more profitable retail dollars.
• Profit Requires Intention, Not Hope
  The common thread across all strategies: knowing your numbers, understanding channel-level profitability, and making proactive financial decisions instead of reactive ones.

Resources

Learn more about the Brewery Profit Workshop - Monday April 20th of Craft Brewers Conference week

Get the free Brewery Profit Brief - a weekly newsletter packed with tips, tactics, and strategies to drive more profit in your beer business

Today’s episode is brought to you by BevCap. At Beer Business Finance, we talk a lot about installing systems that improve profitability and health insurance should be no exception. BevCap helps beverage companies apply the same discipline they use across the rest of the P&L to employee benefits, helping create smarter plans, more visibility into costs, and significant savings over time. To learn more visit BevCapManagement.com. 

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 this episode, we break down what really belongs in COGS, how to read gross margin correctly, and how to dig deeper to uncover hidden margin leaks. 

If you want stronger cash flow, smarter pricing, and better decisions, this episode will help you master the numbers that matter most.

🎯 5 Actionable Takeaways

• Define COGS correctly and clean up misclassifications.
  Only direct materials, direct labor, and production overhead live in COGS. 
• Calculate and monitor gross margin.
  Track gross margin % trends and compare draft vs package so you can catch margin decline early.
• Break down margins by brand and package.
  Don’t rely on blended averages - calculate COGS and margin by SKU to identify profit drivers and margin killers.
• Allocate labor and overhead intentionally.
  Use simple drivers to create a realistic cost per BBL — clarity beats perfection.
• Turn margin insight into action.
  Use what you learn to adjust pricing, rationalize SKUs, improve efficiency, negotiate with suppliers, and drive profitability.

Resources

Get the Brewery Profit Brief - actionable tips, tactics and strategies to run a more profitable brewery.

Today’s episode is brought to you by BevCap. At Beer Business Finance, we talk a lot about installing systems that improve profitability and health insurance should be no exception. BevCap helps beverage companies apply the same discipline they use across the rest of the P&L to employee benefits, helping create smarter plans, more visibility into costs, and significant savings over time. To learn more visit BevCapManagement.com. 

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 this episode, we dig into how financial trouble usually shows up months before it becomes a crisis, and why so many owners and managers miss the warning signs. 

When you’re busy fighting daily fires, reviewing financials weeks after month-end, and unsure which numbers truly matter, problems stay invisible until cash runs tight .

We walk through the concept of a financial early-warning system and explain how profitable breweries shift from reactive panic to calm, data-driven decision-making. 

Instead of drowning in reports, they focus on a small set of leading indicators that flag issues early — while there’s still time to act. This isn’t about becoming a CPA - it’s about knowing where to look, how often to review, and what actions to take when numbers move out of range.

Key Takeaways

• Most brewery financial problems show up early — but only if you know which signals to watch
• A focused red-flag dashboard is more powerful than dozens of backward-looking reports
• Cash flow issues are usually operational problems in disguise
• Reviewing financial signals weekly creates faster, calmer course correction
• Stabilizing cash flow and margins must come before growth or optimization

Resources

Get the Brewery Profit Brief - tips tactics and strategies for a more profitable brewery

Today’s episode is brought to you by BevCap. At Beer Business Finance, we talk a lot about installing systems that improve profitability and health insurance should be no exception. BevCap helps beverage companies apply the same discipline they use across the rest of the P&L to employee benefits, helping create smarter plans, more visibility into costs, and significant savings over time. To learn more visit BevCapManagement.com. 

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 cover the basics of brewery budgeting, keys to success and 3 simple steps to get started building your plan today.

Key Topics

• Budget questions: Who, what, where, why, when and how
• Common obstacles and how to overcome them
• Budget quick-start guide
• The details: How to build the plan, models, tools and templates
• Financial cadence: How to use the plan every day

Resources

• Get the brewery profit brief - tips, tactics, and strategies to build a more profitable beer business

Today’s episode is brought to you by BevCap. At Beer Business Finance, we talk a lot about installing systems that improve profitability and health insurance should be no exception. BevCap helps beverage companies apply the same discipline they use across the rest of the P&L to employee benefits, helping create smarter plans, more visibility into costs, and significant savings over time. To learn more visit BevCapManagement.com. 

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, I sit down with Sean Lawson the founder behind Sip of Sunshine to unpack how careful planning, advisory boards, and a purpose-first mindset can carry a brewery through hypergrowth, supply shocks, and a once-in-a-century pandemic.

Sean walks us through the early days of homebrewing, the decision to contract brew at Two Roads to meet demand without giving up ownership, and the leap to a state-of-the-art Vermont facility just 16 months before lockdowns. 

We explore how a high share of packaged product, strong retail relationships, and authentic brand loyalty kept the business resilient. As a certified B Corp, Lawson’s and has contributed millions to nonprofits focused on healthy communities—proving that purpose can be a growth engine, not a side note.

On the operational side, Sean opens the playbook: annual planning with monthly and quarterly reviews, KPI dashboards that spotlight cash, gross margin, COGS, and velocity, and a quarterly advisory board that challenges assumptions without dictating decisions. 

We dig into the hard lessons from overcommitting on hops and preprinted cans, why vendor relationships matter when renegotiating contracts, and how to make tough people decisions while staying transparent and fair. 

If you’re scaling a craft brand you’ll leave with practical tactics for forecasting, budgeting, negotiating, and building a cadence that turns numbers into action.

Grab the free Brewery Profit Brief - financial tips, tactics and strategies to build a more profitable brewery. 

Today’s episode is brought to you by BevCap. At Beer Business Finance, we talk a lot about installing systems that improve profitability and health insurance should be no exception. BevCap helps beverage companies apply the same discipline they use across the rest of the P&L to employee benefits, helping create smarter plans, more visibility into costs, and significant savings over time. To learn more visit BevCapManagement.com. 

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 does it take to scale from a bold idea to a beverage category leader? 

We sit down with Athletic Brewing’s CFO Evan Zawatsky and communications leader Chris Furnari to dig into the decisions that powered Athletic’s rise: owning production, investing in quality, and building a marketing engine that turns awareness into velocity.

Evan opens the playbook on why Athletic poured serious CapEx into state-of-the-art breweries in Connecticut and San Diego. 

That move secured quality control, unlocked flavor innovation, improved margins, and gave the team agility to grow without supply constraints. 

Chris explains how the brand story evolved from convincing people to try non-alcoholic beer to showing who it’s for: active, balance-minded drinkers who want great beer flavors throughout the week. 

Together, they share how “cans in hands” at race finish lines and community events are key to brand building, how partnerships and earned media create the surround sound needed to convert trial into repeat purchase.

If you care about brewery finance, brand strategy, or the surge in non-alcoholic beer, this podcast is packed with practical and clear frameworks you can apply at any scale. 

Today’s episode is brought to you by BevCap. At Beer Business Finance, we talk a lot about installing systems that improve profitability and health insurance should be no exception. BevCap helps beverage companies apply the same discipline they use across the rest of the P&L to employee benefits, helping create smarter plans, more visibility into costs, and significant savings over time. To learn more visit BevCapManagement.com. 

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 show how breweries can turn recipe development and process innovation into real cash using the federal R&D tax credit, plus a clear path to claim refunds retroactively. 

Maggie Crowley and Devin Medrick from Leyton explain the IRS tests, missed opportunities, state add-ons, and energy efficiency deductions.

• What the IRS four-part test means for brewing work
• Real examples: first-batch runs, recipe changes, process tweaks
• Eligible costs: wages at three levels, contractors, supplies
• Simple documentation that passes audit standards
• Typical credit ranges and three-year lookbacks
• State credits that stack with federal benefits
• Startup payroll tax offset for young breweries
• Recent law changes reversing R&D cost capitalization
• 179D and cost segregation for building upgrades
• Quick steps: check Form 6765 and ask your head brewer

Want to learn how your brewery can unlock R&D tax credits?  Reach out to Maggie Crowley, [email protected] or visit Leyton for more details.

Don't forget to sign up for the free brewery financial training newsletter.

Today’s episode is brought to you by BevCap. At Beer Business Finance, we talk a lot about installing systems that improve profitability and health insurance should be no exception. BevCap helps beverage companies apply the same discipline they use across the rest of the P&L to employee benefits, helping create smarter plans, more visibility into costs, and significant savings over time. To learn more visit BevCapManagement.com. 

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 lay out a simple path for Massachusetts breweries to use the Workforce Training Fund Express program for up to 100% reimbursement on financial training. 

From eligibility to application steps, we reveal each step in the process to turn free training dollars into better profits and steadier cash flow.

• who qualifies and what reimbursement you can expect
• how to find and choose pre-approved courses in the catalog
• what documents you need for the application
• typical approval timing and how long approvals last
• why year end is the best time to apply
• next steps to book a call and get guided support

For Massachusetts breweries, book a call with me and I’ll walk you through the entire application. 

For breweries in other states, email me about grant programs in your area - [email protected] - let's work together to get you grant funds to cover the cost of financial training in the new year.

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.