There’s the version of the beverage industry most people see from the outside… and then there’s the version insiders actually live in every day.

In this first episode of Thirsty Business Podcast, hosts Jen Hauke and Phil Thomas sit down with Jenn Litz-Kirk, Director of Content at Beer Business Daily and host of Beer Net Radio, to unpack what’s really driving beer, RTDs, and beverage alcohol right now.

From Beer Summit takeaways to distribution pressure, regional brand power, and the rise of RTDs like vodka tea and Surfside, this conversation breaks down how trends actually form, and why most “winning brands” don’t win because of strategy decks… but because something just clicks in the market.

At its core, this episode is about an industry that is still deeply human. Relationships matter more than systems. Timing matters more than theory. And great branding is still something you recognize instantly, even if nobody can fully explain why.

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Connect with our guest, Jenn Litz-Kirk: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenn-litz-kirk-6b2749129/

00:00 – Intro: Inside Thirsty Business & Beer Media World

03:10 – Why Jen starts every day with beer headlines

06:45 – The pressure of daily trade journalism

10:20 – Reporting on your own industry: the insider problem

14:05 – Embargoes, leaks, and how beer news actually breaks

17:50 – Why beer is still a relationship business

21:40 – Beer Summit recap: what the industry is really talking about

26:15 – Craft beer’s evolution and shrinking middle market

30:40 – RTDs, vodka tea, and the new growth engine

34:55 – Surfside, NOCA, and breakout brand patterns

38:30 – Why design is more important than people admit

42:10 – “You know it when you see it” branding instinct

45:45 – Why the middle of beer is disappearing

49:20 – Local brands vs national rankings reality check

52:55 – Distribution consolidation and industry pressure

56:40 – What big suppliers are doing right now

59:10 – Final thoughts on authenticity and survival in beer

If you’ve ever looked at a brand and thought “why does this work… and that doesn’t?”. This is your kind of conversation.

🔔 Subscribe to Thirsty Business Podcast for more unfiltered industry conversations where the real stories don’t sound like press releases.And share this with someone who still thinks branding lives in a deck… not in the real world where products either click or disappear.

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