This month we relaunched The True Craft Podcast.
We know the importance of community in this industry and what better way to contribute than to have deep, meaningful conversations with brewery owners around the nation.
After only a month, we’ve already had some killer conversations with our guests, but we know that listening to each episode as it’s released won’t always fit in to your schedule.
May we introduce to you…The True Craft Podcast Recap.
At the end of every month we’ll send a summary of that month’s episodes with key takeaways from our conversations.
September just so happened to have five Fridays and graced us with five episodes, so no time to lose: Let’s dig in!
Episode 57: The Journey of Craft with Bill Tressler from Hinterland Brewery
Episode 58: The Blunt Realities of Contract Brewing with Zak Koga from Karben4 Brewing
Episode 59: Culture Killers vs. Self-Aware Leaders with Greg Parker from Iron Horse Brewery
Episode 60: WTH is Happening in Distribution with Adam Robbings from Reuben’s Brews
Episode 61: The Power of B Corps with Terry Horner from Liability Brewing
Making decisions to ensure longevity has not always been a part of the equation, but it’s a nonnegotiable in 2023.
When we spoke with Bill Tressler from Hinterland Brewery, he shared that his business is in “growing down” mode right now: “We’re right-sizing everything and making sure that we don’t get over our skis in terms of labor and production.”
That same idea was echoed in our conversation with Zak Koga from Karben4 as they shift focus to boutique-styled contract brewing over full-on distribution: “It’s a crucial piece of our business now and we’re trying to grow it a little bit going forward. And not just grow it forever and ever. Grow it the right-size for the facility we have.”
Experiment in small batches at home. Narrow to high velocity beers off-premise.”
Adam Robbings from Reuben’s Brews broke down his thoughts on wholesale vs. on-premise selling. He believes, in general, that brewery’s tend to “focus on what we want or need, but we are irrelevant. What does the customer, or end consumer, want or need?”
The eroding spots on the distribution shelf means fewer opportunities to capture the market. You need to ask, “What are the beers that have a high velocity when selling?” (e.g. your core, flagship, or well-loved beers).
This sentiment was also directly echoed when we spoke with Bill from Hinterland. In 2023, consumers are being offered what feels like endless beverage choices. From craft beer, to seltzer, to ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails, the consumer has an array of options when deciding what to drink that simply didn’t exist 10 to 20 years ago.
And on top of that, consumers seem to want unlimited flavors/options/styles, leaving breweries in a difficult position to discern what will stick when experimenting with what Bill calls “rotation nation.”
As a general rule: Experimental concoctions should remain on-premise in smaller batches while a narrowing of 1-2 core offerings should be the focus for off-premise.
“You get out what you put in.”
…is what Terry Horner from Liability Brewing said when sharing how he is building a sustainable and supported team through the brewery’s B Corp Certified status.
In addition to investing in their employees well-being, Liability Brewing is paving a path that allows them to focus on their community while leaving an impact on the world. They’ve found a way to recycle glass in a state that doesn’t recycle glass, they’re committed to only using stainless steel kegs for distribution instead of the cheaper and easier plastic keg alternative, and they are focused on buying as many local ingredients as possible to lower their carbon footprint.
This takeaway also carried over to when we spoke with Greg Parker from Iron Horse Brewery about their company culture and investing in the team’s development. In conversation he shared, “You sometimes need to move slow to move fast.”
Although possibly seen as counterintuitive, taking the time to be more methodical in making decisions and building processes can lessen roadblocks and hiccups that eventually lead to a more efficient outcome.
And that concludes our first month of The True Craft Podcast Recap.
Our September was filled with conversation about a variety of topics from brewery owners around the nation.
Where will next month take us?
Well, you can subscribe here to listen to episodes as they’re released.
Otherwise, we’ll see you back here at the end of October to find out!