Growing a Brewery in a Shrinking Market

Yeast may be small, but their impact on beer—and brewing history—is enormous. In this presentation, we’ll take a deep dive into the fascinating technical journey of brewers yeast. We’ll begin with the early days of microbiology, tracing the path from the discovery of invisible life forms to the realization that yeast are responsible for fermentation, transforming wort into the beer we love.We’ll explore the evolutionary tree of Saccharomyces species and uncover how different strains of yeast give rise to the wide diversity of beer styles. Special focus will be given to the differences between ale and lager yeasts, both in how they behave and in their genetics. You’ll learn how Saccharomyces pastorianus, the yeast behind lagers, is a hybrid between S. cerevisiae and the cold-tolerant S. eubayanus, and how scientists believe this unusual pairing came to be.The talk concludes with a look at the cutting edge of yeast science. We’ll discuss how brewers and scientists are now pushing boundaries with genetic engineering, and the creation of novel hybrids, opening new possibilities for flavor, efficiency, and sustainability in brewing.Jonathan Hughes, Ph.D., is the Director of Food and Agriculture Programs at UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education and the microbiology instructor for the Master Brewers Certificate Program. He entered the brewing industry in 2013, when, as a graduate student in microbiology at UC Davis, he founded the QA/QC laboratory at Heretic Brewing Company in Fairfield, California. Before joining Continuing and Professional Education, Hughes served as the quality assurance manager at Heretic while teaching introductory brewing and microbiology classes at UC Davis, Sacramento State University and Sacramento City College.Reach out to Jon at [email protected] up to date with CBP: http://update.craftbeerprofessionals.org/Save 20% on PLAATO Pro and PLAATO Edge: https://plaato.io/cbp

In the past, breweries doubled down on innovation, tasting room expansion, and winning new points of distribution to drive sales. Then there was the era of 'eventing,' where brewers scrambled to build brand awareness at festivals, store demos, and guerilla sampling. A myopic focus on social media followed, ushering in influencers and engagement metrics. Which leads us to today and the next big thing for breweries: growth marketing.But what is it and will it help get us out of the mess we're in right now?What we’ve found may surprise you: the idea is not new, and it’s completely within your reach to execute. Your team just needs to take a bottom-up approach to capturing new sales:• Steady Your Foundation• Activate Your Markets• Engage Your Audience• Unlock Sales Channels• Regionalize And Localize• Integrate And ScaleThe need for strategic, targeted sales is more important now than ever. Our goal is for brewery owners and managers to understand the components of growth marketing and where to prioritize time and resources. Presentation attendees have access to our selection of downloadable Guides, with techniques to keep fans engaged and proven tools to fuel excitement around your unique story.We started Market Your Craft to help small-to-mid-sized producers quickly adapt to the changing Marketing landscape with storytelling. Because we believe every craft brand has an exciting story to share. Led by Scott Kolbe, we’re a team of dreamers and doers, passionate about all things beverage with the creds to match. We’ve created a series of Workshops and Guides to help define your brand story and inform your Marketing efforts. To learn more or to schedule a session with one of our storytelling experts, visit marketyourcraft.com.Stay up to date with CBP: http://update.craftbeerprofessionals.org

A sustainable and successful brewery requires great leadership. In this conversation, we're bringing together experienced brewery professionals to share insights on building strong teams, fostering positive cultures, and developing future leaders in the craft beer industry. Panelists will explore how passion for beer intersects with effective leadership, offering real-world strategies to empower teams and drive lasting growth. Attendees will gain practical takeaways on navigating industry challenges, strengthening workplace culture, and creating an environment where both employees and businesses thrive.This conversation includes:Danielle Bezila (Creature Comforts Brewing Co)Joe Hovan (HiHO Brewing Co)Joy Reichenbach (Other Half Brewing)Ryan Mayfield (Craft Leadership)5 Voices Assessment: https://yourteamworkcoach.giantos.com/store/5-voicesFree resources: https://craftleadership.co/events/cbp-apr-2025Stay up to date with CBP: http://update.craftbeerprofessionals.org

Staying nimble, operationally efficient, and making the best quality beer is key in our current industry.In this webinar, you'll learn how to calculate your true COGS by factoring in WIP losses and final loss, track costs vs. profitability per batch, analyze year-over-year trends for sales, understand tank utilization, and fine-tune your efficiency to keep more money in your pocket.Discover how real-time data tracking, forecasting, and COGS analysis can help your brewery reach higher profitability without sacrificing the quality of your beer.Join Pulkit K. Agrawal, Founder and CEO of Beer30 by The 5th Ingredient, for a look at the brewery KPIs that most brewers miss, resulting in a hit to your bottom line. Staying nimble, operationally efficient, and making the best quality beer is key in our current industry.Learn how to calculate your true COGS by factoring in WIP losses and final loss, track costs vs. profitability per batch, analyze year-over-year trends for sales, understand tank utilization, and fine-tune your efficiency to keep more money in your pocket.In this talk, PK will break down how real-time data tracking, forecasting, and COGS analysis can help your brewery reach higher profitability without sacrificing the quality of your beer.Stay up to date with CBP: http://update.craftbeerprofessionals.org

Join us for an in-depth discussion on the rich heritage and brewing applications of English malts, hosted by Andrew from Craft Beer Professionals. This panel features experts from French & Jupps, Pro Brew Supply, and professional brewers who share their experience using these specialty malts.We’ll start with a deep dive into Crystal vs. Patent malts, covering their production processes, flavor contributions, and ideal beer styles. Brewers will discuss real-world applications, balancing these malts in recipes, and how they impact color, mouthfeel, and efficiency.The conversation continues with an exploration of French & Jupps’ legacy, dating back to 1689, and the company’s reintroduction to the U.S. market. Pro Brew Supply will clarify the evolution of the French & Jupps brand and how brewers can now source these authentic English malts more easily.Professional brewers will share insights on choosing the right malts for specific styles, optimizing performance, and maintaining consistency. Finally, we’ll discuss availability and logistics, ensuring brewers can integrate these malts into their production seamlessly.Whether you’re a seasoned brewer or just curious about English malts, this session offers valuable insights into tradition, innovation, and practical brewing applications.This conversation features:Brandon Martin (Pro Brew Supply)Brock Tornga (Pro Brew Supply)James Edford (Fort Brewery)James Marinos (French & Jupps)TBI Pro Brew Supply is a premier supplier of high-quality brewing ingredients and equipment, serving breweries across the U.S. With warehouses in Texas and Chicagoland, they provide top-tier malts, hops, and yeast, including exclusive offerings like French & Jupps malts, ensuring brewers have access to the best ingredients.French & Jupps is a historic English maltster with a legacy dating back to 1689. Renowned for its expertly crafted Crystal and Patent malts, the company blends tradition with innovation to produce high-quality malts for brewers worldwide. Now reintroduced to the U.S. market, French & Jupps continues to uphold its maltster heritage.Stay up to date with CBP: http://update.craftbeerprofessionals.org

The TTB is at it again—this time with two big proposed rule changes that could shake up beer labels. If you’re wondering what this means for breweries, what you need to do, and whether you’ll have to start listing things like calories (yes, really), this session is for you.We’ll break down the two key proposals in plain English (no legal jargon required):• Major Food Allergen Disclosure (Notice No. 238): If your beer contains milk, eggs, fish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, soybeans, or sesame, you may soon have to put that on the label—just like food products.• Alcohol Facts Labeling (Notice No. 237): Think of it as a nutrition label for beer. This would require breweries to disclose serving size, alcohol content, calories, and macronutrients (carbs, fat, and protein).We’ll talk about what this means for breweries, from compliance hurdles to consumer perceptions. Plus, since the public comment period is open until April 17, 2025, we’ll go over how you can voice your opinion before anything becomes official.Join us for a candid discussion on what’s coming, what’s still up in the air, and how breweries can stay ahead of the game.Wendy Raymond is the problem solver breweries never knew they needed—until they’re drowning in TTB paperwork and wondering if they should’ve gone into beekeeping instead. As the owner of Taps and Snaps, she helps breweries untangle the bureaucratic mess of federal and state regulations, securing COLAs, TTB Formulas, and Permits Online approvals without the usual headaches. Need help setting up accounts or figuring out why your label got rejected (again)? Wendy’s got you covered.She knows the ins and outs of federal and state alcohol regulations and has a background in craft beer distribution, but let’s be clear—she’s not a lawyer (and will kindly remind you of that before you ask about contract disputes). What she can do is save breweries time, stress, and unnecessary back-and-forth with regulators, so they can focus on making great beer.A Certified Cicerone® and Utah Chapter President of Pink Boots Society, Wendy is passionate about supporting independent breweries. When she’s not battling TTB red tape, she’s exploring the world one beer at a time. A foodie and devoted dog lover, she’s always on the lookout for the best eats and four-legged friends wherever she goes.Stay up to date with CBP: http://update.craftbeerprofessionals.org

Join us for a conversation with Andrew Burman of Other Half Brewing Company as we explore the evolving craft beer landscape and how breweries can adapt to shifting consumer habits. With weekend taproom traffic declining, Other Half is leaning into events, diverse beverage options, and family-friendly experiences to stay ahead. Burman will discuss the brewery’s strategic focus on private events, cocktails, and accessible distribution—ensuring customers can enjoy Other Half’s beer wherever and however they choose. He’ll also share his perspective on industry-wide challenges, from slow-moving competition and pricing pressures to the importance of quality control in distribution. Don’t miss this intimate conversation with an industry leader.Andrew Burman, co-founded Other Half Brewing Company in Brooklyn, New York, in 2014. Serving as the Chief Operating Officer, Burman oversees the brewery’s daily operations. His journey into the culinary and brewing world began after earning a degree in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland, where he also played lacrosse. Pursuing his passion for food, he went to L’Academie de Cuisine in Gaithersburg, MD. To deepen his understanding of food systems, Burman obtained a Master’s degree in Food Culture and Food Systems from New York University. Since Other Half’s establishment, the brewery has expanded beyond Brooklyn, opening locations in New York City, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, the Finger Lakes, and Buffalo. Burman’s commitment to quality and innovation has been instrumental in Other Half’s growth and its reputation for pushing the boundaries of beer and brewing culture.Stay up to date with CBP: http://update.craftbeerprofessionals.org

The loyal customer is more valuable today than at any point in the history of craft beer. Let’s take a look at how to turn your casual guests into raving fans. Strap on your SCUBA gear and get ready for a deep dive into the data and taproom execution of 3 highly successful modern loyalty and membership programs. These programs go beyond the 20oz pour to bring in recurring revenue and put more buts on barstools!I accidentally graduated from UCSD while studying lacrosse and frequenting O’Brien’s Pub. After a brief attempt to justify the cost of my engineering degree by designing pool cleaners (true story) I quit and started programming instead, first websites and then mobile applications. Since then, I have started a few small businesses with friends to bring best-in-class mobile tech to small businesses in other industries. After growing up in San Diego during the craft boom, I jumped at the chance to start TapWyse and serve this incredible industry. I now live in Carlsbad with my wife Laurel and two boys; Roscoe 9 and Mason 7. When not working you will find me shuttling them between basketball, golf, music, and skateboarding. Cheers!Stay up to date with CBP: http://update.craftbeerprofessionals.org

There are a lot of factors to consider when distributing your product. In this talk Matt Hon talks about the pros and cons of different distribution options and offers tips on several important topics from customer relationship management, to getting paid on time, keg tracking to route planning, and working through the challenges that come with distributing across state borders. Whether you have been distributing for years or are just getting started, this talk will provide valuable insight on how to get your product out there and increase revenue for your business.Matt Hon is Co-Founder and COO of Brew Ninja.Stay up to date with CBP: http://update.craftbeerprofessionals.org

Our market is shrinking and a lot of both smaller and larger breweries are going under (much to everyone’s chagrin). While the craft beer market MAY be shrinking, it will never go away and, like a lot of other niche products, will always ebb and flow. We’ve done a lot to, are actively doing, and have solid plans to be growing our on premises business as well as distribution with little to no resources by focusing on what our industry does right, minimizing what our industry as a whole does not the best job at, and side-stepping the “rtd’s” that are eating craft beer’s lunch! We don’t want the small, neighborhood brewery to go away in a downward market, and we want to share our success and best practices!Brian, with his business partner and childhood best friend Mike Rushford, opened Rushford & Sons Brewhouse in December 2020; right during the height of covid. Brian and Mike put together the business with scotch tape and bubblegum and got it off the ground during a difficult time. Despite the shrinking market, Rushford & Sons is growing it’s distribution network in Central Massachusetts as well as opening a second taproom location while hosting “beer fest” events to grow the local craft beer scene as a whole.Stay up to date with CBP: http://update.craftbeerprofessionals.org