The Brewery Talent Crisis: What to Know and What to Do

Say goodbye to boring spreadsheets and hello to a budgeting process that actually works. In this workshop, we’ll show you how to create a practical, profit-driven brewery budget using real numbers, easy tools, and a dash of fun. You’ll leave with a clear plan, the right templates, and the confidence to take control of your finances. Without falling asleep at the keyboard.Kary Shumway is the founder of Craft Brewery Financial Training.com and the Beer Business Finance Association which offer online resources for beer industry professionals. He has worked in the beer industry for more than 20 years as a certified public accountant and a chief financial officer for a beer distributor and a brewery.Craft Brewery Financial Training publishes a free weekly beer industry finance newsletter, offers online training courses on topics such as cash flow planning, financial forecasting, and brewery metrics.For more information visit www.CraftBreweryFinancialTraining.com.Join us in person for CBP Connects New OrleansDecember 8–10, 2025It’s never been more important to connect: https://cbpconnects.com/

2024 saw more brewery closings than openings. Uncertainty is growing around rising costs and tariffs. Production is down. Consumers are looking for more diverse offerings, including non-alcoholic. Industry associations are promising bright days ahead, while member breweries are not so sure.Tired promotions and liquid social posts aren’t going to save craft. Throwing more resources and budget at the problem doesn’t make it go away. Festivals and retail demos are drying up. It’s time to start thinking more strategically about sales growth, starting with your marketing plan. Owners and industry experts alike are placing their bets on one simple blueprint:Design your website to help drive organic searchCreate content to build community on social mediaSchedule email campaigns for broad calls-to-actionDevelop a branded mobile app for activating individual drinkersLeverage AI for operational efficiencyThe data is available to help brewery owners and managers take a more thoughtful, deliberate approach to business growth. We’ll discuss how to track marketing efforts using tools like Google Looker Studio and weekly dashboard reporting, as well as best practices for success in each channel. Presentation attendees have access to 10+ 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.Join us in person for CBP Connects New OrleansDecember 8–10, 2025It’s never been more important to connect: https://cbpconnects.com/

We know that you know beer! But what if you’re adding additional product categories? This presentation aims to give you a solid understanding of the rules and regulations around the advertising and marketing of all your brands, alcoholic beer as well as non-alc, spirits and hemp-derived beverage products.Key Objectives:Know what is considered an advertisement and the “Golden Rule” to avoid most TTB/FTC concerns.Advertising alcoholic beverage brands and what rules/regulations you are required to follow, including social media and printUnderstand how the rules/regulations may or may not change if you are advertising a spirit, non-alc or hemp derived product?Understand where some companies selling only non-alc beer and/or hemp-derived products have more flexibility than you do as a producer of alcoholic beverages.How to get the influencers that you work with to understand all of this, or at least what they need to know to keep you from getting into troubleShana Metzger, Senior Counsel at Barnes Beverage Group, provides strategic counsel on the full spectrum of commercial operations, from crafting distribution, sales, and expansion strategies to negotiating complex agreements.Shana excels in drafting and managing distribution contracts, alternating proprietorships, and other key commercial arrangements, in both traditional and emerging beverage sectors. Beyond commercial work, she advises clients on labor and employment issues as well as intellectual property matters, ensuring comprehensive support for client businesses.Join us in person for CBP Connects New OrleansDecember 8–10, 2025It’s never been more important to connect: https://cbpconnects.com/

CBP Connects New Orleans is almost here, happening December 8–10. Join us for a conversation with some of our event speakers and partners to hear what you can expect, why you should attend, and how it can help you reach your goals.14 interactive sessions, 3 nightly receptions (Urban South, Parleaux, and Abita), a trade show, and countless opportunities to connect with industry decision makers.This conversations features:Dawn Kirchner (Full Circle Brewgarden)Derek Smith (Small Batch Standard)Hailey Thrash-Nelson (Brewery Branding)Jake Keyes (Skydance Brewing)Join us in person for CBP Connects New OrleansDecember 8–10, 2025It’s never been more important to connect: https://cbpconnects.com/

Breweries are under pressure—tight margins, unpredictable production, and old ways of managing inventory, compliance, and procurement that just aren’t cutting it anymore. In this session, we’ll explore how mid-sized breweries can reclaim efficiency and stay competitive using smarter systems, without needing an enterprise IT team.You’ll hear from Lawson’s Finest Liquids, a regional brewery navigating this transformation firsthand, alongside their technology partners. Together, we’ll break down how integrated solutions have driven automated compliance, smarter purchasing, and greater operational efficiency—while delivering measurable ROI.Through a panel discussion grounded in real brewery experiences, we will spotlight three high-impact areas where smarter tools are turning friction points into competitive advantages:Automating and backing up TTB and state excise reporting with live data Leveraging Material Requirements Planning (MRP) to improve purchasing decisions and reduce wasteBuilding a business case for moving off QuickBooks and other standalone solutions into more robust, scalable systemsWhether you’re trying to reduce reporting errors, tighten up inventory, or free up your team’s time, this session delivers practical strategies and actionable steps for brewing smarter without overwhelming your budget.This conversation features:Alyssa Sorrentino (Lawson’s Finest Liquids)Anthony Shibata (Wipfli LLP)Dane Koepke (Wipfli LLP)Fiona Gray (Lawson’s Finest Liquids)Randy Smith (Vicinity Software)Join us in person for CBP Connects New OrleansDecember 8–10, 2025It’s never been more important to connect: https://cbpconnects.com/

Every big decision comes with lessons, some you are glad you learned and others you wish you could have avoided. In this panel, brewery owners and managers share the moves they have made, from expansions to new revenue streams to tough calls that changed the direction of their business. Hear what worked, what did not, and what they would do differently so you can make smarter moves in your own business.This conversation features:-Ben Acord (Mucho Aloha Brewhouse)-Mike Garcia (Loose Screw Beer Co.)-Nicole Carrier (Throwback Brewery)-Tyler Forbes (Burzurk Brewing Co.)Join us in person for CBP Connects New OrleansDecember 8–10, 2025It’s never been more important to connect: https://cbpconnects.com/

CBP Connects New Orleans is almost here, happening December 8–10. Join us for a conversation with some of our event speakers and partners to hear what you can expect, why you should attend, and how it can help you reach your goals.14 interactive sessions, 3 nightly receptions (Urban South, Parleaux, and Abita), a trade show, and countless opportunities to connect with industry decision makers.This conversations features:Brittany Waiss (KettleHouse Brewing)Eric Jensen (Parleaux Beer Lab)Pulkit K. Agrawal (Beer30 by The 5th Ingredient)Join us in person for CBP Connects New OrleansDecember 8–10, 2025It’s never been more important to connect: https://cbpconnects.com/

We are experiencing an unprecedented talent crisis in the US. We are producing more jobs than we have workers to fill them, companies are now competing for talent across all industries – not just within their own. Engagement is at its lowest in almost 10 years and the expectations among Millennials and GenZ have created the long overdue awakening about what leaders need to do to build engaged and productive teams. See the compelling statistics and learn how, as a leader, you can realize the ROI of talent development and build a more productive and sustainable organization.Steve Hopkins leads Wipfli’s leadership consulting team within the Organizational Performance group, helping clients grow their people, culture, and organizations. With over a decade of experience in leadership development and executive coaching, Steve builds on a diverse career that includes managing global sales, leading business units, and teaching at the University of Kentucky. He is known for his eclectic background and passion for empowering leaders through frameworks, training, and tools. His consulting approach is thoughtful and thought-provoking, with a focus on enhancing employee performance, team cohesion, and organizational growth.Join us in person for CBP Connects New OrleansDecember 8–10, 2025It’s never been more important to connect: https://cbpconnects.com/

Business is consistent, staff is solid, cash flow is more than adequate, and I have a great idea/opportunity for another tap room….so should I do it?"This feels like the ultimate question for the brewing industry right now, since a significant number of closings seem to be happening on the heels of a major expansion. So what are the best metrics to use when weighing this question (or) any type of major expansion?We pulled together a panel of industry veterans with different backgrounds to see what their approach would be to this question.Dustin Hauck of Hauck Architecture looks at the industry through the lens of the budgets, building, infrastructure, and state/county/city regulations for 300+ breweries, and he’s got lists of considerations for you.Erik Fowler of the San Diego Brewers Guild has traveled the country as an industry educator with brewing roots, and he’s now representing the interests of a very strong American brewing region. He’s seen brewing & business approaches of every stripe.Kary Shumway of Beer Business Finance and Kary’s Financial Training has worked with many breweries facing this question, and he sees the world through spreadsheets with financial & growth metrics. Hard to argue with the numbers!Jeremy Carney of Central Coast Analytics IS data. It’s his jam. His mission is to empower breweries to make smarter, data-driven decisions, so be ready for guidance around how to collect, slice and dice what you know.Jon Carpenter of Opensō Consulting has lived it. He’s worked in the areas of engineering & design, NPD & operations, staffing/training, and construction/ installation/ startup of equipment, systems, brands, and facilities throughout his 19 years….so he has an opinion. Perhaps more than one.Our moderator, Laura Lodge of Start A Brewery & Customized Craft Beer Programs, has likewise walked many different paths within the industry, notably distribution, education, events, and startup consulting.Join us for a deep dive into the search for that Golden Ticket. After all, breweries & chocolate factories have a lot in common!Join us in person for CBP Connects New OrleansDecember 8–10, 2025It’s never been more important to connect: https://cbpconnects.com/

Your service staff is tasked with presenting your beers to customers in your taproom or brewpub, which makes each of them ad hoc members of your sales staff. They might be great bartenders or servers, but if they came to you from a restaurant or other hospitality background, they might not know much about beer, and we all know how quickly beer misinformation can spread.Brewery owners are sometimes reluctant to invest time and money in a staff education program, fearing they’ll have to watch that investment walk out the door if an employee leaves a few months later. However, far more damaging than a trained employee who leaves is an untrained one who sticks around. You give your sales staff the information they need to get your beer into new account, and your service staff needs it to.In this talk, Advanced Cicerone and beer educator David Nilsen will talk about the benefits of establishing a service-focused beer education program at your brewery and what does and doesn’t need to be included in the program.David Nilsen (he/him) is a full-time beer writer and educator living near Dayton, Ohio. He’s an Advanced Cicerone© and an award-winning member of the North American Guild of Beer Writers and the British Guild of Beer Writers. He hosts the Bean to Barstool podcast, and is the author of the book Pairing Beer & Chocolate. He’s the co-founder and editor of Final Gravity, a print zine telling personal, human-centered stories from the world of beer. You can find him online at davidnilsenbeer.com and on Bluesky and Instagram as @davidnilsenbeer.Join us in person for CBP Connects New OrleansDecember 8–10, 2025It’s never been more important to connect: https://cbpconnects.com/