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:
The 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 Orleans
December 8–10, 2025
It’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:
Shana 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 Orleans
December 8–10, 2025
It’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:
Join us in person for CBP Connects New Orleans
December 8–10, 2025
It’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:
Whether 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:
Join us in person for CBP Connects New Orleans
December 8–10, 2025
It’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 Orleans
December 8–10, 2025
It’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:
Join us in person for CBP Connects New Orleans
December 8–10, 2025
It’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 Orleans
December 8–10, 2025
It’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 Orleans
December 8–10, 2025
It’s never been more important to connect: https://cbpconnects.com/
Running a craft brewery today isn’t easy—markets are unpredictable, costs are rising, and competition is fierce. The real question is, how do you not just survive, but thrive in all this chaos?
Join us as we tackle the biggest challenges facing craft breweries today—rising raw material and packaging costs, fierce competition, and unpredictable pricing and demand. We’ll break down revenue vs. profit and show you how Ollie can help transform your passion into a profitable, sustainable business. By the end, you’ll leave with clear, actionable strategies to boost profitability and thrive in an ever-changing market.
Dustin Jeffers is a VP, Brewery Product & Experience at Next Glass. He received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Connecticut and his Master’s Degree from Florida Atlantic University. He has been in the beer industry since 2012, working at Saltwater Brewery as the Head Brewer and Chief Operations Officer, and at 3 Sons Brewing Co. as the Director of Operations. Dustin has been a part of multiple aspects of the brewing industry, including brewing, front-of-house, sales, and operations. Dustin now works for Next Glass, Inc as a Brewery Solutions Consultant discussing all the solutions Next Glass has to offer for the beverage alcohol industry.
Join us in person for CBP Connects New Orleans
December 8–10, 2025
It’s never been more important to connect: https://cbpconnects.com/
For better or worse, the U.S. beer market is built on top of a sea of excise taxes, which every successful and compliant brewer must learn to navigate. As your brewery grows and enters more state markets, your overall excise tax burden only increases, adding to the confusion and risk of missing something. And, of course, each state has unique rules for how they apply and administer their excise tax systems. Understanding the ins and outs of this burden, from your federal liabilities to the rules of the individual states is critical when expanding your sales footprint across the U.S. Come hear regulatory expert Alex Koral of Sovos ShipCompliant provide a review of the different excise tax rules and scenarios that brewers face.
Based in Boulder, Colorado, Alex Koral is Regulatory General Counsel for Sovos ShipCompliant, where he serves as lead legal researcher for beverage alcohol regulation and has become a leading expert on interstate distribution of alcohol. He has spoken on the topic at many industry events including the Craft Beer Professionals Virtual Conferences, Craft Brewers Conference, American Craft Spirits Association Convention, as well as meetings for the National Council of State Liquor Administrators and the National Liquor Law Enforcement Association. Alex has been in the beverage alcohol arena since 2015, after receiving his J.D. from the University of Colorado Law School.
Join us in person for CBP Connects New Orleans
December 8–10, 2025
It’s never been more important to connect: https://cbpconnects.com/
Hiring a whole sales team isn’t always realistic, but that doesn’t mean your growth has to stall. This session explores how independent beverage brands can scale sales using lean, digital-first strategies that replace manual processes with intelligent systems. You’ll learn how to blend brand storytelling, targeted marketing, and smart automation to boost both retail and wholesale revenue. Whether you’re self-distributing, working with a wholesaler, or selling direct-to-consumer, you’ll walk away with a practical plan to build a sustainable sales engine that doesn’t rely on cold calls or constant hustle. We’ll cover how to structure a digital sales strategy that complements in-person outreach, as well as how content, email, and automation can be leveraged to nurture leads, drive conversions, and foster long-term customer relationships. You’ll also learn how to generate and track qualified leads with the same tools used by successful, resource-conscious brands across the industry. If you’re an owner or operator looking to sell more without hiring a traditional sales team, this session will help you rethink your approach to sales, replace outdated tactics with effective ones, and provide a clear roadmap for driving revenue growth.
Julie Rhodes is a 20-year veteran of the food and beverage industry, the owner and operator of Not Your Hobby Marketing Solutions, a fractional consulting and educational services company, and the co-founder of Kick Fizz, a low-dose hemp-infused beverage brand. She specializes in beverage sales, digital marketing, distributor management, and business strategy, helping craft beverage brands work smarter, not harder. A sought-after speaker, business journalist, and instructor for multiple university programs, Julie was named the 2023 Brewers Association Mentor of the Year. She is also an active member of numerous trade associations and state-level guilds.
Join us in person for CBP Connects New Orleans
December 8–10, 2025
It’s never been more important to connect: https://cbpconnects.com/
There’s a lot of consolidation in the brewing industry right now. And, there are a lot of people looking to make an exit. We tell clients that, right now, it’s probably cheaper to buy a brewery than to start one. Whether you’re buying or selling there’re thing you need to think about and protections you need to have. From transaction structure to warranties to owner financing to employee issues, there’s a lot to think about. In this presentation we’ll give you best practices for evaluating and completing an alcohol producer/seller purchase or sale transaction.
As an attorney at Beer Law Center, John’s practice centers on the craft beverage industry. Handling everything from business formation to TTB/ABC, to trademark, and buying/selling an alcohol business, John works with clients to help them achieve their personal and business goals. John authored the book Beer Law: What Brewers Need to Know and is a Certified BJCP Judge, holds Level II Certifications in Wine and Beer from WSET, and is the country’s only alcohol attorney who is also a Certified Cicerone. John is based in Raleigh and practices in North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Join us in person for CBP Connects New Orleans
December 8–10, 2025
It’s never been more important to connect: https://cbpconnects.com/
In this session we will dive into the world of hemp beverages, exploring the state of the industry, market trends, technical details, and, most importantly, giving you ample time to ask questions! Topics covered will include formulation considerations, production SOPs, navigating the regulatory landscape, and understanding what consumers want in a THC drink.
Attendees will leave the session with checklists to get you from formulation to launch, a rough outline of COGS and ROI modeling, and samples to begin developing a THC drink of your own.” “Ricky is the Revenue Director at Perfectly Dosed. He has worked with hundreds of breweries assess the viability of the hemp beverage market and ultimately scale their THC product lines to 10%+ net new revenue in less than a year. Breweries that work with Perfectly Dosed range from local taprooms to major regional craft breweries.
Perfectly Dosed makes ultra stable and affordable hemp emulsions. We’ve powered over one billion servings and our team of experts would be happy to help you launch and scale your hemp products.
Join us in person for CBP Connects New Orleans
December 8–10, 2025
It’s never been more important to connect: https://cbpconnects.com/
This presentation explains the various scenarios in which stainless steel equipment can be damaged and how to avoid damaging the equipment by understanding the cause effects. We will also discuss various field examples and how the equipment can be protected and repaired, if necessary.
Born and raised in Cologne, Germany, Dirk graduated in Cologne with a degree in business administration. After working for a BASF subsidiary, he joined the Loeffler family business, where he worked in sales, technical services and research and development. In 1992, Dirk came to the United States to lay the groundwork for the US operations of Loeffler which led to the incorporation of Loeffler Chemical Corporation in 1994. Until 2019, Dirk served as the CEO and Technical Director for Loeffler Chemical Corporation. After the company merged in 2019, Dirk left the new company and took a sabbatical and focused on teaching and enjoying some time with his family. In 2024, Dirk founded SEKA Chemicals together with his wife Alexis. As the Executive Vice President of Technical Operations and Sales he continues to develop new products and process technologies for breweries and distilleries.
Dirk lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife Alexis and their twin boys Kai and Sebastian. Dirk has been an active member of the Master Brewers Association since 1992 and currently serves as the President for the MBAA Districts Mid-South and Georgia. Dirk is also an active member of the Brewers Association since 1993 and serves on the Board of the German School of Atlanta as Safety & Security Officer.
Join us in person for CBP Connects New Orleans
December 8–10, 2025
It’s never been more important to connect: https://cbpconnects.com/
In an industry driven by grassroots grit, passion, and what at times feels like flying by the seat of your pants, professional development often takes a backseat to production schedules and tight budgets. But staying competitive and keeping your staff inspired doesn’t require expensive conferences or high-ticket programs. This session explores how breweries of all sizes—especially small and independent operations—can embrace professional growth on a shoestring budget.
We’ll dive into practical, scalable strategies for skill-building, staff retention, and team morale that don’t break the bank. From peer-to-peer learning and free resources to low-cost certifications and mentorship models, attendees will walk away with actionable tools to grow their teams and invest in better informed staff.
Because in beer, just like in brewing, better outcomes come from continuous refinement—and you don’t need a million-dollar system to make a damn good pint.
Panelists:
Moderator: Cat Pearce (Raleigh Brewing
Join us in person for CBP Connects New Orleans
December 8–10, 2025
It’s never been more important to connect: https://cbpconnects.com/
In today’s challenging beverage landscape, most breweries aren’t chasing overnight success as the next big regional or national player. Instead, growth comes from intentional moves that fit the business. In this panel, you’ll hear from owners who have expanded by adding kitchens, stepping away from distribution, and building private event programs — all without losing control. The right next step might not be bigger, just better for your business.
This conversation features:
Join us in person for CBP Connects New Orleans
December 8–10, 2025
It’s never been more important to connect: https://cbpconnects.com/
Uncover where your brewery truly makes money by identifying key profit drivers across products, customers, and channels. In this session, you’ll learn how to benchmark your financial performance against industry standards, spot areas for improvement, and make data-driven decisions that lead to stronger margins and sustainable profitability.
Panelists:
Moderator: Kary Shumway (Beer Business Finance)
Join us in person for CBP Connects New Orleans
December 8–10, 2025
It’s never been more important to connect: https://cbpconnects.com/
A full taproom is a happy taproom, but gone are the days of “If you brew it, they will come.” We need new ideas and strategies. We need profitable marketing programs that are proven to put butts on barstools and make money!
This session is for micro to mid-size brewery owners, GMs, marketing managers and head janitors (because you do all these jobs) who want to implement 10X+ ROI marketing strategies at their breweries. We will look at the most profitable membership programs, proven ways to drive repeat visits and tactics to sell through aging beer more quickly.
No “pie-in-the-sky” or fluffy marketing ideas allowed. Just real-world examples, numbers & best practices. This way you can skip the guesswork and start implementing proven programs right away.
Whether your goal is to grow weekday traffic, launch a paid membership, or turn first-time guests into lifelong fans, you’ll leave with a clear action plan tailored to your brewery.
Ross Stensrud accidentally graduated from UCSD while studying lacrosse and spending plenty of time at O’Brien’s. After a brief stint designing pool cleaners (yes, really) in an effort to justify the cost of his degree, he pivoted and began recruiting smart friends to help build app marketing tech for local businesses—starting with music, then golf, and now craft beer with TapWyse. He lives in Carlsbad with his wife Laurel and their two boys, Roscoe (11) and Mason (9). When he’s not working, you’ll likely find him biking down PCH or shuttling his kids to basketball, golf, music, and skateboarding.
Join us in person for CBP Connects New Orleans
December 8–10, 2025
It’s never been more important to connect: https://cbpconnects.com/
Your beer may bring them in, but your food might be what keeps them around (and spending more). Join MarginEdge and two innovative breweries for a conversation on how to turn your food program from a necessity into a revenue-driving asset. From menu design and cost tracking to staffing, pricing, and guest experience, we’ll explore what’s working, what’s not, and what’s next.
Panelists:
Moderator: Andre Elam (MarginEdge)
Join us in person for CBP Connects New Orleans
December 8–10, 2025
It’s never been more important to connect: https://cbpconnects.com/