What does it take to scale from a bold idea to a beverage category leader?

We sit down with Athletic Brewing’s CFO Evan Zawatsky and communications leader Chris Furnari to dig into the decisions that powered Athletic’s rise: owning production, investing in quality, and building a marketing engine that turns awareness into velocity.

Evan opens the playbook on why Athletic poured serious CapEx into state-of-the-art breweries in Connecticut and San Diego.

That move secured quality control, unlocked flavor innovation, improved margins, and gave the team agility to grow without supply constraints.

Chris explains how the brand story evolved from convincing people to try non-alcoholic beer to showing who it’s for: active, balance-minded drinkers who want great beer flavors throughout the week.

Together, they share how “cans in hands” at race finish lines and community events are key to brand building, how partnerships and earned media create the surround sound needed to convert trial into repeat purchase.

If you care about brewery finance, brand strategy, or the surge in non-alcoholic beer, this podcast is packed with practical and clear frameworks you can apply at any scale.

Ready to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.

In today's podcast we show how breweries can turn recipe development and process innovation into real cash using the federal R&D tax credit, plus a clear path to claim refunds retroactively.

Maggie Crowley and Devin Medrick from Leyton explain the IRS tests, missed opportunities, state add-ons, and energy efficiency deductions.

• What the IRS four-part test means for brewing work
• Real examples: first-batch runs, recipe changes, process tweaks
• Eligible costs: wages at three levels, contractors, supplies
• Simple documentation that passes audit standards
• Typical credit ranges and three-year lookbacks
• State credits that stack with federal benefits
• Startup payroll tax offset for young breweries
• Recent law changes reversing R&D cost capitalization
• 179D and cost segregation for building upgrades
• Quick steps: check Form 6765 and ask your head brewer

Want to learn how your brewery can unlock R&D tax credits? Reach out to Maggie Crowley, mcrowley@leyton.com or visit Leyton for more details.

Don't forget to sign up for the free brewery financial training newsletter.

Ready to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.

In today's podcast we lay out a simple path for Massachusetts breweries to use the Workforce Training Fund Express program for up to 100% reimbursement on financial training.

From eligibility to application steps, we reveal each step in the process to turn free training dollars into better profits and steadier cash flow.

• who qualifies and what reimbursement you can expect
• how to find and choose pre-approved courses in the catalog
• what documents you need for the application
• typical approval timing and how long approvals last
• why year end is the best time to apply
• next steps to book a call and get guided support

For Massachusetts breweries, book a call with me and I’ll walk you through the entire application.

For breweries in other states, email me about grant programs in your area - Kary@BeerBusinessFinance.com - let's work together to get you grant funds to cover the cost of financial training in the new year.

Ready to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.

What does it really take to scale a brewery without losing your soul or your margins?

We sit down with Nicole Smith, co-owner of South Lake Brewing Company, to trace a path from high school sweethearts in Tahoe to a two-location operation balancing community, cash flow, and culture.

Nicole shares the unvarnished story of opening a second taproom and kitchen, why owner presence matters, and how to avoid cannibalizing your original location while still growing revenue.

We cover the small set of numbers that matter most—revenue versus forecast by channel, prime cost for food and beer, and labor as a percentage of net revenue—and how those guardrails drive daily scheduling, purchasing, and promotions.

From handling brutal seasonality in the shoulder months to embracing a kitchen to meet guest expectations, Nicole offers a field manual for independent breweries navigating a slower market.

If you want concrete tactics for expansion, community funding, and profitability without compromising what makes your brand special, this conversation delivers.

Connect with Nicole, nicole@southlakebeer.com

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Ready to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.

In today's podcast, Ross Stensrud from Tapwyse shares how craft breweries turn memberships, flash rewards, and push messages into recurring revenue and reliable taproom traffic.

Real data from 100+ brewery apps shows why monthly loyalty programs outperform annuals and how simple offers can drive measurable visits.

Key Takeaways

• Monthly memberships outperform annuals for recurring revenue
• The $1 weekly beer case study
• How to use flash rewards to move slow inventory fast
• $5 locals program for weekday demand shaping - loyalty programs go beyond beer
• How to leverage push messages: High read and engagement rates

Don't forget to sign up for the Craft Brewery Financial Training weekly newsletter. Financial intel delivered straight to your inbox!

Ready to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.

Today on the podcast Andrew Coplon opens the playbook on Secret Hopper’s 10,000-visit dataset and shows how mystery shopping metrics translate into increased sales for your taproom.

We talk through the staff behaviors that lead to high engagement—prompt greetings, informed recommendations, and closing gratitude—and the numbers that follow: bigger tabs, higher tips, and dramatically faster return visits.

You’ll hear why a simple flight suggestion makes guests 350% more likely to order one and adds roughly thirteen dollars to the tab, how a to-go prompt can 4x purchases, and why tip percentage is a powerful proxy for engagement and training needs.

Today's conversation gives you scripts, benchmarks, and a practical framework to coach your team.

Learn more about Secret Hopper - helping taprooms grow with data-driven insights gathered through real mystery shopper visits.

Don't forget to sign up for the free, and financially powerful weekly beer industry finance newsletter - your income statement will thank you!

Ready to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.

Beer volumes are down, dollars are soft, and the usual playbook isn’t working.

We brought back Lester Jones, chief economist at the National Beer Wholesalers Association, to cut through the noise with data, plain talk, and a clear plan for getting back to growth.

Lester breaks down what’s structural—demographics, consumption occasions, and channel mix—and what’s cyclical—slower hiring, fewer hours worked, and sticky inflation—and shows how those forces collide to shape beer demand in 2025.

We unpack the Beer Purchasers’ Index and why distributor sentiment remains cautious, then dig into category dynamics where cider and FMBs stabilize, below-premium holds steady, and draft shows surprising resilience as on-premise accounts multiply.

Lester argues the rubber band of pricing elasticity finally snapped: years of CPI-tracking increases met a year with little price and falling volume.

The fix isn’t blind discounting; it’s surgical price investment, smarter pack-price architecture, and a return to safety and velocity on shelves.

We also reframe on-premise: consumers want to socialize away from home, but aggressive pricing suppresses rounds.

The antidote is occasion-first programming—happy hour value, low- and no-alcohol that extends the visit, and draft that delivers ritual, freshness, and better margins.

Demographics get a rethink too. Instead of shouting at Gen Z, empower the 60-plus cohort—the wealthiest, most social audience—and design life-stage occasions that everyone wants to join.

On competition, we sort through RTDs, seltzers, and hemp beverages, noting where shelves will rationalize and where beer’s strengths—lagers with place cues, approachable ABV, and draft experiences—can win.

We also address policy turbulence around tariffs and taxes, urging unified advocacy while businesses adapt sourcing and operations to protect margins.

If you care about winning the next quarter without losing the next year, this conversation delivers a grounded strategy: price with purpose, simplify to velocity, program the on-premise, and market to moments that bring people together.

Subscribe, share with your team, and leave a review with one action you’re taking this week to move the needle.

And don't forget to sign up for the beer business finance newsletter - financial intel delivered weekly straight to your inbox.

Ready to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.

A CFO who became a head of marketing, eliminated millions in debt, and then built a company to fix distribution blind spots—Doug Veliky’s journey is a masterclass in making beer businesses sturdier and smarter.

We dig into the decisions that actually move the needle: building an internal audit team at Reyes that focused on real compliance risk, redesigning systems at Revolution to produce market-level P&Ls, and consolidating a spaghetti bowl of loans into a revolving line that turned heavy debt into daily cash efficiency.

That financial clarity paved the way for a bold move—buying the production facility—and gave the brewery control over the investments that shape its future.

We also get honest about how teams work.

Doug shows how finance, sales, and marketing can stop talking past each other by aligning on the data each team needs: shipments, depletions, pull-through.

The result?

Better forecasts, fewer surprises, and programs that actually show up on the shelf and in the tap list.

Doug's Beer Crunchers platform ties it all together, translating the mechanics of distributors, portfolios, and pricing into stories and tactics people at every level can use.

And when the world flipped, Doug brought a finance brain to digital marketing—prioritizing audience, cadence, and measurable impact.

Looking forward, Doug sees moderation evolving beyond non-alcoholic beer into “small beers” and right-sized formats that meet the moment—2.8–3.8% ABV cores and 8.4-ounce packs that fit weekday occasions without losing the ritual.

The catch is prioritization: make it a pillar or skip it.

We close with BrightBev, where Doug helps emerging brands choose the right distributors, set expectations, and invest alongside partners to win velocity, not just placements.

If you care about brewery finance, route-to-market strategy, and building brands that last, this conversation will sharpen your plan for the next four quarters.

Subscribe, share with a brewery friend, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway—what will you prioritize next?

And don't forget to sign up for the Brewery Financial Newsletter - tips, tactics, and strategies to help you build a more profitable brewery business.

Ready to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.