Collaborating for a Cause | Timber Ales’ Stay Strong Alex

This series has been a humbling experience. Not only have we had the opportunity to cover more participating breweries than we ever thought, but we have also seen endless generosity both in support of these installments and, more importantly, in support of Alex Kidd as he continues to fight for his life. Timber Ales is the next feature in Collaborating for a Cause, and we had the privilege of talking with Owner and Brewer Jason Stein about his iteration of Stay Strong Alex and the impact that Don’t Drink Beer has had on his own journey.
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Collaborating for a Cause | Altar of the Orc Lord: DDB Edition

Those who have followed Alex Kidd since the beginning know him to be a long-time supporter of Modern Times. His reviews of their products have contributed to the growth of their barrel program and special projects, and the news of his cancer diagnosis back in May really hit the team in a personal place. Less than a month after Alex shared the news on social media, Modern Times had already organized a release in an effort to help cover his hospital expenses. We had the opportunity to work briefly with the Special Projects team at Modern Times to gain more insight on the beer itself and Alex’s impact on their development.

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Collaborating for a Cause | ALEX KIDD IS LIFE!

While Mikerphone Brewing out of Chicago is the latest brewery in this series, they were one of the first to take action in support of Alex Kidd and his family following the news of his cancer diagnosis. Just like what we saw most recently with Bob D’Angelo and Esker Hart Artisan Ales, Mikerphone Brewing was founded from a passion for homebrewing. Now, eight years since their first commercial beer, Mikerphone has become a Chicago beer staple and Owners Mike and Lisa Pallen have been fortunate enough to travel the world making and sharing beer. Upon hearing Alex’s devastating news, they knew they wanted to do what they could for him and his family during this unprecedented time. We were able to talk briefly with Mike and discuss a little more about the special single barrel English-style Barleywine released for the man behind the Barleywine is Life movement.

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Rough Draft: Challenges In On-Premise Craft Beer Sales

Amongst the revelry of craft beer fans that descended upon Denver in late September for the annual Great American Beer Festival, a smaller group of beer enthusiasts gathered at Cervantes Masterpiece in Five Points for the last Brewbound BrewTalks industry event of 2023. While GABF is mainly a consumer-facing event, there are a small number of industry insider, business-focused events that occur that same week and BrewTalks is one of them.

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Collaborating for a Cause | Bear: Stay Strong Alex

The Stay Strong Alex initiative continues this week with a special iteration of Esker Hart Artisan Ale’s Bear series. With his first full-production location slated to open in early 2024, Bob D’Angelo started his brewing journey nine years ago. Early support from Alex served as a huge kick start to what has now become Esker Hart, and in the wake of his unanticipated cancer diagnosis, Bob knew that he wanted to honor and dedicate this second Blend of Bear to him in support of the long road ahead. We had a chance to talk with Bob and learn more about his history with Alex as well as the beer itself and the special raffle that was set up to help raise money for the Kidd family.
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Collaborating for a Cause | 2 Live Gran Kidd

In a continually impressive showing of togetherness for a shared cause, Stay Strong Alex and similar initiatives have been raising an incredible amount of money to support Alex Kidd and his family as they navigate the road ahead following his Stage IV cancer diagnosis. This week we look to Pennsylvania and Voodoo Brewing Company. Having just celebrated the 10th anniversary of its original Arch Street Brew Pub last year, these guys are no strangers to the industry. The devastating diagnosis of the satirical beer icon resonated heavily with the team in Meadville, and we had the opportunity to speak briefly with Voodoo CMO Tom Guzick to gain some insight about the most recent release in their famous Barrel Room Collection series dedicated to Alex Kidd.

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Collaborating for a Cause | For The Kidd’s

The high-production powerhouses of the industry have been far from the only ones showing support towards Alex Kidd and his family during his continuing fight with Stage IV cancer. A collaborative effort out of New Jersey, For The Kidd’s is the next feature in a growing series highlighting the incredible support provided by the craft beer community for a craft beer icon. Chris with Shore Side Brewing allowed us the opportunity to sit down and discuss a beer that he felt was more than fitting to be released for Don’t Drink Beer.

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Denver Food + Wine Festival Showcases Denver’s Best

There’s been a lot of talk about the Denver culinary scene lately — from Michelin Stars to one of our favorite pink-painted restaurants being reopened by television show creators. But one would be remiss to forget that one of the biggest weeks for the Denver culinary scene, Denver Food + Wine Festival, is back September 6 – 9, 2023. This year marks a landmark week of exciting events, so Denver foodies rejoice! 

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California Will Now Allow Cider & Perry Production For Small Breweries

California takes an important step to level the playing field between large and small breweries. Small breweries will now be able to produce cider and perry under the same roof. Senate Bill 788 was signed by the Governor on July 21st. This was after both the State Assembly and State Senate unanimously approved earlier. Read More

All Grown Up | Craft Beer is Now a Mature Market

On August 10, 2023, the Brewers Association issued a press release summarizing the craft beer industry midyear update from the Chief Economist, Bart Watson, where he expressed that things are still not great for craft beer, but also not quite as bad as they have been.

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Collaborating for a Cause | Kidd Beer

Alex Kidd and his family have been incredibly humbled by the support they continue to receive from the Beer Community. With this installment, Collaborating for a Cause is highlighting HOMES Brewery, a small but progressive program out of Ann Arbor, MI. Maybe most famously known in recent years for Smooj, their line of all natural fruited seltzers, they also boast a varied and impressive portfolio of uniquely nuanced traditional beer styles. For their ode to Alex Kidd in support of his fight with cancer, they knew they had to go big. We had the chance to chat briefly with Nick Panchamé, Head Brewer at HOMES, about this recent charitable effort and how Alex was able to inspire the amazing gesture. Enter KIDD BEER.

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Barrel Theory Beer Company | Beer with the Brewer

It’s rare to find a brewery that can pump out so many different styles, and do it well. When you do though, it is one of the best feelings.

In the Twin Cities, that brewery is Barrel Theory Beer Company. Located in the heart of downtown St. Paul, Minnesota, it has spent the last six years brewing spectacular beers of all varieties, from crispy Pilsners to decadent Imperial Stouts, with a knack for making Hazy IPAs. It’s been doing it humbly, making the brewery somewhat of a hidden gem. Until now.

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Collaborating for a Cause | Ancient Otter Treats

The continued outpouring of support for Alex Kidd and his family in the wake of his devastating Stage IV cancer diagnosis has been nothing short of incredible. Breweries nationwide and beyond have pledged support, and limited releases of special beers dedicated to Alex have slowly been surfacing. This series began with Horus Aged Ale’s Stay Strong Alex collaboration, and is continuing this week with Forager Brewery’s special release of Ancient Otter Treats in support of the man behind Don’t Drink Beer.

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Collaborating for a Cause | Stay Strong Alex

By now, nearly everybody remotely involved in craft beer has heard the news about Alex Kidd, aka DontDrinkBeers. For those unaware, Alex has been the satirical voice of craft beer for years, a passionate beer enthusiast who, in addition to running a very successful podcast about the current events and trends in the industry, is also a highly respected attorney, loving husband, and father to a two-year old son and soon-to-be daughter expected in September.

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Strength In Numbers | Strategic Planning Holds A Spotlight At The Craft Brewers Conference

Number nerds unite! This was the call to action for many brewery owners, operators, and employees during the Brewers Association 2023 Craft Brewers Conference, which took place from May 7-10 at the Music City Center in Nashville, TN. So what’s the noise about numbers and why should the craft beer community even care?

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Maine Beer Company | Dinner & Second Dinner

When discussing pioneers of the craft beer industry, one name that rightfully comes up every time is Maine Beer Company. Founded in 2009 by brothers Dave and Daniel Kleban, Maine was built on the idea of creating beers that ignored market research and instead ran on a well-brewed product that was done right. It was the hope that people would enjoy their beers enough to keep coming back. The rest is history. Read More

Craft Beer Recycling Guide

It’s no secret that getting fresh, tasty brews to craft beer lovers takes a lot of packaging and there are various opinions on what is and isn’t recyclable. Our craft beer recycling guide takes the guesswork out of the process so that we can all make our empties more useful. Read More

Together Is Not Always Better: How Consolidation In the Middle Tier Is Impacting The Future of Craft Beer Brands

For most craft breweries, the trajectory of brand growth follows a somewhat traditional path – starting with taproom sales, progressing to selling in the wholesale channel, and then alignment with a beer wholesaler to grow the distribution footprint. Sounds simple enough on paper, but if you drill down into the nuances of selling beer wholesale, things get complicated very quickly. The US is unlike any other country in the world when it comes to the three-tier alcohol distribution system. Some states do not allow suppliers to self-distribute (sell directly) their products to licensed retail accounts, yielding asinine practices like selling beer to yourself for your own taproom. Some states are also dubbed “franchise” law states where if your brand aligns with a distributor you must endure a contractual arrangement that makes changing distributor partners harder than selling beachfront property in Arizona. And we haven’t even begun to address the large big beer elephant in the room and how many large beer distribution houses are aligned with one of two big players in the US beer market. For many craft brands that are just getting started or fall into the category of small to medium-sized producers, strategizing how to enter the wholesale channel is a formidable challenge, including contending with a host of other legislative, litigious, and anti-competitive issues in the middle tier that have surfaced over the past few decades. As if growing craft beer producers didn’t have enough to contend with these days in the form of rising costs of goods, labor shortages, inflation, and the squeeze from alternative beverage choices in the marketplace, woes like wholesaler consolidation, unfair trade practices, and antiquated beverage alcohol regulations are making the middle tier the next big battleground for craft beer brands. 

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Meet Me In California | 2023 California Craft Beer Summit Recap

The 2023 California Craft Beer Summit highlighted the industry’s achievements and current challenges. The Summit has changed some of its focus from past years. The educational sessions were geared 100% toward the industry. They had no general “beer lover” element, which meant no beer and donut pairings for the beer geeks. This year’s event also did not culminate with a beer festival.

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No Big Deal: Why Craft Brewery M&A’s Have Lost Their Shock Value

Goose Island, Bluepoint, Boulevard, Sweetwater, Founders, Wicked Weed, Anchor, Oskar Blues, Lagunitas, Dogfish Head, Ballast Point, Cigar City, Modern Times, Stone, Bell’s, and most recently Avery Brewing – not a comprehensive list by any means, but just a sampling of formerly independent craft breweries that merged with or were acquired by larger parent companies over roughly the past decade. The difference between now and then is that craft brewery M&A’s are just not that big of a deal anymore. Back then, craft beer drinkers and superfans would be up in arms over a buyout or partnership deal of any size – suggesting boycotts, bashing brands online, and protesting festivals where “sellout” breweries would be pouring their liquid. Today, that’s not quite the case, with deals like the Bell’s and New Belgium merger or the acquisition of Avery Brewing by import giant Mahou San Miguel barely sparking a peep of controversy online. So what’s changed – the craft beer fan or the business of craft beer?

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