John Holl’s Post

If you know anyone from Wisconsin, you’ve likely heard them talk about the New Glarus Brewing Company. Heck, if you know anyone from the Midwest, New Glarus beer has likely crossed their lips at some point. Is it really worth the hype, though? I get into all that and more in this guide to whether New Glarus beer is overrated, including thoughts from Brian, a local from these parts! https://lnkd.in/ggHcVKqF

A successful brewery requires two things. 1. Beer. 2. And People. The first one feels self-explanatory. But the second one is more complicated. Though, not really. Just so I don’t leave anybody behind: beer is what a brewery serves. And people are who buy, drink, AND SERVE the beer. You can feel the energy in breweries when these two elements are put ahead of all else. Friendly faces happily enjoying the beer, friendlier faces behind the bar, passionate brewers somewhere working their magic, and the intense smell of brewing beer all greet you upon entry. It is remarkable and almost otherworldly. Of course, the actual management of a brewery is intensely complicated. If you don’t have people who love to drink your beer and people who love to pour it, what is the point of all that headache? One such headache is the World Wide Web. It is clear to me that most breweries have little interest in this particular realm. Which is fair. It's not really what you signed up for. But it's the internet's world. We're just living in it. So the next time you go to share something, think of this: you serve beer in real life. How can you serve your people online? Cheers.

This is great news for Beer. When Greg Wells and the team at We Are Beer reached out to me to act as a contributor for their newly launched We Are Beer Industry platform, it took me all of 5 seconds to say yes. Why? The beer industry is on the defensive. For those that run breweries, we’ve battled wild demand swings through the pandemic, macro competitors with big pockets, supply shortages, and significant cost rises. We've defended blow after blow, and it's been a struggle to find the time and resource to do anything else. But the only way to truly change the outlook for beer is to be bold and go back on the attack. We have industry bodies that support us, but I’d argue their remit has always been to protect, not attack (which makes sense when you consider the % of their membership that will be older, no growth breweries). They’ve played a key role lobbying to protect the industry, most notably through the duty changes/raises, which is a tough and important job… But it’s no longer enough. For me, the We Are Beer Industry Platform comes at a perfect time, because it is all about the attack. It’s not about what we know today. It’s about providing access to people, insights & ideas that will enable us to think about what beer can be... with some helpful insights that will give us and investors more confidence to invest the time and resources into them! I’ve dropped a link into the comments where you can find out more about the Industry Platform. Go check it out.

How one ad made Schlitz Beer a household name—and it wasn’t about the taste. In the early 1900s, Schlitz Beer was struggling to stand out in a crowded market. That’s when Claude Hopkins stepped in with a bold strategy: focus on the process. Hopkins discovered that all breweries used similar methods to purify their beer, but no one was talking about it. So, he made it Schlitz’s unique selling point. His ads emphasized the purity of the brewing process—how the beer was filtered through "white wood pulp" and sterilized to perfection. Even though every brewery did the same thing, Schlitz was the first to make it part of their story. And it worked. The campaign shot Schlitz to become the #1 beer in America. The takeaway? Sometimes, it’s not about what you do differently—it’s about what you communicate first. By highlighting something common in a new way, you can turn it into a powerful differentiator.

Recently Max Coleman participated in the Craft Beer Industry panel at the 2024 Pacific Northwest Regional Economic Conference in Bend, Oregon. Additional panelists included Tyler Brown of Barley Brown's Beer, Ben Edmunds from Breakside Brewing and Tonya Cornett of 10 Barrel Brewing. TAKEAWAYS: Brewers expressed these feelings regarding the current craft brewing market... While there are challenges (generational shifts, changing style preferences, and post-Covid behaviors) it is not the end of craft beer. By innovating in taste, educating new consumers, and dialing in business practices and beer quality, breweries can evolve with the challenges, rather than being overcome by them. Areas of interest included embracing traditional beer styles, community building around the brewery and beer drinking experience, as well as how diversity within the industry attracts new consumers while developing new flavors. Specific challenges facing breweries:  * Large numbers of players in the market, leading to need for specialization and true understanding of consumers and core competencies, both in beer and business.  * The threat of regulatory burdens in the form of increased excise taxes at the state level.  * Three-tier distribution and the lack of control for breweries, whether that is direct-to-consumer shipping or contractual obligations around distribution partners, which continue to impact choices and flexibility by brewers. Which issue do you believe impacts you the most?

Michael Roper, owner of one of the US's best beer bars, described Maine Beer Company thusly: "You could almost say that they are diabolically brilliant in their counterintuitive marketing strategy." If a brewery sticks to its guns long enough, and its beers are great enough, maybe those unorthodox choices become a point of distinction rather than a liability. That's what's happened for Maine, and it's set the brewery up for growth at a time when most other regional breweries are treading water. I dive into the brewery's decision-making, trade-offs, pricing, and more for this Brewing Industry Guide case study: https://lnkd.in/gSb-akKE

💡 In 2017, Bill Shufelt founded Athletic Brewing Co. with a crazy idea: non-alcoholic craft beer. 🍺 At the time, non-alcoholic beer was only 0.3% of the US beer market. But Bill thought there was huge pent up demand for great tasting, non-alcoholic beer. Fast forward five years, and Athletic Brewing did $90 million in 2023 revenue and is now the top selling beer (of any kind) in Whole Foods. Athletic not only created a new category, but is the #1 selling non-alcoholic beer in the US with over 50% market share. And Bill’s not done. He thinks non-alcoholic beer could one day make up 50% of the entire beer market. In this latest episode of my podcast The Peel, Bill takes us inside the early days of starting the company, including realizing there was an opportunity to make non-alcoholic beer, interviewing and getting denied by 100’s of potential co-founders, iterating on new formulas in his garage using Gatorade jugs to find the perfect taste, struggling to find early investors, getting into Whole Foods, and eventually building multiple breweries across the US. Our conversation is a case study on creating a new category. He shares how he first marketed the product to consumers and retailers, Athletic’s unique omni-channel strategy, and the importance of over communicating with your investors. I learned so much from Bill and I think you will too. Links to the episode in the comments 👇

Budweiser’s commitment to water quality is a key factor in why it became so consistent and earned its reputation as the “King of Beers.” Anheuser-Busch has always placed a heavy emphasis on water purity and consistency, which plays a critical role in brewing. Since beer is mostly water, any variation in water quality can impact the taste. Budweiser employs a unique water filtration process to ensure the water used in their brewing is pure and has a consistent profile, regardless of the brewing location. This meticulous water control, along with their use of the same strain of yeast (a closely guarded company secret) and adherence to a uniform brewing process, ensures that Budweiser tastes the same whether you’re drinking it in New York, Los Angeles, or anywhere else in the world. This focus on consistency over the decades has helped Budweiser maintain its place as a reliable and iconic beer, contributing to the “King of Beers” moniker. It’s about mastering every aspect of the brewing process, including the water, to deliver the same experience every time. This is why you should use Halo water filters. Now as a home brewer I know the importance of starting with the best water you can obtain - especially if it comes out good. No matter how good your notes are - gotta start with that pure clean water. #halo #halowater #ludwigsmithandwalker

Do you home brew in DC? Check out these essential tips for clarifying beer during production to make the tastiest, clearest beers possible.

Change can be daunting, but it’s also ripe with opportunity. With the projection that soon 1 in 5 beers sold will be non-alcoholic, brands must pay attention to the clear data and evolving market trends. The N/A sector is exploding, driven by health-conscious consumers and a widening appeal across various demographics. Venturing into the N/A space doesn’t mean sacrificing your traditional alcoholic products. It’s about broadening your portfolio to take advantage of the growing opportunity in new segments. Embracing this trend can enhance brand reach and relevance in a beer market that is increasingly competitive.