Recent Articles

Going beyond barley into ancient grains can be a way to form stronger connections with local farmers, promote sustainable agriculture, and produce more distinctive beers.

From incubators to accelerators, a range of business models aims to help would-be breweries overcome barriers and launch their brands.

Beer-drinking habits continue to evolve in unexpected ways, whether it’s adding nonalcoholic drinks to a beer purchase, younger drinkers being more likely to prefer packaged beer over draft—are bottles getting cool again?—or beer consumption itself defying common assumptions, such as the modest increase among our (admittedly self-selected) audience. Here, we plot a few interesting points.

Based on insights from those who’ve done it successfully, we look at how small breweries can set up training programs that both widen and deepen craft beer’s talent pool.

The process behind long-expected changes in federal labeling rules is lumbering into motion. Brewers have until March 29 to submit public comments on how proposed requirements would affect their businesses.

Whether anecdotal or statistical, there is plenty of unwelcome news to go around the brewing industry these days—and yet, success stories continue. Here, we look at a few breweries that are growing, and how and why they’re doing it, despite the prevailing headwinds.

The craft-brewing community in North Carolina and around the country is responding this week after the accidental death of Dan Wade, cofounder of Wooden Robot in Charlotte.

Tough times are ahead for hop merchants and farmers coping with surplus stocks and stalling demand. After enjoying wider selection and lower prices in the short term, are brewers ready for what comes next?

From planning the brew schedule to preserving the pellicle, New Belgium wood-cellar director Lauren Woods Limbach explains the delicate task of promptly refilling a foeder.

Brewers who’ve enjoyed repeat success at the judging tables have this advice for their friendly competition: From category selection to packaging methods, you need to sweat the details.

Medals and other honors can raise your brewery’s profile, boost your team, and even increase sales. Yet with tighter budgets and more competitions than ever, breweries are carefully considering where and how many they can enter.

In the first episode of his Brewing a Business video course, Allan Branch of History Class Brewing in Panama City, Florida, outlines the most important questions you need to answer if you’re serious about opening a brewery.

It’s the toughest time of year for beer—cold weather, health kicks, and lots of people just staying home. For breweries barely hanging in there, these months can be a knockout blow. From a variety of voices in the industry, here are some ideas about how to make it work until spring.

In this clip from his video course, Allan Branch—founder of History Class Brewing and El Weirdo tacos in Panama City, Florida—explains the usefulness of “fear-setting” as a way to be ready for warning signs that your brewing business could be in trouble.

These are tough times to run a small brewery—but was it ever easy? For perspective and advice on finding success in today’s industry, we reached out to seven successful brewers and entrepreneurs who’ve left it behind.

“There’s nothing romantic about a dirty wood cellar,” says Lauren Woods Limbach, New Belgium’s wood-cellar director and master blender. In this clip, she explains the importance of cleaning and preventive maintenance—especially when it comes to aging foeders.

There are hops in abundance, but beer sales are unpredictable—it’s no mystery why many small breweries are relying on the spot market. Yet many suppliers are aiming to lure brewers back to more flexible contracts that better suit today’s market.

In an updated chapter from our Brewing a Business course with Allan Branch, we identify what makes a business fail—and how to fix those issues before it's too late.

Conditioning in the container may be a path to longer shelf life, but it’s also a traditional way to prepare beer for the drinker—the beer is “alive” until it hits the glass. Here’s a technical look at two traditions that may provide inspiration for today’s brewers.

New Belgium wood-cellar director Lauren Woods Limbach explains the methodical way they forecast maturation times in their foeders, using sampling plans, specific lab tests, and deploying contingency plans when things don’t go as expected.