The Bottleneck
Occasional musings about the challenges we face in the business of craft beverage. Helpful insights, business tips, news, and events - all with a dash of humor and some GIFs.
What Craft Beverage Brands Can Learn From Other Categories
The Bottleneck Hey Reader, Hope you had a safe and relaxing Labor Day. Although in this industry, "relaxing holiday weekend" usually means you were slinging pints while everyone else grilled in the backyard. I see you. Now. In addition to the new look here at the Bottleneck, I have a spicy take to kick off your fall: your brand isn't special. Don't come at me Put down the pitchfork. I promise this ends somewhere useful. (TLDR folks: new podcast episodes are up, Episode 23: Choose a Modern...
You don't have a data problem. You have a direction problem.
The Bottleneck Hey Reader, You all know I'm not in the anti-AI bucket. You also know that I adore data ❤️ But some things I've seen lately in the beverage space are raising some red flags for me and guess what? Yep, you're going to hear about them. TLDR folks, just click here to cut to the chase. For the rest of you, please continue! For most of the brands that I work with, a huge portion of our onboarding time is me getting under the hood of their business. That means connecting me to a...
AI is not just for making ugly graphics
The Bottleneck Hey Reader, So I was back in my home state this past week and immediately rebooted on Tex-Mex and BBQ, as any self-respecting Texan would do. I was down in Boerne speaking at the TX Brewery Roundup (shout out to the TCBG for a great conference!), then hit Austin and Houston to sling some Kick Fizz out in the market. And let me tell you, nothing reminds you what it's like to bang on retail doors quite like actually banging on doors again. It's been a hot minute since I've been...
The commiserating era is over (hopefully)
The Bottleneck Hey Reader, Just got back from the Craft Brewers Conference in Philly and I'm still riding the high (yes almost two weeks later). The food was unreal, the beverages were even better, and the vibes? Lighter than I've felt in years. BTW, if you're new here, welcome! The schedule was tighter, sure, but here's the thing that really stuck with me — people showed up ready to do something. [TLDR - Episode 17 of the This Is Not Your Hobby the Podcast is out now! Listen here] Not sit...
Why are we talking about sweatpants?
The Bottleneck Good morning Reader, Weekend reading ahead, so grab some coffee or tea and settle in. Today we're talking sweatpants. But we're not here to discuss your wardrobe choices since 2020, this has to do with marketing - specifically the most recent Gap advertising campaign for "Sweats Like This" featuring Young Miko and what it can teach us. One of the easiest traps for small brands to fall into is thinking the answer is always more marketing. More posts. More content. More ads. More...
Profit doesn’t happen by accident
The Bottleneck Hey friends — I’ve been down for 10 days with the flu. The kind where you’re not “resting,” you’re just… horizontal and bargaining with the meaning of life. And when I finally opened my laptop after more than a few days in bed and saw 378+ unread emails and a pile of meetings to reschedule, I had that very specific panic that feels like someone just dropped a keg on my chest. Here’s why I’m telling you this: That “oh no, I’m behind and I don’t even know what I missed” feeling?...
This both excites and terrifies me
The Bottleneck Hey Reader, If I had a dollar for every beverage brand founder who’s asked me about AI in the last 90 days…I probably wouldn't be emailing you today. AI has officially entered the beverage industry group chat. I recently taught a full session on how to use AI as a craft beverage owner/operator inside the Barrel 2 Business Collective (its worth the replay, click here to join) and I'm tackling this at an upcoming panel discussion at the NY State Craft Brewers Conference. And my...
What if the problem isn’t your brand—but time itself?
The Bottleneck Hey Reader, I just got back from speaking at the Colorado Brewers Summit - full brain, full heart, no airline travel. ❤️ The keynote? Christopher Shepard, Senior Editor at Beer Marketer’s Insights and one of the smartest voices in the game (lucky to call him my friend as well). He laid out a brilliant state-of-the-industry download: → Gen Z myths → Consumer behavior truths → What’s real vs. interwebs rumors But we were all in store for a giant mic drop at the end: “There’s a...
I lift heavy. I think about beverage branding harder.
The Bottleneck Hey Reader, Happy New Year and all that jazz. Let's get right into the good stuff and start the year off with a profitable bang! As most of you know, I’m in my late forties. Which means a few things: brain fog, junk mail from AARP, and…somehow, I’ve become a gym rat. Like, heavy lifting, weighted vest, oversized sweatpants, 5 a.m. kind of gym rat. And as I’m plodding through leg day sets and endless TRX circuits, what do I see?Celsius. Not just one can. This stuff is...
Clear the Clutter, Close the Books
The Bottleneck Hey Reader, It's time for my favorite annual tradition: Happy Festivus to the rest of us! 🎉 💪 😫 💈 (IYKYK) It's time to vent all those bev biz problems! And in the spirit of Festivus, it’s time to Air Your Grievances: if you’ve got a craft beverage business Bottleneck (sales stuck, marketing not converting, distro weirdness, taproom chaos, margin mystery, team drama, you name it), submit it to me via this Google Form (Click HERE to submit) and I will tackle them on a upcoming...