United We Drink

Major venues and companies want sponsors and the big beer companies have long been traditional players in these areas. When craft breweries start to get involved the price tags to play can be mind boggling. What do small breweries do to try to stay relevant while not bursting the bank? Cook like a pro with Made In Cookware. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. BlueSky Instagram Facebook Threads

The guys decide to break the AI out for one more go. First, they ask it to revitalize an existing brand and what it would to increase sales and visibility. Second, they inquire with it to revive a closed brand. What does it think would work? How hilarious are these options? It's cold brew season and get coffee delivered to your door with Trade. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. BlueSky Instagram Facebook Threads

AI is making so much stuff and a lot of it is controversial. So the guys decide to try using AI to plan out a brewery. Both Kevin and Tim input the same prompts and get two different brewery concepts. The results include branding, beer names, sales strategy, location and so much more. Some of it is pretty good. Even more is hilarious. What do they think? Cook like a pro with Made In Cookware. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. BlueSky Instagram Facebook Threads

Joe Ploof runs Hanging Hills Brewing, a company that was a brewery and then became a contract brand. He is about to take another new step and he will get to that but only after he, Mike, Kevin and Tim talk about a lot of other things. Get coffee delivered to your door with Trade. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. BlueSky Instagram Facebook Threads

Today's episode is interesting, in that it develops as it goes. The original idea heads out the window as Kevin and Mike discuss how they viewed the industry change over the last decade and what their own experiences during that were, both as a drinker and working in it. Cook like a pro with Made In Cookware. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. BlueSky Instagram Facebook Threads

When a brewery sees growth there is a lot of money that has to go into scaling up operations. New equipment and employees are needed. You need to order more ingredients. The increase in sales can offset those costs eventually. But what happens if a sales channel closes? It can be tough to regain those sales. The guys discuss this delicate situation of growth in today's episode. Get coffee delivered to your door with Trade. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

Tariffs are coming and they are going to impact breweries, distilleries, wineries and consumers. Mike, Kevin and Tim discuss the aspects of booze making that consumers might not know about and how the prices at retail are going to be affected. Get coffee delivered to your door with Trade. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

Throughout the history of the show every co-host has been a guest on the show at some point, except one. Mike has been on every single episode of the show except for one and has never been interviewed. Tim and Kevin grill Mike about his start and even more. Cook like a pro with Made In Cookware. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. BlueSky Instagram Facebook Threads

It's not uncommon for breweries to work with local charities to help raise money for certain causes. The guys discuss the pros and cons and things that make you think a bit more when dealing with charitable causes. Cook like a pro with Made In Cookware. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. BlueSky Instagram Facebook Threads

Back in 2025! The US Surgeon General released an announcement that consumption of alcohol can lead to cancer and recommends a potential warning statement be put on labels. The guys discuss if this is needed and if it would actually hurt sales. Take a break from alcohol with Athletic Brewing. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. BlueSky Instagram Facebook Threads

It's the final episode of 2024. The guys discuss holidays--including Tim's disertation on Celebration--among many other things. Take a break from alcohol with Athletic Brewing. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. BlueSky Instagram Facebook Threads

The holiday season is upon us. The guys give thanks to what they are thankful for. Maybe with a backhanded comment or two. Plus they offer up their must haves for their family Thanksgiving. Cook like a pro with Made In Cookware. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. BlueSky Instagram Facebook Threads

Neil Witte has literally written the book (or manual) on draft beer. Between his years at Boulevard/Duvel to the Cicerone Program and his own company, Craft Quality Solutions he knows how to design and manage proper draft systems. The guys welcome Neil on to talk about beer education, proper draft systems and his appearance on Bar Rescue. Get coffee delivered to your door with Trade. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

After missing the last episode, Tim is back to talk about his mistakes in the beer world. Take a break from alcohol with Athletic Brewing. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

We can often times sound like we are sitting on a high horse of perfection in the industry but the truth is that everyone makes mistakes. Mike and Kevin dive into some of those they have made over their careers. Take a break from alcohol with Athletic Brewing. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

Luis Brignoni founded one of the original Miami breweries at Wynwood Brewing. Today Luis is the CEO for The Tank Brewing, also in Miami. How did this come to be? Listen to his crazy journey. Get coffee delivered to your door with Trade. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

As the Beyond Beer segment of adult beverages continues to climb a surprising entry into the game has been seeing some significant leaps. THC beverages (seltzer, tonics, sodas, etc) have been catching people's interest in states that allow them and they are seeing impressive sales. The guys discuss this segment and how high they see them going. Take a break from alcohol with Athletic Brewing. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

New Belgium has found ways to reinvent itself time and time again in an every changing beer market. Kelly McKnight and Matty Gilliland (aka Matty Smooth) have been integral parts to those changes. Kelly and Matty join the show to talk about R&D brewing, stories behind some of the brands that went up to full production and you get the first glimpse at the future (pending) Kelly McKnight Show. Get coffee delivered to your door with Trade. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

Spencer Wills, Head Brewer at Sceptre Brewing Arts, joins the show to talk about being a former Florida brewer, his struggles with mental health and bad brewery owners to finding a place in the industry. It's a great conversation filled with fun and a bit of shade. Cook like a pro with Made In Cookware. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

Prepare for a wild ride as Mike takes Kevin and Tim to task on their beer knowledge with BREW YOU KNOW! Then after the wheels come off that ride the guys talk about the news. Take a break from alcohol with Athletic Brewing. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

Joel Suarez, of Niche Brands NYC, is a kid from the Bronx with a dream. His love for craft beer may only be exceeded by his love of community and the people that make them. We talk with Joel about his rise through the beer world and how it became important to him to work with breweries, bars, restaurants and drinkers that look beyond the standard white dudes with beards image in the industry. Get coffee delivered to your door with Made In Cookware. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

The beer industry contributes, both directly and indirectly, to a lot of environmental issues that we often overlook. Some of these things aren't accounted for because of the sheer cost of implementation while others might be pure ignorance. The guys look into some of the things the brewing world isn't doing from a sustainability standpoint and what they can do, even if it's small. Take a break from alcohol with Athletic Brewing. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

The Brewers Association provided a state of the industry at the Craft Brewers Conference that included the grim news that 2024 has reported more brewery closures than openings for the first time. The guys digest this news and talk about some other perceptions of the industry almost half way through the year. Get coffee delivered to your door with Made In Cookware. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

The show has covered horror stories working in the brewery and dealing with customers but today's episode takes a different direction to frustrating stories. The guys talk about dealing with vendors, solicitors and other folks that think they should be doing business with breweries. Get coffee delivered to your door with Trade. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

There was a time when you could find beer related events going on almost every day of the week at local bars and restaurants. A tap takeover here. A pint night there. Today those events seem almost extinct. The guys talk about these events, why they don't seem to happen anymore and if there is room for beer events in the market anymore. Get coffee delivered to your door with Trade. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

Pay for brewery employees has been a subject talked about in circles for years. In comparison to similar trade and manual labor jobs many brewery salaries don't match up. High overhead, low margins and poor market portrayal (affordable luxury) have been reasons given for why breweries can't provide higher wages. The guys tackle this subject. Get coffee delivered to your door with Trade. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

Grab bag time! The guys talk about a variety of topics including hefeweizens, branding and Cigar City. Get coffee delivered to your door with Trade. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

Tim Johnson joins the podcast as a new co-host and the guys talk about beer awards. Do they actually mean anything? Get coffee delivered to your door with Trade. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

The word "why" can begin a lot of questions in relation to the beer industry. Mike and Kevin propose a number of these questions to each other to see what they think is the right answer. Get coffee delivered to your door with Trade. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

Taprooms, or tasting rooms to some, have evolved considerably over the last decade for breweries. A spot that was once considered, by many, to be a place to introduce people to their beer that can then be bought out in the market have turned into full scale bars and restaurants with the goal of keeping people coming back and spending. Mike and Kevin dive into own premise and taprooms and what they have become. Get coffee delivered to your door with Trade. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

Tim Johnson returns to the show to talk about his move from the beer industry to the spirits industry. He discusses the similarities and differences in an adjacent adult beverage field. Get coffee delivered to your door with Trade. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

Kevin tells the story of a voicemail he received from someone upset about his beer's availability and price. The guys talk about what goes into pricing of beer once the consumer sees it in a retails store. Get coffee delivered to your door with Trade. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

The Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) is an annual conference put on by the Brewers Association filled with educational seminars, an expo hall and lots of beer. It has seemed over the years that the core reasons for the conference have been lost and instead have turned into a yearly vacation for brewery personnel to get drunk in a new city. Mike and Kevin discuss this on today's new episode. Get coffee delivered to your door with Trade. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

The last time the show specifically talked about distribution the world hadn't fallen apart yet from Covid. A lot has changed with the middle tier since then. Mike and Kevin talk about what it's like being a distributing brewery in 2023. Get coffee delivered to your door with Trade. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

Does quality matter when it comes to sales? Do good quality beers outsell bad ones? Do consumers notice? Mike and Kevin discuss on today's episode. Get coffee delivered to your door with Trade. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

Friction points pop up to almost any business. They slow down how things are run and grow. Breweries are no different. Mike and Kevin talk about some of the most common friction points in the beer biz and different ways you can approach them. Get coffee delivered to your door with Trade. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

Breweries face a lot of different regulation bodies, on the federal and state level. Many brewers will say there is too much restrictions while others say there is not enough. Mike and Kevin dive into this topic and see if maybe it's really somewhere right in the middle. Get coffee delivered to your door with Trade. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

Dustin Jeffers has gone from working in breweries to working with breweries. He talks to Mike and Kevin about his transition from brewery to working for Next Glass, the parent company of Untappd, and what it has done for him. Get coffee delivered to your door with Trade. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

Over the years the tradition of season beers has changed a lot. Some have gone away while others have changed with no emphasis on the actual climate of the season. Mike and Kevin discuss this on today's episode. Get coffee delivered to your door with Trade. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

In the early days of craft Mike & Kevin would peruse the shelves of our locals stores and find brands from breweries like Avery, Great Divide, North Coast and more making up the majority of the space. Today many of these brands of old don't exist anymore or aren't distributed in these necks of the woods. The guys get nostalgic and talk about the love of many of these beers and what they meant to them. Get coffee delivered to your door with Trade. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

A lot of people travel with beverages and food in mind. Going to wine country, the Bourbon Trail and Oktoberfest are all popular trips. Mike and Kevin talk about their travels centered around adult beverages and how they planned them plus how they tackle these things now with families. Get coffee delivered to your door with Trade. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

100 episodes! Mike and Kevin make it a pretty open format and discuss many things completely unrelated to beer and the beverage industry. Life, art and the MCU are just some of the things they get into. Thanks for the last 4 years! Get coffee delivered to your door with Trade. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

Ralph Reneau is the head brewer of Barrel of Monks Brewing and a true student of the game. Ralph joins the show to talk about recipe development including reformulating existing beers while trying to maintain some connection to the past. Get coffee delivered to your door with Trade. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

Mike and Kevin have made a lot of claims and predictions over the years. Sometimes they are right and other times they are wrong. Maybe wrong more than right. They decide to look at some of the times they were wrong and what changed their minds. Get coffee delivered to your door with Trade. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

Friend and former co-host Joel Kodner joins Mike and Kevin to talk about what life has been like since leaving the show and leaving the beer industry. Get coffee delivered to your door with Trade. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

Non-alcoholic beer has had a substantial rise in sales and popularity over the last couple years with a large segment of drinkers becoming more conscious of their health. But NA beer has a lot to overcome including a stigma of bad taste, expensive equipment to make it and small market shares. The guys talk about what they think of modern NA beers and how much growth they think it could see. Get coffee delivered to your door with Trade. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

Over the last few months some big beer companies have sold off craft acquisitions they previously made while some legacy brands have sold to newer, younger companies. What does this mean for the craft segment and industry. Is it the death of craft in the making. The guys discuss. United We Drink loves Made In Cookware. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

Craig Thorn is the creator of the BAOS Podcast in Canada where he talks about beer and other shit. Get it? Mike and Kevin welcome Craig on to talk about the Canadian beer scene, hip hop and his strange love for the Sunshine State. Get coffee delivered to your door with Trade. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

With a beer market that has become saturated and stagnant many are asking "Who is our target market?" Things aren't easy with competition from ready to drink (RTDs) cocktails, seltzer, hard juices and spirits themselves. Mike and Kevin discuss where breweries are looking to in order to grow sales. United We Drink loves Made In Cookware. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

The terms craft beer and local have been synonymous with each other since craft became a thing but what exactly does it mean? And does local really matter int he scheme of things with customers? The guys talk about that. Get coffee delivered to your door with Trade. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook

Our friend and former co-host Phil Palmisano from Canarchy stops by to catch up with us in the year plus since he left the show. We talk about his position within the company plus what he is seeing in the market, sales wise. Get coffee delivered to your door with Trade. Follow United We Drink on their social media channels. Twitter Instagram Facebook