Spring Virtual Conference 2026
Get Excited for the CBP Spring 2026 Virtual Conference
Not everyone has the opportunity to attend an in-person beer industry event, which is why we are proud to host two virtual conferences and make the content accessible to all. Pour yourself a cold one and enjoy our free educational sessions from the comfort of your own home, taproom, or brewhouse.
Thank you to our community of Craft Beer Professionals for your excitement, encouragement, and enjoyment of our event.
Huge thanks to Cascade Floors + Harvest Hosts
Full Schedule
For session details, click the buttons below.
All times ET. All sessions 45 minutes.
Monday, March 23
presented by Cascade Floors
Time (ET)
Monday, March 23
presented by Cascade Floors
11am
Session details…
As breweries grow, the role of the owner or senior leader shifts. You’re no longer just managing people, you’re managing the people who manage people. And that comes with a whole new set of challenges. This session focuses on how to support, coach, and hold your managers accountable in a way that builds trust, creates consistency, and takes some weight off your shoulders.
You’ll hear from brewery owners and leadership experts on how they set clear expectaqtions, create simple systems for communication and feedback, and identifying what great management actually looks like inside a brewery. Join us to walk away with practical ways to develop stronger leaders, address issues earlier, and build a management layer that helps your business run better day to day.
This conversation features:
Bailey Borzecki (Golden Hour Consulting)
Clay Keel (Keel Farms Agrarian Ale and Cider)
Jake Keyes (Skydance Brewing)
12pm
Brewhouse design decisions have long-term consequences. Layout, drainage, flooring, access, and workflow choices made early can either support efficient operations or create daily friction that is expensive to fix later. In this session, we’ll bring together an architect, a flooring specialist, and experienced brewery operators to walk through real-world brewhouse design dos, don’ts, and practical recommendations. The focus is not on theory or perfect builds, but on what actually works once the tanks are full, the floors are wet, and the brew team is trying to get through a long day safely and efficiently.
This conversation features:
- Chris Klein (Cascade Floors)
- Curtis Holmes (Alaskan Brewing)
- Dustin Hauck (Hauck Architecture)
- Joe Mohrfeld (Pinthouse)
12:30pm
The craft beer market has changed, competition has increased, distributor portfolios have expanded, and dollars are stretched thin. But one thing still moves beer more than anything else: relationships. Not forced “sales relationships,” but genuine, consistent partnerships built over time.
In this session, Carey Beralderi, Sales & Marketing Director and co-owner of Grey Sail Brewing and Outer Light Brewing, shares lessons from nearly two decades working across multiple brands, states, and distributor networks. Carey will walk attendees through how to develop a relational sales approach that strengthens every part of the supply chain: retail accounts, distributors, and internal teams.
Attendees will learn:
• How to build authentic relationships that outlast staff turnover
• Practical scripts for better account check-ins and follow-ups
• Why relationship capital is more valuable than incentives
• How to create distributor partnerships where both sides win
• How to be a brewery partner wholesalers want to work with
• How to maintain trust during tough seasons (flat sales, out-of-stocks, reduced budgets)
• Simple mindset shifts that make the sales role more enjoyable and sustainable
This session is ideal for brewery owners, sales reps, brand managers, and anyone looking to improve their impact in market. Participants will leave with concrete tools and habits they can apply immediately to drive growth without chasing gimmicks or outspending competitors.
Carey Beralderi is the Sales & Marketing Director and co-owner of Grey Sail Brewing Company (RI) and Outer Light Brewing Company (CT), with nearly 20 years of craft beverage industry experience. She has led brands through growth, distributor transitions, market expansions, rebrands, and product diversification, including spirits and non-alcoholic segments. Known for her relationship-driven approach, Carey has built long-standing partnerships with distributors and key accounts throughout New England. She is passionate about mentoring, building community, and helping small breweries create sustainable, people-focused sales strategies.
1pm
What makes a good lager?
How do we make a good lager?
Join us as we explore the various methods used to craft high-quality lager, breaking down the classic techniques to help you choose the best approach for your best beer.
Nathaniel Ferguson is one of the owners of Escarpment Laboratories, A yeast manufacturer in Guelph, Canada, where they focus on teaching about yeast fermentation. Additionally,Nathan has been a professor at Niagara College for over 10 years, teaching in the Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Program.
1:30pm
In today’s competitive market, simply producing high-quality beer is often no longer enough to secure sustained growth. Many forward-thinking breweries are strategically diversifying their product portfolios, expanding into high-growth categories such as hard cider, spirits, wine, RTDs, can cannabevs.
While this expansion opens up exciting new revenue streams, it simultaneously introduces a new set of operational, financial, and regulatory challenges. The question for many producers is: where do we even begin?
Industry experts Alex and Aaron with lead a discussion focused on demystifying the diversification process and will guide attendees through the critical considerations required when integrating an entirely new product line into an established brewery operation.
The session with specifically focus on how production software, like Ollie and Ekos, can act as the cornerstone for a successful transition. We’ll focus on key areas such as streamlining procurement for new ingredients and packaging, adapting the production process, ensuring financial accuracy, and managing sales efficiency.
Don’t let complexity slow your growth. Learn how to successfully expand your portfolio while maintaining efficiency and compliance.
Alex was born & raised in North Carolina. He is an alumni of Grimsley High School and UNC-Wilmington, and currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is a former swimmer and grilling enthusiast. His first craft beer was Natty Green’s Freedom IPA, and North Carolina beer holds a special place in his heart. Alex has spent 9 years with Next Glass, and currently is a Solutions Consultant supporting the Producer Solutions team. While coming from outside of industry initially, Alex brings valuable experience after thousands of conversations with brewery owners around the world.
Aaron Keefner is happily approaching his 14th year in the craft beer industry, having started out in marketing with Goose Island in early 2012. He eventually moved to an operations role in wholesale support in order to gain experience on both the production/operations side, as well as the knowledge already obtained via marketing/sales. After 5.5 years he found himself at Revolution Brewing running their specialty beer program, including their celebrated Deep Wood barrel-aged program, as well as spearheading the rollout of their small batch program. In 2019 he assumed the role of Executive Director of Brewery Operations with More Brewing Company helping them expand and open their production facility in Huntley, IL and planning of a 3rd facility in Bartlett, IL. With his leadership, More was able to weather the storm of the pandemic and grow 600% in a span of just under 3 years. At the end of 2022, Aaron assumed his current role as a Solutions Consultant with Next Glass, serving as a product expert on Ollie & Ekos, ERP/CRM softwares for beverage production.
2pm
With more high-quality beer available than ever before, great beer alone is no longer enough to stand out. Guests may come for the beer, but they return for how they are treated. This session explores the critical role hospitality plays in shaping guest perception, driving repeat visits, and turning casual visitors into loyal brand advocates. Designed specifically for breweries and taprooms, the talk reframes hospitality as a core business strategy—one that influences reviews, word-of-mouth, and long-term growth. Attendees will leave with practical insights into how intentional service, staff engagement, and guest experience design can become a brewery’s most powerful competitive advantage.
Taylor is a 25 year hospitality industry professional beginning with a summer job cooking breakfast at a small-town diner where he grew up, and ending as the Executive Chef of Drakes Brewing Company, bringing the simple philosophy that brewery food can be better than it needs to be. Now, as a Solutions Consultant at GoTab, he leverages that lifetime of firsthand experience with the day-to-day realities of hospitality and the challenges operators face at every level. His deep operational background and culinary training help hospitality teams learn to focus on customer sequence, reduce friction, and improve customer experience and profitability. Driven by a passion for creating great guest experiences, Taylor works closely with brewery taprooms, beer gardens, and hospitality operators to remove operational noise and let teams focus on what matters most—the customer.
2:30pm
Brewing beer is easy. Four simple ingredients, and a process so straightforward that the earliest beers were brewed by accident when wet grains started to germinate and ferment. But brewing consistently high-quality beer is a different challenge, and the modern brewing process extends far beyond the simple equation of beer = water + malt + hops + yeast. Differentiating your product in a competitive market is a challenge that all brewers face. Doing all of this on a tight budget is a major challenge for many brewers today. While costs can be cut to an extent by purchasing cheaper ingredients, this comes at the risk of reducing product quality, consistency, or flavor.
Through careful optimization of each step of the brewing process, you can improve yields and efficiency, allowing you to continue to use the high-quality ingredients that define your brand. In this presentation, you will discover the full range of tools available in the Brewer’s Toolkit. Learn how to use nutrients, enzymes, process aids, flavor additions, specific yeast strains and inactive specific yeast products to improve beer quality and brewing efficiency.
Eric Abbott has a B.Sc. in Biochemistry, a M.Sc. in Botany, and 20 years of experience in the beverage industry. Since 2017, Eric has brought experience as a brewer, R&D scientist, and technical sales manager to the Lallemand Brewing technical team. As the main point of contact for brewing technical support and troubleshooting, Eric is keenly aware of the challenges that brewers face everyday. In collaboration with the Lallemand Brewing innovation team, Eric works to develop new products and resources to help brewers to improve product quality and increase brewing efficiency. Eric is a father of three daughters in the Montreal area, and he enjoys kayaking on the Rivière de Milles Iles, when it is not frozen.
3pm
As breweries look for new ways to grow, many are exploring opportunities beyond their local audience. Travelers are actively seeking out breweries as part of their journeys, creating an opportunity to connect with new faces and drive additional taproom revenue.
In this session, we’ll share insights from working with hundreds of brewery partners across the country to highlight how breweries are using Harvest Hosts as a marketing and visibility tool to attract travelers and turn those visits into real sales. We’ll explore how RV travelers discover breweries, what influences their decisions to stop, and why welcoming travelers on-site often leads to increased foot traffic and word-of-mouth.
Rather than focusing on big operational changes or new marketing campaigns, this session centers on practical, approachable ways breweries are using Harvest Hosts to support growth. Attendees will learn what hosting looks like in practice, how it fits into existing operations, and how breweries are generating incremental taproom revenue while staying focused on making great beer and running a smooth taproom.
3:30pm
If you’ve ever felt like you’re juggling tanks, taplists, payroll, a stuck mash, and three “quick questions” before your coffee kicks in? You’re not alone. Ball Theory for Brewers is a simple, fun way to sort out which parts of your job are glass balls (don’t drop these!) and which ones are rubber balls (let them bounce). This session breaks down brewery chaos into something you can actually manage. You’ll leave with a prioritization system that helps you protect safety, quality, and your people—while letting go of the tasks, expectations, and “fires” that aren’t worth the stress. Because good beer shouldn’t come at the cost of burnout.
Jennifer Goetsch is the Vice President at Alpha Beverage Operations, a brewery equipment manufacturer serving craft producers across the industry. With more than a decade of experience in commercial operations, customer experience, and leadership development, Jenn is known for helping teams bring clarity to complex, fast-moving environments.
Her work focuses on building sustainable, high-performing teams and practical systems that support people without burning them out. Jenn brings a people-first perspective to leadership, using simple frameworks—like the Ball Theory—to help leaders prioritize what truly matters while letting go of what doesn’t.
Outside of work, Jenn is a fitness coach, mom, and advocate for sustainable leadership in the craft beer industry. Her sessions are honest, relatable, and designed to leave attendees with tools they can actually use the next day.
4pm
It’s hard out there for a brewery. With follower reach at an all time low and Meta no longer recommending alcohol pages, we need to flip the script. We need profitable & owned channel marketing programs!
Bring your scalpel and your bunsen burner. In this session we will dissect the most profitable App Marketing programs. We will look at proven ways to drive repeat visits, real life tactics to sell through aging beer more quickly and how to stack recurring monthly revenue for the slower times.
No “pie-in-the-sky” or fluffy marketing ideas allowed. Just real-world examples, numbers & best practices. So you can skip the guesswork and start implementing proven programs right away.
This session is for micro to mid-size brewery owners, GMs, marketing managers and head janitors (because let’s face it, you do all these jobs anyways). Whether your goal is to grow weekday traffic, launch a paid membership, or turn first-time guests into lifelong fans, you’ll leave with a clear action plan tailored to your brewery.
Ross Stensrud accidentally graduated from UCSD while studying lacrosse and spending plenty of time at O’Brien’s. After a brief stint designing pool cleaners (yes, really) in an effort to justify the cost of his degree, he pivoted and began recruiting smart friends to help build app marketing tech for local businesses—starting with music, then golf, and now craft beer with TapWyse. He lives in Carlsbad with his wife Laurel and their two boys, Roscoe (11) and Mason (9). When he’s not working, you’ll likely find him biking down PCH or shuttling his kids to basketball, golf, music, and skateboarding.
5pm
In an industry built on authenticity and community connection, most teams resist AI because they worry it will dilute the brand’s voice or sound generic. Used strategically, AI can protect creative energy, support consistency, and make marketing more sustainable without replacing personality.
This session explores how breweries can use AI as a calibration tool that supports brand tone, improves operational communication, and helps repurpose existing conversations and knowledge into usable marketing and training material. We will walk through how AI can bridge the gap between operations and marketing, support seasonal storytelling, accelerate employee onboarding, and create content frameworks that still feel like the people behind the beer.
The session includes a live example build showing how to turn raw ideas or taproom dialogue into platform ready content while keeping voice intact. No technical background required. The focus is on structure and intention rather than automation.
Participants will leave with prompt techniques, best practices for brand consistency, and methods for using AI without outsourcing identity.
AI should not replace your voice. It should protect it so you have the energy to keep using it.
Madeline McMahon is a fractional marketing strategist and founder of Madeline Fleehart Consulting specializing in sustainable visibility for small teams in the food and beverage sector. Their background includes organic storytelling, CRM architecture, and process design with a focus on strengthening consistency without adding complexity. Madeline has led AI education sessions for the Virginia Brewers Conference, Pink Boots Society, SCORE, and regional startups with an emphasis on practical use of AI by non technical teams. Their approach integrates narrative thinking with light touch tools to improve alignment across operations and marketing. They believe successful brewery marketing is intentional, repeatable, and grounded in lived brand experience rather than produced through automation.
Tuesday, March 24
presented by Harvest Hosts
Time (ET)
Tuesday, March 24
presented by Harvest Hosts
11am
Craft beer is all about friendship and fun, and that can ironically make it harder for folks who are dealing with anxiety, depression, or suicidality to open up about their struggles. Because craft beer is in the business of selling a good time, the industry can be resistant to acknowledging that some of its members are struggling. Some of beer’s favorite spaces and events, such as taprooms and festivals, can be uniquely aggravating to individuals dealing with anxiety in particular.
In this talk, journalist David Nilsen will talk about how the industry can better support its workers who are struggling and provide mentally safer spaces for customers and employees alike.
David Nilsen is a full-time beer writer and educator living near Dayton, Ohio. He’s an Advanced Cicerone© and an award-winning member of the North American Guild of Beer Writers and the British Guild of Beer Writers. He’s also the host of the Bean to Barstool podcast, the author of Pairing Beer & Chocolate, and the co-founder and editor of Final Gravity.
12pm
Seasonality hits every brewery differently. A beach town in July looks nothing like a mountain town in February. In this panel, we are bringing together breweries from very different markets to talk about how they plan for the swings, manage staffing and inventory, adjust events and marketing, and keep revenue steady when foot traffic shifts. This conversation will include real examples of what has worked, what has not, and how they think about cash flow, community, and long term sustainability when the busy season ends and the quiet season begins.
This conversation features:
Cory Smith (Twin Oast Brewing)
Daniel Callender (Salty Turtle Beer)
12:30pm
For brewers looking to grow their market, the prospect of the direct-to-consumer (DtC) shipping channel—and the potential to sell to consumers across the country that it brings—can be tantalizing. Indeed, a brewer with a successful DtC shipping program can reap benefits beyond simple remote sales, including eliciting distributor attention for three-tier sales. But as a complicated market, with numerous logistical and regulatory hurdles to overcome, DtC shipping is still not for everyone.
Hear Alex Koral, regulatory general counsel at Sovos ShipCompliant, talk about the ins and outs of DtC shipping, including how to build your DtC presence, how to manage the compliance requirements, what logistics services you will need to ship, and how we can grow the DtC market further so that more consumers and breweries can benefit from this still limited but growing market.
Based in Boulder, Colorado, Alex Koral is Regulatory General Counsel for Sovos ShipCompliant, where he serves as lead legal researcher for beverage alcohol regulation and has become a leading expert on interstate distribution of alcohol. He has spoken on the topic at many industry events including Craft Beer Professionals Virtual Conferences, Craft Brewers Conference, American Craft Spirits Association Convention, as well as meetings for the National Council of State Liquor Administrators and the National Liquor Law Enforcement Association. Alex has been in the beverage alcohol arena since 2015, after receiving his J.D. from the University of Colorado Law School.
1pm
Join Donald Snyder, a 20+ year spirit industry leader, as he discusses the many opportunities and challenges that brewers will face when adding spirits to their brewery operations. Adding a spirits program to a brewery is never a one-size fits all. From space constraints to unique state laws, every spirits journey will be different. Donald will walk through the federal licensing steps, TTB monthly reporting requirements, equipment considerations, packaging options, the current spirits sourcing market, a well-rounded spirits portfolio (from cocktails to spirits based RTDs to off-premise bottle sales), and even review an example Profit and Loss Business Model for different spirit types. Revenue diversification for brewers will becoming more and more critical and adding a spirits program could be a great way to bring in new customers.
Donald Snyder, distilling industry consultant and previous President/Founder of Whiskey Systems Distillery Management Software, has 20+ years in the alcohol and beverage industry including holding senior management roles at the Buffalo Trace Distillery and MGPI of Indiana (formerly the Seagram’s Distillery). Donald now helps distilleries of all sizes with licensing, internal audits and TTB compliance checks, spirit sourcing, aged whiskey barrel brokering, packaging supply chain management, equipment and vendor selection, business valuations, merger & acquisition support, team training and development, software utilization, and many other areas to drive profitability. Donald is now bringing his spirits experience to the brewing world to help brewers unlock potential revenue to help them offer high quality spirits in their taproom to the meet an ever-changing customer palate.
1:30pm
Recent years have seen dramatic growth in brewery collaboration structures ranging from simple contract brewing to regional platforms consolidating brands under shared infrastructure. These models offer craft breweries access to professional capabilities, competitive scale, and optimized capacity utilization while maintaining independence – but only if you choose the right structure for your specific challenges.
This session examines the major collaboration models available to craft breweries and provides a practical framework for evaluating which approach fits your situation. Drawing on 30 years of practicing law and over two decades of direct operational experience running and restructuring businesses across the alcoholic beverage industry, we’ll discuss when collaboration makes sense and what makes them succeed.
We’ll cover production partnerships (contract brewing and alternating proprietorship), shared infrastructure models (co-location facilities and cooperatives), ownership structures (platforms, joint ventures, and M&A), and industry alliances (purchasing cooperatives and distribution coordination). For each structure, you’ll understand how it works, when it makes sense, and what the regulatory and financial implications are.
More importantly, you’ll leave with a decision framework addressing: capacity constraints and production solutions, overhead reduction without sacrificing brand control, when professional infrastructure justifies integration, regulatory compliance requirements across different structures, and exit strategy planning before problems arise.
Whether you’re exploring your first collaboration or evaluating platform acquisition, this session provides the analytical tools to match structure to strategy and the context to set yourself up for success.
Kevin McGee is a California-based attorney and a graduate of the Executive Program at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. In addition to his extensive legal practice, he has served in executive roles across private equity, finance, and consumer brands, and has led companies through mergers, acquisitions, restructurings, aggressive growth and has advised on over $2.5b in transactions. His unique blend of legal and operational experience allows him to deliver practical, results-oriented counsel that combines legal precision with business pragmatism to arrive at solutions that empower his clients. Kevin works with companies at all stages of development, private equity firms, investment banks, family offices, and individual entrepreneurs.
2pm
The craft beer industry is more competitive than ever. Rising costs, shifting consumer preferences, and complex supply chains require brewers to think beyond traditional methods of growth and efficiency. Advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), predictive analytics, and smart automation are no longer reserved for big corporations – they are increasingly accessible to breweries of all sizes.
This session will demystify these tools and show how craft breweries can practically apply them to improve operations, enhance customer engagement, and gain measurable return on investment (ROI). Understand key factors from a valuation perspective, where and how to expand and grow. Attendees will walk away with actionable strategies and real-world examples of how AI can help with demand forecasting, quality control, inventory management, and even personalized marketing – unlocking new levels of competitiveness and sustainability in today’s crowded marketplace.
Waqqas Mahmood is a senior director at CBIZ. He has been in the innovation space for almost two decades, helping organizations architect their digital future. Waqqas believes in creating a culture of innovation that nurtures new technologies and media that promote powerful and engaging solutions. He has a strong background in digital product management, human-centered design, and business transformation.
Timothy Croushore has more than 39 years of valuation consulting experience. Prior to joining CBIZ, he held partner and managing director positions with “Big Four” and other national accounting and consulting firms in the valuation space. He has served in service-line leadership roles in various industries including sports, leisure and entertainment, restaurant and retail, consumer business, technology and private equity/hedge funds.
2:30pm
An ESOP (employee stock ownership plan) can be the right succession strategy for a craft brewer. This presentation will offer a detailed look at how an ESOP can enable an owner to receive fair value for transferring ownership while preserving the unique culture and legacy of the business even after the founder steps back. We will demystify the structure and legal aspects of an ESOP, making a complex process more approachable. Attendees will learn about the significant tax advantages both for selling owners and for a craft brewery after becoming ESOP-owned, and how an ESOP enables workers to become owners. The presentation will also provide practical guidance to assess whether an ESOP is feasible for a craft brewer.
Alan is a partner in the Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation group at Husch Blackwell LLP.
His practice encompasses the gamut of employee benefits law, with a particular focus on ESOP transactions and compliance.
Many lawyers play golf. Instead, Alan plays squash and tennis, which provide him with a frequent reminder to keep his day job.
3pm
Despite their best efforts, most Owners, GMs, and Taproom Managers leave money on the table because their taprooms operate below their true potential. In this session, we break down 12 proven tactics the most profitable taprooms use to generate 2x-5x more profit than their peers.
We’ll walk through the 4 pillars of successful taprooms, outlining specific tactics and performance benchmarks, drawn from our work with 285+ U.S. craft breweries over the past 15 years. These tactics span pricing, product, margin, labor, events, merchandise, marketing, management, training, and customer service. So whether you just opened a new location, or want to fine-tune a long-standing operation, you’ll walk away with actionable steps you can use to make your taproom a consistent profit generator for your brewery.
Julia Grubbs, CPA is a Brewery Consultant with Small Batch Standard, who has also previously held positions in accounting, tax, and compliance over her 4 years with the agency. Originally from Kentucky, she’s about as far from a one-dimensional bean counter as you can get, as a professional dancer and CPA living in New York City. Her love for small businesses and the relationships they enable combined with her uncanny knowledge of numbers led her to advising the brewing industry, acting as a trusted, specialized advisor for SBS’ wide range of clients across the country. She has had the pleasure of presenting at a variety of craft brewery conferences around the nation in Georgia, New York, Iowa, North Carolina, and Oklahoma.
3:30pm
Considering distribution? In the market for a distributor in a new territory? Or maybe simply trying to figure out what’s missing in your current distribution equation?
Join us to discuss both the most important traits of a great distribution partner and some warning signs to watch out for when you’re shopping & interviewing. Plus, learn more about evaluating portfolios, market position, sales teams, & personality to determine whether a terrific distributor is really the right fit for you & your brand.
Your discussion panel includes:
Chris Black (Founder & King of the iconic Falling Rock Tap House in Denver, CO)
Bill Wetmore (Sales & Marketing Director and Head of Beer Strategery for Fat Head’s Brewery)
John Anthony (Sales & Distribution Manager for Goat Patch Brewing Co. & Pike’s Peak Brewing Co.)
Moderator: Laura Lodge (Author of Distribution Insight for the Craft Brewer, Co-Founder of Start A Brewery, and Owner/ Strategic Business Consultant at Customized Craft Beer Programs)
4pm
Think about your brewery’s story — not the polished version on your website, but the real one. The batch that went sideways at 2 AM. The regular who talked you off a ledge during COVID. The moment you knew this crazy idea might actually work. Those stories? They’re probably still just living in someone’s head.
And here’s the thing: memories fade. People move on. If we don’t capture these moments, they disappear — and with them, pieces of what makes your brewery special.
I want to show you how to preserve your story in ways that actually feel doable. We’ll talk about sitting down with your founder or longtime bartender and just listening. Digging through old photos and tap lists. Figuring out which moments matter most before they slip away. And then — this is the important part — how to organize it all so it’s not just shoved in a box somewhere.
Because your history isn’t just sentimental. Breweries that know their story build stronger brands. Staff who understand where you came from stick around longer. Customers feel the difference when there’s real depth behind what you’re pouring.
Whether you’ve been open six months or sixteen years, you have a story worth telling. This session will give you the prompts, the simple tools, and the encouragement to start capturing it now — then actually use it to strengthen your team, your brand, and your connection to the people who keep coming back.
Let’s make sure your story doesn’t get lost.
Tim is a career storyteller: first as a broadcast journalist and news anchor in Seattle and Portland, then as founder of Coin Toss Brewing in Oregon City. After nearly a decade of building a brewery rooted deeply in local history, Tim sold the business in 2024. Today, through The Narrative Studio, he helps breweries, nonprofits, & businesses preserve their origin stories through oral histories, narrative documentation, and creative storytelling. He is also a contributor to the Oregon Hops & Brewing Archives at Oregon State University.
5pm
In a beer industry facing rising costs, shifting consumer habits, and increased competition for attention, taproom events can no longer exist just to “fill a Monday night.” This talk is for craft brewery owners, managers, and staff who want their events to drive real engagement and revenue, not fade into the background.
We’ll start by looking at how today’s economic realities are impacting foot traffic and guest behavior, followed by an honest assessment of common go-to events like trivia, open mics, and live music, and why they often struggle to differentiate or deliver meaningful returns.
From there, we’ll explore real-world examples of creative, purpose-driven taproom events that actually stand out, including hyper-local collaborations, experiential programming, and events rooted in storytelling, education, and community. You’ll walk away with practical frameworks for evaluating ideas and building events that are scalable, repeatable, and aligned with your brand.
We’ll wrap with an interactive discussion focused on your challenges and how to turn inspiration into next steps.
Chris came to the world of craft beer after spending nearly 2 decades in corporate sales management and training. Since making the leap, he has combined that rich experience with a genuine love for this industry. After spending years in General Manager positions for multiple craft breweries, Chris built and opened Nine Spot Brewing in 2022. He currently hosts a popular NY State craft-focused social media channel called the New York Minute, in which he travels the state to find unique stories, and heads a consulting organization called Horse 2 Water that focuses on affordable, actionable plans for successful taproom management.