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Cover Story

The Metrics That Matter: Wes Keegan’s Discipline for TailGate Brewery

Even after more than a decade of expansion and a workforce that now spans multiple locations, TailGate Brewery remains tightly steered by a single set of hands. Under the sole ownership of Wes Keegan, the [...]
Top Stories

Why Friability Matters More Than You Think

A truckload of malt arriving at a brewery rarely sparks concern beyond checking the invoice and the malt COA, but friability is one quality metric that can quietly influence brewhouse efficiency, lautering performance and ultimately [...]
Cider Business

Lessons From Cideries That Took a Bold Position

Branding decisions in the cider world often carry risks that extend well beyond label design or logo refreshes. For many cideries, branding intersects with capital investments, customer expectations and long-term positioning. Those risks can shape [...]
Top Stories

Brewpub Models See Least Negative Impact; 40% of Breweries Hold Steady or Grew in 2025

The U.S. craft brewing industry contracted in 2025 in a report released April 14 by the Brewers Association, but nearly 40% of breweries reported stable or increased production, underscoring a widening divide in performance and [...]
Top Stories

What Watson Said Still Can Work for a Craft Brewery in a Flat Market

During a December 2025 cover story interview with Bart Watson of the Brewers Association, the longtime industry economist and current BA CEO pointed to a simple but difficult concept that continues to separate outperforming breweries [...]

Cover Story

The Metrics That Matter: Wes Keegan’s Discipline for TailGate Brewery

Even after more than a decade of expansion and a workforce that now spans multiple locations, TailGate Brewery remains tightly steered by a single set of hands. Under the sole ownership of Wes Keegan, the [...]
Current Issue

When Software Can Help your Brewery & When It Can Hurt

For many breweries, software still gets framed as a necessary evil: expensive, time-consuming and easy to postpone until something breaks. But as complexity creeps into even the smallest brewery operations, digital tools have quietly become [...]
Current Issue

Building a Skilled Team Starts With Onboarding, Not Hiring

Recruitment and retention challenges in brewing are often framed as labor shortages or generational shifts, but brewery leaders who have navigated staffing pressures argue the real issue is more internal than external. The difference between [...]
Last Pint

Traum Hits Ground Running Blending Science, Art and Small-Town Roots

When a new brewery opens today, patience is a luxury few can afford. With crowded markets, rising costs and fickle consumer attention, the pressure to hit the ground running is immediate. For Kyle Treadway, that [...]
Current Issue

These Financial Disciplines Are Keys to Survival Going Forward

Financial discipline is becoming a defining factor in whether your brewery can remain viable in an increasingly competitive and capital-constrained market. As interest rates remain elevated, distribution competition intensifies and consumer demand becomes less predictable, [...]