This is a part of a continuing series of Q&As with members of the brewing community from across the US. Brewer Magazine will share business and personal insights from Brewmasters, Head Brewers, Brewing Managers, Sales Directors, QCQA Managers and others each weekend to help you get to know each other better in the industry and learn more to better develop your own brand.
Trenten Relles, General Manager, Meanwhile Brewing — Austin, Texas
BREWER: How does a typical day in your role look, and how do you balance operational demands with fostering a positive team environment?
RELLES: Start with People: My day always begins by connecting with the larger team, regardless of department. While my schedule is untraditional and constantly shifting, spending the first 30 minutes checking in with everyone personally to see how they’re doing is the most impactful work I believe I do.
Alignment and Meetings: We structure meetings throughout the week to avoid disrupting anyone’s days off. It’s typical to have two to four meetings a day. These range from personnel updates, events and programming, sports and coordination, one-on-ones, and more. Between meetings, I use any available time to catch up on emails, Slack …and make incredible jokes.
Preventative Maintenance, Strategy, and Ideation: As a growing and maturing brand, we’re constantly focused on improving the guest experience and streamlining operations. My role allows me the luxury of identifying issues, taking time to analyze them, and rolling out solutions that preserve and enhance the guest experience. I enjoy revisiting even our longstanding and successful processes to explore how we can collectively do better.
BREWER: Are there any recent accomplishments for the brewery you want to tout and how is it going to improve your business going forward?
RELLES: We’ve been fortunate to receive some incredible accolades over the years that highlight our team’s commitment across every department. Most recently, we celebrated our second consecutive year being recognized as the best brewery in Austin — a rare and prestigious achievement, as only one other brewery has accomplished this back-to-back, many years ago when the city had far fewer breweries. Read more here. These awards are a testament to the tremendous effort we put in every day and the collective passion that drives our success. While they may not directly change the numbers, they serve as a powerful reminder that every role, every contribution, and every bit of ownership and investment from our team has made this possible.
BREWER: What have you found to be the most effective way to handle customer feedback, both positive and negative?
RELLES: We actively encourage feedback and, as a brewery that opened during the pandemic, we’ve had plenty of opportunities to learn and grow from it. We also dedicate significant effort to ensuring our team is equipped to handle guest feedback effectively. When addressing feedback, we focus on three key questions: What do I want for the guest? What do I want for myself? And what do I want for the company? These questions help us align our goals, maintain perspective, and approach each situation with a balanced, solutions-oriented mindset.
BREWER: What first drew you to the industry, and what keeps you passionate about being part of it today?
RELLES: A deep family connection to wine, generations of hospitality, and a passion for home distilling initially drew me to brewing as a way to best understand scaling and technique in a production facility. After years of bar managing, wine buying, and production brewing, I shifted my focus to leading teams and driving organizational goals. I’m inspired daily by what we’re building — the reinvestment in our brewery, the planning, the innovation and the lack of investors allows for the team to be prioritized rather than returns. Above all, the privilege of working alongside a talented team with a shared commitment to excellence is what truly drives me forward.
BREWER: What are you sippin’ on right now from your brewery that you really enjoy?
RELLES: Our menu is packed with so many special and incredibly tasty beers, but one I keep coming back to is Jolly, our spruce tip Lager. This seasonal beer, perfect for the holidays, features spruce tips sourced from some of the best NW growers. We selected these tips for their exceptional complexity and nuance, showcasing beautiful notes of pine, strawberry, and a hint of cedar. Layered above a classic Vienna-style lager, Jolly is a beer worth sharing. It’s restrained and delicate, but as it warms slightly and the CO2 dissipates, it reveals new dimensions of flavor. It’s a beer that evolves with each sip — ideal for savoring during the season.
READ MORE: How Meanwhile is Growing This Festive Release
BREWER: What’s one piece of advice you’d give to new managers stepping into a role similar to yours?
RELLES: Invest in yourself by reading extensively, being vulnerable, and always advocating for your team. Mistakes and missteps are inevitable, but if your intentions are genuine and your heart is in the right place, your team will see that. Create opportunities for others to grow alongside you, and never hesitate to hire someone smarter or more talented — it strengthens the team. Many of us don’t have the benefit of mentors to model effective communication and leadership, but fortunately, there are excellent books to guide us. At Meanwhile, we often recommend Crucial Conversations, Crucial Accountability, Hiring for Attitude, and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People for new managers. If you’re a male leader, I also suggest reading Leadership for the New Female Manager to gain perspective on the unique challenges and expectations faced by female managers — insights that might not come naturally but can help you lead more inclusively and effectively.
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