Category: Brewery

Craft Beverage Brands Demand Flexible Equipment

Cyndi
cans in a canning machine

By: Rebecca Marquez, Director of Custom Research at PMMI

Handling a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and materials at faster speeds requires flexible, automated equipment that provides quick changeovers.

  More than 16,000 craft beverage brands are now competing for attention, space, and sales at U.S. retail outlets, according to 2024 Craft Beer and Spirits: Success Through Packaging, a report from PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies. In addition to the large number of brands available, craft beverage producers have been feeling the pinch of rising input costs — from raw ingredients to packaging materials — and higher distribution costs.

  To support brand and business growth, many craft producers are actively investing in new machinery. Some also have an aggressive growth plan.

  One beer and spirits contract packager cited in the report is trying to determine if its current packaging equipment is strong enough to support an expected doubling in volume in the next year and, with a growing customer base, the possibility of five-fold growth in the next three to five years.

  From a machine standpoint, craft beverage brands are almost unanimous in their opinion that their equipment needs to be adaptable, according to the 2024 report. While complete adaptability, such as filling bottles on a canning line, is functionally impossible, OEMs should carefully consider how versatile they can make their machine offerings. For instance, a canning line capable of filling 16- and 12-oz. cans provides some versatility. Still, one capable of switching to 19.2-oz. sizes and running tall, sleek cans would be more desirable for craft producers.

Machinery Flexibility Reigns Supreme

  Craft producers need the ability to handle a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and materials at faster speeds, and they need more automated equipment features for changeovers, loading, and feeding.

  Multipack formats—including multipacks that contain a variety of products—have remained a popular stock-keeping unit (SKU) option over the past decade. While consumers consistently report liking these formats, they frequently create operational headaches for craft producers because they necessitate alterations in their overall operations.

  Special packaging formats also can create significant production challenges. In addition to label and format variations, specialty product releases are typically limited runs. To help craft producers reduce downtime when switching from standard to specialty product runs, OEMs and suppliers are working to expand features, such as automated label changeovers and automated feeding.

  The logistics of handling mix packs is challenging for small breweries because it is typically performed with manual labor. Consequently, many craft beer producers seek affordable, automated solutions to help them compete with larger breweries.

  For example, some smaller craft brewers need user-friendly push-button equipment and end-to-end solutions to minimize fluid waste. They also require predictive and preventive maintenance software, modular machinery, easier-to-program programmable logic controllers, and simplified, intuitive human-machine interfaces.

  Craft producers also want advanced technology features, such as AI machine learning and improved machine sustainability functionality that uses less energy and reduces material waste.

  Machines as a service, or MaaS, may have a future role to play in the craft beer and spirits industry when it comes to accommodating tight budgets and limited floor space, but very few operations are currently deploying this strategy, according to the 2024 PMMI report.

Beverage Processors Look to the Future

  Technical integration will positively impact beverage packaging and processing operations in the coming years, according to 2025 Beverage Industry Packaging Trends, another report from PMMI. However, inflation, supply chain disruptions, regulatory compliance, and talent acquisition/retention challenges are expected to continue negatively impacting this industry.

  The 2025 report states that company expansions, consumer product demands, and technology advances are the top three reasons beverage companies purchase new machinery. In addition, nearly 90% of the 2025 report’s surveyed companies plan to purchase some type of beverage packaging machinery in the next three years.

  For instance, 58% of the respondents anticipate their investment in beverage packaging machinery will increase by 10% over the next three years. This includes 26% who expect an increase of more than 20%. Some plan to invest in entire production lines to keep up with demand and/or accommodate new product SKUs they’re developing. Others are focused on improving equipment efficiency to reduce bottlenecks and minimize downtime.

  But beverage companies sometimes need more guidance from their suppliers to make the right decisions and keep machinery running. In-person and remote support are important since beverage processors want true partnerships with OEMs that are reliable and consistent for as long as the machine is functioning. In addition, these processors want more support, education, and perspective into what the future holds for new equipment.

  Processors are justified in turning to OEMs for this type of assistance. To meet evolving packaging demands, end users need to optimize machinery use by leveraging digital insights and diagnostics for faster, more efficient production and the reduction of downtime, which directly impacts revenue, making technology-driven troubleshooting a top priority.

  The degree of a machine’s user-friendliness is also a critical factor. In fact, one 2025 survey respondent believes machinery suppliers should automatically assume that somebody without much experience will be running the equipment every day. “The equipment needs to be smarter and more intuitive to the operator and contain built-in tutorials,” he states.

  When it comes to avoiding recalls, sanitation is a major priority in beverage processing. Therefore, processors need machines and parts that are more easily cleaned. Standardized machinery and sanitation templates that work for one facility and can be transferred to others also make sanitation easier, especially for processors with multiple sites.

  Over the next two to three years, expanding consumer demand will drive the need for more diverse beverage products and packaging sizes, leading to an overall increase in all packaged beverage formats. As a result, beverage manufacturers and their co-packers must improve and replace infrastructure now to ensure they remain flexible, efficient, and competitive in an evolving market.

  To learn more about technologies that boost beverage production, attend PACK EXPO Las Vegas, Sept. 29 to Oct. 1, 2025 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. With 2,300 exhibitors and thousands of cutting-edge solutions, attendees can engage in conversations about emerging trends, challenges, and innovations that are shaping the future of the industry.

  At the event, beverage processors can experience hands-on demonstrations of the latest packaging and processing solutions on topics like automation, sustainability, workforce development, and manufacturing efficiency. In addition, more than 100 educational sessions will take place on seven stages/content centers on the show floor, including Sustainability Central, Industry Speaks Stage, Innovation Stages, Processing Innovation Stage, and the Reusable Packaging Learning Center.

  Visit packexpolasvegas.com to learn more and register now to connect with industry leaders, discover state-of-the-art innovations, and gain a competitive edge.

Beyond the Container

Cyndi

Understanding Packaging and Its Subproducts for Modern Breweries

Earthrings showing 3 six pack carrying containers for beer cans

Photo Credit: Earthrings

By: Alyssa L. Ochs

In the modern brewery, packaging is more than just a finishing touch or an afterthought at the final stage of production. Rather, it is a vital part of a brewery’s brand strategy, a way to improve operational efficiency and a mechanism for achieving sustainability goals.

  Innovative packaging technologies help breweries grow and adapt to changing consumer demands. Settling for what used to work in the past to package beer is no longer an option for forward-thinking producers. From wrap-around case packing to shrink sleeve application, side loaders and compact palletizing,  new packaging solutions are redefining what it means to be ready for production and attract a strong consumer base.

  This article explores various aspects of brewery packaging and its subproducts, driven by real-world insights and companies that are setting new standards for aesthetics, efficiency, and sustainability.

Primary Packaging Basics: Core Components for a Strong Foundation

  Simply put, the foundation of all brewery packaging operations is the containers holding the beer. Whether you pour your beer into cans, bottles, or kegs, this is the cornerstone of your primary packaging and the basis for which all subproducts must complement.

  Cans now dominate the craft beer industry because of their logistical advantages, recyclability, and durability. For cans, many breweries have begun to embrace shrink-sleeve application technology with full-wrap, high-impact branding.

  Producers like Mother Earth Brewing (Vista, California and Nampa, Idaho) have used automated cartoners to streamline the process of erecting and packing cases and trays. Modern cartoners allow easy changeovers between 12-ounce and 16-ounce cans and help breweries keep up with growing demands.

  Meanwhile, a sizable number of breweries still favor glass bottles for specialty beers or to celebrate nostalgia and beer-drinking traditions. Packaging bottles requires careful consideration for handling and shipping weight.

  Stainless-steel kegs remain efficient vessels for on-premise distribution, events, and international export. However, PET plastic, one-way kegs are trending as a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to stainless steel because of their lightweight, compact, high-oxygen barrier advantages.

  Closures, whether in the form of cap ends, swing tops, crown caps or keg fittings, are also primary packaging products critical to maintaining freshness and the necessary pressure.

Packaging Subproducts: Behind-the-Scenes, Yet Crucial

  However, there is enormous potential in the best uses of secondary and tertiary packaging materials, also known as subproducts. These materials play essential roles in protecting and presenting beer, as well as in distribution coordination and sustainability.

  For example, combined cardboard and film packaging are hybrid materials that offer excellent visibility and strength to a packaging strategy. Shrink-wrapping helps bundle beer multipacks and pallets. There are breweries that are moving towards biodegradable films and reduced-gauge materials to improve the eco-friendly qualities of their shrink wrapping.

  Wrap-around case packing systems are high-speed systems that can limit downtime and reduce the strain on machinery. Wrap-around cases that operate in continuous motion provide a precise and fast way to create and seal boxes around beer products, thereby improving line efficiency and speeding up the packaging process.

  For example, Summit Brewery Company (St. Paul, Minnesota) has achieved virtually no downtime and no needed repairs using an InvisiPac® Tank-Free™ Hot Melt System. Graco worked with the brewery to boost production efficiency by reducing hot melt adhesive waste and stabilizing the rate of glue consumption.

  Shrink sleeve applications are popular because of their 360-degree branding opportunities. They are ideal for cans and specialty bottles, conforming to unique contours better than pressure-sensitive labels. Breweries love this trend because of the vibrant, high-impact branding that does not require pre-printed containers. Shrink sleeves enhance brewers’ branding flexibility and are ideal for seasonal brews and limited releases.

  Other essential packaging subproducts include tray packs, dividers, and side loaders. Corrugated trays and side loaders help maintain line efficiency and prevent damaged products. This is especially critical when packaging beer in glass or mixed-format packs.

  Cardboard carriers and dividers protect units and enhance their visual presentation for consumers. By combining cardboard and film packaging, a brewery can use less material than it would with traditional cartons while ensuring visibility and protection.

  Other aspects of packaging are the inks and adhesives used on beer labels. At a minimum, these materials must stay affixed to the product and be readable. However, you can use water-based inks and adhesives that are low in volatile organic compounds to tap into eco-minded consumer preferences and support your brewery’s sustainability initiatives.

Evolving Automation: Equipment Innovations for All Sizes of Breweries

  In the past, automation was only considered relevant for large, well-established breweries with extensive packaging needs. However, even smaller breweries are embracing automation because of the compact packaging systems now available.

  For instance, breweries can find compact palletizing solutions that are designed for small spaces. You don’t need a warehouse-sized space to automate your brewery with a compact palletizer.

  Breweries of all sizes can also automate their packaging with side loaders and tray packers. These investments help brewery packaging lines move at high speed and overcome labor concerns. Side loaders efficiently place cans and bottles into cartons and are often used alongside wrap-around case packers to reduce manual labor.

  Advanced machinery solutions like wrap-around case packing can streamline operations with minimal stop time. The result is faster throughput and reduced wear and tear on machinery components. Shrink sleeve applicators can accommodate various container sizes and shapes, even allowing for late-stage customization if design ideas change over time.

Brewery Packaging with Sustainability in Mind

  Eco-friendly brewing is no longer a niche — it is a requirement for modern beer producers. Breweries must weigh the pros and cons of the materials they use for beer packaging considering where they came from, how much they strained natural resources to produce and their recyclability.

  Fortunately, breweries can boost their sustainability and lower their carbon footprints in many ways. Lightweight materials, such as thinner bottles and cans, can help reduce vehicular emissions from trucks used to transport products. If you package and label your products onsite rather than outsourcing this work, you can maintain greater supply chain control and produce beer sustainably.

  Meanwhile, using recyclable and compostable beer carriers is a fantastic way to reduce landfill waste and release fewer planet-overheating gases into our environment. Film-cardboard hybrids help breweries reduce plastic waste while still being visually appealing and durable. Eco-friendly carriers perform well and can now often be recycled or degrade naturally once discarded. 

  To prioritize sustainability, breweries can also work with their packaging suppliers to develop eco-friendly formats tailored to their unique needs. Customization is now commonplace in this industry, as breweries do everything they can to stand out from the competition in a crowded marketplace.

  There are also reusable and refillable bottle and keg return programs that breweries can investigate. These types of programs are expanding throughout North America and Europe, making them legitimate options for many modern breweries. Exploring all available sustainability options can help brewers align their business with their environmental values and comply with changing legislation.

  Multiple innovative companies are now working in the sustainability space to give breweries more options.

  UniKeg offers PET plastic kegs as a lightweight, cost-effective solution to traditional steel kegs. Earthrings is a company that offers 100% recyclable and compostable beverage rings constructed from sustainable cardboard.

  Another company, WestRock, offers paper-based brewery packaging solutions, such as cartons and multipacks, to help brewers reduce their plastic use. DS Smith collaborated with Martins Brewery to develop a custom, sustainable six-pack handle packaging product for glass bottles.

  These are just a few examples of companies that have identified a need in this space among breweries and risen to the challenge to help promote sustainable beer production.

Final Thoughts and the Future of Beer Packaging

  Although brewery packaging subproducts might seem like minor factors in the overall production and sale of products, they collectively have a significant impact. Subproducts can either make or break a brewery in terms of shipping efficiency, regulatory compliance, labor demands and carbon footprint.

  Looking ahead, the craft beer industry has a lot to look forward to with regard to smart and sustainable packaging. Technology companies have made QR codes and smart labels accessible and enticing as a way to market content directly to consumers.

  There has been a trend towards even small nano- and microbreweries investing in compact and mobile canning solutions to reduce their reliance on third-party companies. With sustainability now top-of-mind for breweries worldwide, eco-design integration is increasingly important. Now, breweries must not only think about how their products are packaged but also where they will end up after they are used — ideally recycled, reused, or composted.

Are Your Beverages Ready for a Recession?

Cyndi
calculator says recession on top of a $100 dollar bill with ben franklin looking worried

By: Raj Tulshan, founder of Loanmantra.com

Is the U.S. Headed for a Recession? And if so, is your beverage business recession proof? In the United States, only the panel of experts at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) is able to classify economic conditions as an actual “recession.” At its most basic level, a recession is marked by two, consecutive quarters of economic contraction or negative real Global Domestic Product, (GDP). Understandably, more is at play in making this kind of analysis and most economists believe there are four major recession indicators.

  Understanding that NBER must classify a recession, economists and financial analysts are closely monitoring several key indicators that suggest economic slowdown in 2025:

Declining Consumer Spending: The University of Michigan’s Survey of Consumers’ Index of Consumer Sentiment showed a 10.5% decline in consumer confidence in April. U.S. households are beginning to cut back on discretionary purchases creating ripple effects across industries from retail to hospitality.

Tighter Credit Markets: The Federal Reserve’s efforts to control inflation have led to higher interest rates, making it more expensive for businesses to borrow. Many lenders have also become more cautious, tightening their lending boxes and limiting access to capital. Small Business Administration (SBA) changes have caused industry shifts for government-guaranteed lending and associated products.

Business Slowdowns: Hiring has slowed, and some companies are scaling back operations as demand softens. Government layoffs have impacted the private sector. These trends may continue to lead to more job losses.

Trade and Tariffs: With major tariffs, most business owners are wary of what that means for their bottom line. They suspect that tariffs will increase production costs, challenge the supply chain and disrupt small business operations.

10 Tips to Recession Proof Your Business

  If a recession takes hold, beverage businesses—especially those reliant on consumer spending—will likely face many challenges. Loan Mantra offers approaches to offset these challenges:

CHALLENGE- Staying Sober: Being in a constant state of uncertainty and entertaining a daily stream of negative news can have a devastating mental impact on the general population.

APPROACH- Drowning in questions and doubt will not help the business become more recession proof. As a business owner, employees, customers and the public will be watching your example for signs of a crisis. Focus on what the business does best. Instead of becoming overwhelmed, break down tasks into day-to-day actionable steps. Offer an open-door policy and be transparent with loyal employees. Offer a group approach and/or collaboration with all aspects of the business to come up with solutions on how to meet goals.

CHALLENGE- Less Served: With customers spending less, businesses may struggle to maintain sales levels.

APPROACH- Review tangential product flow and reduce expenses that may not be necessary. For instance, if you’re a restaurant, for food deliveries instead of including plastic utensils with to-go orders, include items upon request, exclude napkins or excessive packaging with Beverage delivery. Over a year these small adjustments can add up to substantial savings. Common expenses can also be distributed over several locations. For instance, cross train bar and waitstaff and schedule among different sections and work sites.

CHALLENGE- Hyped up Hops: Inflation-driven price increases on goods, materials and wages could squeeze already thin profit margins. Tariffs also threaten to make costs higher on imported goods.

APPROACH- Reduce time spent on tasks that don’t directly impact sales and produce revenue. Efficient inventory management ensures you’re not tying up capital when you need it most for tasks like cleanup, makeready and taking inventory. For example, many retailers take an inordinate amount of time on inventory. Could this utility time spent for employees to count and restock be more efficient? Consider tightening inventory management by prolonging buying until it’s necessary using the just in time method.

  Scale down product choices to the most popular brews or brands that offer higher margins. Companies like Bonobos are already ahead of this curve. This retailer offers concierge service that makes up for lack of on-site inventory. With an increased focus on customer service, customers can try on pieces at the store location which are then ordered and delivered to customers homes. Can this model be replicated by offering sample tastings with pre-pay for larger orders that can be delivered on demand?

CHALLENGE- Beer Money Fund: With banks tightening their lending standards, securing loans or lines of credit may become more challenging.

APPROACH- Having appropriate cash/capital reserves on hand is a vital step to recession proof a business. Loan Mantra recommends that businesses should have at least one month of operating expenses or ten percent of revenue on hand during a normal economy. In times of recession, businesses should hold 3-6 months of operating expenses. The time to shore up emergency reserves, apply for a line of credit or loans is before you need it.

  Don’t wait to get commitments from a lending institution. Prequalifying for loans before you need them can give you peace of mind knowing funds are readily accessible if necessary and help recession proof the business. Also remember that chaos creates the opportunity to buy assets when prices fall that will later appreciate.

CHALLENGE- Half on Tap: Trying to meet revenue projections made last year may be impossible impacting the ability to meet payroll, make payments or even stay in business.

APPROACH- Review original financial forecasts and re-assess plans based on the new economic reality. Scale back and ramp up essentials, finding new benchmarks and project out accordingly. Watch market trends like consumer sentiment. Invent new ways to make money and diversify revenue. Chaos brings opportunity. Discover what opportunities and optimize based on those findings.

CHALLENGE- Loan or Groan: The financial crisis in 2008 exposed the vulnerability of both consumer and commercial markets to predatory lenders. Institutions with questionable lending practices offered exploitive interest rates on loans where borrowers were caught in a cycle of paying interest on compounded interest that resulted in bankruptcies.

APPROACH- Be wary of inflated interest rates on loans. Right now, it is easier than ever to access a diverse group of lenders to get funding that offers the best rates and alternatives for businesses. For example, any business can seek expertise to find the lowest rate and financing through technology offered at companies like loanmantra.com, an online portal that provides streamlined access to all funding sources and expertise to determine the best loan products and providers.

CHALLENGE- Traffic Circle: Consumers facing job loss or decreased purchasing power may spend less and have limited disposable income.

APPROACH- Focus on retaining customers. This could be prioritizing exceptional customer service, capitalizing on loyalty programs and through marketing personalization to maintain and strengthen your customer base. Look at ways to make it easier for customer to spend money with your business like offering incremental payments instead of requiring the total up front. Acquire customers for life is more important that an individual transaction.

CHALLENGE- Bottle Battles: Increasing tariffs may limit access and availability of product components, bulk materials and supplies.

APPROACH- Evaluate cost increases, remain flexible and anticipate delays. Suppliers based in Asia may be the most hurt. Try to absorb some of the increased cost of good. Identify the least amount needed to push to the end consumer. Identify potential vulnerabilities and secure reliable suppliers to mitigate cost fluctuations. Find additional supply sources that are US-based if possible. Open lines of communication with current suppliers to negotiate better terms or prices and cost-cutting measures. Building strong relationships with suppliers can result in favorable deals that help reduce costs during lean times.

CHALLENGE- Distilled Down Sills: Previously approved expenditures including additional resources and equipment may be frozen.

APPROACH- Analyze operating systems to eliminate waste. Has the business drifted toward more expensive habits? Optimize operations by looking for ways to streamline tasks and improve efficiency. Aim to automate repetitive tasks through technology to save time and reduce long-term costs. Evaluate additional lines of business for profitability and sustainability. Look for additional ways to diversify and add revenue.

CHALLENGE- Measure or Pour: A lack of inventory can inhibit production.

APPROACH- Consider mass purchasing of supplies that may not be available in the future or before prices increase. Evaluate existing product lines and services to determine if substitutions can be made. Look at potential options as alternatives that may not be ideal long-term but will still satisfy customers. For example, if you are unable key ingredients, what can you make? For instance, if Champagne is not accessible can you offer high quality Sparkling wine as a choice?

Looking Ahead

  While the future remains uncertain, beverage businesses can become more recession proof against economic downturns by planning. Keeping an eye on market trends, managing finances strategically, planning for disruptions and maintaining strong customer relationships will be key to weathering potential challenges. For more information contact Raj at loanmantra.com.

Designing Beers for a Cocktail World

Cyndi
4 glasses filled with cocktails of 4 different colors in each glass

By: Erik Lars Myers

The beverage market has been evolving. No longer are we in a world of beer drinkers, wine drinkers, and cocktail drinkers. Today’s savvy beverage consumer drinks all three. This provides a unique opportunity for breweries; beer has such a wide palette of potential flavors that it is possible to create a beer to mimic a cocktail to attract a wider audience of potential drinkers.

  However, doing so takes more consideration than throwing a few specialty ingredients in the kettle. It is an exercise in thinking outside of the box. As an example of how this might be approached, consider a beer designed around the classic bourbon cocktail: The Old Fashioned.

Breaking Down Flavors

  What makes an Old Fashioned taste like an Old Fashioned? Hint: It’s not just the bourbon. Like any other drink, what makes a cocktail taste good is the full complex array of ingredients. In this case, bourbon, orange, cherry, simple syrup, and bitters. To break that down even further, the prominent flavors in bourbon – derived from alcohol, esters that survive distillation, and wood contact – are a blend of complex fruitiness and vanillins that include descriptors like vanilla, cinnamon, coconut, burnt sugar, and cocoa, among others.

  It is impossible to perfectly replicate all of this in a carbonated, fermented (not distilled) beverage, but the idea isn’t to perfectly replicate it so much as it is to bring the drinker as close as possible given the medium.

  When designing a beer like this one of the easiest traps to fall into is to start with a style, but it’s a disingenuous starting point. Any beer that is true to a particular style will, by definition, not taste like an Old Fashioned. Instead, disregard the notion of “style” and build the beer around the cocktail’s flavor profile. If, at the end of the day, there is a need to apply a “style” to it for marketing purposes, simply reverse engineer from the ingredient selection. The Trade and Tax Bureau only requires that it be designated “Ale” or “Lager.”

Malt Selection and Mash

  Many of the flavors and colors present in bourbon are present in malt.  It’s easy to choose a base malt – a simple 2-Row Pale – that is merely a source of fermentables, but it’s worth using something with more robust and complex malt character. Consider a floor malted Maris Otter, Mild Malt, Vienna, or Munich malt, or even a combination thereof, to select for a toasty, complex sugar base. One of the important ingredient additions to an Old Fashioned – simple syrup – is one that you can begin to manage through malt selection and mash management.

  Bourbon picks up its color through wood contact, but here caramelized and roasted grain are the source. Additions of higher SRM caramel malts can add residual sugar and just the right amount of color. Be wary of roasted malt additions. While small amounts of roasted malt might impart excellent color and some of the cocoa or smoky complexity of barrel-aging, too much of a burnt/roast characteristic would be wholly out of place. In addition, many roasted malts tend toward a red or ruby hue rather than the warm orange/brown of bourbon.

  Slightly higher mash temperatures, 154F – 156F, might be tempting for malt complexity but remember that while alpha amylase promotes dextrin formation, the long complex sugar chains that add great body to a beer don’t necessarily taste sweet.

Hop Selection

  While hops don’t feel like a good fit for a beer like this, hops are an important addition to every beer. In this case, not only can they create a balanced base beer, they can also be used to add flavor complexity to the final “cocktail.” Consider that an Old Fashioned is made with a dash or two of bitters, and so a low residual bitterness is not misplaced. An initial boil kettle IBU addition of 10 – 20 IBUs seems like a good starting point, but leaving hops out of the boil otherwise might be a good idea.

  Next comes hop character. There are many classic hops with orange and other citrus flavors: Centenniel, Cascade, Citra, Amarillo. However, some of the new hop strains that are marketed for Hazy IPAs might be well incorporated here. A small (0.25 – 0.5 lbs/bbl) whirlpool addition of Julius, Hydra, or Caliente hops can add complex characteristics of tangerine or clementine that would pair beautifully with citrus fruit additions.

Water Chemistry

  A low Sulfate to Chloride ratio (0.8 – 1.0) seems like a good starting point in designing water chemistry for a cocktail-inspired beer, accentuating and promoting malt characteristics. But bear in mind those dashes of bitters that go into a good Old Fashioned. In this case, a slightly higher Sulfate addition could be more appropriate: enough chloride to keep malt prominent, but not so much as to dampen the bittering effects of small hop additions.

Yeast Selection

  There are three ways you can approach yeast on a beer like this. One is to choose as neutral a yeast as possible – an American Ale yeast, for instance – and let the rest of the recipe do the lifting.

  Another is to choose a specific yeast with fermentation characteristics that match the flavor profile that you’re trying to create. English ale yeasts with strong ester formation, and perhaps high alcohol tolerance, can be of great use especially as many of them also keep a fair amount of residual sugar around – an important consideration in the “simple syrup” portion of this recipe.

  Finally, a third, less predictable (and reproduceable) route, would be to blend yeasts for fermentation. Using a combination of a cleaner English or American ale yeast with a small portion of Belgian Abbey or even Hefeweissen yeast could potentially add a complex ester palate with subtle, fermentation-based cherry (Abbey ale) or banana (Hefeweissen) notes, as long as the strains are all STA-1 negative.

  Perhaps more reliably, a brewer could split the wort, ferment each portion with different strains and then blend back together for a final product. Of course, this comes with the added complexity of requiring more fermentation space and more lab work to guarantee a stable and reproduceable final product, so it should be entered into with care and deliberation.

Spices, Fruits, Other Additions

  Perhaps the easiest step in designing a beer around a cocktail is approaching the ingredients that are added into the cocktail itself. An Old Fashioned orange and maraschino cherry garnish is perhaps the most obvious and easy part to replicate by adding bitter orange during the boil, or Luxardo or maraschino cherry juice into your fermentation. The difficult part is doing so with balance in mind – this isn’t, after all, an orange beer or a cherry beer, but a beer built around another, balanced beverage. Restraint is called for.

  What might be easier to overlook are additions that can add to the spirit characteristics of your finished beer. Again, bourbon characteristics are complex. Spice additions at the end of your boil, or during fermentation, are opportunities to add in flavors to increase that complexity: vanilla, coconut, cinnamon, black or white pepper, cloves, allspice, or any wide variety of other flavors, in very small quantities, can lend an enormous amount of complexity to the finished body and profile of your cocktail-designed-beer.

Barrel Aging or Spirit Flavors

  Of course, the easiest path to creating a spirit-flavored beer is by aging the beer itself in a barrel that once housed that spirit. However, when doing so, consider that time and oxidation will dull the subtle nuances of the original beer. If barrel-aging is in the future for the recipe, consider relying less on hop or fruit additions, or make judicious flavor additions after it’s been taken out of aging. Be wary of over-aging where wood characteristics might overshadow the original beer.

Finished Beer Considerations

  Carbonation level will make an enormous difference in how this beer is perceived. While a beer designed around a French 75 might be light and spritzy with high carbonation levels, this beer might benefit from carbonation on the lower end of the scale, in the 2.1 – 2.3 volume range.

  A brewery with the right capabilities might even consider cask engine or serving via nitro for a smoother experience..

Serving the Final Product

  In the tasting room or brewpub, don’t miss the opportunity to treat this beer as the special product that it is. Sloshing it straight down into a shaker pint glass is fine, and certainly will move money over the bar, but part of the experience of a good cocktail is presentation and the opportunity also exists here. Maybe this beer is served in a goblet with a twist of orange on the rim. Maybe a high-ABV, barrel-aged version of this beer is served in a rocks glass with a Luxardo cherry garnish.

  No matter what, presenting the customer with a unique experience will help them appreciate the craft and care that went into designing the recipe and help them make the connection to the original beverage.

  A beer designed around a cocktail will never be that cocktail, but it does give both the producer and drinker the opportunity to appreciate and explore the wide array of possibilities available to a well-practiced and thoughtful brewer in the nuanced palette of craft beer.

About the Author

  Erik Lars Myers is an award-winning professional brewer and lover of beer. He has written two travel guides about beer and written and edited multiple books about homebrewing.

Grassroots Marketing in the Summer

Cyndi
people raising their arms to the beautiful sunset on a beach in the summer

By: Hanifa Sekandi

Summer is here! A time of the year that beverage brands should take full advantage of. The weather is hot, people are outdoors, and the overall mood is vibrant. The truth is, it is hard to predict how your beverage will perform during the warmer months. But if you have your skin in the game and decide to play beverage marketing ball, the summer is fair game. Those who put forth their best effort will reap the benefits. A marketing method often underutilized in today’s marketing landscape is grassroots marketing. It is an old-school approach to market your brand, but it is still quite effective.

  This style of marketing allows brands to connect with their audience truly. Be in the thick of it, see what people are talking about. Remember the door-to-door salesman? Probably more so from watching movies that depict a man going door to door selling appliances. This form of direct marketing and sales was quite effective. Believe it or not, it still is. Understandably, you cannot sell your beverage door to door, but you can share promotional offers via mail. It is a great way to showcase summer promotions and discounts at local stores that sell your beverages.

  Another opportunity is planning in-store events. Get your audience excited about your in-store event by advertising free items they will receive during this event or when they purchase your product. This allows you to meet them face to face and get some feedback on your beverage or some great ideas, like cocktail recipes that people like to make using your beverage.

Skip the Details

  Yes, the details matter when it comes to savvy marketing. Your marketing team needs to create campaigns that appeal to your audience. The details that you should not get lost in are the research. Research is essential, but it is not the end-all be-all. Many agencies will tell you to spend a lot of time on research. Many months go by, and some companies are still researching without moving the needle. Research fatigue is costly and will not guarantee optimal results. Instead, streamline and simplify your research approach. The benefit of grassroots marketing is that it requires brands to be bold. Knowing who you want to reach and simply going after it. A phenomenon that many see when looking at the success of a marketing strategy going haphazardly viral on social media. How did they do it?

  What brands and agencies can learn from influencers who have been able to build lucrative personal brands is their go-for-it attitude. They conduct little research, lead with an idea, and have the wherewithal to put themselves out there. Your brand may want to reach out to one of these modern marketing gurus who have cut through the noise. Their voices are so powerful that people will buy the products they recommend without question. A great example of modern-day grassroots marketing. Word of mouth sells many products, and social media has put this form of marketing on a giant stage. Have you heard of the influencer Nina Pool? She mentions a product, and it sells out. People trust her because she believes in the products that she showcases. If she had a beverage in hand and said it was the best she had ever had, people would believe her and buy it.

  Do you have a new whiskey brand? Is your beverage a must-have poolside drink of the summer? Show them. Let them, your audience, see your beverage in action. With real people drinking it, talking about it, and enjoying it. There is no research needed for this. Film great content and make it relatable. Some companies recognize that this old-school approach works. As a result, they are hiring in-house content creators who dedicate their time to showcasing their products.

Go Rogue

  Experiment with your marketing in the summer. From in-store popups, distributing your beverage at a festival, or being a sponsor. Grassroots marketing is an immersive experience. It is for brands that desire to be a social phenomenon. Brands that aspire to be associated with memorable moments.  For example, Sally makes homemade kombucha for her friends and family. She realizes that she could make a business out of it. Her friends and family love it when she brings her homebrew to barbeques. She decides to give her neighbors some samples. Before she knows it, her neighbors ask if they can purchase a few bottles weekly. Due to neighborhood demand, Sally decides to approach a few local stores in her neighborhood to sell Sally’s Kombucha.

  She maintains her local neighborhood sales while also distributing to nearby stores. Sally loves sharing her freshly brewed kombucha so much that she has a stand at the local farmer’s markets and weekend book fair in her town. Sally grew her business with no research. She unknowingly became a grassroots marketing expert because she had an idea and went for it. She did not have a large marketing budget, but she had the will and belief that she had a great product. Her ability to connect with her audience also allowed her to get real-time reviews.

  You’re not Sally, but you could be. Let’s say you are Joe, CEO of a popular beverage brand, preparing for your summer campaigns. If you have a good marketing budget, you can get your product distributed in multiple stores and participate in many local farmers’ markets, festivals, and events your audience attends. Joe has the budget to market his brand and to conduct research. Joe noticed that last summer, his company underperformed while newer beverages surpassed his in popularity. He believed that the hours of market research would surely help them keep their standing as the best beverage of the summer. They devised a marketing campaign based on their research and spent a lot of money, so what went wrong? Nothing went wrong, Joe’s beverage still did fairly well, just not as well as the other beverage brands that adopted grassroots marketing, put their consumer first.

  These brands, like Sally, may not have had large marketing budgets or a fancy agency to help crunch market research numbers. What they did have was a belief in their product. They looked for people like them, people who they believed would enjoy their beverage. If you do not believe in your product, you cannot expect others to. The reality is that people are always looking for something new and are drawn to brands that they feel connected to. Connection starts with real-life experiences, which is the door-to-door salesman’s ideal. Many people bought appliances during these times when they did not need them.

Be Young Again

  Remember when you were young and fell in love with a product. You would go to school and tell all your friends about it. Before you knew it, everyone in your class had the same toy or snack your mom packed in your lunch. Have you ever noticed that there are popular snacks that seem to be in every child’s lunchbox that you have never seen advertisements for? Or that toy, Sophie la girafe, that every baby needs?  So, moms run out and buy it. Grassroots marketing is word of mouth. Approach your beverage brand with the same enthusiasm as if it were the best beverage you have ever sipped. Whether on social media, at a farmers market, festival, or any place, you can promote your product. Are you a brand rep? Bring your beverage to every party, and ensure everyone attending tries it.

  Host office parties, or better yet, block parties, so people can try your beverage. Gift local store managers and buyers with your beverage. Sponsor smaller musicians who can appeal to another audience. The more people hear about your brand and see people they know consume it, they will be compelled to try it and, in turn, purchase it.

  The summer is a lively time of year. People are open to trying new beverages during this time. More so than they are during colder months. Whether your beverage has a tropical punch for those who love this flavor profile, or you are a beverage that appeals to those cutting calories in favor of their summer physiques. The warmer months allow you to get out there and meet people. To be not just a salesperson but a customer yourself. Exude the persona you desire to reach.

  This approach will leave a lasting impression and help you build a beverage brand movement. People will look forward to seeing you at events and happily share with their friends how great your product is. Exclaim that your beverage is a great addition to that summer at the cottage or birthday party.

Ideas for a Successful Summer Season

Cyndi
crowd gathered in front of band performing at Short's Brewing

By: David DeLorenzo, Bar and Restaurant Insurance

Depending on what part of the country you live in, summertime can be a boon or a bust for bar and restaurant businesses. But regardless of the time of year, there are many things food and beverage establishments can do to boost sales and attract customers, new and returning. So, let the summertime vibes guide you to a successful season.

  Across the country, the restaurant industry is an economic powerhouse in any season. According to the National Restaurant Association’s 2025 State of the Restaurant Industry report, thanks to resilient consumer demand, the industry is expected to reach $1.5T in sales and employ 15.9M by the end of this year. One of the keys to success for restaurateurs is “expanding customers’ perceived sense of ‘value’ beyond pricing through hospitality and enhanced dining experiences, especially those that draw more on-premises business.”

  With that in mind, consider these tips to offer guests a unique experience with added value that will encourage them to stop in, stay awhile and return all summer long.

Create an experience: Placing a heavy emphasis on service and hospitality and presenting a welcoming environment that promotes socialization and an inviting on-premises experience is essential in boosting business. Consider your location and play to your strengths. For example, if your establishment is in the path of a farmers’ market or art walk, develop specials and promotions surrounding those events. Offer a special breakfast burrito on the morning of the farmers’ market or hire a local artist to do a live painting demo during the art walk to create memorable dining experiences for locals and visitors alike. If your establishment has a large patio and great views, offer “sunset specials” and encourage diners to arrive early to secure a great outdoor spot where they can enjoy their meal as they take in spectacular views as the sun goes down.  

Present summertime specials: Take advantage of the season and use it as an opportunity to present special menu items and beverages that are limited time only. Think light, fresh, easy bites and beverages featuring seasonal produce and fruits. Get creative with naming menu items and signature sips to help entice diners to give them a try. These menu items and beverages can be developed using ingredients your establishment already carries, so rather than reinventing the wheel, you are simply presenting a new version of a classic that takes on a seasonal twist. If your restaurant is privy to highly local or limited seasonal ingredients, this is a great way to use them to bring in business.

Get in the spirit of seasonal fun: Everyone loves a reason to celebrate, and luckily, there are plenty of opportunities to raise a glass throughout the summer. From Memorial Day to Independence Day to Labor Day, customers tend to be in “summer mode”—whether or not they are on vacation. So go with the flow and offer specials and festivities for these occasions and others. National observances such as National Fried Chicken Day (July 6), National Ice Cream Day (July 16), National Watermelon Day (Aug. 3), or National S’mores Day (Aug. 10) can also serve as inspiration for not only summertime menu items, but also for promotions to get more customers in the door.

Host special events: Summertime experiences can help bring customers in and encourage them to stay and play. For example, offering live music during happy hour and hosting trivia nights or karaoke contests are great ways to inspire your customers to spend more time in your establishment. These experiences also engage them and keep them coming back for more. All of these are positives regarding boosting your sales and creating new customer relationships. 

When in doubt, theme it out: Presenting a theme night is another smart and engaging way to reach a new or different demographic or encourage groups and parties to host an evening at your establishment. By presenting a varied calendar of theme nights, you can appeal to various demographics and interests. For example, 80s and 90s eras nights give guests a reason to gather their longtime friends and get a little nostalgic as they relive these popular decades. Host a fashion contest, offer themed food and beverage, or offer era-themed trivia. If the theme is popular and wide-ranging enough, you could reach out to other businesses in your area to create a progressive theme night in the community. This type of outreach is a vital way to network with other local companies and develop ideas and events for the good of the neighborhood—and the benefit of all.

Love your locals: High tourism seasons can be an excellent time for bars and restaurants to see peak sales. However, vacation visitors come and go, so investing in the community and local customers is essential. During low-tourism times, offer a special discount code for “locals only”—after all, everyone loves getting in on an exclusive deal that’s just for them, right? Loyalty programs are a key way to influence customers’ decisions about where to dine out. So why not create one just for the locals during slow tourism seasons to further build upon existing customer relationships and create new ones that you can continue to foster in any season?

Educate staff and customers: Even when trying to drum up business during slow seasons, it’s always important to abide by the laws—and to ensure your staff and customers do, too. This is especially true during high tourism seasons. When vacationing in another city or country, people may be more relaxed about their own moral values and the rules of the town or country in which they are visiting—particularly when alcohol is being consumed. That’s why it’s crucial to ensure staff is well-trained in detecting if a customer is already under the influence before they enter your establishment and also what to do if a customer begins to show signs of intoxication while dining. It’s crucial to ensure customers know the rules regarding things like to-go liquor, open container laws and the consequences of driving under the influence in your particular county or state.

  Whether summertime is a high-tourism season or low-tourism season for your establishment, creating memories and experiences for your diners is one of the greatest perks of being a restaurateur. Engaging with your clientele in any season is not only good for business, it’s great to building real friendships and community connections.

  Out of his passion for serving the restaurant and hospitality industry, David DeLorenzo created the Bar and Restaurant Insurance niche division of his father’s company, The Ambassador Group, which he purchased in 2009. For more than 20 years, he has been dedicated to helping protect and connect the hospitality industry in Arizona.

For more information visit…

barandrestaurantinsurance.com

How to Elevate Your Products with the Best Flavorings

Cyndi
a man and two women around tubes and bottles

By: Alyssa L. Ochs

There will always be something appreciated and cherished about beer that tastes like beer and spirits that remind us of what we’ve always known and loved about them. However, there’s also significant value in the unique and creative additions of flavorings to our favorite craft beverages.

  Flavorings have the potential to help breweries and distilleries stand out in a crowded market if they are willing to experiment with classic flavors and emerging trends. Whether you use fruits, spices, herbs or aging techniques, flavorings offer endless possibilities to cater to consumer tastes and help beverage brands establish distinct, memorable identities.

To learn more about the possibilities of flavorings in the modern craft beverage industry, we connected with two prominent leaders in this field: Beck Flavors and Mother Murphy’s Flavors.

The Evolving Role of Craft Beverage Flavorings

  With thousands of breweries and distilleries operating across the country, distinguishing your business from the competition has never been more crucial. These days, running a successful craft beverage operation requires considerably more than just making a great product. Customized flavors offer brewers and distillers opportunities to create a unique identity while showcasing regional tastes and catering to a local customer base.

  Nick Palank, marketing manager for Beck Flavors, told Beverage Master how his company’s primary focus is collaborating with brewers to develop tailor-made flavor profiles that align with their brand identity, resonate with their target audience and leverage emerging trends.

  Beck Flavors is a family-run business that has been around since 1904, creating custom flavors for over a century. Based in Maryland Heights, Missouri, Beck Flavors serves various food and beverage sectors and prioritizes environmental sustainability and community engagement in the local St. Louis area.

Palank referenced recent Brewers Association statistics showing that fruit-forward beers account for a 25 percent increase in new craft beer releases. This indicates an increasing demand for refreshing, bold and complex flavors. He also pointed out how breweries are interested in creating desert-inspired beers with nostalgic and indulgent flavors while also pushing boundaries with tea-based fermentation and botanical infusions. Meanwhile, there is substantial interest in seasonal flavors and limited-edition releases, perhaps even collaborating with local chocolatiers, spice companies or coffee roasters. These efforts have the potential to boost taproom traffic as consumers embrace the changing seasons lean into shifts in their drinking preferences. 

  “With 65% of craft beer consumers actively seeking new flavors, breweries that embrace this trend have the potential to drive significant engagement and brand loyalty,” Palank said.

  “Our strategy combines market research, sensory testing and expert formulation to help breweries develop beers that aren’t just flavorful but also commercially successful,” Palank shared. “The craft beer industry thrives on creativity and innovation, and with the right custom flavors, microbreweries can craft not just a great beer, but a signature drinking experience that sets them apart from the competition and keeps customers coming back for more.”

  Beyond just traditional beer, Beck Flavors is also working with breweries in the ready-to-drink (RTD) and non-alcoholic (NA) spaces.

  For example, flavorings add depth and richness to NA beers so they don’t fall flat or taste undesirably simplistic. Lower-alcohol, session-style beers can incorporate flavors to entice casual drinkers looking for 4 percent ABV or less options. Meanwhile, hard seltzers, hard teas and kombuchas with added flavorings can expand RTD offerings and give consumers more choices based on their curiosities or wellness goals.

Current Flavoring Trends

  “We have been creating a lot of indulgent profiles, such as pumpkin cheesecake, and unique fruit profiles, such as clementine flavors,” Al Murphy, the CEO of Mother Murphy’s, told Beverage Master Magazine. “We are always trying to create new flavors for spirits that have never been used in the alcohol and beverage industry.”

  Mother Murphy’s is a family-owned food flavoring business that has been operating since 1946. Murphy family members still own and run the company, which is headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina. From humble beginnings as a two-man side business, Mother Murphy’s has expanded to employ over 150 people and ship its flavorings to more than 30 countries.

  Murphy said that sweet, indulgent and fruit flavors are all trending right now, based on his company’s experience working with breweries and distilleries. As gathered from consumer preference research, he said their top 10 flavors were the following: mimosa, prickly pear, cucumber, blueberry, sour, rosé, ginger, mandarin/tangerine, blood/red orange and pear.

  To keep up with trends, Palank from Beck Flavors said that his company leverages market intelligence and consumer insights through comprehensive research, trend analysis and data-driven reports utilizing resources like Mintel, Innova, and Tastewise.

  With regard to 2025 trends shaping the beer industry, Palank said, “In the U.S., citrus remains a leading flavor in craft beer, with tropical flavors also showing high growth momentum. These flavors are approachable and familiar, making them a safe yet exciting choice for consumers. Microbreweries can experiment with combinations like pineapple and orange peel to create refreshing, vibrant beers. With consumers seeking globally inspired experiences, flavors like yuzu, calamansi, prickly pear and lychee are giving beers a fresh twist.”

  Palank also said that dessert-inspired flavors reminiscent of doughnuts, chocolate, or gelato invoke a sense of indulgence and nostalgia for childhood memories in consumers. Examples of these “special treat” beers include caramel pecan porters and cereal milk IPAs.

  “In Europe, the use of herbs and spices in craft beer is on the rise,” Palank said. “This trend is driven by the desire to enhance sensory experiences and flavor intensity. Pairing herbs with citrus flavors is particularly popular, offering a refreshing twist that appeals to consumers seeking novel taste experiences. Ingredients like cinnamon, hibiscus and Sichuan peppercorn are adding complexity to beer profiles.”

  Another interesting trend is hybrid beverages, which includes unique creations like tea-inspired beers, cocktail-inspired brews and coffee-infused lagers that push flavor boundaries to the next level.

How to Create Custom Products with Flavorings

  The process of getting started with flavorings involves reaching out to an expert company like these two highlighted here to discuss your motivation to try flavorings and devise a customized solution based on your company’s unique beverages. Both Mother Murphy’s and Beck Flavors offer the opportunity to request flavor samples to help you narrow down your options.

  “We don’t just create flavors — we help breweries craft memorable drinking experiences that set them apart in the industry,” said Beck Flavors’ senior applications manager and technical sales representative, Adam Berge. “By combining data-driven insights, expert formulation and meticulous testing, we partner with brewers to bring bold, innovative flavors to life, ensuring that every beer tells a story and captivates consumers.

  Berge went on to explain how his company conducts market intelligence and sensory research to identify trends and emerging consumer preferences before diving into flavor development. Once they identify a flavor direction, the research and development team takes over to develop a formulation that integrates with the company’s beverage style.

  “Once a flavor is developed, we offer breweries a sensory testing process to ensure that the final product delivers the intended aroma, taste and mouthfeel,” Berge said. “Sensory testing allows us to fine-tune intensity levels, identify any unexpected interactions and make necessary adjustments before full-scale production.”

  He emphasized the importance of ensuring a flavor is scalable and consistent across every batch. Successful flavors must perform reliably during all conditions to maintain a signature taste without confusing fluctuations from one drink to the next.

Considerations About Using Flavorings

  Al Murphy from Mother Murphy’s shared with us that one important consideration is to decide between natural or artificial formulations of flavorings for your beer or spirits.

  “Most companies use natural because they would like to have ‘natural’ on the label,” he explained. “Typically, artificial is cheaper, and you can use less but many companies don’t want ‘artificial’ on the label.”

  Murphy also mentioned a common mistake craft beverage producers make with flavorings.

  “Some distilleries don’t know how to use flavors in conjunction with acids and sugar,” he said. “They might know how to distill a spirit or blend a spirit, but they need a flavor partner that can help them create a flavored spirit product.”

  Beck Flavors’ principal flavor chemist, Rick Gibson, emphasized that craft beverage producers must integrate new flavors into their recipes to ensure balance, compatibility, stability and consumer appeal.

Gibson has nearly 50 years of flavor experience and is one of only around 400 Certified Flavored Chemists in the world.

  Gibson explained the importance of achieving the right balance between a beverage’s existing profile and a new flavor. For example, too much of any ingredient can overpower a beer, making it overwhelming or one-dimensional.

  “To prevent this, breweries should consider how flavors interact at different stages of the brewing process, including fermentation and conditioning,” Gibson said. “A well-integrated flavor should enhance rather than dominate, allowing drinkers to experience a harmonious blend of flavors with each sip. Our team at Beck Flavors works closely with brewers to fine-tune intensity levels, ensuring that every ingredient plays a complementary role in the final product.”

  There is also the crucial issue of pairing the right flavors with the right style of beverage. Some flavors naturally complement beverage profiles or are better suited to them, such as a bright citrus flavor paired with a hazy IPA or a coffee flavor paired with a porter.

  “Additionally, breweries should consider how flavor perception changes based on factors like alcohol content, body and carbonation levels,” Gibson said. “A highly carbonated saison may amplify herbal or floral notes, while a high-ABV imperial stout can support rich, dessert-inspired flavors like chocolate and maple. At Beck, we help breweries identify the best pairings based on their beer style and brand vision, ensuring that new flavors feel intentional rather than forced.”

  Beverage producers should consider how flavors impact shelf stability and product performance over time. Gibson noted that certain fruit extracts lose their vibrancy after a while, yet cinnamon and nutmeg become more pronounced as beverages naturally age.

  But ultimately, beverage producers must keep consumer preferences in mind at all times when implementing new flavors. Requesting in-person feedback and online reviews from loyal customers is an effective way to gauge interest in new flavored beverages and assess consumer behavior.

  “Understanding what drinkers are looking for — whether they’re adventurous craft beer enthusiasts or casual consumers seeking familiar, approachable flavors — is key to developing a product that sells,” Gibson said.

Consumer Awareness Shows an Emerging Regenerative Market

Cyndi
barista pouring beer into a glass mug from a brass tap with wooden handles

By: Erik Lars Myers

The beer pours a rich amber color, crystal clear, with a stark white fluffy head. Warm caramel-sweet malt aromas greet your nose from the glass, counterpointing the earthy hedgerow bouquet of East Kent Goldings hops. It is Reset ESB, a drinkable, classic, English-style ESB. It is also the world’s first Regenfied™ Certified Beer.

  The vast majority of the malt in this beer brewed at Fullsteam Brewery in Durham, NC is Regenfied™ Southern Select, a 2-row base malt created Riverband Malt House in Asheville, NC, the first – and currently only – malt house in the world to malt Regenified™ Certified barley. This particular batch of barley is Avalon, a malting barley created at Virginia Tech’s Small Grain Breeding Program specifically for farms in the South. It was grown at Harbor View Farms, a Tier 3 Regenified™ Certified farm in Rock Hall, MD. That traceable pathway is one of the main considerations toward Fullsteam’s use of the Regenified™ seal.

Becoming Regenified™

  Regenerative farming is a philosophy that covers a wide range of farming practices. At its base, regenerative agriculture is a method of farming that focuses on practices that are meant to create and maintain healthy ecosystems and preserve sustainable farmland for future generations. It prioritizes soil health, reduces reliance on synthetic herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers, and nurtures the land as well as the people who use it.

  Over time, farms that use regenerative practices have shown a long-term increase in yield benefits in their farmland. These farms reduce their carbon footprint, conserve water, and grow healthier food. They also safeguard the long-term viability of their farmland in the form of improved biodiversity, reduced erosion, and a reduction in local water pollution. This is achieved through careful cover-cropping, rotational grazing of livestock, no-till farming, and a wide variety of other practices.

  But it isn’t easy. The short-term switch from conventional farming to regenerative farming can mean investment in different tools, practices, and labor. It can also mean a reduced yield while the switch is being made, a daunting proposition in an industry with already razor-thin margins.

  That is one of the reasons that the Regenified™ certification works a little differently than other certification programs. Rather than simply working to meet a target – the “if you meet these documented conditions then you qualify as Certified” method – Regenified™ exists in progressive tiers in a way that helps farmers build toward a regenerative farming future, setting goals over years to work in new processes, increasing their regenerative practices while building a better and stronger future for their farmland. In turn, the Regenified™ Seal helps manufacturers and end consumers identify the products made with these farming practices.

  A 2024 consumer product report by Regenfied™ shows an ever-increasing consumer awareness of “values-based shoppers.” Their report shows an “Emerging Regenerative Market” whose consumers are willing to pay more for regeneratively farmed products and seek them out when they can, noting that they are “especially interested in supporting regenerative agriculture across core product categories such as fruits and vegetables (83%), eggs (60%), dairy (56%), meat (52%), and grains (48%).”

  For companies like Riverbend Malt House and Fullsteam Brewery, it means putting their money where their mouth is.

Regenified™ Manufacturing

  “Regenified™ malt is crucial to our triple bottom line approach,” says Brent Manning, one of Riverbend Malt House’s founders and Chief Strategy Officer. “We’ve always prioritized people, planet, and profits. When we started over a decade ago, we really wanted to focus on organically or sustainably farmed barley. At the time, mother nature had other plans for us. After an early difficult growing season we had to choose between conventionally farmed grain and keeping the business open, but now we have the opportunity to refocus on a mission that, at its core, is vital to who we are.”

hand holding a handful of grain

For Fullsteam Brewery, it was a no-brainer. “It really fits into our core values and mission statement,” notes Jon Simpson, Fullsteam Brewery’s Director of Brewery Operations and Innovation. “Supporting Southern agriculture and what we think of as ‘the Southern beer economy’ through our purchases has been at the heart of Fullsteam’s mission since its beginning. Investing in a specifically southern grain created by one of our local partners that supports the future of farming in the South is a perfect fit.”

  Over the past 15 years, Fullsteam has acted on its mission to the tune of approximately $1 million of locally sourced ingredients. Riverbend is one of their primary local partners, and so the opportunity to create a series of beers centered around this malt was serendipity.

  For both of them, fitting Regenified™ certification into their process isn’t very much of a disruption and in many cases flows directly with how their operations are designed, which is primarily based around traceability and lot tracking. Traceability, something that larger breweries or maltsters may have to create specific processes for, is often just business as usual for small- or mid-sized breweries.

  “We still receive all of our grain in super sacks,” Manning says, referring to the 2000 lb totes that bulk grain is shipped in. He notes that lot tracking to a farm, or even a field level, might be something that larger maltsters might have an initial issue with, but that it’s part of Riverbend’s normal operations. Since the outset, part of their process has been tracking individual strains of barley from different farms and regions because those different strains and regions have significant flavor profile differences. They pass along that information to their brewery and distillery partners to help govern ingredients choices but also as a means for differentiation.

  Similarly, at Fullsteam, tracking the use of local ingredients in each beer has been a mission for so long that for Simpson, keeping this particular supply chain separate is just a normal day-to-day operation. “The biggest change has been making a more detailed note in our brewing logs noting the exact lot number and source of the grain.” Of course, making a well-balanced beer often means using more than one type of malt, but for the Reset line, 100% of the base malt for the beer is Regenified™ making up 80%+ of the grist. The rest of the malt is sourced locally from one of North Carolina’s three malt houses.

Regenified™ Value

  For both Fullsteam and Riverbend, the decision to use Regenified™ malt is one of prioritizing their own values and recognizing that some purchasing decisions are not driven solely by price but by the greater impact it might have in the world.

  “They’re small steps,” Simpson says, “But they add up. You take all the small steps you can and know that at the end they’re having a larger impact together.”

  Manning notes that for larger businesses – he specifically mentions large distilleries – locally grown, regeneratively farmed grains are way to significantly impact their supply chain-based carbon emissions. But the same is true for every size of food or beverage manufacturer. Whether it bears out to more sales in the market or not is still up in the air, but for these producers it’s all part of their larger strategy anyway.

  “Does it get traction?” Simpson mused, “Hard to say. But it’s definitely attractive to certain customers that are important to us. Retail partners like Whole Foods, among others, are more apt to focus on environmentally conscious manufacturing and ingredients. The Regenified™ Seal makes it easier for customers to recognize that value on the shelf. And that’s worth it as far as we’re concerned.”

Fullsteam Brewery’s Reset ESB: https://www.fullsteam.ag/beer/reset-esb

Riverbend Malt House’s Regenified™ Southern Select: https://riverbendmalt.com/malt/regenified-southern-select/

Regenified™ 2024 Consumer Report: https://regenified.com/2024consumerreport/

About the Author

  Erik Lars Myers is an award-winning professional brewer and lover of beer. He has written two travel guides about beer and written and edited multiple books about homebrewing.

Can AI Boost Beverage Marketing Strategies?

Cyndi
futuristic robot with chin in hand

By: Hanifa Sekandi

In a world where technology is the gateway to success, it is unsurprising that people are looking at the new kid on the block, AI. For some, this tool is controversial. It lacks the human touch, a true statement. People value connection, something that AI cannot replicate.

  Regardless of these sentiments, it is a tool that must be understood even if you choose not to utilize it. So, what place does it have in beverage marketing? The place it holds for your beverage brand is up to you. Many marketing experts across industries have implemented AI software into their strategies to streamline processes. Some companies see it as a tool to cut costs—an excellent opportunity to allocate a budget to marketing initiatives rather than large marketing teams.

  Although this new frontier is popular right now, this will likely level out. AI cannot completely replace an experienced marketing team, nor can it brainstorm creative ideas. But it can take your ideas and organize them. It can help bring the story together and devise a plan that is easy to digest across teams. However, there are limitations.

  Before you consider using AI to market your beverage brand, it is essential to have a goal in mind. Why is this tool useful for your company? What gap is it filling? If you have been following along, we often mention the importance of understanding your audience and researching before you market your beverage.

  Once you have solidified your why and brand messaging, the next step is who. Who is your consumer? How can you reach them? How do they make their buying decisions? The market research stage is fundamental to your long-term success. It precedes determining the what and how to market to your consumer. 

AI & Market Research

Fortunately, many AI tools can help you conduct market research. With these tools, you can take a deep dive into your consumers’ behavior. AI software can analyze what actions your targeted consumer makes. It can also zero in on key demographic markers, such as age, gender, location and income. Brands can see who their competitors are and how their audience responds to their marketing initiatives—a great way for a new beverage brand to understand how they might measure up to the best. AI, if utilized correctly, can give brands a competitive edge.

  With that said, there are downsides to using AI. One downside is that your plan can be widely used if you do not provide a detailed and concise query. You ask AI questions, and AI does its best to answer them. Generic questions get basic answers. The more details, the better. Avoid obvious questions that most people would ask.

  For example, asking AI to help you by using generic market research strategies will not provide you with a customized plan exclusive to your brands. An example is asking an AI tool how to market to men who play hockey. Just asking about this demographic your competitor may be targeting will provide you with a basic strategy—a strategy that will be similar if several other brands ask the same question. AI is not the be-all and end-all. You cannot just sit back, let it do the work and then let the magic happen.

  Marketing teams who have adopted this tool understand this quite well. They know the limitations of their teams and recognize the limitations of AI tools. They know how to cut through the marketing fluff with AI. AI helps marketers zero in on a targeted audience and highlight information that would take hours to uncover through conventional market research strategies. With AI, every stone unturned will be flipped over, revealing little marketing gold nuggets. Rather than focusing on just one aspect of your demographic, you may discover that your consumer is more than just a hockey fan. Their desire for a beverage is not isolated to watching the sport.

  Discovering the complexities of your consumers will allow you to explore other ways to reach them. You do not have to spend so much time focusing on what your competitor is doing and trying to do it better. Your brand can do what has not been done yet, opening a new viewpoint of how this consumer is viewed.

Streamline Your Marketing Plan

  What can you do as a marketing team? This is the first obstacle that needs to be tackled. Becoming a successful beverage brand still requires active participation. You will have to roll up your sleeves. You cannot close your eyes and hope that a few AI tools and strategies will do the work. When you hit the ground running, know your strengths and weaknesses. From here, you can discern where AI fits in and how it enhances your marketing goals.

  Many people use AI to condense their marketing plans. A 30-page deck can be overwhelming. With the help of a good AI tool, you can break down your strategy into segments. Upload your document and select areas your team would like to focus on. You may also break your plan into segments that can be assigned to individuals on your team. AI can take a large-scale plan and turn it into actionable goals. This is where AI can shine.

  An AI-generated workflow diagram provides a useful map to follow. As business picks up, it is good to know where you are heading since the unexpected is always at play in beverage marketing. There will be times when you need to pivot or modify aspects of your marketing strategies. What is important is that you do not lose sight of where you are going.

AI Can Automate Social Campaigns

  Most brands have a love-hate relationship with social media. There are so many different platforms, and each one has different requirements. This is where AI can shine for many brands. Social media can be demanding, as it is a full-time commitment, particularly when trying to break a brand. Your team is small, and there is only so much one marketing manager can do. As of late, most social platforms have also implemented AI tools to help you with effective social media marketing. Yes, authenticity is always best. But if you are not a writing savant, a skilled video editor or cannot create a visually appealing post, there are AI offerings for this on most platforms. Smartphones are also useful for this because they offer AI tools for photo and video editing.

  For example, AI-powered content creation tools like Blaze AI save you time and make it look like you’re an expert. These tools give you a framework to work with to get you started to support current efforts. Bigger brands can afford to hire a few social media managers, whereas smaller brands may have a marketing manager who is a jack of all trades. Unfortunately, this is not beneficial in the long run. An overworked marketing manager cannot be or do all things at once and will often miss marketing opportunities.

  These AI tools can also assist with newsletters. Some people opt to use AI for blogs. This is one of those sticky areas. It is always a good idea to write your content in-house, particularly content that will live on your website. A human touch and authentic brand voice shine above all. AI tools can help you brainstorm ideas or create an editorial calendar but cannot replace a copywriter. Hire a copywriter, and this should be part of your marketing budget.

Simply put, people can tell. We are in an era of information overload. So proceed with caution when utilizing AI for content.

  Your blogs are the only place where you can tell your story, something you know more than AI. Once you have your audience’s attention on social media, where are you directing them? If it is not the local beer store, it is your website. Consistent newsletters and blogs are a must for brands that sell beverages from their websites.

  So, what’s the overall verdict of AI in beverage marketing? Err on the side of caution; do not overdo it. But give it a try and see where it takes your brand.

Conveyors: Small Changes, Big Impact

Cyndi

How Conveyor Choices Drive Efficiency & Sustainability in the Craft Beverage Industry

shows large conveyors with bottles

By: Stacy Bashline – Product Marketing Manager, Chain & Component

In the craft beverage world, efficiency and sustainability aren’t just trendy terms, they are the keys to long-term success. Producers juggle production speed, costs, and environmental impact while keeping quality and consistency top-notch. While big investments like brew tanks or packaging lines get most of the attention, one of the easiest ways to boost efficiency and sustainability is often overlooked: conveyor chains and belts.

  Whether you’re moving cans, bottles, or kegs, the right choice of conveyor belt or chain can cut down on product loss, save water and energy, and improve overall productivity, without the need for a major system overhaul.

Sustainability in Motion: Less Water, Less Waste, More Efficiency

  Many industries, including the beverage market, face increasing pressure to reduce their environmental footprint. Key areas of focus include water conservation, energy efficiency, and compliance with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs. What many don’t realize is the critical role conveyor systems play in these sustainability efforts.

  One immediate opportunity for producers is reducing lubrication and water usage. Traditional conveyor chains often require constant lubrication, leading to excessive water and chemical consumption. By switching to advanced, low-friction, high-wear-resistant chain materials, manufacturers can significantly cut lubrication needs—or even eliminate them altogether. This not only lowers costs, but also aligns with corporate sustainability goals.

  These small adjustments can help beverage producers save thousands of gallons of water annually and can allow for safer work conditions with less water hazards on the floor.

Fewer Replacements, Less Downtime

  Beyond water savings, sustainability also means choosing conveyor products that last longer. Many producers operate in harsh conditions, where exposure to moisture, heat, and acidic ingredients can cause conveyor components to wear out quickly. Frequent replacements increase operating costs and cause production downtime.

  For instance, acidic residue from flavored seltzers can cause premature wear, causing a beverage producer to replace their standard acetal chain as often as every four weeks. By analyzing individual customer needs, engineers can recommend a new acetal material with high chemical resistance, which can extend chain lifespan to over six months—reducing waste, lowering costs, and improving production uptime.

  Once again, these small changes may not seem significant at first glance, but they can translate to thousands of dollars saved annually while supporting a more sustainable operation.

Optimizing for Flexibilit: Adapting to EPR Guidelines

  EPR guidelines are becoming increasingly important, shifting the responsibility for managing the end-of-life of products, particularly product packaging, to producers.

  How does this relate to conveyor chains? As producers adapt to comply with these guidelines, they are making constant changes to packaging formats, such as transitioning from glass to cans or switching to more recyclable bottles.

  These changes can be supported by understanding how the conveyor chain can accommodate the new products. Recent advancements in thicker chains help facilitate slower cooling processes after molding, resulting in a superior flat top surface. For cans or PET bottles, these surfaces provide enhanced product stability over time, while also supporting the shift to more recyclable packaging as required by EPR guidelines.

Sustainable, Smart, & Simple: The Conveyor Advantage

  For beverage producers aiming to increase efficiency, reduce costs, and meet sustainability goals, the solution may be simpler than expected.

  Partnering for decarbonization is key: beverage producers should align themselves with partners who treat sustainability as not just a goal, but a core pillar of operations. While only top 5% of companies globally are rewarded with a Gold Medal by EcoVadis, this esteemed recognition can serve as compass for a company with excellent corporate social responsibility performance. Beverage producers should collaborate not just with belt manufacturers, but those who treat them like partners and are committed to delivering local service and expertise, helping optimize production with sustainable, high-performance conveyor solutions.

About AMMEGA:   

  AMMEGA is a global leader in lightweight conveyor belting and power transmission solutions, with distinct product brands Ammeraal Beltech, Uni, Megadyne, Jason Industrial and Chemprene. With an unwavering commitment to innovation, excellence, quality, and passion for sustainability, AMMEGA delivers tailored solutions across diverse industries. Backed by a significant investment in the Americas and an Ecovadis gold certification, AMMEGA is dedicated to empowering its customers and shaping a more sustainable future.  

To learn more, visit www.AMMEGA.com