Craft Beer Professionals

Your service staff is tasked with presenting your beers to customers in your taproom or brewpub, which makes each of them ad hoc members of your sales staff. They might be great bartenders or servers, but if they came to you from a restaurant or other hospitality background, they might not know much about beer, and we all know how quickly beer misinformation can spread.Brewery owners are sometimes reluctant to invest time and money in a staff education program, fearing they’ll have to watch that investment walk out the door if an employee leaves a few months later. However, far more damaging than a trained employee who leaves is an untrained one who sticks around. You give your sales staff the information they need to get your beer into new account, and your service staff needs it to.In this talk, Advanced Cicerone and beer educator David Nilsen will talk about the benefits of establishing a service-focused beer education program at your brewery and what does and doesn’t need to be included in the program.David Nilsen (he/him) is a full-time beer writer and educator living near Dayton, Ohio. He’s an Advanced Cicerone© and an award-winning member of the North American Guild of Beer Writers and the British Guild of Beer Writers. He hosts the Bean to Barstool podcast, and is the author of the book Pairing Beer & Chocolate. He’s the co-founder and editor of Final Gravity, a print zine telling personal, human-centered stories from the world of beer. You can find him online at davidnilsenbeer.com and on Bluesky and Instagram as @davidnilsenbeer.Join us in person for CBP Connects New OrleansDecember 8–10, 2025It’s never been more important to connect: https://cbpconnects.com/

Running a craft brewery today isn’t easy—markets are unpredictable, costs are rising, and competition is fierce. The real question is, how do you not just survive, but thrive in all this chaos?Join us as we tackle the biggest challenges facing craft breweries today—rising raw material and packaging costs, fierce competition, and unpredictable pricing and demand. We’ll break down revenue vs. profit and show you how Ollie can help transform your passion into a profitable, sustainable business. By the end, you’ll leave with clear, actionable strategies to boost profitability and thrive in an ever-changing market.Dustin Jeffers is a VP, Brewery Product & Experience at Next Glass. He received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Connecticut and his Master’s Degree from Florida Atlantic University. He has been in the beer industry since 2012, working at Saltwater Brewery as the Head Brewer and Chief Operations Officer, and at 3 Sons Brewing Co. as the Director of Operations. Dustin has been a part of multiple aspects of the brewing industry, including brewing, front-of-house, sales, and operations. Dustin now works for Next Glass, Inc as a Brewery Solutions Consultant discussing all the solutions Next Glass has to offer for the beverage alcohol industry.Join us in person for CBP Connects New OrleansDecember 8–10, 2025It’s never been more important to connect: https://cbpconnects.com/

For better or worse, the U.S. beer market is built on top of a sea of excise taxes, which every successful and compliant brewer must learn to navigate. As your brewery grows and enters more state markets, your overall excise tax burden only increases, adding to the confusion and risk of missing something. And, of course, each state has unique rules for how they apply and administer their excise tax systems. Understanding the ins and outs of this burden, from your federal liabilities to the rules of the individual states is critical when expanding your sales footprint across the U.S. Come hear regulatory expert Alex Koral of Sovos ShipCompliant provide a review of the different excise tax rules and scenarios that brewers face.Based in Boulder, Colorado, Alex Koral is Regulatory General Counsel for Sovos ShipCompliant, where he serves as lead legal researcher for beverage alcohol regulation and has become a leading expert on interstate distribution of alcohol. He has spoken on the topic at many industry events including the Craft Beer Professionals Virtual Conferences, Craft Brewers Conference, American Craft Spirits Association Convention, as well as meetings for the National Council of State Liquor Administrators and the National Liquor Law Enforcement Association. Alex has been in the beverage alcohol arena since 2015, after receiving his J.D. from the University of Colorado Law School.Join us in person for CBP Connects New OrleansDecember 8–10, 2025It’s never been more important to connect: https://cbpconnects.com/

Julie Rhodes, a seasoned expert in beverage marketing and co-founder of Kick Fizz, shares insights on scaling sales without a traditional team. She discusses leveraging digital strategies and automation to enhance revenue. Key topics include defining your ideal accounts, creating compelling value propositions, and smart prospecting methods through social tools. Julie emphasizes the importance of building relationships with retailers and using technology like CRMs to streamline sales processes, making growth achievable for independent brands.

There’s a lot of consolidation in the brewing industry right now. And, there are a lot of people looking to make an exit. We tell clients that, right now, it’s probably cheaper to buy a brewery than to start one. Whether you’re buying or selling there’re thing you need to think about and protections you need to have. From transaction structure to warranties to owner financing to employee issues, there’s a lot to think about. In this presentation we’ll give you best practices for evaluating and completing an alcohol producer/seller purchase or sale transaction.As an attorney at Beer Law Center, John’s practice centers on the craft beverage industry. Handling everything from business formation to TTB/ABC, to trademark, and buying/selling an alcohol business, John works with clients to help them achieve their personal and business goals. John authored the book Beer Law: What Brewers Need to Know and is a Certified BJCP Judge, holds Level II Certifications in Wine and Beer from WSET, and is the country’s only alcohol attorney who is also a Certified Cicerone. John is based in Raleigh and practices in North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.Join us in person for CBP Connects New OrleansDecember 8–10, 2025It’s never been more important to connect: https://cbpconnects.com/

In this session we will dive into the world of hemp beverages, exploring the state of the industry, market trends, technical details, and, most importantly, giving you ample time to ask questions! Topics covered will include formulation considerations, production SOPs, navigating the regulatory landscape, and understanding what consumers want in a THC drink.Attendees will leave the session with checklists to get you from formulation to launch, a rough outline of COGS and ROI modeling, and samples to begin developing a THC drink of your own.” “Ricky is the Revenue Director at Perfectly Dosed. He has worked with hundreds of breweries assess the viability of the hemp beverage market and ultimately scale their THC product lines to 10%+ net new revenue in less than a year. Breweries that work with Perfectly Dosed range from local taprooms to major regional craft breweries.Perfectly Dosed makes ultra stable and affordable hemp emulsions. We’ve powered over one billion servings and our team of experts would be happy to help you launch and scale your hemp products.Join us in person for CBP Connects New OrleansDecember 8–10, 2025It’s never been more important to connect: https://cbpconnects.com/

This presentation explains the various scenarios in which stainless steel equipment can be damaged and how to avoid damaging the equipment by understanding the cause effects. We will also discuss various field examples and how the equipment can be protected and repaired, if necessary.Born and raised in Cologne, Germany, Dirk graduated in Cologne with a degree in business administration. After working for a BASF subsidiary, he joined the Loeffler family business, where he worked in sales, technical services and research and development. In 1992, Dirk came to the United States to lay the groundwork for the US operations of Loeffler which led to the incorporation of Loeffler Chemical Corporation in 1994. Until 2019, Dirk served as the CEO and Technical Director for Loeffler Chemical Corporation. After the company merged in 2019, Dirk left the new company and took a sabbatical and focused on teaching and enjoying some time with his family. In 2024, Dirk founded SEKA Chemicals together with his wife Alexis. As the Executive Vice President of Technical Operations and Sales he continues to develop new products and process technologies for breweries and distilleries.Dirk lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife Alexis and their twin boys Kai and Sebastian. Dirk has been an active member of the Master Brewers Association since 1992 and currently serves as the President for the MBAA Districts Mid-South and Georgia. Dirk is also an active member of the Brewers Association since 1993 and serves on the Board of the German School of Atlanta as Safety & Security Officer.Join us in person for CBP Connects New OrleansDecember 8–10, 2025It’s never been more important to connect: https://cbpconnects.com/

In an industry driven by grassroots grit, passion, and what at times feels like flying by the seat of your pants, professional development often takes a backseat to production schedules and tight budgets. But staying competitive and keeping your staff inspired doesn’t require expensive conferences or high-ticket programs. This session explores how breweries of all sizes—especially small and independent operations—can embrace professional growth on a shoestring budget.We’ll dive into practical, scalable strategies for skill-building, staff retention, and team morale that don’t break the bank. From peer-to-peer learning and free resources to low-cost certifications and mentorship models, attendees will walk away with actionable tools to grow their teams and invest in better informed staff.Because in beer, just like in brewing, better outcomes come from continuous refinement—and you don’t need a million-dollar system to make a damn good pint.Panelists: Aaron Gore (Beer30 by The 5th Ingredient)Chris Leguizamon (Fonta Flora Brewery)Ryan Mayfield (Craft Leadership)Moderator: Cat Pearce (Raleigh BrewingJoin us in person for CBP Connects New OrleansDecember 8–10, 2025It’s never been more important to connect: https://cbpconnects.com/

In today’s challenging beverage landscape, most breweries aren’t chasing overnight success as the next big regional or national player. Instead, growth comes from intentional moves that fit the business. In this panel, you’ll hear from owners who have expanded by adding kitchens, stepping away from distribution, and building private event programs — all without losing control. The right next step might not be bigger, just better for your business.This conversation features:Brian Quinn (Atomic Clock Brewing)Erin Bullard (ONCO FermentationsJessica Kraus (Lost Way Brewery)Steven Fuller (Wackadoo Brewing)Join us in person for CBP Connects New OrleansDecember 8–10, 2025It’s never been more important to connect: https://cbpconnects.com/

Join Jake Lohse, co-founder of Presidential Brewing, Dan Reineke from Loma Brewing, and Sara Watson of Vacancy Brewing as they dive into the intricacies of brewery finances. They discuss the importance of weekly performance metrics, tracking labor costs, and leveraging community events for profitability. Sara reveals the impact of managing discounts, while Jake shares strategies for pricing and expense coding. Together, they emphasize the necessity of real-time data and simple systems to drive growth and engagement in the brewing business.