
About this episode
The episode discusses the Craft Brewers Conference in Philadelphia and a significant brewery acquisition deal involving Stone Brewing.
The Brewers Association's Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) rolled into Philadelphia this week – and so did the Brewbound Podcast On Location Studio. In this episode of the Brewbound Podcast, the team shares their early reads on a week in which the vibes seem high compared to previous years. Zoe recaps the opening keynote speech by Unreasonable Hospitality author and former restaurateur Will Guidara, including his hyper-experiential approach to customer service and what a "dream weaver" is and whether you should be concerned that your server is eavesdropping on you. But first, Justin provides details on Firestone Walker and Duvel USA striking an agreement to acquire the Stone Brewing brand and four California taprooms from Sapporo USA – just under four years after the Japanese brewing giant acquired the San Diego craft brewery. Justin, Jess and Zoe dig into what the deal means for craft market share in California, how the combined company plans to approach distribution and which taprooms are on the move, as well as what this means for Sapporo in the U.S. and what happens with the Escondido production brewery. The trio also share takeaways from Brewbound's party at Love City Brewing.
People in this episode
Hosts: Justin, Jess
Guest: Will Guidara
Topics covered
- Craft Brewers Conference
- customer service
- brewery acquisition
- craft beer market
Keywords
- Firestone Walker
- Duvel USA
- Sapporo USA
- California taprooms
Mentioned in this episode
Products: Stone Brewing, Firestone Walker, Duvel USA
Places: Philadelphia, California, San Diego, U.S., Escondido
More episodes of Brewbound Podcast
- F.X. Matt Brewing's Fred Matt on Mid-Strength Beer and Generating Retail Energy; Plus, Changes Coming to GABF · June 11, 2026 · 36 min
- Revised Craft Production Data, Plus Chats with Victory and Odell · June 3, 2026 · 55 min
- Off-the-Wall Marketing with Garage Beer's Andy Sauer; How Occasions Drive Julie Rhodes' Kick Fizz · May 27, 2026 · 43 min
- NBWA's Craig Purser Talks Middle-Tier Hot-Button Issues; Aeronaut's Deepa Chungi on a Successful Events Biz · May 20, 2026 · 51 min
- How Lawson's Stays on Brand, and Rhinegeist's Plans Amid Hemp Bev Prohibition · May 14, 2026 · 48 min
- RNDC's Dismantling; Plus Eco Beverages and Russian River · May 6, 2026 · 1h 1m
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Brewbound Podcast podcast page.